White supremacists urge Jena retaliation- Mayor gave praise

HOUSTON --

-- No sooner did thousands of African American demonstrators depart the racially tense town of Jena, La., last week after protesting perceived injustices than white supremacists started calling for violence.

First a neo-Nazi website posted the names, addresses and phone numbers of some of the six black teenagers and their families at the center of the Jena Six case, as it has come to be known, and urged followers to find them and "drag them out of the house," prompting an investigation by the FBI.

Then the leader of a white supremacist group in Mississippi published interviews that he conducted with the mayor of Jena and the white teenager who was attacked and beaten, allegedly by the six black youths. In those interviews, the mayor, Murphy McMillin, praised efforts by pro-white groups to organize counterdemonstrations; the teenager, Justin Barker, urged white readers to "realize what is going on, speak up and speak their mind." `

Over the weekend, white extremist websites and blogs filled with invective about the Jena Six case, which has drawn scrutiny from civil rights leaders, three leading Democratic presidential candidates and hundreds of African American bloggers. They are concerned about allegations that blacks have been treated more harshly than whites in the criminal justice system of the town of 3,000, which is 85% white.

LaSalle Parish Sheriff Carl Smith said that deputies had increased patrols in the area amid concerns over the safety of the defendants' families.

David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan leader, last week announced his support for Jena's white residents, who voted overwhelmingly for him when he ran unsuccessfully for Louisiana governor in 1991.

"There is a major white supremacist backlash building," said Mark Potok, a hate-group expert at the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights group in Montgomery, Ala. "I also think it's more widespread than may be obvious to most people. It's not only neo-nazis and Klansmen -- you expect this kind of reaction from them."

Controversy over the Jena Six case has been percolating for months but it exploded into national view Thursday when a large crowd of peaceful demonstrators from around the country marched through the central Louisiana town.

They came to support the six black high school students who were initially charged by the local prosecutor with attempted murder for attacking Barker, a white classmate who was beaten and knocked briefly unconscious in December. The charges were later reduced to aggravated second-degree battery.

The incident capped months of racial unrest after three white students hung nooses from a shade tree at the high school after black students asked permission to sit under it. School officials dismissed the noose incident as a prank, angering black students and their parents and triggering a series of fights between whites and blacks. The whites involved were charged with misdemeanors or not at all; the blacks drew various felony charges.

McMillin has insisted that his town is being unfairly portrayed as racist -- an assertion the mayor repeated in an interview with Richard Barrett, the leader of the Nationalist Movement, a white-supremacist group based in Learned, Miss., who asked McMillan to "set aside some place for those opposing the colored folks."

"I am not endorsing any demonstrations, but I do appreciate what you are trying to do," Barrett quoted McMillin as saying. "Your moral support means a lot." McMillin did not return calls seeking comment Monday.

Barker's father, David, said his family did not know the nature of Barrett's group when they agreed to be interviewed, adding, "I am not a white supremacist, and neither is my son." But Barrett said he explained his group and its beliefs to the Barker family, who then invited him to stay overnight at their home on the eve of last week's protest march.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said he had grown so concerned about white extremists' threats against the defendants' families and perceived injustices in the town that he called the White House over the weekend to ask for immediate federal intervention.

Jackson said the acting head of the U.S. Justice Department's civil rights division told him that the agency had begun investigating the Jena situation.
http://tinyurl.com/39ke3d
newwww, these people aren't racists at all- ass the mayor says "they are unfairly PORTRAYED as racists.

Conyers Goes to Bat for the Jena 6 cause

Yes Bham, in many many ways Alabama is a progressive state, the birth place of civil rights for all Americans. I can only look at the photos and read the stories and wish I was there during that time- other people are much luckier- they were able to see it first hand for themselves.

this is going to sound corny, but if it came down to it, I think I would choose time travel over anything else if I were given a super power.


House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr., appearing with the Rev. Al Sharpton by his side, said he will convene hearings to investigate the handling of the Jena 6 case and prosecutions of blacks nationwide.

"We're trying to put together an understanding of how we can present this to the American people," said Mr. Conyers, Michigan Democrat, describing what he called a "miscarriage of justice" and the "circumstances of segregation that have been part of our legal system."

During a Capitol Hill press conference, Mr. Conyers, other members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the family of one of the six black teens from Jena, La., charged with beating a white student said the blacks were dealt with too severely.

