Don't sleep on the soul train!!!

Concert sauvage dans le métro !
Uploaded by lapapsprod

Naturally Seven - HOT TA DEF!!!

Let's Dig the "N" Word Back Up!!

The post have been going for a bit, but I just had to bring over this bit of stuff from it. Enjoy!
*********************************************************
Valkyrian Ride wrote: (First Post)

"The NAACP "buried" the "N" word. Who's for excuming it?Okay, that's not me saying the intro line!! It's a post that was on the Topix forum. You're not even smart enough to be a good bigot!"

Neidermier wrote:(Second Response)

"What the hell is "excuming"...FOOL! I'd tell you what you're trying to say and spell but you're clearly not worth it!"

Wake Up wrote:

"Im sorry but calling me a cracker or honky is just funny. Its a stupid word with nothing behind it. It's a WORD guys. It can't touch you, hit you, spank you, or kill you. A race that lets that one little word define them is truly sad. What happened to strong and proud. That certainly doesn't describe someone who lets one little dumb word bend them out of shape so bad. Cowboy up!"

The connotation of the word is the problem. Unfortunately, because we (blacks) are in a state of post-traumatic slave syndrome, the younger generation adapts to terms. It's unfortunate but true. The use of the word has begun to make some young and even some older black act like n****s! The definition (before it was changed in the late nineties by the people at Merriam-Webster) was noun, an ignorant person; incapable of decency.

That adaptation and usage in our society is the catalyst for self disrespect and degradation of others who look like us. The word needs to stay buried. Now, I personally think the NAACP has a lot more work to do than to symbolically bury this word, a few graves need to be dug for the hateful, degrading and misogynistic videos, shows, songs and sites as well! Not to mention some work within the black family, community and mindset as well. We're all a work in progress and this was just one step towards recognition of the job ahead of us.

Wake Up, I agree that it is just a word; and this word can even be funny in some instances, but words can have power depending on how often they're used... Just my two cents...

White Honky Cracker wrote:

"Oh boy, now I have post traumatic slave owner syndrome. Please stop calling me cracker. Can we please bury that word along with whitey, mayo, cracker, saltine, ivory, honky, racist, sex machine. OK maybe not the sex machine word but everything else. That offends me so I'm going to rap a song about it. Peace out my honky's."

Confused wrote:

"Post-traumatic slave syndrome! What? I thought you had to actually be in a traumatic situation to be in any post syndrome? Slavery hasn't been around for a long time. How would young black people of today have any clue about what it was really like back when slavery existed? Not sure I follow you on that one."

I'm sure you don't follow me... I teach Special Education, I don't know how it could have slipped my mind that there might be a few special people like you... Sorry for that. Let me spell it out for you.

P-O-S-T-- T-R-A-U-M-A-T-I-C-- S-L-A-V-E-- S-Y-N-D-R-O-M-E-- is a B-O-O-K by a nice, smart black psychologist (<--that is a person who studies the human mind, okay?) named Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary. You know what a book is right? You know the thing with the pages and words that you might sometimes have a bit of trouble handling. Well, this book is about people. Black people. And the his-to-ry of sla-ver-y and the ef-fects it has on the mind. You know what the mind is right? It's what most people use to t h i n k with. Now, tell me if you don't follow me again... The book explains how genetically (<--that means passed through genes to future generations), sla-ver-y has stayed with African Americans which negatively (<--this word means, badly) affects their psyche(<--this word means mindstate) today.
WOOPS! Sorry, I may have lost you again. Remember, it's a B O O K. You'd have to read it, or have mommy read it to you... Don't forget your dictionary while you read so you can be sure to follow what it's saying!

Next time, try to keep up.

http://justanotherghettomom.blogspot.com

Confused wrote:

"Hey Ghettomom(<--this is you) If you teach special education.(<--your occupation) How come you didn't realize that I was special.(<--I am special) Why would I read a book (<--only if it had pictures) when I can rent movies.(<--those things you rent from blockbuster or even netflixs) I appreciate (<--means thankful) for you educational (<--went to school and actually paid attention in class) input. I know you understand input so I won't define it by doing this (<--to give when it is wanted). You are great (<--someone who is great but can be a little over the deep end with explanations). I didn't realize we had to be serious (<--someone who is serious :), not funny at all) in this little forum. How silly (<--funny, not serious) of my special needs self. I will try harder to impress you (<--Ghettomom) in every aspect with the dialogue of my conversation."

