First this:
Justice Department Asked to enter Jena Case
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Congressional Black Caucus is asking the Justice Department to investigate possible civil rights violations in the “Jena 6″ case that sparked a massive protest in Louisiana last week.
“This shocking case has focused national and international attention on what appears to be an unbelievable example of the separate and unequal justice that was once commonplace in the Deep South,” the group of 43 lawmakers said in a letter to Acting Attorney General Peter Keisler.
Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said the department has been closely monitoring the case of six black high school teens arrested for beating a white classmate in Jena, La. He said the department also is investigating allegations of threats against the students and their families.
“Since these investigations are ongoing, the department cannot comment any further,” Roehrkasse said.
And then this:
Jena Six Defendant Released on Bail
A black teenager whose prosecution in the beating of a white classmate prompted a massive civil rights protest here walked out of a courthouse Thursday after a judge ordered him freed.
Mychal Bell’s release on $45,000 bail came hours after a prosecutor confirmed he will no longer seek an adult trial for the 17-year-old. Bell, one of the teenagers known as the Jena Six, still faces trial as a juvenile in the December beating in this small central Louisiana town.
Both stories show up on Google News within the last few hours.
My favorite part: “District Attorney Reed Walters said Thursday that he would not appeal that decision and would let a juvenile court deal with the case.”
Gee, Mr. Walters. Not so cocky any more are you? What happened to that stern conviction you had that Mychal Bell deserved to rot in jail for the next 50 years for wielding his deadly tennis shoe? Your change of heart didn’t have anything to do with the growing support for you to be investigated and kicked out of your job, was it?
I’m just wondering.
Regardless, this is certainly good news. A message has been sent, loud and clear, that this sort of injustice will not stand, but once again, this is far from over. I feel that we must remain vigilant in keeping our eyes on this case. We must not let the Jena justice system off the hook just because they finally were pressured to do the right thing.
This is just the beginning, my friends.
Here’s why:
At one point, an assailant cut the woman’s ankle with a knife and used the N-word in telling her she was victimized because she is black, according to the criminal complaints.
The women and their families now call on our communities for support. Their emotional and financial burdens have already been immense. These hardships will only continue as the women begin their prison terms and the process of appeal.
There were no arrests yesterday, but more than 20 detectives were assigned to the case, as were dozens of officers in uniform and plainclothes, along with members of the department’s Hate Crime Task Force. A city truck equipped with tools and chemicals to remove graffiti was also dispatched.
The Jena Six Case is not just an assault on black folks, or black men in particular. It is part and parcel of an assault on anyone that does not fit The Mold. Not heterosexual? You’re damned. Not able-bodied? You’re damned. Skin too brown? You’re damned. Practice the wrong religion? You’re damned. Don’t speak English well? Your damned.
That’s what this is really all about. The specificity here, crimes against black folks, is certainly notable and should be pointed out as crimes against black folks, but for those who seem to think that these crimes aren’t worthy of your support because the victims don’t meet your standards of “good behavior,” it should be pointed out that your behavior is more than likely looked down upon by the same people that you are happily siding with in this case. The difference? You tell me.
Update: Carmen points out that Reed Walters is still ignorant and racist as all get out. Surprise, huh? From the Chicago Tribune:
“I firmly believe that had it not been for the direct intervention of the Lord Jesus Christ last Thursday, a disaster would have happened,†LaSalle Parish District Atty. Reed Walters told a nationally televised press conference.
When a black Jena pastor attending the press conference called it a “shame†that the prosecutor was crediting divine intervention for the orderly behavior of the demonstrators, Walters, who is white, said: “What I’m saying is, the Lord Jesus Christ put his influence on those people, and they responded accordingly.â€
Gah! Can you believe this man? Carmen sums it up nicely:
No way dedication to justice, restraint and discipline could have played a roll. No sirree, Bob. That’s right Mr. Walters, remind your base to be afraid of “those people,†tell them that what they saw on that awesome day a week ago was a mirage whipped up by the Lord Himself. Afterall, only the Lord could suppress the savage and destructive urges of “those people.†African American human beings, united for a cause, could have never pulled off anything so grand on their own.