"If you can't understand Jena, you can't understand us. We are in jail because of who we are, not what we are," said Mr. Sharpton, who last week led a major protest in the town.

Martin Luther King III said the Jena 6 story could be used for good.

"There must be reconciliation to bring this community back together," he said. "This is not about tearing apart."

However, Mr. King also added, "We know that Jenas exist all over America."
http://washingtontimes.com/article/20070926/NATION/109260039/1001
Gawd that Sharpton really grates my nerves, but I see him as a much needed voice that offsets the tweaked out balance of power we have here in the US.
I compare it to how I am SURE some people feel about PETA and the Vick case- PETA can be group of wild and whacky people, but by gawd there is no one better to bring attention to the Dog cause in the Vick case. They get the job done!
I am a huge huge fan of Conyers- that man has balls of steel pretty much.

Justice in Jena by Reed Walters- DA Opinion in NYT

Re: Justice in Jena by Reed Walters- DA Opinion in NYT

Walters drops appeal

Change of Venue

THIS is what I'm talkin'bout!

The United States attorney who investigated racially charged events in Jena, Louisiana -- including the hanging of nooses in a tree at a local high school -- was roundly condemned by Democrats during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday.

Donald Washington, who was appointed by President Bush as US Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, had stated previously that no link existed between the nooses, which appeared in a tree at Jena High School in August 2006, and the beating of a white student the following December. Six black teens were originally charged with attempted murder in the incident, although the charges were later reduced.

At the hearing, Washington stated that although in his opinion the hanging of the nooses did indeed constitute a hate crime, it was not a prosecutable offense because the three white students alleged to have hung the nooses were all minors.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) sharply rebuked Washington for not intervening in what she viewed as an over-prosecution of the black Jena teenagers by Louisiana district attorney, Reed Walters, who originally brought the case.

"I'm asking you to go back and I'm asking you to find a way to release Mychal Bell and the Jena six," Rep. Lee said, addressing Washington. " My question that goes down the road: I want to know why in the course of meetings of local district attorneys, why you didn't engage with Mr. Reed Walters, who may be subject to prosecutorial abuse, and confer with him and say 'Mr. Walters, this is not the way to handle this case.'"

"Mr. Washington, tell me why you didn't intervene," Lee continued, her voice rising as applause rang out in the chamber. "Not by way of the legal system, but the consultation that US attorneys have with the local district attorneys. Broken lives could have been prevented if you had taken the symbolic responsibility that you have being the first African American appointed to the Western District."

"I don't know what else to say, I am outraged," she said, and apologized for the "increased spirit" of her questioning.
US attorney says hands were tied

Washington, however, took issue with Lee's criticisms.

"First of all, I did intervene, I did engage the DA," he responded. "We had conversations about his chargings and things. At the end of the day there are only certain things that a US attorney can do, that a federal representative can do, in respect to a state and how it handles its criminal justice system."

"I was also offended," Washington continued. "I too am an African American. I was very offended by what I heard. I took steps to see what we could do."

California's Rep. Maxine Waters said later that she was "disappointed that district attorney Reed Walters is not before us today. That's who I wanted."

After House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) commented that Walters had indeed been invited to testify at the hearing but had declined, a voice from the audience yelled "subpoena him!"

"We do know you have the power of the subpoena," Waters told Conyers moments later.

Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH) also took attorney Washington and the Justice Department to task for not stepping in more forcefully.

"Now we all agree that it was a hate crime, and yet there was no response from our legal system of what we acknowledge as a hate crime," she said. "So while we say its a hate crime, if we don't act on it like a hate crime, then I don't really believe it."

"Explain to me how the people out there in this country can accept that our justice system can do no better than to go in on June 12, 2007 to start to address this issue," she said of the Department of Justice's inquiry that came 10 months after the hanging of the nooses.

Justice Department attorney Lisa Krigsten, who also testified before the committee, countered that the DOJ had actually dispatched a representative to talk to school officials, as well an FBI agent to investigate, in August 2006.

Krigsten said that although it was "undeniable" that noose hanging constituted a ""a symbol of hate and racial violence," the federal investigation found it wasn't appropriate -- due to the ages of those involved -- to bring charges.

“The Department of Justice is aware that there are requests to investigate the judicial system in Jena,” she said. “At this time, the Justice Department is gathering information and reviewing that information and taking that request very seriously.”

