La. Protests Hark Back to '50s, '60s

[nofurylike]

Source: Associated Press


La. Protests Hark Back to '50s, '60s
By MARY FOSTER – 24 minutes ago

JENA, La. (AP) — Drawn by a case tinged with one of the most hated symbols of Old South racism — a hangman's noose tied in an oak tree — tens of thousands of protesters rallied Thursday against what they see as a double standard of prosecution for blacks and whites.

-snip-

It's not just about Jena, but about inequalities and disparities around the country," said Stephanie Brown, 26, national youth director for the NAACP, who estimated about 2,000 college students were among the throngs of mostly black protesters who overwhelmed this tiny central Louisiana town.

-snip-

In Washington, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said he would hold hearings on the case, though he did not set a date or say if the prosecutor would be called to testify.

-snip-

He remained in jail pending an appeal by prosecutors. An appellate court on Thursday ordered a hearing to be held within three days on his request for release. The other five defendants are free on bond.

-snip-

***


Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gMYhJ7JacdjJYgeND1hvXhK3vw0w

---

Please see this important related thread by sandnsea:

Between the Lines, Jena Six

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1858774


peace and solidarity

[flashl]

1. What the heck is there for the prosecutor to appeal? n/t

[nofurylike]

2. i agree. it's insane, pure racism. thank you, flashl. eom

[sandnsea]

3. *sigh*

This is a shameful day. Shameful.

:hug:

[nofurylike]

5. yes it is. it really is. "*sigh*" yes yes yes "Shameful"!!

while we are caught up in dire struggles over countless vitally important matters, and many by pitifully petty ones, this growing tyranny is pushing lines i could not have ever imagined we would see pushed, again.

nooses....
o goddess, how could this be??!!!


:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

shriek


RAGE




:hug:

thank you, sandnsea. solidarity, always.

[struggle4progress]

4. Police estimate 60,000 in Jena

September 20, 2007
Gannett News Service

JENA – Law enforcement said there have been no problems of “any significance” so far during the rally that brought tens of thousands into the small community. State Police said the crowd was larger than they had expected, with their estimates as high as 60,000.

Many community members were standing outside of their homes watching as the sea of marchers flowed by. The stream of people, most wearing black, seemed to not end ...

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070920/BREAKINGNEWS/70920034

[nofurylike]

6. thank you for this, struggle4progress. wow. such a sight. i wish the

coverage told more of the outrageous details, but then, at least they covered it.

the turnout speaks of the amazing work by those dedicated to Justice.


peace and solidarity

[emlev]

7. More than 10x the population of the town!

[nofurylike]

11. wow! thank you for adding that, emlev. very big event! eom

[EFerrari]

8. Good! K&R

[nofurylike]

19. thank you, sfexpat2000! eom

[emlev]

9. Great photos in the gallery at that link

thanks much, and thanks nofurylike for posting this!

:yourock:

[nofurylike]

14. yes, the photos are great! thanks, you, emlev. eom

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. CNN said 30,000

Figures they would be only half right.

[struggle4progress]

40. "... a member of Bell's defense team, said ... crowds could have swelled to 100,000 ..."

Bell could be granted bond
Abbey Brown and Mandy M. Goodnight
The (Alexandria) Town Talk
http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070921/NEWS01/709210346/1002/NEWS01

[struggle4progress]

41. oops! self-delete

[Riktor]

10. About the Media Coverage...

I was flipping through MSNBC this morning listening to their coverage of the Jena protest, and every twenty minutes or so the anchors and the reporters took the time to remind us all has been peaceful ...so far, as if violence is somehow impending. Whenever the white rightists march around the streets in their American flag underpants, nobody assumes violence is going to follow them, despite the fact they are the most violence-prone people in the country.

[emlev]

12. Very good point. eom

[nofurylike]

13. i saw that too, Riktor, and had the very same reaction. they kept

repeating it, and i kept thinking how maybe that was because the slime with the confederate flags were so outnumbered they didn't dare attack.

unbearable, shameful injustices going on.


peace and solidarity

[Riktor]

15. Jena got a taste of its own medicine

The anchors also made it sound like the Jena townspeople were so scared they closed down shop and stayed the hell out of town. If that's the case, then good. That ought to give them perspective.

