I had no idea how racist the south still is.

[lunchforthesky]

The “Jena 6” are six Black students who face the possibility of going to prison for many, many years because of a schoolyard fight. This story began on September 1, 2006 in the small town of Jena, Louisiana. A group of Black students sat under a “whites-only” tree in the schoolyard. Racist students responded immediately and the next day nooses were hanging from the tree for all to see.

The “Jena 6” are six Black students who face the possibility of going to prison for many, many years because of a schoolyard fight. This story began on September 1, 2006 in the small town of Jena, Louisiana. A group of Black students sat under a “whites-only” tree in the schoolyard. Racist students responded immediately and the next day nooses were hanging from the tree for all to see.

Tina Jones, the mother of Bryant Purvis who is one of the Jena 6, told Revolution what it was like hearing about the nooses hanging on the tree:

“I was like, what? [My son], myself and a lot of family members were really upset about that because to Black people that is offensive because you know over the years Black people were hung in trees. So I mean we felt like the white people were saying, ‘Well if you sit under this tree, we’re going to hang you.’ That’s how us as Black people felt, even though the white people said it was a prank. How could it be a prank when something like that was done to Black people over the years? And then they walk under this tree and then you hang nooses. And you know what that represents and that means to us -- if you go under this [tree] we’re going to hang you. I mean there’s no other way to look at that, and there’s nothing funny about that.”

Soon after the nooses were hung, most of the 93 Black students (out of a total student enrollment of 546) at Jena High School stood together under the tree, in a courageous act of protest. After this, a school assembly was called where a white district attorney told the Black students to keep their mouths shut about the nooses. He told them if he heard anything else about it, he “can make their lives go away with the stroke of his pen.”

When racist white students jumped a Black student, one white student got probation. But when a fight broke out that sent a white student to the hospital for an hour, the law came down on Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey, Theo Shaw, Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, and an unnamed minor--arresting these youth, who are now known as the Jena 6, and initially charging them with attempted murder. (see “Free the Jena Six! Jim Crow Injustice in Jena Louisiana,” Revolution #96).

Mychal Bell has already been convicted of second degree battery and conspiracy to commit second degree battery and could be sentenced to up to 22 years in prison. And the system is trying to make good on the threat to ruin the lives of the other five youth who still face serious charges. Many people still do not know about this tremendous outrage. But a nationwide struggle to free the Jena 6 is beginning to grow--and MUST get much bigger. The next court hearings for Mychal Bell and the rest of the Jena Six are scheduled to begin on September 4. Bell’s sentencing is scheduled for September 20.


http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/08/15/18440890.php

[GreyHam]

Its the land of liberty and equality

hoorah!

apparantly second degree battery requires the use of a weapon, of which there was no evidence of one being used

[Reaganista]

hanging nooses is assault

[sexymuffin]

bring back the jim crow laws tbh

[dei]

Not in PNWI.

[sexymuffin]

quit following me

[Chrizzle fo' Shizzle]

Ugh

Such a subjective last paragraph

[italic zero]

it was a very poorly written article

is there a better one?

[lunchforthesky]

What is google broken or something?

Article sucks i know but yeah, unless they have made up the whole story this is pretty unacceptable.

[Reaganista]

What is google broken or something?
umm i dont know
why dont you tell us

[lunchforthesky]

What and deprive you of all that excitement?

[Reaganista]

um St. Louis is not 'the north'...

[lunchforthesky]

Yeah I was thinking that too but I figured I just didn't know America too well.

[-1up!-]

Yeah I read up on that story a while ago and was just straight outraged. But then again it's the United States so I wasn't surprised.

[LittlePound]

um St. Louis is not 'the north'...

it's not part of the "south" either, it has a much great northern influence to it and if you want to be picky about it, it never seceded so technically it is part of the north.

[PerpetualBurn]

I've missed you LittlePound.

[Hedgedive]

black people were hung in trees.

*hanged

[Otherside]

hungeded*

[Danger Bird]

“I was like, what? [My son], myself and a lot of family members were really upset about that because to Black people that is offensive because you know over the years Black people were hung in trees. So I mean we felt like the white people were saying, ‘Well if you sit under this tree, we’re going to hang you.’"

How perceptive.

[GreyHam]

hang on, is it 'hung' or 'hanged'

[dei]

Hanged. But that's not important.

[Danger Bird]

no, semantics>whether or not institutionalized racism still exists in our society

[Jake=Suck]

hanged

edit: beaten.

[PerpetualBurn]

Actually there's a massive misconception that hanged is correct when either is entirely acceptable.

[:amaze:]

i thought it was a well-known fact that blacks are hung?




:amaze:

[PerpetualBurn]

Well my Dad's Welsh and my Mum's Hungarian.

So that makes me Well-Hung.

