Topic : 09/28 The Jena Six

I hope when Dr. Phil does this story he will give BOTH sides. Most of the media have only been interested in talking about the "Jena Six", almost trying to make celebrities out of them. I saw two of the "Jena Six" signing autographs and taking pictures with groups of girls at the march. PLEASE don't forget there IS a VICTIM in this story - Justin Barker! Six against one is NEVER right!

This week in South Florida, four white teenagers have been charged with a hate crime, accused of the beating and attempted drowning of a black college student at Haulover Beach Park Marina over the weekend. After calling him the N-word, the teens beat Florida International University freshman Stephen Barrett with a baseball bat and tried to drown him in the Intracoastal Waterway, Miami-Dade police said. These four white teenagers were charged with hate crimes, not attempted murder. I think the beating of this college student by these teenagers is a more violent act than the Jena 6 incident so the charges should either be the same or each incident should be reduced to hate crimes. This is one example of African Americans being charged more harsher than Caucasians in the situations that are similar. Anyone who denies this fact needs to remove their preconceptions and put themselves in this situation. The two white boys, 11 & 12, in the Jonesboro Arkansas shooting deaths of 4 elementary students and a teacher are eligible to be released at age 21, after being charged with murdering 5. Nathaniel Bazar, 12, was charged with the shooting death of his teacher and received life in prison. JUST FOR ALL OR JUSTICE FOR NONE. This "Jena Six" situation is so blatantly wrong that it makes no sense. The Jena 6 boys were involved in a school yard fight with a white boy, who sufferred a concussion, was hospitalized for a couple of hours and then released. The boy was well enough to attend a school function that same day. The Jena 6 were arrested and charged with attempted murder and conspiracy. I agree that the boys should have been charge with assault of some kind but not attempted murder, and then charged as adult . The outrage is not in the fact that the boys were charged but the crime that the boys were charged with. This practice of extreme charges being brought against African Americans more than their caucasian counterparts has been a long tradition in the American justice system. In every case it aggravates the community and in this case it is so blatant, so that is why so much attention is brought to the situation. JUST FOR ALL OR JUSTICE FOR NONE.

The so called "Jena Six" are no longer charged with attempted murder, the charges have been dropped to second degree battery and conspiracy to commit. The protestors believe that ALL charges should be drop, I just can't see how they could possibly ask for that. Most people who have protested against this don't even know the facts. I agree that there should be JUSTICE FOR ALL, no matter their color - including the victim. I don't believe it was just a "schoolyard fight". These sixs brutally attacked Justin Barker, knocking him unconsisious with the first blow and then continuing to kick and beat him. Everyone wants to make the point that he attended the ring ceremony later that night - so it would make everyone feel better if these criminals would have kept him from attending a special high school event. Did you know that his mother had to help him onto the stage? Did you know the whole church erupted in applause when he got up there? He has continued to have medical problems since this attack. But please remember this group of six are not being charged with attempted murder. Plus the one who has been convicted has 4 prior felonies.

I do not believe that the "Jena 6" were treated fairly at all. Yes, they did fight "white" boy at the school but let us not forget what started it in the first place. The boys who hung the nooses in the tree, that was known as the "white" tree that black kids were not "allowed" to sit under. I thought we ended segragation a long time ago. These kids were not punished for the hanging of the nooses but yet when the black kids stood up for themselves they were charged with attempted murder. Yes, the charges have been reduced but that is only after the country finally brought some notice to this situation and caused a scene about it. I honestly believe that if attention was not brought to this situation then these young boys would be facing the rest of the life in prison which is TOTALLY WRONG. I also do not understand why it took so long for others (the country) to find out about this situation. How many other situations have been treated the same way and we never hear about it. I thought I lived in America where every man is equal (supposed to be) and it is NOT THAT WAY AT ALL!!! I completely believe that this is a school yard fight. And even though I don't like the idea of fighting---if one of my kids (who are biracial) had a hate crime brought against them I would expect them to take up for themselves as well. I hope these boys get justice (EQUAL) and that the other kids learn from this as well and maybe open their mind up---that is all we can hope for. As young as they all are--I am sure that the parents of the white kids have somehow let the kids know that it is okay to have those beliefs that it was okay to hang the nooses in the tree. God bless them all!

