Jena Mayor Calls Mellencamp Song Inflammatory

[babylonsister]

Jena Mayor Calls Song Inflammatory

By Associated Press
6:19 AM CDT, October 6, 2007


JENA, La. - A video in which rapper-actor Mos Def asked students around the country to walk out Oct. 1 to support the "Jena Six" escaped comment by this town's mayor. But when John Mellencamp sang, "Jena, take your nooses down," he took issue.

"The town of Jena has for months been mischaracterized in the media and portrayed as the epicenter of hatred, racism and a place where justice is denied," Jena Mayor Murphy R. McMillin wrote in a statement on town letterhead faxed on Friday to The Associated Press.

He said he had previously stayed quiet, hoping that the town's courtesy to people who have visited over the past year would speak for itself. "However, the Mellencamp video is so inflammatory, so defamatory, that a line has been crossed and enough is enough."

Mellencamp could not comment immediately because he was on a plane from California to Indiana and had not heard about McMillin's comments, publicist Bob Merlis said late Friday.

A brief note from Mellencamp posted Thursday on his Web site says he is telling a story, not reporting. "The song is not written as an indictment of the people of Jena but, rather, as a condemnation of racism," it says.

more...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-jena-six-mellencamp,1,3347404.story?ctrack=2&cset=true

[sam sarrha]

1. never forget..NEVER FORGET.. that lynching was legal here in the USA

[Ian David]

2. Jena trees bear strange fruit.

"...portrayed as the epicenter of hatred, racism and a place where justice is denied..."

Well, that's easy to fix.

They should stop denying Justice.

[liberalmuse]

3. I suppose it is, if you are racist.

I think it is an awesome song, and video. I love when musicians use their talent to write songs for human rights.

[flashl]

4. Crosspost from same story

Heavens forbid we tarnish the name of Jena

[cornermouse]

5. I believe the newspaper said that they hung nooses from a tree.

Under the circumstances, I would say that anything "inflammatory" or "defamatory", "any lines crossed" came well before Mellencamp wrote the song. The white kids should have been picked up and charged for the nooses (terrorism?) in addition to those who assaulted the white kids. I'm sorry if I made you mad, but the way I see it they should have all been arrested and charged with their various crimes.

[flashl]

7. These are the circumstances

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) calls for the immediate release of Mychal Bell, one of the six high school students who have come to be known as the “Jena 6.” The Guild also calls for all charges against the Jena 6 to be dropped, and for the investigation and disbarment of Judge J.P. Mauffray and District Attorney Reed Walters.

Judge J.P. Mauffray and DA Reed Walters have engaged in a string of egregious actions, the most recent of which was the denial of bail for Bell on Friday. The NLG urges that: 1) The United States Department of Justice convene an immediate inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the arrests and prosecutions of the Jena 6; 2) Judge Mauffray be recused from presiding over Bell’s juvenile court hearings or other proceedings; 3) The Louisiana Office of Disciplinary Counsel investigate Reed Walters for unethical and possibly illegal conduct; 4) The Louisiana Judiciary Commission investigate Judge Mauffray for unethical conduct; and 5) The Jena school district superintendent be removed from office.

<SNIP>

“There have been numerous, brazen violations of the constitutional rights of the Jena 6.” McLean continued, “In addition to the constitutional violations, Walters and Mauffray have breached the ethical requirements of their offices. They should be made to answer for all of this.”

"The double standard of justice in Jena, one for black students and another for whites, is emblematic of the racism that still permeates many towns throughout the South and the country as a whole. There must be an immediate and full investigation of judicial and prosecutorial malfeasance in Jena, Louisiana," said Marjorie Cohn, President of the NLG.

Read More ... http://nlg.org/news/index.php?entry=entry070924-114458

[cornermouse]

10. I'm not disagreeing that there is a double standard.

Not at all. I'm saying the white kids should absolutely have been hauled away and charged for the nooses and anything else that they did. And the black kids should not be exempted from beating up the white kids.

[flashl]

11. The most distrubing aspect in all of this is ..

Mychal Bell is likely not the kid who hit Justin Barker AND it was not a 6-1 as reported, testimony from the trial supports this. At this point, it is really hard to determine what should have happen AFTER the fight. If justice was the object, why did "justice" (the arrest) have to wait until after Mychal played football for the school that night ?

[cornermouse]

12. For some reason

the fact that they waited till after he played football doesn't surprise me at all. I'll agree. It stinks.

[Solly Mack]

6. Piffle

[Pastiche423]

8. Great way to help stop the racism, mayor

NOT!

[tinymontgomery]

9. I remember when Dylan

I remember when Dylan wrote songs about hatred such as "Oxford Town", "Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" etc. In todays repub world he would never had been such a force.