Confused wrote:

"I think I am in love with Ghettomom. I love it when a woman talks to me that way."

LivingDeadGirl said:

"And I should take part in the blame for this STU-PID-ITY??
I'm white. I do not apologize to you or ANYBODY ELSE for my birth status, which I had no control over. This is lame. I refuse to pay, emotionally, physically or otherwise for something someone else thought was O.K. many generations ago. No one is my victim, and I am cool with that."

KSF wrote:

"LOL! I know a girl who teachers SDC children. She would have LOVED to read your post. LOL! You put some joy in my morning. As a white dude, I'll have to check this book out. Thanks for putting deadgirl back in her grave!"

Thanks! Yeah, it did sound like she got modet. Anyway, what she was saying really didn't make sense anyway. I've seen a couple of responses since I posted the original about this book, and they're talking about post-traumatic stress disorder. I'm like, geez, is it really that difficult to read what I'm saying?! I'm not putting this off on white people. I'm just stating a scientifically studied premise.

It's not a justification, and yes, it does mean that black people who use the word and act in a negative way have low self esteem. That's exactly what the book is about! People don't like to read anymore. It's just a bit too difficult for people like "LivingDeadGirl".

Once again, thanks for the reply, and check out the book when you get the chance!

(ALL POSTS COURTESY OF TOPIX.COM, "LET'S DIG THE "N" WORD BACK UP" CONVERSATION)

Matthew Shepard Act - H.R. 1592 / S. 1105

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act / Matthew Shepard Act gives the Justice Department the power to investigate and prosecute bias-motivated violence by providing the department with jurisdiction over crimes of violence where the perpetrator has selected the victim because of the person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

More HERE

Why segregation of the races would be best!

Why segregation of the races would be best!

For one, there wouldn't be anymore racism! People of different races and cultures could live in peace without being persicuted by another race for differences. They would have their own laws, lawmakers and jurys who would guide their own people towards the level of harmony they want to acheive.

The government is forcing intergration! By not allowing segragated schools and neighborhoods the government is responcible for the race clashes that are constantly happening. Everyone reading topix sees' it! White and black bickering back and forth! I"M NOT GETTING THIS, YOUR GETTING THAT AND I CAN'T! It's never ending! WE ALL DON'T NEED TO LIVE IN THE SAME NEIGHBORHOOD! HEY blacky, is you don't want to be pushed out of an all white neighborhood, choose an all black neighborhood. God knows the blacks have taken over the malls around my house, like Ford City which use to be a nice mall until the black and mexicans took over now there are shootings every weekend over there! Evergreen Mall use to be nice now its all black which even the black people don't want to shop at and now are streaming into the nice white areas around here and ruining the all white malls like Chicago Ridge, now Westfield Mall. Hopefully, Orland stays so snooty that blacky will never feel welcome. The point is, if we aren't around eachother racism will go any forever! This is my dream! To have a world where no matter where I look, I will only see my own kind and not a mix breed to be found! -- By Anonymous Poster at Topix.com

See, this is what I'm talking about... People like this stir up ill feelings and make rifts in society where they don't need to be. It's sad, this is lots of people's proof that racism is still alive and well.

No Justice No Peace!`

In Chicago, there are some pretty mean cops. There was a story about a legendary blues artist (Fred Grady) who was arrested for a minor traffic violation. Shortly after his arrest, he wound up dead in his jail cell. Today (7-17-07) a jury with 4 white women, 3 white men and one black woman came to a decision that the City of Chicago and the Chicago Police Department were not liable for his death. Meanwhile, it is on record that 662 Chicago Police officers have formal complaints about their professional conduct. After a federal judge ordered that the information be available to the public, city lawyers filed a motion to request that the information remain confidential. They were ordered a stay and now the documents about are confidential.

