OTHER JENA 6 COVERAGE
Now that tens of thousands descended upon Jena last week to finally bring the story into mainstream consciousness, this week has been official Jena media spin job week. The most common sin of all in most of the coverage? The sin of omission, of course.
That brings us to today’s New York Times OP-ED piece by Jena District Attorney Reed Walters who was provided some space to answer some much needed questions. Let’s take a look. Walters writes:
"I do not question the sincerity or motivation of the 10,000 or more protesters who descended on Jena last week, after riding hundreds of miles on buses. But long before reaching our town of 3,000 people, they had decided that a miscarriage of justice was taking place here. Their anger at me was summed up by a woman who said, “If you can figure out how to make a schoolyard fight into an attempted murder charge, I’m sure you can figure out how to make stringing nooses into a hate crime.” That could be a compelling statement to someone trying to motivate listeners on a radio show, but as I am a lawyer obligated to enforce the laws of my state, it does not work for me."
To "sum up" the collective anger of tens of thousands by this one woman’s statement is ridiculous. While his summary failed on all counts, it reaffirmed exactly why protesters were marching in Jena in the first place. The belittling "radio show" comment only exacerbated that point. Mr. Walters then spends the first half of the article explaining why he was legally unable to prosecute the hanging nooses as "hate crimes".
The "hate-crime" issue may actually serve as the least outrageous issue surrounding the hanging nooses. Yes, many of us were dismayed that it wasn’t prosecuted as a hate crime, but this fact was trumped on the outrage meter that the youth were not even EXPELLED FROM SCHOOL! Not only that, we were outraged because there was a "white tree" in the first place. And while some reports suddenly dispute "the white tree", this spin does nothing to explain why Kenneth Purvis had to ASK PERMISSION from school officials to sit under that tree. We were protesting an entire community’s way of life that made hanging nooses, tree permisssion slips, and racially-biased school boards possible. And while Mr. Walters would certainly remark that these items are not under his personal job description, his lack of understanding of what fueled protesters sys a lot. But if he was curious about why outrage was specifically directed at him personally, that can also be easily explained. In the second half of the article Walters begins:
"Last week, a reporter asked me whether, if I had it to do over, I would do anything differently. I didn’t think of it at the time, but the answer is yes. I would have done a better job of explaining that the offenses of Dec. 4, 2006, did not stem from a “schoolyard fight” as it has been commonly described in the news media and by critics."
That’s it. Walter’s failed to do enough EXPLAINING! THAT was his error: Just not enough elaboration, elucidation, and articulation. If he merely put it all in a crystal clear language that everyone could understand, the whole protest could have been called off! Walters spent the second half or the article why the beating of Justin Barker was not just a "school yard fight".
And while there is some merit to some of the points that Walters’ makes, it is what he didn’t explain that was glaring. Walters’ failed to articulate why he looked at the African-American students in the auditorium that day and issued the threat: “With a stroke of my pen, I can make your lives disappear”. Walter’s elaborated on Justin Barker’s getting ganged up on by “The Jena 6” but failed to even mention the attack that came on Robert Bailey (one of the Jena 6) just two days earlier by a group of whites where only one man received a charge of simple battery. Nor did he mention the shotgun that was pulled on Robert Bailey the very next day by another white man from the previous night. Nor that after Bailey wrestled the gun away he was eventually charged with theft of a firearm, second-degree robbery and disturbing the peace while the white student who pulled the weapon was not charged at all. Finally, other little tidbits of information missing was that the Jena 6 was originally charged with attempted murder (overturned), that their deadly weapons were “tennis shoes”, and that Mychal Bell’s original sentence carried a maximum of 22 years. Oh well, details, details. Perhaps the only thing more inexplicable than these various omissions, is how Redd Walters still remains employed.
Then Walters closes the article:
"I can understand the emotions generated by the juxtaposition of the noose incident with the attack on Mr. Barker and the outcomes for the perpetrators of each. In the final analysis, though, I am bound to enforce the laws of Louisiana as they exist today, not as they might in someone’s vision of a perfect world. That is what I have done. And that is what I must continue to do."
Walters reiterates the case as nothing more than the legal distinction in punishment of these two incidents, not an elaborate series of events that tell every black youth in Jena exactly what their place is relative to white students. Walters insults the intelligence of every protester and every outraged individual in America with his explanation and sins of omissions. The protest was not only about changing the future of six-boys, but about changing future of an entire community still stuck in a Jim Crow era. The protest was about equal justice: in Jena, in Louisiana, and in America. But in the end, Walters has no regrets and will continue “to do what he must do”. And protesters will now continue to do what we must do to secure our “vision of a perfect world”.