I do not believe that the "Jena 6" were treated fairly at all. Yes, they did fight "white" boy at the school but let us not forget what started it in the first place. The boys who hung the nooses in the tree, that was known as the "white" tree that black kids were not "allowed" to sit under. I thought we ended segragation a long time ago. These kids were not punished for the hanging of the nooses but yet when the black kids stood up for themselves they were charged with attempted murder. Yes, the charges have been reduced but that is only after the country finally brought some notice to this situation and caused a scene about it. I honestly believe that if attention was not brought to this situation then these young boys would be facing the rest of the life in prison which is TOTALLY WRONG. I also do not understand why it took so long for others (the country) to find out about this situation. How many other situations have been treated the same way and we never hear about it. I thought I lived in America where every man is equal (supposed to be) and it is NOT THAT WAY AT ALL!!! I completely believe that this is a school yard fight. And even though I don't like the idea of fighting---if one of my kids (who are biracial) had a hate crime brought against them I would expect them to take up for themselves as well. I hope these boys get justice (EQUAL) and that the other kids learn from this as well and maybe open their mind up---that is all we can hope for. As young as they all are--I am sure that the parents of the white kids have somehow let the kids know that it is okay to have those beliefs that it was okay to hang the nooses in the tree. God bless them all!

First of all, I agree that hanging the nooses was wrong. The three boys that did this WERE punished. No one, except their families know what the exact punishment was because they were minors. The media says they were expelled for a few days and that was it. I know for a fact that that wasn't it. I do know that after being expelled for 3 days they also had several weeks of in-school suspension, plus I've heard of several other things involved with their punishment. The DA in LaSalle Parish has said if there had been a way to charge these boys he would have, but according to the State's Attorney, Mr. Washington (a black man) no crime was broken. Secondly, what everyone has referred to as an "all white" tree, wasn't that. Yes, a lot of white students sat under that tree, but that didn't mean a black student wasnt' welcomed. In every situation in life we all hang out where our friends hang out. The black boy that asked this question about sitting under it, did it as a joke. He knew that he could sit where ever he wanted. Whether it be under the tree where a lot of whites sat or under the sidewalk canapy where a lot of the blacks hung out. I agree that everyone should stand up for themselves, but Justin did NOTHING to these six that attacked him. He had NOTHING to do with the nooses. If you listen to what Mr. Washington has said, he said that none of the statements taken after the fight ever mentioned the nooses. It was only brought up later AFTER attention had been drawn to the attack. It was NOT a fight, a fight is one on one, NOT six on one! From the talk that went around after the fight, it was said that the group picked Justin out because they considered him a "redneck". So I guess you could say the six were committing a hate crime against him. I also, agree that these six don't need to spend their life in jail. I don't think anyone wants that. But society shouldn't make celebrities out of them and let them walk away with no punishment at all. What's that saying? That it's okay to gang up six against one and beat the crap out of them if you don't like them. I also hope that these six get equal justice.

Every one needs to be in trouble the white boy if he did the racist stuff and the black boys for the beatings. Fighting is not all the answers. Maybe social service might need to look at the home life and the parents.

Even if the charges was dropped, the point is it should have never been a need to have charges dropped. It was a fight that was done by all parties involved and all parties should have to face the consequences of their actions. (consequences that are appropriate) Both parties are wrong but the Jena six almost had their LIVES DESTROYED and taken away from them. Is that fair?

Well as the information that we are given through the media, etc---Justin was involved in the group of the hanging of the nooses. And if it were not just a "white" tree then why were the nooses hung there in the first place. That proves to me that at least someone thought it was the "white" tree. I do not believe that the boys who hung the nooses got anything more than in school suspension because that was said by the principal and also by the families of the other kids. So that is really hard for me to believe that anything more than that was done. I just hope that our country that we live in will one day not see color and give equal justice to everyone no matter the situation. For my kids sake, I hope this will one day happen....I am happy that I personally do not live in an area that sees so much color--I guess I am lucky for that

This whole situation has been like a slap in the face to me. I guess I've been living in a "utopia". I personally have never experienced racism and I have lived in NY, MD, FL, LA (New Orleans, before Katrina) and now TX. But after researching this story and reading many blogs surrounding this case, I feel like racism is alive and well and the scary part is that some people don't even know how evil they sound. I hope that out of this all people of different races reach out to another of a different race and open a true dialog. It's impossible to know other kinds of people if you never interact on a personal level, i.e. having dinner, vacations, and deep conversations...things you do with your close freinds, not just a smiling hello in your doorway, or brief encounters at PTA meetings. Its situations like these that can test a person to ask themselves if they are really impartial or are they judging based on the race of someone. I think alot of this is coming out with the Jena 6 and the town of Jena and even with this OReiley situation. As worldly as he is, its truly ignorant that he had no idea that African Americans are no different than Latinos, than Asians, than whites. But unfortunately I don't think he is in the minority of whites. So if anything comes out of all of this, reach out to someone of a different race and get to know them. I, myself, am an African American stay at home mother of four, happily married, and have many "true" friends of different races who actually come over and hang out in my house. I encourage my children to do the same, even though I really don't because they do it naturally, its not a big deal. I welcome anyone who wants to find a "black friend" and hopefully I can become just a "friend" after the blinders come off.