Point, when are we going to stop being complacent? When are we going to let the world know that we no longer "hope" for change, but that we "demand" it? I wonder, what will it take? Shackles and chains? Whips and auction blocks?

"This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand." - Frederick Douglass

~::Happy Birthday Assata Shakur!!::~

Today we celebrate the birth of a truly inspiring woman. At the same time, I wish to extend a call to action from anyone who reads this post! HANDS OFF ASSATA!!!

Hotep,
Miah

Assata Shakur is a mother, grandmother, artist, writer, poet, and activist who follows in the footsteps of Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, and all of those sisters and brothers who risked their lives for liberation.

During the 1960’s and 1970’s, Assata and her comrades were victims of both racial profiling and political targeting. After being spotted on the New Jersey turnpike on May 2, 1973, it was discovered that she and her two companions, Sundiata Acoli and Zayd Shakur were known members of the Black Panther Party. After police stopped them, a series of shootings occurred. When the smoke cleared, one police officer and Zayd Shakur lay dead. Assata, shot in the back and dragged from the car, lay wounded: she was tortured and only taken to a hospital after much delay. Yet, Assata was sentenced to life +33 years in prison by an all white jury for “aiding and abetting” the death of the state trooper and her own dear friend, Zayd Shakur.

In 1979, Assata was liberated from prison and granted political asylum by the Cuban government. And in May of 2005, the U.S. issued an outrageous $1 million bounty to capture her, falsely labeling her a domestic terrorist.

Sundiata Acoli, a brilliant mathematician, artist and freedom fighter, has been unfairly incarcerated for the past 26 years and was also unjustly sentenced to life in prison.


FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS AND HANDS OFF ASSATA SHAKUR!!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hands Off Assata Campaign
www.happybirthdayassata.org
hoacampaign@yahoo.com
866.244.4708

New Grooves from Lady Bug Mecca

MAN, SHE'S STILL FINE!!!

My Move to Blogger

So, I figured that I'd move the venue here. Why? Well, I thought it might be taken more seriously and in order for most people to post to the Myspace blog, you'd have to create an account. Most people weren't willing to do that; which I TOTALLY understand. I will, however, repost the posts from there to here. Hopefully, after an email to all the Myspace blog subscribers, I'll be back in business.

Okay, just to bring everyone up to speed, here's the email that was sent out to invite you folks to the blog. The rules are included and are as follows:

Visit me at my blog!

For access to the latest news, talk and my thoughts on the topic of the day subscribe to Just Another Ghetto Mom Blog at:

Just Another Ghetto Mom Blog

In today's current climate, there needs to be people of like minds and different opinions in constant conversation about the happenings of the day. I feel like my blog would be a great way for people to connect in solidarity on a variety of fronts as well as gain knowledge of opposing viewpoints. Please utilize this space to comment to posts, rant, rave and pick each other's minds apart; pick mines too! There are too many things going on to NOT talk with one another. There is only one rule here... BE RESPECTFUL OF OTHER'S OPINIONS!! If you disagree; be sure to disagree politely. In example:

Post 1: "I think that President Bush is the GREATEST MAN ALIVE!! Blah, blah, blah....."

Bad Comment: "That's because you're the biggest IDIOT alive! And I also think your mama......"

Good Comment: "Well, I have to disagree with you there because...."

Remember, just be respectful; yet honest! Here's to great blogging. Cheers!

“But what of black women? I most sincerely doubt if any other race of women could have brought its fineness up through so devilish a fire.” – W.E.B. Du Bois

Janean "Miah" Watkins

He Feels my relationship is a vice!

What you will read below was in response to an myspace mail that I got last night. I thought it pertinent to post to my blog to deter future idiodicy. Hopefully anyone who thought about writing me with the same rhetoric will think twice before sending me junk mail..... Read on....