[GreyHam]

no, semantics>whether or not institutionalized racism still exists in our society

sozard, only asking

hung seems better written but hanged seems better said

but anyways, please continue

[italic zero]

Actually there's a massive misconception that hanged is correct when either is entirely acceptable.
So massive that it has misled both the Oxford English Dictionary and Garner's Modern American Usage?

Unless you're going to be annoyingly picky and point out that someone has to be hung in order to be hanged, but jeez.

[Iscariot]

“I was like, what? [My son], myself and a lot of family members were really upset about that because to Black people that is offensive because you know over the years Black people were hung in trees. So I mean we felt like the white people were saying, ‘Well if you sit under this tree, we’re going to hang you.’ That’s how us as Black people felt, even though the white people said it was a prank. How could it be a prank when something like that was done to Black people over the years? And then they walk under this tree and then you hang nooses. And you know what that represents and that means to us -- if you go under this [tree] we’re going to hang you. I mean there’s no other way to look at that, and there’s nothing funny about that.”

why does it seem like she barely understands what she's talking about

[Reaganista]

it's not part of the "south" either, it has a much great northern influence to it and if you want to be picky about it, it never seceded so technically it is part of the north.
no it's not

[spitfirejunky]

white

Black

Strange capitalization...

[Jewmanji]

Jews are persecuted everywhere.

[lunchforthesky]

Jews are persecuted everywhere.

Maybe in Iran. In America they are very popular.

[MetalSpine]

No matter where they are, they're seen to be money grabbing solicitors and loan sharks.

[lunchforthesky]

No matter where they are, they're seen to be money grabbing solicitors and loan sharks.

The 16th century wants their stereotype back.

[PerpetualBurn]

So massive that it has misled both the Oxford English Dictionary and Garner's Modern American Usage?

Unless you're going to be annoyingly picky and point out that someone has to be hung in order to be hanged, but jeez.

Well we could argue about whether MX uses conversational or formal English.

Or we could argue about the derivations of past participles of the infinitive "to hang".

I don't particularly want to do either.

I don't think it's me being annoyingly picky by saying that both would be acceptable in the given context.

[ringworm]

ughh, horrible story


but dont let that make you think the South is racist, or that racism in the entire country is limited to white people only

[Hababi]

It's always better to find an objective, respectable source :\

[YouGottaBeCrazy]

the north is still racist. who gives a **** about the south?

[italic zero]

Well we could argue about whether MX uses conversational or formal English.

Or we could argue about the derivations of past participles of the infinitive "to hang".

I don't particularly want to do either.

I don't think it's me being annoyingly picky by saying that both would be acceptable in the given context.
It's fine in its context, but when abstracted as several members did, they are questioning which is correct; not just in that context but in general. The distinction between hanged and hung is a marginally useful one. As a quibble, it's just as valid as any other grammatical quibble: probably unnecessary on mx, but useful to know. You seemed to be saying that there was no distiction--in any context.

The annoyingly picky comment referred to an argument you didn't, but could've made.

[BassVirtuoso]

I don't believe that article at all. If that actually happened I'm sure the NAACP would be all over it and the school would be going through some major reworkings, and so would the courts.

[Akira]

The story is true, but out of date. The one guy's charge was reduced to aggravated second-degree battery, and I believe he was convicted.

It's pretty much impossible to try to say we don't still live in a shockingly racist country, since this has gotten so little mainstream coverage.

[Hababi]

It's pretty much impossible to try to say we don't still live in a shockingly racist country, since this has gotten so little mainstream coverage.

So...you're alleging that the mainstream media is racist?


I don't believe that article at all. If that actually happened I'm sure the NAACP would be all over it and the school would be going through some major reworkings, and so would the courts.


Yes.

[Reaganista]

of course the media is racist

[Akira]

No. I'm alleging that whether we want to admit it or not, the country still have some serious race issues when a google search only pulled a couple of hits to sites that I would consider legitimate sources.

[PerpetualBurn]

they are questioning which is correct; not just in that context but in general.

In language, there's no such thing as correct without specific context.

[Danger Bird]

So...you're alleging that the mainstream media is racist?

http://yahooracists.ytmnd.com/

[italic zero]

In language, there's no such thing as correct without specific context.
Yeah, but you know the answer he was looking for. Besides, if you had mentioned context in your original post this argument would never have started.

[dei]

http://yahooracists.ytmnd.com/

YTMND delivers.

[AIRIC]

The weapon required for his battery charge was actually one of the students shoes. He beat the white kid with his shoe.

[Cain]

it's not part of the "south" either, it has a much great northern influence to it and if you want to be picky about it, it never seceded so technically it is part of the north.

meh it's a border state

plenty of confederates came from MO. imo that means it's not a member of the traditional abolitionist north as far as this discussion goes.

[Reaganista]

if it's closer to a great lake than NYC then it's not part of the north