Of Mychal Bell, Nooses and Two Americas

Presidential candidate John Edwards has spoken of two Americas. Perhaps America is in need of a remix of that speech. Not since the 1950’s has the United States’ ugly secret of racism been flaunted so blatantly. The day after the march in support of the Jena 6, racist white Americans in Louisiana continue to moon the rest of America by not releasing Mychal Bell.

Some people say that Justin Barker, the white student beaten by blacks, is being overlooked. Those same folks fail to consider that Justin attended an event only hours after leaving the hospital for his injuries. Those same folks are either unaware or choose to ignore the fact that Jena 6 defendant Robert Bailey was attacked by whites at an all-white party only days before the Barker incident. A white convenience store clerk also pulled a weapon on black youths. Is the media talking about that? I don’t think so.

It’s time for the federal government to step in and do what Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco has failed to do --- investigate the Louisiana judicial and educational systems. What is most disturbing about the Jena 6 case is how quickly law enforcement and education officials dismiss the display of nooses by whites as pranks yet feel justified in charging black teens with attempted murder for attacking a white teen and not filing any charges when a black teen was assaulted by whites. Come on, people, completely ignoring the ethnicity of the folks involved --- that’s just wrong.

This is the America that dictators like Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez like to talk about. This is the America that Al-Qaeda cites as examples of the hypocrisy of democracy. If you didn’t know it before, you know it now: blacks are still terror victims in America today.

Don’t get it twisted; the America in which we live is the same America in which Republican candidates for president feel comfortable in alienating not just blacks, but Latinos also.

Undeniably there has been progress in the U.S. regarding race relations but when folks charged with meting out justice, flagrantly deny the rights of American citizens without any recourse, America has lost its way.

Comments

[Linda]

incredible. as they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. maybe I'm weird, but it boggles my mind that this sh** still goes on today.

[tgrundy]

Vanessa: excellent, excellent commentary in this post today. Keep up this type of accurate and biting observation/analysis of this situation. We must continue to make our voices heard on this and a host other similar issues until real positive change is implemented.

[sauerkraut]

Good commentary which I'd like to expand.

CNN sent a good crew to cover the march last week and they've put far more onto the tube than just about anyone. But they've not asked the more difficult questions, i.e., the double standards in terms of equal protection under the law. They also didn't spend enough time getting answers from Blanco or the USA, Washington.

Washington didn't get the tough questions. CNN let it be that if a black USA didn't find a problem with the nooses then why should anyone have a problem with it. CNN didn't ask whether there was a problem with similar incidents being prosecuted differently, with skin color being the only apparent basis in the different prosecutions. CNN did not ask Washington whether any of this crap should have been investigated or prosecuted under the federal Safe Schools standards.

Blanco is just plain useless. In at least a couple of statements, she's commented about how there's nothing she can do. Hellooooooooooo!!?? How about the Executive Privilege that allows her to bring out that pardon pen? I make no claim that these kids are angels but if Reed Walters is incapable of prosecuting all of those involved, then she should seriously consider issuing a statement that she's prepared to issue blanket pardons due to prosecutorial misconduct of the worst kind. She could at least refer the whole matter to the state's attorney general for investigation of civil rights violations. Good gosh but she's an incompetent idiot.

I have a great dislike for incompetent politicians. And gw ain't the only one.

meow.