..> ..>
From: SOUNDTRAC..

http://www.myspace.com/outwestkhat
Date: 28 May 2007, 11:31 PM
Flag as Spam or Report Abuse [ ? ]
Subject: No Subject
Body: SISTER FIGHT THAT VICE DONT SUBMITT TO WHAT AMERICA PROMOTES AS FREEDOM .......YOUR SOUL HAS KINSHIP TO THE GREATEST MAN A LIVE AND HIS BLOODLINE HAS A PLACE WITH HIM .......IM NOT JUDGEING YOU SISTER ........TAKECARE ....THINK IT OVER .......DESIRERS CAN BE ALTERD ...........OUT ...NO DIS RESPECT ..


I think that it is best stated in Matthew chapter seven how we should look at others sin. I am an out and proud mother of 6 children (3 of which I birthed) and when I tell most self proclaimed Christians this, they tend to (tsk tsk) and comment,
"Oh my; those poor babies!" I feel that this preconceived perception and labeling constricts people in a way that is crushing to humanity.

Let me start by saying that I lived the better part of my life trying to conform to the ideology that society has placed upon us as humans and in the process, I managed to give my children low self esteem by example. They saw me with their father truly unhappy, feeling like a failure and not loving myself at all. They picked up on that and adopted my way of thinking regardless to my constant uplifting of them. Once I left their dad, I struggled alone to take care of them (which wasn't new I'd done this our whole relationship).

They watched me day and night working and sometimes crying because of how my life turned out. I knew deep down that I couldn't suppress my lesbian feelings any longer. So I 'came out' to my family and friends and my children. After about two years of learning myself and asking God to take this sinful nature away from me and send me what I needed, I accidentally yet fortunately met the woman of my dreams. She was just as spiritual as me. Having a hard time accepting this aspect of her life, just like me. And she had 3 children just like me. We connected on a level that I had never connected with anyone in all my life. We have been together ever since.

I said all of that to say, NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO JUDGE OUR FAMILY OR LIFESTYLE BASED ON OTHER PEOPLES MISTAKES! I meet homosexuals all the time who make me ashamed to be a lesbian. I meet black people all the time that make me ashamed to be black. I meet women all the time that make me ashamed to be a woman. BUT, I still strive to be the most spiritual, and nurturing BLACK LESBIAN that I can be! It's a shame that my family has to worship the Creator at home because we aren't welcome in churches by judgmental people in our own communities. But...noooo... that's not sinful. Is it?

I think that a blogger named 'Theoreticality' said it best,

Now, I've read all of Matthew, all of the Bible in fact, so I guess I must've missed something. Would one of you Christians mind pointing out the verse in the Bible that says, "Oh yeah, and before I forget, all Christians please completely neglect Matthew Chapter 7, it's just in there to make sure we look like an open minded group"? Sorry, but i haven't been able to find that one yet, oh yeah, i forgot, I know why i haven't found it, BECAUSE IT ISN'T THERE!! So to all those who judge and call others sinners, God will judge you and call you a sinner, and for those who condemn others, including the homosexuals to hell, you will also be condemned to hell...
Quote from philosophy.com

So those of you who just can't help being judgmental and wishing for the downfall of a same-sex couples union, remember this. I doubt that the Creator would condemn me to an eternity of hellfire and damnation just for unconditionally loving a woman and her children and accepting them as my own for the past seven years and several more to come. I think that what God wants is for all of us to lead happy, spiritual, prosperous lives.

So please, think about that before you throw out words that hurt innocent people and their families tearing down what they know as true love. Stop to think before you abandon helping people to realize the truth of God just because they live their life differently than you. Be careful not to judge; less you be judged. Just because a person takes on the label of "Lesbian" doesn't mean that they are promiscuously living their lives. Gay people commit to relationships too. We are all God's children and he loves us ALL!

CONSIDER THIS...PEACE OUT...TAKE CARE.

Miah
~aka~
CmoreOn

A video Brought to you by uruk @ YouTube

Senator Durbin (D-IL)'s response to my letter regarding health care.

