|
Why Is Jena 6 Noose Case Back in the News?
By Daryl Hannah
November 08, 2007
A few weeks ago, the whole country was in an uproar over the Jena 6 noose case. Now it's back in the news and the hot topic for discussion again. Why?
The charges against one of the defendants, Bryant Purvis, were reduced, indicating the national outcry over the treatment of these six black students has had an effect. Purvis, who originally faced second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy charges, now faces second-degree aggravated assault charges. He is the last of the five students who are being tried as adults to have his charges reduced.
Since the Jena 6 incident, nooses have increasingly surfaced in schools, in government buildings and workplaces across the U.S. prompting a national outcry from the black community. DiversityInc's Noose Watch has attracted national attention as the first and only comprehensive chronicling of these incidents.
(See also: Why Nooses Now?)
National and community activists are banding together to send a national message of intolerance for nooses. In late September, more than 15,000 stormed the streets of the small town of Jena, La. to protest the racially biased justice system.
Similar but smaller protests have surfaced in pockets across the nation. Last Friday, more than 50 Twin Cities students and residents gathered in front of the federal courthouse in downtown Minneapolis. On Wednesday, the Connecticut chapter of the Answer Coalition in conjunction with the Yale National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Connecticut affiliate of the National Lawyers Guild, Efficacy and Unidad Latina en Accion hosted a protest in front of the New Haven Federal Courthouse.
So why are people still protesting in the name of Jena?
For many, the racial unfairness imbedded in the local justice system is a call to action.
"We look at the Jena 6 issue from two perspectives: fighting the on going problem of racism in the justice system and to send a message to the larger society about where we as a nation, when it comes to race relations, " says Peter Goslein, of the Connecticut affiliate of the National Lawyers Guild.
"People are angry about the racial disparity in how crime is viewed and how defendants are treated and its hard to imagine that we all aren't outraged," he continues.
Like Goslein, others are outraged by the way the legal proceedings of the six black students have been handled. Last month, Democratic leaders blasted federal authorities for not intervening on the local proceedings and ultimately blamed them for "failing" the six black teenagers.
Purvis, now a senior in high school, lives in Texas and awaits trial. Currently Mychael Bell is the only one of the six still in prison.
To read about the background of the Jena 6, click here.
More Jena 6>>
Send Your Comments About This Article Now
©DiversityInc. Reproduction in any format is absolutely prohibited.
|
digg this | 
mixx! | 
reddit
del.icio.us
Newsvine | 
| 
