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So the Jena Six thing has finally left email circles and LJ post links and hit major news outlets (like the Chron and CNN, and I find it kind of frustrating.
Small town bigotry and dubious reporting (I was unable to find credible sources for many of the 'facts' stated in the original forwards and blogs, where a credible source is any published newspaper) are now being used as an excuse for political posturing. And because this is being used as a flaming sword by the far left, any chance and genuine justice is lost. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson show up with a circus, alienate the townfolk rather than promoting dialogue, and fling mud at Obama.
Here are the only two consistently stated events:
A threatening hate-crime by some white students was insufficiently punished at a less than socially integrated small-town school.
A later event involving a related group of students ends up with the black students being charged with a much greater crime than actually committed.
Yes, both situations are unjust and reek of racism. Yes, this needs to be addressed, but now any judge has to consider politics rather than just the merits of the case.
And for Jackson/Sharpton to rant about justice while many black people die in Oakland each month, killed by other black people, just because they are poor and angry. That isn't unjust enough for them? Were are the 10 thousand protesters here?
Mr. Sharpton, Mr. Jackson, by only standing up for the events that are easy to play politics with, you make it difficult for me to believe you actually give a crap about standing up for black folk. It becomes obvious that masturbating your public image is about the only thing that motivates you.
Small town bigotry and dubious reporting (I was unable to find credible sources for many of the 'facts' stated in the original forwards and blogs, where a credible source is any published newspaper) are now being used as an excuse for political posturing. And because this is being used as a flaming sword by the far left, any chance and genuine justice is lost. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson show up with a circus, alienate the townfolk rather than promoting dialogue, and fling mud at Obama.
Here are the only two consistently stated events:
A threatening hate-crime by some white students was insufficiently punished at a less than socially integrated small-town school.
A later event involving a related group of students ends up with the black students being charged with a much greater crime than actually committed.
Yes, both situations are unjust and reek of racism. Yes, this needs to be addressed, but now any judge has to consider politics rather than just the merits of the case.
And for Jackson/Sharpton to rant about justice while many black people die in Oakland each month, killed by other black people, just because they are poor and angry. That isn't unjust enough for them? Were are the 10 thousand protesters here?
Mr. Sharpton, Mr. Jackson, by only standing up for the events that are easy to play politics with, you make it difficult for me to believe you actually give a crap about standing up for black folk. It becomes obvious that masturbating your public image is about the only thing that motivates you.
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I needed to be reminded that there are more important things to be angry about.
Thanks for the reality check.
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Heh, and as
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Oakland is home, so I note our 4+ homicide weeks, but all across the US this is a problem. Chicago and Philly stand out as other cities with a reputation for high violent crime rates in the black community. People are dying, not just thugs, but children and innocent bystanders, yet where are is the call to arms from our pious champions of what is right?
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news article
Someone wrote an interesting article along the lines of what you said.
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Re: news article
"Blacks see an ugly continuum; whites see a dotted line at most." Actually, this is a little bit of my anger is that I see the big name activists also only reacting as if it is a dotted line, and not being consistent with their outrage, and there is so much to be outraged about. :}
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My optimistic side says he can't figure out how to convince people that Oakland's violence stems from public policies put forth by wealthy people in power.
And then there's my thought that the issue in Louisiana is only vaguely racism and more a lack of prosecutable offense for the first set of kids. (I've seen reports that say they couldn't find a law to charge them with violating.) On the other hand, I really don't think most inner city violence is racially based, and is instead really a derivative of classism.
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Not quite, it can easily be blamed on mass white operated mass media designed to undermine black self image, social systems designed to favor white folks, etc. etc. The problem is that the solution isn't something that can be entirely fixed outside of the afflicted community, but getting folks to rise up against blatant oppression is far easier than getting folks to rise up by not buying into consumer imagery.
And then there's my thought that the issue in Louisiana is only vaguely racism and more a lack of prosecutable offense for the first set of kids. (I've seen reports that say they couldn't find a law to charge them with violating.)
Bullshit on the inability to find something to charge them with. Bonghits 4 Jesus showed that free speech is not protected in the US School system. A 10 day suspension for a tongue in cheek drug reference was upheld by the Supreme Court, but the Jena school board felt that only an in-school suspension for hanging nooses from a tree sufficient? And hate crimes such as that *are* federal offenses, that is the equivalent of burning a cross on someones lawn.