World

An Editorial from the Jena Times

by Karen Hatter | September 18, 2007 at 05:40 am

2871 views | 27 Recommendations | 5 comments

On September 20, 2007, concerned citizens of the United States and the world had planned to be in Jena, Louisiana for the sentencing of Mychal Bell, the first of six Black high school students to be tried and convicted in the beating of a White high school student. The conviction was overturned on September 14, 2007.
A rally of support for Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey, Theo Shaw, Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis and an unidentified youth, the Jena 6, in Jena, Louisiana is still planned on Thursday, September 20.
An editorial in the Jena Times, entitled Prepare for the Worst - Pray for the Best, written by Craig Sullivan, begins by stating:
With state police planning for thousands to attend a demonstration in Jena next week Thursday, September 20, residents and businesses in downtown Jena might consider taking the police's position: "Prepare for the worst and hope for the best."
It is stated further in the editorial:
Locals need to remember that just as the constitution guarantees your right to gather without interference at your local church, even those that gather for reasons you may not agree with also have that same constitutional right. It would behoove all Jena residents to continue to display the same southern hospitality you have all of your life and everyone should do their part in hindering those very few Jena residents who might want to step outside of the constitution and take matters into their own hands.
Click here to read the editorial.

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angryindian

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 09:07 on September 18th, 2007

Karen Hatter, good find, but bear in mind that this same editor admitted on video that he does not think that lynching nooses hung from a tree means anything more than a harmless prank. As a civic leader in a small southern town he is more concerned about their image than justice.

Karen Hatter

at 10:33 on September 18th, 2007

Thanks for the heads up, Angryindian.

babblingdweeb

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 09:53 on September 18th, 2007

Good stuff. Thank you (and others) for keeping updates on NP about the situation in Jena. I'm with angryindian on this one, I think someone like the editor needs to show some backbone and say what many of us know: it's not just a prank.

I'm sure if someone put something anti-white, anti-Jewish or anti-Christian under that tree those groups would feel and know it was not just a harmless prank. There are some things you just don't joke about. In this situation, the fact that the nooses were placed there after the students asked about taking a photo insinuates that some people still have a problem with students sitting under that tree. That's not a joke...it's a threat.

Karen Hatter

at 05:43 on September 19th, 2007

You're welcome, Babblingdweeb. What I find most infuriating about this is that in many circles, during the hey day of the deadly use of the noose, it was the custom of many, including local law enforcement officials, to poo poo those actions and dismiss them as boys, "just havin' a little fun".

In my opinion, no one in the States should even attempt to pretend hanging a noose is a harmless prank. I keep reminding myself this is 2007 not 1907!

Jordan Yerman

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 08:30 on September 20th, 2007

I agree with bab-D: had there been, say, swastikas painted on the school's walls, the reaction would probably have been different. I remember stopping for fuel once on a road trip, and going into a nearby bar/restaurant for a snack. I saw a huge swastika flag on the back wall- and I'm talkin' Nazi flag, not Buddhist symbol here. The door hadn't stopped swinging by the time we were back in the car and gone! Just like that flag, the nooses are not just a prank- they're a threat, and should be treated as such.