“Six white suspects accused of torturing a young black woman for days in West Virginia will not face federal hate crime charges”
WHAT??????
then “federal hate crime charges” are useless.
and this:
The Jena Six Case is not just an assault on black folks, or black men in particular. It is part and parcel of an assault on anyone that does not fit The Mold. Not heterosexual? You’re damned. Not able-bodied? You’re damned. Skin too brown? You’re damned. Practice the wrong religion? You’re damned. Don’t speak English well? Your damned. That’s what this is really all about.
Solid gold, amigo. You’ve got your finger on the truth button. Keep up the good and inspiring and insightful work.
Mychal Bell Freed on Bail…
MYCHAL BELL, of the Jena 6, has been freed on bail. JENA, La. (AP) – A black teenager whose prosecution in the beating of a white classmate prompted a massive civil rights protest here walked out of a courthouse Thursday after a judge ordered him free…
This is rally amazing. Seriously, how can anyone say that the protest against this did nothing? Last week there was a protest and exactly one week later Mychal Bell is free! The DA says that his decisions in the Mychal Bell case will not affect what he does in trying the other boys but you know and I know that no one will let him get away with giving the other boys worse sentences. They will all go to juvenile court for assault charges. In this case I think that things will go okay. Its the rest of the justice system that needs work. I hope that this leads to major changes in the criminal justice system.
Quote of the Day: ‘You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up’ Edition…
by matttbastard
x-posted @ Comments From Left Field
elle, Kevin and Carmen D. (and countless others, I’m sure) all beat me to this:
 [LaSalle Parish DA Reed] Walters credited the prayers of people in this small central Louisiana town with averti…
[...] Kevin and Carmen D. (and countless others, I’m sure) all beat me to this: [LaSalle Parish DA Reed] [...]
“then “federal hate crime charges†are useless”
Federal hate crime laws /currently/ only apply to federally protected activities (going to school or college, voting, eating in a restaurant, applying for a federal job, jury duty, participating in any activity administered by the state, and a few others). So that’s out.
http://miami.fbi.gov/statutes/title_18/section245.htm
West Virginia’s own law has a max sentence of 10 years, a $5000.00 fine, or both. Please! These people need to be in for life. Why not go for attempted murder, kidnapping, assault, and everything else which won’t be a bitch to prove AND gets the assholes in jail longer?
The senate has recently approved to expand the hate crime laws and have attached it to a defense bill. The news I’ve read says it would expand the laws to include crimes motivated by gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability (the LLEHCPA or “Matthew Sheppard Act”). One thing I don’t see in many stories is that the LLEHCPA also does away with the “federally protected activities” bit…or rather, expands on it to include all crimes. It also would allow for better cooperation between fed and state, funding for investigations, etc. It also delineates between hateful violent acts vs hateful violent thoughts, or words, assuring protections of speech.
This has been going on since 1999. It gets attached to this or that, and hasn’t gotten through. We’ll see what happens this time…
The case in West Virginia apparently involves people who knew each other, or had some kind of relationship prior to the violence. As they are defined, hate crime laws are supposed to protect those who are singled out and attacked for who they are. That doesn’t seem to have happened in this case.
Ashton – Dude, I was just gonna ask where the hell you’ve been, but I just noticed that my GTalk account has been logged off for the last week, at least. Doh!
Thanks for the research into Federal hate crime laws. I was going to do it too, but I’ve been busy coughing up a lung and it’s hard to type with snot all over the keyboard (I know, I didn’t have to go there).
I understand why Federal hate crime laws don’t apply here, although it’s pretty fucked up that because it happened in the home they don’t apply. Does this mean that if someone burns a cross on my lawn, it’s not a Federal hate crime?
I’m confused about the last bit, though. Does knowing someone personally preclude that person from being singled out for who they are? I mean, if I’ve known someone for years, he comes over to my house and tells me that he is gay, and I then beat the crap out of him and hold him hostage for a week while continuing to tortume him, is that not a hate crime? It’s not a perfect analogy, of course. Obviously this woman didn’t have to “tell them” that she was black. But it seems like knowing someone and singling someone out for who they are aren’t mutually exclusive, y’know?