"The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference." — Elie Wiesel
I just don’t see how people don’t get the power that prosecutors have when it comes to how and what charges are pursued. One crime can cover a multitude of various charges, the prosecutors have darn near complete authority on what charge will be applied. It comes down to their personal bias for or against the defendant. How in the hell do you counter that kind of power? You have to do what happened to Mike Nifong quite frankly…but even then, its a hard battle unless the abuse of power is outta-this-world egregious. What do you do when the black kid who pushes a school official gets 7 yrs in prison, but the white kid who does the same thing gets probation and community service? Exactly what do you do?? THis is what WE are upset about…but this kind of bias happens everyday, all day.
For one thing, you FIRE the District Attorney immediately. Walter’s “stroke of my pen” threat should have been enough to do the trick. It never should have gotten to slaps on the wrist of of Robert Bailey’s attackers and 22 possible sentences. No DA should be making such abusive statements to ANYONE.
Miranda, as far as your Shaquanda Cotton reference, I never did learn if that judge was fired. I will look into this. But if not, it speaks to your overall point about powerlessness.
You blame Reed Walters for thousands of protesters coming to Jena?? Those protesters should have done a little research. The protesters should have ask Mychael Bells parents what went wrong. The D.A. of Jena is being ridiculed to take the heat off of the real story. The attack of a student at school. Where was Mychael Bell living prior to jail? Mychael was living with white people because his mother threw him out. I asked that the parents of these children (six) take some responsibility. Instead, the white community somehow is being blamed of oppression and racism. I refuse to take any blame for this horrible act. I am opened to suggestions on how to have a healthy relationship with the black community. Since the march racial tension is at its highest.
fried okra, thank you for your comments as critics and challenges are always welcome here. All statements should be examined to see which hold up best to the laws of logic.
“You blame Reed Walters for thousands of protesters coming to Jena??”
Well, he is certainly one of the big reasons. Let’s face facts. If Reed Walters never issued that threat in the auditorium that day, if RW had punished the attackers on Robert Bailey, and most of all, if Walters did not personally upgrade Bell’s charge to an attempted murder with a possible 22 year sentence, then there would not have been a protest. having stated that, there were certainly other contributing factors.
“Where was Mychal Bell living prior to jail? Mychal was living with white people because his mother threw him out. I asked that the parents of these children (six) take some responsibility.”
Apple, meet orange. The parents of Mychal Bell are 100% irrelevant to the question of Jena providing EQUAL JUSTICE. Either DA threats are right or wrong? Either possible 22 year sentences are right or wrong? Are you suggesting that a DA should be allowed to do whatever he wants as long as a youth did not have two parents in the home at all times? The REAL story is about UNEQUAL JUSTICE.
“Instead, the white community somehow is being blamed of oppression and racism. I refuse to take any blame for this horrible act.”
Now I take it from this statement that you are a Jena resident, although it is possible that you are speaking vicariously for whites a whole. Yes, you are right the jena community is being blamed, and the last thing that anyone wants to continue hearing is another resident talking to the media how unfair it is that “Jena is being painted as the most racist community”. If Jena wants to shed this label, a good place to start is to demand a new school board that believes that hanging nooses is grounds for school expulsion. Then concerned Jena residents would demand a new District attorney. It is not enough to say, “I’m not personally “racist”. Any Jena resident that is not personally fighting against Jena’s own incompetent leadership, deserves their personal allocation of the blame for willfully allowing the condition to flourish. There is no middle-ground here.
“I am opened to suggestions on how to have a healthy relationship with the black community.”
Firstly, this statement is appreciated as not everyone would go this far. My very first suggestion is to ask the African American residents of Jena this very question. They would know best. Engage in a honest, meaningful,and genuine dialogue on THEIR side of town as a conciliatory gesture. But my personal two cents is to start with a couple of very basic steps. Demand a new school board that fully understands that hanging nooses = school expulsion; demand the firing of Reed Walters; and engage in sincere dialogue with the African-American residents. When others see the “whites-who-care equal justice” taking on “whites-who-don’t”, then the black-white relationship should naturally improve.
“Since the march racial tension is at its highest.”
Well, you may be right, but understand that this is a completely natural process for positive community change. This has always been the case throughout history. While slavery needed an epic war to end slavery, no more fighting is needed in Jena. If some of the steps just outlined are taken for starters, then my guess is that tension will decrease. However, I should note that judging from many interviews that I have read from black jena residents, there was ALWAYS a good amount of tension in Jena’s black community, and many white residents may have been confusing silence for peace. … Once again, thank you for commenting.