[nofurylike]

16. "That ought to give them perspective." yes, very well said. how i

wish they'd all just take that mind-clearing medicine and get better from their sickness, though! they will all feel so much better once they are seeing with open hearts and minds, instead of through the mental terrorizing by their bigotry indoctrination.

imagine them all just saying, "oh, hi, you're my neighbor!"
we'd all hear a huge sigh of getting over it.


sigh.....

dreamy wishes, ah

thanks Riktor!

solidarity!

[Riktor]

17. I'll admit, it is wishful thinking on my part....

Chances are, the Jena locals will view this protest as those "uppity niggers invading our town, disrupting our lives". By the time somebody has graduated high school, it becomes very difficult to change their opinions or beliefs. These people hate blacks now, they'll probably hate them the rest of their lives. It's sad and pathetic, but it is the most probable outcome. The only thing we can do is keep the implicit racists out of government to make sure crap like this doesn't happen again.

[nofurylike]

18. i apologize if i implied i thought *your* thinking was wishful, in

your earlier post, Riktor. your post had touched me with that bit of a sweet dream of some really getting it.

i have to admit it's true, what you say, but i meant to invite you to do some imagining and dreamy wishing with me. higher selves to higher selves, let's wish them that perspective, okay?

thanks for talking. i'm off now, but i'll check back tomorrow. lots to look at in it all. relentlessly! we must!


peace and solidarity, always

[Riktor]

20. On the Contrary...

I was merely suggesting that our mutual dream of the Jena townsfolk actually getting anything positive out of these protests is slim to none, I never felt you implied anything negative about my point of view. It's late in this neck of the woods, and cohesion has apparently left the building.

But, I agree. Let us at least hope somebody in Jena reconsiders the folly of racism.

[nofurylike]

26. :) thanks Riktor. it was late!

i figure we can't be worse off hoping. alas...

we just keep on. so! much! to! do! in those all hours of the night and day....


peace and solidarity!

[flashl]

21. This is how Jena views itself

Jena, A Good Place To Call Home - Even For The Jena 6

Did you catch that Even For the Jena 6?

Individuals returning from Jena and Alexandria Louisiana are calling into local radio stations round the southeast reports that there were actually as many as 100,000] participants!

The under reporting of the number of participants across the country is amazing!

And, David Duke Speaks out in Defense of Jena Louisiana

The people of Jena, the people of Louisiana and I are not racist. We simply want justice to be done. We understand that White people in America have lost our basic civil rights. Whites are now deprived of human rights by racial discrimination in jobs, promotions, scholarships, college admissions and in many other programs. More importantly, Whites are increasingly victims of Black racial violence and hate crimes. In fact, a White person is 40 to 50 times more likely to be a victim of Black gang violence than a Black is likely to be a victim of White gang violence.

So, there you have it from David Duke, Jena is about white civil rights.

[EFerrari]

22. Oh, thank gawd. I was so confused.

:sarcasm:

[nofurylike]

25. thank you for the number, flashl! wow! wow.... then, about the rest

of that info, thank you for providing it. we do need constant sight of the grotesque, megalomaniacal white-supremacists we are up against.

that blog. arrrgh!!! "but when a culture tolerates fatherless families..."


duke slime

:puke:


how can words express????!!

please keep on, all. relentlessly.



peace and solidarity

[emlev]

24. Democracy Now's coverage of the protest linked here

link

[nofurylike]

27. hey, thanks, emlev!

you, y'self,

:yourock:


peace and solidarity, always

[nofurylike]

31. is it me, or is link broke? tried a couple times. could well be

me, of course.

sigh.....


life, ah.



solidarity!

[emlev]

32. The link works fine for me. Still not working for you?

Go figure.

Must be some kinda weird disconnect.

Lot of that going around these days.

Very very sad.

:cry:

[nofurylike]

35. the new one worked, i'll try the other again. first try was on

dial-up, so expected not to work.

i assume it is fine, then.

just me.


thank you!

[nofurylike]

42. very odd. this is the link shortcut i get on that link *in post 24* :

http:////www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1869199

goes to nothing. :shrug:


puzzling me. went and tried on another, fast computer, still not working. maybe a disconnect just to confound me when i'm in a powerless position?

cue twilight zone music.....

and

:cry:

[emlev]

43. very weird

When I click on the link, it goes where it's supposed to. I have no idea why this would be happening.

I do know that it's not intentional.
I also know that you are *not* in a powerless position!