I thought you all might be interested in this response that I received from Senator Durbin regarding correspondence that I sent to him concerning the health care crisis. Those of you that are small business owners and self employed would benefit from a couple of the bills presented to legislation and the rest of you would benefit from the other legislative measures being taken. Please write your Senator and Congressman regarding these measures. Support the proposed bills. I feel that this is at least a start in the right direction.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

July 10, 2007

Ms. Janean Watkins

(Address Ommited By Blogger)

Dear Ms. Watkins:

Thank you for sharing your concerns about health insurance.

All Americans should have access to affordable health care coverage. More than 46 million Americans are without health insurance today, including 8.5 million children. Since 2000, health insurance premiums have gone up 73 percent. The cost of prescription drug coverage is skyrocketing, increasing at double digit rates in each of the past nine years. These costs keep dependable, quality health care coverage consistently out of reach for many of our nation's citizens. One of the most frequent concerns I hear from businesses as well as consumers involves the rising cost of health insurance. This struggle is especially severe for small businesses and their employees. These are signs of a health system in distress.

To address these problems, I support an employer-based approach to universal health insurance coverage, supplemented by a publicly-financed program to assist those with limited means and to encourage small businesses to provide health insurance for their employees.

Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked for legislation to make health insurance more affordable and accessible for all Americans. I fought successfully to provide a full health insurance tax deduction for the self-employed, so that they could receive the same tax treatment as large corporations when paying health insurance premiums. I also supported legislation that has expanded access to health care for uninsured children, through the creation of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP).

Despite this progress, there is more work to be done. Many Americans lack insurance because there are no plans that will cover them at a reasonable price. Others find themselves working for employers who only offer one insurance option or do not offer health insurance at all.

Senator Lincoln of Arkansas and I have introduced the Small Employers Health Benefits Program Act (S. 874). Under our bill, the self-employed and employees of small businesses would be eligible to join a purchasing pool that would allow them to select from a range of health insurance plans similar to those offered to Members of Congress and federal employees. Small businesses wishing to take advantage of this group purchasing opportunity and willing to contribute a fair share of the cost of their employees' health insurance would be eligible for tax credits to help them afford the cost.

I also have introduced the All Kids Health Insurance Coverage Act (S. 2137), which would provide access to health care for the 70 percent of uninsured children who are from middle-class families earning too much to qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but not enough to purchase health insurance in the private market. This measure, which is modeled after the state of Illinois' All Kids program, would eliminate the federal income eligibility cap so that children from families earning more than 200 percent of the federal poverty level would be eligible to enroll in SCHIP, regardless of their family's income. The program would be funded through a combination of federal funds and affordable monthly premiums and co-pays paid by families.

I worked to amend and pass the State High Risk Pool Funding Extension Act (H.R. 4519), which authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue federal grants to states to operate or expand high-risk pools to provide health care coverage for patients who have been denied individual medical insurance due to a pre-existing health condition. The Illinois high-risk pool, known as the Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan (ICHIP), will receive a $5.4 million grant through this program to help it provide premium relief to ICHIP beneficiaries.

I also am pursuing legislation that would make prescription drugs more affordable. I have supported legislation which would speed the availability of generic drug equivalents following the expiration of a name-brand drug patent. I have also introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act (S. 345), which would give seniors the option of choosing a Medicare prescription drug plan whose prices are negotiated by HHS on behalf of seniors, similar to what is done for our nation's veterans. In addition, I am a cosponsor of the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act (S. 334), which would allow pharmacists and wholesalers to safely import prescription drugs from Canada.

Congress needs to give greater attention to the growing health insurance crisis. I will continue to explore ways to expand health insurance access to all Americans and to promote measures that address the high cost of insurance while providing flexibility and choice. Thanks again for contacting me.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Durbin

United States Senator

RJD/cc

Micheal Moore's Movie Sicko

Did I mention that I've seen "Sicko"? It was a great film, with some very real ups and downs. Being that I have parents who face the healthcare cost crisis, not to mention only being able to afford insuring my children and not myself, I dare say that Micheal Moore is truly onto something with this flick!