The Southern Poverty Law Center's Richard Cohen, who also gave testimony, said that bringing charges against the white teens who hung the nooses was not at the heart of the issue at hand.

"Right now people call for the prosecution of the noose hangers in some sense to balance the scales because of what happened to the Jena six, them being over-charged, I think that's the wrong-headed response," he said.

"I don't fault the US attorney for not filing charges," Cohen added, "but I do think the way the school handled it was a recipe for disaster. And that's what happened."

Since publicity about the Jena events, reports of nooses have surfaced from around the country, including one found in the bag of a black Coast Guard Cadet and another on the door of a black Columbia University professor.

"I think the reason why we are seeing what some call copycat nooses, and I would call just racists that feel empowered, is why wouldn't they?"said Rev. Al Sharpton at the hearing. "Nothing happened when a noose was hanged. And when people get the message that they can do this and nothing will happen, they will continue to do it."

The following videos are from CNN.com, broadcast on October 16, 2007.

Rep. Lee blasts US attorney Donald Washington:
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Rep._Lee_grills_D.A._over_Jena_1016.html\

Videos at link above. I couldn't agree more with Rep. Lee - she tells it like it is! And Walters - oh boy what a wuss. I guess he has lost the big sack he was totin' when he charged the Jena6 as adults and charged Bell with ATTEMPTED MURDER with a shoe? Wher'd it go? Yet another case of the disappearing sack.

Re: THIS is what I'm talkin'bout!

Fu-Gee-La wrote:

The United States attorney who investigated racially charged events in Jena, Louisiana -- including the hanging of nooses in a tree at a local high school -- was roundly condemned by Democrats during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday. Donald Washington, who was appointed by President Bush as US Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, had stated previously that no link existed between the nooses, which appeared in a tree at Jena High School in August 2006, and the beating of a white student the following December. Six black teens were originally charged with attempted murder in the incident, although the charges were later reduced. At the hearing, Washington stated that although in his opinion the hanging of the nooses did indeed constitute a hate crime, it was not a prosecutable offense because the three white students alleged to have hung the nooses were all minors. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) sharply rebuked Washington for not intervening in what she viewed as an over-prosecution of the black Jena teenagers by Louisiana district attorney, Reed Walters, who originally brought the case. "I'm asking you to go back and I'm asking you to find a way to release Mychal Bell and the Jena six," Rep. Lee said, addressing Washington. " My question that goes down the road: I want to know why in the course of meetings of local district attorneys, why you didn't engage with Mr. Reed Walters, who may be subject to prosecutorial abuse, and confer with him and say 'Mr. Walters, this is not the way to handle this case.'" "Mr. Washington, tell me why you didn't intervene," Lee continued, her voice rising as applause rang out in the chamber. "Not by way of the legal system, but the consultation that US attorneys have with the local district attorneys. Broken lives could have been prevented if you had taken the symbolic responsibility that you have being the first African American appointed to the Western District." "I don't know what else to say, I am outraged," she said, and apologized for the "increased spirit" of her questioning. US attorney says hands were tied Washington, however, took issue with Lee's criticisms. "First of all, I did intervene, I did engage the DA," he responded. "We had conversations about his chargings and things. At the end of the day there are only certain things that a US attorney can do, that a federal representative can do, in respect to a state and how it handles its criminal justice system." "I was also offended," Washington continued. "I too am an African American. I was very offended by what I heard. I took steps to see what we could do." California's Rep. Maxine Waters said later that she was "disappointed that district attorney Reed Walters is not before us today. That's who I wanted." After House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) commented that Walters had indeed been invited to testify at the hearing but had declined, a voice from the audience yelled "subpoena him!" "We do know you have the power of the subpoena," Waters told Conyers moments later. Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH) also took attorney Washington and the Justice Department to task for not stepping in more forcefully. "Now we all agree that it was a hate crime, and yet there was no response from our legal system of what we acknowledge as a hate crime," she said. "So while we say its a hate crime, if we don't act on it like a hate crime, then I don't really believe it." "Explain to me how the people out there in this country can accept that our justice system can do no better than to go in on June 12, 2007 to start to address this issue," she said of the Department of Justice's inquiry that came 10 months after the hanging of the nooses. Justice Department attorney Lisa Krigsten, who also testified before the committee, countered that the DOJ had actually dispatched a representative to talk to school officials, as well an FBI agent to investigate, in August 2006. Krigsten said that although it was "undeniable" that noose hanging constituted a ""a symbol of hate and racial violence," the federal investigation found it wasn't appropriate -- due to the ages of those involved -- to bring charges. “The Department of Justice is aware that there are requests to investigate the judicial system in Jena,” she said. “At this time, the Justice Department is gathering information and reviewing that information and taking that request very seriously.” The Southern Poverty Law Center's Richard Cohen, who also gave testimony, said that bringing charges against the white teens who hung the nooses was not at the heart of the issue at hand. "Right now people call for the prosecution of the noose hangers in some sense to balance the scales because of what happened to the Jena six, them being over-charged, I think that's the wrong-headed response," he said. "I don't fault the US attorney for not filing charges," Cohen added, "but I do think the way the school handled it was a recipe for disaster. And that's what happened." Since publicity about the Jena events, reports of nooses have surfaced from around the country, including one found in the bag of a black Coast Guard Cadet and another on the door of a black Columbia University professor. "I think the reason why we are seeing what some call copycat nooses, and I would call just racists that feel empowered, is why wouldn't they?"said Rev. Al Sharpton at the hearing. "Nothing happened when a noose was hanged. And when people get the message that they can do this and nothing will happen, they will continue to do it." The following videos are from CNN.com, broadcast on October 16, 2007. Rep. Lee blasts US attorney Donald Washington: http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Rep._Lee_grills_D.A._over_Jena_1016.html\ Videos at link above. I couldn't agree more with Rep. Lee - she tells it like it is! And Walters - oh boy what a wuss. I guess he has lost the big sack he was totin' when he charged the Jena6 as adults and charged Bell with ATTEMPTED MURDER with a shoe? Wher'd it go? Yet another case of the disappearing sack.

