The Jena Six

SuzannePjam wrote:

And thirdly, yes, I'm sorry I offended "rednecks" by lumping this scum in with them. By definiton a "redneck" is a poor, uneducated person from the American south. I should have called him a racist piece of garbage.

Um.. Using the term "redneck" was an attempt to insult a person based on their cultural standing.

Calling a Southern, Country folk a redneck is like calling a black person any offensive name.

You are just as bad as the person you are so upset at.

Flannel Shirt wrote:

I was in Daytona beach about 10 years ago. I thought I was going down for spring break, MTV, naked chicks, the whole deal. It was actually what is called "Black College Reunion" week. Its essentially when the "black" colleges break for spring and many head to Daytona Beach. It was an interresting experience to say the least to truely be the minority. That said, it was a great week and my white ass met a lot of cool people, of all colors and cultures.

I own property in Daytona Beach, and stay down there every chance I get...and you are blowing that whole thing WAY out of proportion. If anything, the businesses cater to african americans that week.

Flannel Shirt wrote:

Not when I was there. I am not bullshitting or blowing anything out of proportion either. I would never had known this event even existed had I not been there for it. You hear of bike week and spring break all over the place. Has anyone else in here ever heard of black college reunion week in Daytona?

Maybe I happened to be in the only two souvenier shops that were run by blatantly open racists who close their shops during this week. Who knows. Maybe I was in the only restaurant where they were openly racists, and apparently felt it was ok to be that way as long as it was in front of "whites". Who knows. I doubt it, but I guess anything is possible. My friend lived an half hour north of Daytona, and he told me stories about people closing shops and how they schedule their vacations around this event as well.

But is it blatently racist if they sustain significant losses via theft during that specific week? Can you really blame them for closing their business if it isnt profitable, just so they dont appear "racist". Sure, calling them niggers is over the line, but im willing to bet, if it made business sense to stay open, they probably would.

SuzannePjam wrote:

Yes, you're right! I am just as bad as the guy who hung a confederate flag and*hung nooses against blacks on his property. And ya know, the just the other day a supposed "friend" sent me a dumb blonde joke, and I thought, how dare this stereotyping racist send me a dumb blonde joke! She's just as bad as those people in the KKK! Next thing you know, she'll burn a bottle of peroxide on my lawn!

A dumb blonde joke is totally different- its an attempt at HUMOR. his awful racist sign, was, a tasteless attempt at HUMOR. you calling him a redneck in ANGER is probably worse.

If he was truly a real hating racist, he probably would have said something to the black folk you mentioned that were there. Hell, he might have denied them entry. Instead he was a guy with some prejudices that are deep rooted as part of his culture.. but it sounds like he was accepting of them (or at least their money). You on the other hand, decided to attack his culture and call him a name based on a stereotype.

So no, i guess its not the same thing. You're worse.

SuzannePjam wrote:

The guy wanted to take their money AND humiliate them. Obviously.

Calling people names in anger is a very common thing, and often regretted later. This man took his time to hang offensive racist signs and a confederate flag at his place of business, and had plenty of time to think about what he was doing and he was still fine with it. Which I think is worse. Just because something is deep seated doesn't make it right. Your reasoning is just so far gone I can't even argue this anymore. It's just become beyond ridiculous.

BTW, from reading your past few posts, you seem very sympathetic to these white (seemingly) racist business owners. You don't happen to own an Alligator Swamp tour business in Louisiana, do you?

The coon thing can be debated as being racist, although in this case it appears as though it was in a racist fashion, so ill grant you that. It is part of his culture. an ugly part, but part of it. The Flag thing DOES NOT MEAN RACISM to many many many many people in the south. It may to you, and thats fine if thats your perception of what the flag stands for, but dont pretend to know what it means to him.

So if he was angry and called a black person a Nigger, thats better then hanging an offensive sign? Sorry, you called someone a name based on a negative stereotype. I dont care if its nigger, kike, polack, daigo, spic, gook, or redneck... you did it. You're no better, so maybe you should take a couple of steps down off that soapbox.

So he wants to humiliate black people? Good thing Mama Whitey is there to protect them from his evil redneck ways.

So because i present a counter point to your over the top actions and a possible explanation to a point made in another post i must be a racist too?

Glad race relations is so Cut and Dry to you, that no other point can be made without you pointing the damning finger of "Racist"

dontloseyourheat wrote:

Has anyone heard of this?

Apparently people in the South still believe that it is 1930 and blatant racism is acceptable.

In Jena, Louisiana there is a large tree in front of the town high school. Apparently the white students used to congregate under the tree during breaks. One day a black student decided to sit down under this tree. The next day three nooses were hung from the tree. The superintendent wrote it off as a prank and suspended the responsible students for three days. The blacks were upset by this and racial tension began to increase. A few months pass and several scuffles take place. One night a group of black students get into a fight with a white student, causing the white student to be hospitalized and released later that day. Following the fight, the black students were arrested and charged with attempted murder and face 20-100 yrs in jail.

This is obviously just a summary so go to jenasix.org to get the full story.

The fact that this story is receiving very little national coverage is despicable.

Read more at the Jena 6 wikipedia page

Fucking ignorant southerners. Sorry to generalize, (and sorry for offending those of you down there) but the south is basically 50 years behind the rest of the country. Maybe some day they'll evolve and PJ will actually give them a show....