The link is supposed to go to my OP about DN's coverage of Thursday's protest. You could find that in GD, or you could go directly to the DN site. I didn't add anything to the post except to say they've been covering the Jena 6 story very well for months.

I hope that's helpful, nfl.

[nofurylike]

44. curiouser. did you click on it just now? maybe not somewhere the

starless can get to?

[emlev]

45. It goes where it's supposed to both from my post 24 and from

your post 42. I just went and kicked the thread the link goes to so that it should now be near the top of GD, where you can see it.

I've never heard of stars having any effect on clicking links on DU, have you?

[nofurylike]

46. is that to say that yes, you did just now click on it? and i have no

idea why it won't let me get there. the starless thing is something i often gripe about on DU.

[emlev]

47. yes, I did click on it a few minutes ago.

Don't know about the starless thing. Sorry.

[nofurylike]

49. you mean the one here, at post 24? eom

[emlev]

50. links at both posts 24 and 42 worked for me a bit ago/eom

[nofurylike]

51. like now? now. i'm seeing another url at the other post too. just a

big cusiosity.

[nofurylike]

48. i had just happened upon your GD thread, too. thank you! eom

[nofurylike]

52. i'll say! eom

[emlev]

53. I'm not sure I understand

I don't want to guess what you mean. If you want me to understand, please help me to.

[nofurylike]

54. just agreeing. eom

[emlev]

55. Then it's a good thing I asked.

Sometimes it's nice to be wrong. I enjoyed it this time.

[nofurylike]

36. self delete

[nofurylike]

28. "Yesterday in Jena and across the country"

today's email from ColorOfChange.org

http://colorofchange.org/

Yesterday was a powerful day. From the thousands of people who packed the streets of Jena, to the thousands who took action all over the country, you stepped up as a community to show your support for the Jena 6 and their families. When we looked at the numbers at the end of the day, we were awed by your commitment. More than 1,250 of you said you were going to Jena. Even more inspiring was that you said you'd bring nearly 10,000 people with you, in cars, rented vans, and hired buses!; 6,500 of you signed up to pass out flyers in your local communities; 200 of you held vigils and rallies; and you made 6,200 phone calls to Louisiana officials.

We started ColorOfChange.org after Hurricane Katrina to make sure the next time disaster struck our community, there would be an organized, strategic and loud response from Black America and our allies. Yesterday, you were organized, you were strategic, you were loud, and you made it clear that the disaster of Jim Crow justice occurring in Jena will not be allowed to stand.

While Mychal has his bond hearing today, and will hopefully be released, the fight for justice is far from over, and it will take more from each of us to ensure freedom for these 6 young men. But our movement is now more than 350,000 people strong. We know our collective effort in the next weeks and months can make a major difference in how things unfold for these young men. We hope you are in it for the long haul and will continue to push forward and fight on behalf of our young men. We will continue to give you updates and meaningful ways to act on behalf of the Jena 6.

It continues to be our privilege to be part of such a strong and powerful community. Together, we will make a difference for these young men, and for justice in our world.

Thank You and Peace,

-- James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa, Mervyn, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
September 21th, 2007

http://colorofchange.org/

***


please, all, keep on.
i will too.


peace

solidarity

[emlev]

33. Thanks for posting, I'll show it to the nine year old who asked me today,

when watching the Democracy Now! coverage, "Why is everyone at the protest African American?"

[nofurylike]

34. thank you, emlev. please do. and please tell her that there

are millions out here who are working for Justice for African Americans - many, every moment of every day, in every area of life.

and how proud she can feel that she understands so much, so very well, and cares so deeply. as is true of you, too.


peace
and
solidarity,
always

[emlev]

37. Thank you. Really.

For every word. And what's in-between them.

:cry: :hug: :cry:

[nofurylike]

38. ...

:hug:


:cry:


and everything in-between.


thank you, e

[emlev]

39. what you said.

[nofurylike]

29. news: no bail no bond for Mychal Bell. will someone please post

this in LBN?
i will soon, if someone else hasn't.

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.5736/title.no-bail-no-bond-for-mychal-bell-of-jena-6

http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=7111211

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/related/topic/Mychal+Bell?tid=informline

plenty news around now


:cry:
don't know what's next. more soon.



thank you

[nofurylike]

30. nevermind. is posted. can't breathe....... eom