I agree totally. In fact, D.K. I am composing an email to Al now.. You will notice that he does not attribute the source of most his information. Von On 9/25/07 6:42 PM, "E. K. Daufin" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I have been urging ³AL² from the Poynter Institute who has a listserv > with news ideas to do something about the Jena 6. It seems he is relying on > White racists/supporters for his ³facts² in some cases. I am sorry I asked > him to do anything on the Jena 6 because this bloody message is the one that > went out across the country to journalists and I think it belittles the racism > these kids have to deal with. From this message Al seems to me to write like > a racist in ³objective journalist¹s² sheep¹s clothing. > > What do you all think? Have I taken ³Al² wrong? Feel free to email the > guy ([log in to unmask]) about it only send me a copy will you? Thanks > > > By Al Tompkins (http://www.poynter.org/profile/profile.asp?user=1557) > > > > There is, of course, no defense for hanging nooses from trees. There is no > excuse for students who beat one another out of hate. There is still much to > be explained about why some students are vigorously prosecuted while others > are not. All this poses a challenge for journalists, who have reported and > repeated many popular myths in what has come to be known as the "Jena Six" > (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/texassouthwest/stories/DN-je > na_21met.ART0.State.Edition2.4294d21.html) case. > > Think about how many times journalists have reported about the "white tree" > (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sally-kohn/blinded-by-the-white-oj-_b_65283.htm > l) or the "noose incident" directly connected to the December 2006 attack. It > turns out that much of what you may know about this case is wrong. > > The Associated Press ran a piece > (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070922/ap_on_re_us/a_place_called_jena) on some > of the subtle complexities of the story: > -The so-called "white tree" at Jena High, often reported to be the > domain of only white students, was nothing of the sort, according to > teachers and school administrators; students of all races, they say, > congregated under it at one time or another. > -Two nooses -- not three -- were found dangling from the tree. > Beyond being offensive to blacks, the nooses were cut down because > black and white students "were playing with them, pulling on them, > jump-swinging from them, and putting their heads through them," > according to a black teacher who witnessed the scene. > -There was no (direct) connection > (http://www.snopes.com/politics/crime/jena6.asp) between the September noose > incident and the December attack, according to Donald Washington, an attorney > for > the U.S. Justice Department in western Louisiana, who investigated > claims that these events might be race-related hate crimes. > > -The three youths accused of hanging the nooses were not > suspended for just three days � they were isolated at an alternative > school for about a month, and then given an in-school suspension for > two weeks. > -The six-member jury that convicted Bell was, indeed, all > white. However, only one in 10 people in LaSalle Parish is African > American, and though black residents were selected randomly by computer > and summoned for jury selection, none showed up. > -In July, the first to be tried, Mychal Bell, was convicted after two > hours of deliberations by an all-white jury on reduced charges of > aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit it. It was widely reported that > Bell, now 17, was an honor student with > no prior criminal record. Although he had a high grade-point average, > he was, in fact, on probation for at least two counts of battery and a > count of criminal damage to property. In any event, his conviction was > overturned because an appeals court ruled he should not have been tried > as an adult. > > This is the "Color of Change" Web site (http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/) , > which asserts the "facts" of a white tree to be true. The site also makes the > case for why the local prosecutor acted unfairly when prosecuting the black > students but not criminally charging white students who were also involved in > fights. > > What I do not understand (maybe those of you who have covered this story can > clarify), is why the feds don't prosecute the noose incident and the fights > (involving both sides) as federal crimes. Even if the state prosecutor says he > has no state law that would make the hanging of a noose a crime, there is > federal legislation that says > (http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cid/civilrights/statutes.htm) : > > Title 18, U.S.C., Section 241 > Conspiracy Against Rights > > This statute makes it unlawful for two or more persons to conspire to > injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person of any state, territory or > district in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured > to him/her by the Constitution or the laws of the United States, (or because > of his/her having exercised the same). > > Those who put up the nooses seem to have filled every criteria. There were > more than two of them, and they clearly were meant to threaten, injure and > oppress others. The oppression seemed to have to do with the black student's > First Amendment right to peaceably assemble. > > Some have suggested the noose incident would be a candidate for federal hate > crimes, but as I read the federal crime law, passed in 1994, I saw that it > requires the hate crime to be focused against an individual or an individual's > property as opposed to a generic spewing of hate against a group of people. > > Public Law #103-322A, a 1994 federal law, defines a hate > crime as: > > "a crime in which the defendant intentionally selects a > victim, or in the case of a property crime, the property that is the > object of the crime, because of the actual or perceived race, color, > religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability, or sexual > orientation of any person." > > Read more about what federal hate crimes say > (http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_hat3.htm) . > > Here is Yahoo.com's constantly refreshed collection > (http://news.yahoo.com/fc/US/Jena_Six_Case;_ylt=Ag22ZutVMQRHInYAwR6.p1sE1vAI) > of Jena Six stories. > > Click here for the Anti-Defamation League's interactive map > (http://www.adl.org/learn/hate_crimes_laws/map_frameset.html) , which links > you to individual state anti-hate laws. Would the Jena noose incident have > been considered a hate crime in your state? > > Getting Local on the New National Violent Crime Data > > The FBI Violent Crime Statistics > (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/index.html) are just out. Once again, > violent crime is up nationally. > > Here are some links to help you get local: > National Data > (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/offenses/standard_links/national_estimates.ht > ml) Region > (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/offenses/standard_links/regional_estimates.ht > ml) State > (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/offenses/standard_links/state.html) County > Agency > (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/offenses/standard_links/county_agency.html) > City Agency > (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/offenses/standard_links/city_agency.html) > Universities and Colleges > (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/offenses/standard_links/universities_colleges > .html) Cities and Counties Grouped by Size (population group) > (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/offenses/standard_links/population_group.html > ) Metropolitian Statistical Areas > (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_06.html) > What NOT to Do with the New Crime Stats > > Many of you, and maybe many of your city officials, will try to use the data > to compare the safety of your town to others. But the FBI says you shouldn't. > The comparisons, it says, won't stand up > (http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/about/variables_affecting_crime.html) : > > Each year when Crime in the United States is published, many > entities -- news media, tourism agencies, and other groups with an > interest in crime in our Nation -- use reported figures to compile > rankings of cities and counties. These rankings, however, are merely a > quick choice made by the data user; they provide no insight into the > many variables that mold the crime in a particular town, city, county, > state, region, or other jurisdiction. Consequently, these rankings lead > to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading > perceptions adversely affecting cities and counties, along with their > residents. > > > > 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/> > > >