Should the Presidential Candidates Say something about the Jena 6 incident?

[Bullet1987]

I'm shocked by little national attention this case is getting from the MSM. But we here on DU all know how the media feels about publicizing protests period...but still. I think the Dem candidates should at LEAST make a statement, I'm not saying any of them should go down there or anything. There's a rally going on tomarrow that's supposed to outnumber the residents of the district 5 to 1 I heard on the radio.

[babsbunny]

1. What is Jena 6?

:shrug:

[Totally Committed]

2. Yes, they certainly should! --- But, they won't.

It's probably considered a political landmine. They might actually have to tell the truth. There's little way once could "spin" what happened in Jena so that NOBODY is offended... :eyes:

TC

[jmp]

3. No

I can't think of a single thing they could possibly say to make the situation any better.

[Bullet1987]

5. It's not about making the situation better...it's about showing your support

But I agree with Totally Committed that they should but they probably won't because they're too afraid. But this would be a great opportunity for one of them to bring up our unbalanced criminal justice system.

[jmp]

7. Support for who???

On second thought ... don't answer that. I'd rather not know.

[Bullet1987]

8. Support for the kids...do you not know what's going on down there?

Can you define the term injustice? It's to show support against THAT!

[jmp]

10. The kids?

You mean the mob that decided it was OK to put a beatdown on 1 guy?

[ellacott]

12. Wow n/t

[jmp]

13. Are you disputing the facts?

Or are you just a fan of cowardly pack attacks on lone victims?

[ellacott]

14. Like I said, wow n/t

[Mass]

18. Victim who went to a ring ceremony the same night.

So, sure, the kids should be punished, but 22 years in jail? Does it not strike you as a little bit heavy handed, to be mild.

The white teenager who was beaten, Justin Barker, 17, was knocked out but walked out of a hospital after two hours of treatment for a concussion and an eye that was swollen shut. He attended a ring ceremony later that night.

The other side of the story here: white attacker: probation. (Note, this was the first attack, after the nooses were found on the tree). See my other post for full story.

In the weeks that followed, the fighting continued. In one scuffle, Robert Bailey, one of the six teenagers now facing trial, said a white man broke a beer bottle over his head after jumping him at a party, but there was no immediate investigation. Months later, Justin Sloan, who is white, was charged with simple battery and given probation for that attack.

[jmp]

19. "Victim who went to a ring ceremony the next night."

Meaning what?

[Mass]

20. Did you even bother reading the rest of my post?

[jmp]

21. Does 22 years seem a bit harsh to me?

No. But then I'm in favor of expanding the death penalty to include repeat predators of all types.

But I'm sure everyone would be screaming for a lighter sentence ... if it had been 6 white guys beating 1 black guy.

After all, all anyone wants is equity. :sarcasm:

[Bullet1987]

24. First of all JMP...the fighting went back and forth between the two groups

that goes back to white students hanging a noose on a tree they didn't want the Black students to sit under. Get your story straight.

[Alamom]

4. 9/12/07: Hillary Clinton Statement on the Jena Six

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/news/release/view/?id=3264



9/12/2007
Hillary Clinton Statement on the Jena Six

I am very worried about what has happened -- and what is happening -- in Jena, Louisiana. I do not condone violence of any kind, but this situation raises very serious questions of injustice and inequality. I am deeply concerned about reports of potentially disparate treatment of white youths and African-American youths in the criminal justice system. I am troubled by reports that African-American students were initially charged and may be sentenced in a manner out of proportion to their wrongs. And I have long been troubled by a history of disparate treatment of African Americans in our criminal justice system.

Situations like this one remind us that we all have a responsibility to confront racial injustice and intolerance. I urge the civil rights divisions of the Department of Justice and the Department of Education to thoroughly review these cases and the surrounding events to find out whether they raise federal civil rights violations.

[Bullet1987]

6. Releasing a statement on a website that probably wasn't even written

by her...is not the same thing as saying it from your own lips in front of a camera.