It is a REAL problem

Great post tulsa, and I can see why she is fed up. She should be. ALL the black leaders in the community should be! Enough is enough, and the black community will never ever become as strong as they feel if they do not fight for their rights as American citizens entitled to basic and decent and fair governance- and they must DEMAND respect.

People think that discrimination against Blacks is something of the past and that should be "forgotten" and "gotten over" have got another thing coming- not only is it a thing of the past, but now, we are making an industry out of it- and legally- it's called our multi-billion dollar prison system! Taking new "applications" every day!

Check this out-
One of the world’s most respected scientists is embroiled in an extraordinary row after claiming that black people are less intelligent than white people.

James Watson, a Nobel Prize winner for his part in discovering the structure of DNA, has provoked outrage with his comments, made ahead of his arrival in Britain today.

More fierce criticism of the eminent scientist is expected as he embarks on a number of engagements to promote a new book ‘Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science’. Among his first commitments is a speech to a London audience at the Science Museum on Friday. The event is sold out.

Dr Watson, who runs one of America’s leading scientific research institutions, made the controversial remarks in an interview in The Sunday Times.

The 79-year-old geneticist said he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa” because “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really.". He said he hoped that everyone was equal, but countered that “people who have to deal with black employees find this not true”.

He says that you should not discriminate on the basis of colour, because “there is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. there are many people of colour who are very talented, but don’t promote them when they haven’t succeeded at the lower level”. He writes that “ Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so”.

He claimed genes responsible for creating differences in human intelligence could be found within a decade.

The newly formed Equality and Human Rights Commission is studying Dr Watson’s remarks “in full”.

Keith Vaz, the Labour chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said today: “It is sad to see a scientist of such achievement making such baseless, unscientific and extremely offensive comments.
....
Dr Watson is no stranger to controversy. He has been reported in the past saying that a woman should have the right to abort her unborn child if tests could determine it would be homosexual.

In addition, he has suggested a link between skin colour and sex drive, proposing a theory that black people have higher libidos.

He also claimed that beauty could be genetically manufactured, saying: “People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty. I think it would be great.”

Commenting on Dr Watson’s current views about race, Steven Rose, a professor of biological sciences at the Open University, said: “This is Watson at his most scandalous. He has said similar things about women before but I have never heard him get into this racist terrain.

He added: “If he knew the literature in the subject he would know he was out of his depth scientifically, quite apart from socially and politically.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2677098.ece?token=null&offset=12
Not only has this man lost his mind, he's an idiot. But you know what they say- Make it idiot proof and someone will build a better idiot.