Two white teens arrested in Jena, Louisiana after being spoted driving a red truck with "hangman's nooses" dangling from the back. They reportedly drove through the protest site several times as if to incite the marchers. Quoting "E. K. Daufin" <[log in to unmask]>: > >From Diverse Online > > Current News > Protesters Stand Up For Jena 6 and More > By Tracie Powell > Sep 20, 2007, 04:47 > > A Black West Virginia woman was sexually assaulted, stabbed and > tortured, with one of her White abductors telling her, "That's what we > do to niggers around here." Hate crime charges are yet to be filed in > the case because the penalty isn't as stringent as state-level > kidnapping, assault and rape charges. > > > Genarlow Wilson, a Georgia teen, was convicted of rape and received 10 > years in prison for having consensual sex with another teen. The state > law was later changed to make the crime a misdemeanor and a federal > judge ordered Wilson freed, but the now 21-year-old remains in prison > today. > > Six Black teens in Jena, La., were arrested and charged with attempted > murder for what amounted to a school-yard fight that resulted from > months of racial tension that built up after Black students sat under a > "Whites-only" tree at the town's high school. Most of the charges have > been reduced, but the teens still face years behind bars if convicted. > > This isn't the 1950s, these events all happened in the past year. > > What is happening in Jena is not an anomaly, says Dr. Gregory Carr, > assistant professor of Afro American Studies at Howard University in > Washington, D.C. > > "Many Whites believe that 'the system' is color-blind, which is true," > he says. "It cannot see beyond its own invisible whiteness." > > Meanwhile, several conservative court decisions coupled with the federal > government's anemic enforcement and unwillingness to bring forth race > cases have set back civil rights advances and protections, advocates > say. > > In June, U.S. Supreme Court justices limited the use of race in school > desegregation plans. Last summer these same justices made it harder to > prove discrimination in voting rights cases. And at the moment, the > constitutionality of the newly reauthorized Voting Rights Act is already > being challenged; its future, if it lands before a more conservative > U.S. Supreme Court, might be in jeopardy. > > The judicial system most certainly is not color-blind, adds Angela J. > Davis, a professor of law at American University. Davis also wrote about > Genarlow Wilson's case in her new book, Arbitrary Justice. > > For Davis, the injustice visited upon Genarlow Wilson and the Louisiana > teens, more commonly referred to as the "Jena Six," raise a more > profound question about the abuse of prosecutorial power, she says. "In > the Jena Six case alone you have a district attorney who prosecuted > African-Americans for behavior that he didn't prosecute Whites for," > Davis says. "That's race-based selective prosecution." > > At first glance the casual observer may view the Jena Six and Wilson > cases as having nothing to do with the savage torture of a Black woman > in West Virginia. Some may even say that they are an unfortunate series > of isolated incidents. But those who follow race issues in this country > more closely will say that they are all interconnected. In fact, many of > the estimated 10,000 marchers who plan to peacefully protest in Jena > today at least have a sense that there is something much greater at > stake - overcoming a legacy of racism and unequal justice, not only in > Louisiana, but also across the country. > > "We have seen in the last 10 years a roll-back and a retreat from strong > enforcement and prosecution of race crimes. It's looking pretty grim," > says Julie Fernandes, senior policy analyst and special counsel for the > Leadership Conference on Civil Rights in Washington, D.C. > > "At the same time we're seeing a series of bad court decisions that make > it harder to get into court and harder for people to prove that they are > victims of racism," she says. "It's a double whammy." > > In addition to faulting the Bush administration for not acknowledging > that racism is still a problem in America, Fernandes blames the U.S. > Justice Department for not prosecuting high-profile race cases and > Congress for not enacting legislation that will help prevent and punish > racist acts. To make matters worse, she says, the U.S. Supreme Court has > shown little to no interest in protecting civil rights. > > In response, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights is working to get > an enhanced federal hate crimes law authorized that will include > additional protected groups, such as homosexuals. President Bush has > vowed to veto the legislation. The organization also wants to see a > federal racial profiling law and renewed civil rights act passed, > Fernandes says. > > Both pieces of legislation have been languishing in Congress since 2001 > and 2004, respectively. > > "This isn't about politics," Fernandes sums up. "It's about civil rights > and court fights that impact our everyday lives." > > For now, people like the marchers in Jena will have to raise their > voices and their dollars to help right the wrongs perpetuated on Wilson, > the Jena Six and the woman victimized in West Virginia. > > > > Howard University's Dr. Carr put it another way. He said protesters > aren't going to Jena, Louisiana in hopes of changing hardened racist > views. There are bigger expectations, Carr said. > > > > "There is no reason to expect that these hard-crafted racial attitudes > will be softened by any pleas to a common humanity," he added. "That, in > fact, that is not what African people should be aiming for anyway. > > > > "We have to support the Jena Six because any of those boys could be any > of us, and that they are lending financial support and going to Jena on > September 20th to bear witness to a higher moral standard," Carr > continued. "That African-Americans have never pled for our humanity to > whiteness, but rather have called this country to be better than its > racist history and thereby reach a standard of humanity that Africans > brought with us on the boats that brought us here." > > > > > - Tracie Powell > > > > 1. Rev. Dr. E-K. Daufin <http://home.earthlink.net/~ekdaufin> > Says: > September 20th, 2007 at 10:50 pm > <http://diversepodium.com/?p=302#comment-6567#comment-6567> > > Good article. The lead local news station did a package on the coming > protest but NEVER mentioned anything about the Black female student who > was raped and tortured by White students. The local station just made it > seem as though 6 beastial Black boys had brutally beaten "an innocent > victim." > > > > > There are currently 0 comments > <http://diversepodium.com/?p=302#comments> on this story. > Click here <http://diversepodium.com/?p=302#respond> to post a comment > > > > (c) Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com > > > > We sometimes have problems with our server rejecting incoming email. If > your reply to this email is returned to you, PLEASE call me at the > number below. Apologies...We are working on it. Sincerely, > > > > Rev. Dr. E-K. Daufin, Professor > > Department of Communications > > Alabama State University > > 915 South Jackson St. > > Montgomery, AL 36101-0271 > > 334.229.6885 > > Thank you in advance for your > > Scholarly & Creative Activity Referrals - > > Lectures, Performances, Workshops, Consultation Related Info: > http://home.earthlink.net/~ekdaufin/ > <http://home.earthlink.net/~ekdaufin/> > > > >