Skitch Patterson wrote:

The coon thing can be debated as being racist, although in this case it appears as though it was in a racist fashion, so ill grant you that. It is part of his culture. an ugly part, but part of it. The Flag thing DOES NOT MEAN RACISM to many many many many people in the south. It may to you, and thats fine if thats your perception of what the flag stands for, but dont pretend to know what it means to him.

So if he was angry and called a black person a Nigger, thats better then hanging an offensive sign? Sorry, you called someone a name based on a negative stereotype. I dont care if its nigger, kike, polack, daigo, spic, gook, or redneck... you did it. You're no better, so maybe you should take a couple of steps down off that soapbox.

So he wants to humiliate black people? Good thing Mama Whitey is there to protect them from his evil redneck ways.

So because i present a counter point to your over the top actions and a possible explanation to a point made in another post i must be a racist too?

Glad race relations is so Cut and Dry to you, that no other point can be made without you pointing the damning finger of "Racist"

Ummm... who's the one on the soap box?? You're the one who seems to be making all the statements about what the rules of racism are here. As per you: If you say a racist comment in anger you're even more of a racist. If you say it with humor it's not as bad. If it's inbred with your culture it's not nice, but somewhat excusable and you can make some allowances for it. And I shouldn't pretend to know what is racist to some, (like the confederate flag) because it might mean something different to many, many, many WHITE southerners. Even though the NAACP, NCCJ, Bill Clinton (a southern man) along with many other organizations feel it's a racist symbol of white domination over blacks. Two African American girls in my office, one who lived in Texas and the other in Georgia, when I asked them about it, both felt it was a symbol of hatred and discrimination. But, as you point out, I'M in no position to judge it or him. But, of course, you are ok to judge me. And I think I got a pretty clear idea of what it means to him, because it was right by the sign with the noose.

In my original post, (note: NOT edited in any way) I wrote I "made the mistake of calling him a redneck" (meaning I didn't realize it was such a loaded, negative word) and you call me lower than low, but yet in every post I've read from you, you come up with a defense for the white business owners in Florida and a man who hangs nooses and confederate flags at his business, and yet how dare I "point the damning finger of racist" (soap box lingo if I ever heard it, btw) at you, when I never even wrote that. I said you "seemed sympathetic" and then made a joke about owning an alligator swamp business. If racism is "cut and dried" to anyone here, it's you.

And I take offense to being called Mama Whitey. It's a racist label!:D (I hope it wasnt said by you in anger! :eek:You know what that means!)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14238568

The town of Jena, La., is coping with a case of racially motivated violence, even as court proceedings against those involved move forward. The case, centering on a tree at a high school campus that was a favorite meeting place for white students, has exposed racial tensions in the small town.

Earlier this week, a judge threw out one of the two charges against the first black student tried for beating up a white student at Jena High School, saying juveniles cannot be charged with conspiracy in adult court.

But Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. rejected arguments that, for the same reason, he should throw out the aggravated second-degree battery charge on which Mychal Bell also was convicted. The judge's decision means Bell will face at most 15 years in prison, rather than 22.5, when he is sentenced Sept. 20.

The case's beginnings can be traced to a day when black students at Jena High sat under a tree that was known traditionally as a white student hangout. Shortly afterward, three nooses were found hanging from the tree.

That sparked a series of racially charged events, culminating in a schoolyard attack of a white student and the arrest of six black teenagers for the crime.

"The mood of Jena is very, very bad," said the Rev. Brian Moran, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Jena.

Noting that the black students who sat under the tree had asked the principal's permission to do so, Moran said that immediately after they sat there, the nooses appeared.

"It really confuses me why anybody would say that this is not a racist situation," Moran said.

Students accused of placing the nooses on the tree were suspended from school for a short period.

Pastor Eddie Thompson of the Sanctuary Family Worship Center in Jena said national news coverage of the case has led many other white ministers to avoid speaking to the media.

"Their small Southern town has kind of been offered up as a sacrifice for America's national sin," Thompson said.

He said he believes prejudice and bigotry exists in his community and elsewhere in the United States, but "the people are seeing their town portrayed in a way in the national media that is foreign to them, completely."

Moran and Thompson agree that the community's ministers should have maintained a sense of unity regarding the case. Instead, as details of the case emerged and opinions became more enflamed, an initial attempt at an alliance failed.

"Until the trials are settled, there's not going to be much of an opportunity for us to move forward," Thompson said.

The Jena school case drew protests after five of the six teens, dubbed the "Jena Six," were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, carrying sentences of up to 80 years in prison. The sixth was charged in juvenile court.

The beating victim, Justin Barker, 18, was treated for injuries at a hospital and released the same day, and a motive for the alleged Dec. 4 attack at the high school was never established.

Bell was the first of six teens to go to trial. The attempted murder charges were reduced to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery, and Bell was convicted.

But Mauffray threw out the conspiracy conviction Tuesday, saying juveniles could not be charged with conspiracy in adult court.

Both sides said they would appeal. Bell's attorneys want the battery charge throw out, as well, and the case returned to juvenile court.

The charges against two of the other teens, Carwin Jones and Theo Shaw, also were reduced Tuesday from attempted second-degree murder to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy. Robert Bailey Jr. and Bryant Purvis still face attempted murder charges, and the unidentified juvenile has yet to go to trial.

dontloseyourheat wrote:

Has anyone heard of this?

Apparently people in the South still believe that it is 1930 and blatant racism is acceptable.

i hearda seattle resident say nigger yesterday.

and i saw a lot of rebel flags in maryland back in the day.

blanket geralizations are awesome.