But to lighten the mood a bit, there was a part of the movie where it was suggested that if you want good healthcare, you should marry a Canadian and move there! There's a website called Hook-A-Canuck.com where you can actually meet single Canadians willing to help an American out a bit... Here's the link to the promo ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbdwoaI_5eI

Also, read this write up by a native Texan, I thought this was quite amusing!!

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Sicko-Spurs-Audiences-Into-Action-5639.html

Enjoy! Then as I always say; DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!! Click on the link, sign the petition for H.R. 676. Then spread the word!!!!!

http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/what-can-i-do/

Do you REALLY want to talk about justice??

On the one hand, we've got

"Scooter" Libby

On the other we've got

Genarlow Wilson

But right in front of my eyes, we've got....

DeAuntea Farrow...

Images like these, I can't seem to weigh because the weigh too heavily on my heart. I know my posts can be a bit wordy sometimes, but now's the time to read more... learn more... speak out more! Please, follow all of the links and read them thouroughly...

Is Fair REALLY Fair??

Here's something that I forgot to add to the justice piece. The thought of it enrages me! This article (slanted very much so to the left, per my liking) was found at http://www.counterpunch.org/. I like the stories that they have here. I mean, the tagline for the magazine is, Out of Bounds Magazine. So when I say slightly to the left. I really mean it!!

Black Nooses Hanging from the "White" Tree

By BILL QUIGLEY

In a small still mostly segregated section of rural Louisiana, an all white jury heard a series of white witnesses called by a white prosecutor testify in a courtroom overseen by a white judge in a trial of a fight at the local high school where a white student who had been making racial taunts was hit by black students. The fight was the culmination of a series of racial incidents starting when whites responded to black students sitting under the "white tree" at their school by hanging three nooses from the tree. The white jury and white prosecutor and all white supporters of the white victim were all on one side of the courtroom. The black defendant, 17 year old Mychal Bell, and his supporters were on the other. The jury quickly convicted Mychal Bell of two felonies - aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. Bell, who was a 16 year old sophomore football star at the time he was arrested, faces up to 22 years in prison. Five other black youths
await similar trials on attempted second degree murder and conspiracy charges.

Yes, you read that correctly. The rest of the story, which is being reported across the world in papers in China, France and England, is just as chilling.

The trouble started under "the white tree" in front of Jena High School. The "white tree" is where the white students, 80% of the student body, would always sit during school breaks.
In September 2006, a black student at Jena high school asked permission from school administrators to sit under the "white tree." School officials advised them to sit wherever they wanted. They did.
The next day, three nooses, in the school colors, were hanging from the "white tree." The message was clear. "Those nooses meant the KKK, they meant 'Niggers, we're going to kill you, we're going to hang you till you die,'" Casteptla Bailey, mom of one of the students, told the London Observer.

The Jena high school principal found that three white students were responsible and recommended expulsion. The white superintendent of schools over-ruled the principal and gave the students a three day suspension saying that the nooses were just a youthful stunt. "Adolescents play pranks," the superintendent told the Chicago Tribune, "I don't think it was a threat against anybody."

The African-American community was hurt and upset. "Hanging those nooses was a hate crime, plain and simple," according to Tracy Bowens, mother of students at Jena High.

But blacks in this area of Louisiana have little political power. The ten person all-male government of the parish has one African-American member. The nine member all-male school board has one African American member. (A phone caller to the local school board trying to find out the racial makeup of the school board was told there was one "colored" member of the board). There is one black police officer in Jena and two black public school teachers.

Jena, with a population of less than 3000, is the largest town in and parish (county) seat of LaSalle Parish, Louisiana. There are about 350 African Americans in the town. LaSalle has a population of just over 14,000 people - 12% African-American.

This is solid Bush and David Duke Country - GWB won LaSalle Parish 4 to 1 in the last two elections; Duke carried a majority of the white vote when he ran for Governor of Louisiana. Families earn about 60% of the national average. The Census Bureau reports that less than 10% of the businesses in LaSalle Parish are black owned.

