Jena – Not Racist, but . . .
I found an interesting quote in this MSNBC story on the [tag]Jena 6[/tag] that explains why I have been very concerned about this event from when I first read about it. (I have been following this mostly via Pursuing Holiness, with her latest post here, and only occasionally reading other stories.)
Here’s the quote:
The white teen who was beaten, Justin Barker, was knocked unconscious, his face badly swollen and bloodied, though he was able to attend a school function later that night.
. . . yet the initial charge was attempted murder. I don’t see how the prosecutor can say this with a straight face:
This case has been portrayed by the news media as being about race, he said. And the fact that it takes place in a small southern town lends itself to that portrayal. But it is not and never has been about race. It is about finding justice for an innocent victim and holding people accountable for their actions.
No, it’s not about holding people accountable–it’s about losing one’s sense of proportion. Should they young men involved in such a beating be held accountable? Certainly. Is an attempted murder charge “accountability” for what they did? No, it’s well out of balance. Bluntly, the [tag]racism[/tag] is clearly present.
I also don’t buy the whine that there was nothing that could be done about the kids who hung the nooses. That indicates a severe lack of creativity. The assumption appears to be that if you can’t charge those kids under a law, there is nothing that can be done. But the school and the town definitely could have done something, had they taken the event seriously. (And no, they should go over the top about that either. “Deal with” doesn’t necessarily mean “go nuts.”)
I hope that the rally today will shake some people up and make them look inside themselves and reconsider their attitudes. Probably most will simply become more angry, but I can always hope!
It’s a bit of a snap judgement without considering the legal definition of attempted murder. On the face of it, it might sound silly, but legally, the prosecutor may be correct, especially if the suspects were questioned and one said that they wanted to kill the person. The suspect may have meant it as a more colloquial meaning, but that statement alone would justify the charge. Intent to kill is what is required to prove attempted murder.
I think your argument is a little suspect unless you can show the prosecutor is acting without any supporting evidence or statements.
Absolutely correct. In terms of law, the intent is what defines attempted murder.
In terms of basic math and reason, I’m interested to hear what any of the chanting, rallying people would say if the shoe was on the other foot. Besides the truth. The FBI among other entities of the law would be all over each of the suspects, their families and their finances. Caution; to at least seem intelligent, be able to apply the term ‘racism’ to all people and all actions which beg concern for equality. If you can’t do that, take a long look in the mirror, racist.
. . . and . . .
A) I have read quite a number of stories, not just the one little paragraph. Does this make me an expert? No. Does it give me a basis to question? I believe so.
B) A prosecutor has discretion. It is neither required, nor is it necessarily reasonable for a prosecutor to reach for the greatest offense he can possibly charge in a case.
“You don’t know enough,” is an excellent way to shut down the questioning that is necessary to democratic government. I would hope that by now the prosecutor would be able to defend his charges. Instead, he has dropped all but one of the attempted murder charges.
This one smells bad to me …
Facts this comment is quite insulting if you don’t know all of the which shows in your comment. Yes they should be punished for the school fight but their were other similar actions that should have been handled in a different way from the very beginning. Yes but if it this was reverse could we say the other teenagers will be charged the same way?