[Alamom]

9. 9/13/07:Obama Demands Fairness In Jena 6 Case

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2007/09/13/obama-demands-fairness-in-jena-6-genarlow-wilson-cases/

Obama Demands Fairness In Jena 6 Case
Senator Barack Obama made the following statement today in response to the Jena 6 case.

“When nooses are being hung in high schools in the 21st century, it’s a tragedy. It shows that we still have a lot of work to do as a nation to heal our racial tensions. This isn’t just Jena’s problem; it’s America’s problem.”

“There are a number of signs that the system is not working in this case. It’s a problem when criminal charges are brought against some students for fighting, but not others. It’s a problem when a public defender doesn’t call any witnesses. And it’s a problem when a prosecutor decides to try teenagers as adults for a school fight, a charge that could leave them in jail for the majority of their lives. That is why I join my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus in calling on the judge to consider all the relevant factors and calling on the District Attorney to drop the excessive charges brought in this case. And I, along with other members of the CBC, will continue to monitor this case closely.”

“Going forward, we have to fix our criminal justice system. Whether it’s Jena 6 or Genarlow Wilson, it’s long past time for us to admit that we have more work to do to ensure that our criminal justice system is fair. We must ensure that both victims and defendants can receive equal justice under the law, regardless of race, wealth, or other circumstances.”



http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2007/09/17/obama-statement-on-repeal-of-jena-6-conviction/

Barack Obama said on September 14:

“I am pleased that the Louisiana state appeals court recognized that the aggravated battery charge brought in this case was inappropriate. I hope that today’s decision will lead the prosecutor to reconsider the excessive charges brought against all the teenagers in this case. And I hope that the judicial process will move deliberately to ensure that all of the defendants will receive a fair trial and equal justice under the law.”

[DangerDave921]

11. Very Tricky

That is a tough situation. And I'll delve into the race thing here, landmines and all. Obama, as a black American, would seem to have most moral authority to visit this issue and make it a component of his campaign, i.e., we still don't have racial equality. But of course to win the election, Obama has to win over white America, not just black America. So my guess is that his campaign is wondering whether focusing on the Jena situation will paint him as too much of a "black" candidate.

[Bullet1987]

22. Why is talking about race not part of winning over White America?

That's the bigger question...or better yet, why are topics framed around race less appropriate than topics framed around class? To me, sometimes race and class go hand in hand. You can't talk about poverty without talking about both race and class (maybe that's why poverty isn't talked about more by Presidential candidates?).

[DangerDave921]

25. It could be

I think racial equality is certainly part of a good message to white america. But I also think Obama's campaign wants to be very careful to appeal to a broad base of middle america. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton never polled that well overall, and I think Obama has some concerns about becoming too much affiliated with supposed "black" causes in the fear that middle america may identify him as a "black" candidate.

I'm not saying this is right or fair. But it's the unfortunate position that a black candidate has today running for president. Obama has a tough and fine line to tread.

[Kagemusha]

15. Obama said something about it but Jesse Jackson says it's not enough

and Obama's 'acting white'. From a thread last night. Sickened me when I saw it (not the poster's fault, Jesse Jackson's).

[ellacott]

16. Jessie Jackson is denying he said "acting white"

That would seem odd even for Jackson to say that considering that he's endorsing Obama.

[Mass]

17. Should DU care more about this issue?

I am a little shocked by the lack of play this story had on DU, as if people did not care.

For those who do not know what it is about, here is an article summarizing it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/03/AR2007080302098.html

[Bullet1987]

23. I agree 100% with you Mass...

[hedgehog]

26. Hard cases make bad law.

There are no clean hands in this affair. I doubt we have the entire story. Hanging the noose on the tree appears to have been the provocation, and it was not right, but we don't know what went on before. As the violentce progressed, was there an unequal application of the law or were the incidents of white on black violence reported?

[Bullet1987]

27. It's hard to tell...