Jena is the site of the infamous Juvenile Correctional Center for Youth that was forced to close its doors in 2000, only two years after opening, due to widespread brutality and racism including the choking of juveniles by guards after the youth met with a lawyer. The U.S. Department of Justice sued the private prison amid complaints that guards paid inmates to fight each other and laughed when teens tried to commit suicide.

Black students decided to resist and organized a sit-in under the "white tree" at the school to protest the light suspensions given to the noose-hanging white students.

The white District Attorney then came to Jena High with law enforcement officers to address a school assembly. According to testimony in a later motion in court, the DA reportedly threatened the black protesting students saying that if they didn't stop making a fuss about this "innocent prank I can be your best friend or your worst enemy. I can take away your lives with a stroke of my pen." The school was put on lockdown for the rest of the week.

Racial tensions remained high throughout the fall.

On the night of Thursday November 30, 2006, a still unsolved fire burned down the main academic building of Jena High School.

On Friday night, December 1, a black student who showed up at a white party was beaten by whites. On Saturday, December 2, a young white man pulled out a shotgun in a confrontation with young black men at the Gotta Go convenience store outside Jena before the men wrestled it away from him. The black men who took the shotgun away were later arrested, no charges were filed against the white man.

On Monday, December 4, at Jena High, a white student--who allegedly had been making racial taunts, including calling African American students "niggers" while supporting the students who hung the nooses and who beat up the black student at the off-campus party--was knocked down, punched and kicked by black students. The white victim was taken to the hospital treated and released. He attended a social function that evening.

Six black Jena students were arrested and charged with attempted second degree murder. All six were expelled from school.

The six charged were: 17-year-old Robert Bailey Junior whose bail was set at $138,000; 17-year-old Theo Shaw - bail $130,000; 18-year-old Carwin Jones--bail $100,000; 17-year-old Bryant Purvis--bail $70,000; 16 year old Mychal Bell, a sophomore in high school who was charged as an adult and for whom bail was set at $90,000; and a still unidentified minor.

Many of the young men, who came to be known as the Jena 6, stayed in jail for months. Few families could afford bond or private attorneys.

Mychal Bell remained in jail from December 2006 until his trial because his family was unable to post the $90,000 bond. Theo Shaw has also remained in jail. Several of the other defendants remained in jail for months until their families could raise sufficient money to put up bonds.

The Chicago Tribune wrote a powerful story headlined "Racial Demons Rear Heads." The London Observer wrote: "Jena is gaining national notoriety as an example of the new 'stealth' racism, showing how lightly sleep the demons of racial prejudice in America's Deep South, even in the year that a black man, Barak Obama, is a serious candidate for the White House." The British Broadcasting Company aired a TV special report "Race Hate in Louisiana 2007."

The Jena 6 and their families were put under substantial pressure to plead guilty. Mychal Bell was reported to have been leaning towards pleading guilty right up until his trial when he decided he would not plead guilty to a felony.

When it finally came, the trial of Mychal Bell was swift. Bell was represented by an appointed public defender.

On the morning of the trial, the DA reduced the charges from attempted second degree murder to second degree aggravated battery and conspiracy. Aggravated battery in Louisiana law demands the attack be with a dangerous weapon. The dangerous weapon? The prosecutor was allowed to argue to the jury that the tennis shoes worn by Bell could be considered a dangerous weapon used by "the gang of black boys" who beat the white victim.

Most shocking of all, when the pool of potential jurors was summoned, fifty people appeared--every single one white.

The LaSalle Parish clerk defended the all white group to the Alexandria Louisiana Town Talk newspaper saying that the jury pool was selected by computer. "The venire [panel of prospective jurors] is color blind. The idea is for the list to truly reflect the racial makeup of the community, but the system does not take race into factor." Officials said they had summoned 150 people, but these were the only people who showed up.

The all-white jury which was finally chosen included two people friendly with the District Attorney, a relative of one of the witnesses and several others who were friends of prosecution witnesses.

Bell's parents, Melissa Bell and Marcus Jones, were not even allowed to attend the trial despite their objections, because they were listed as potential witnesses. The white victim, though a witness, was allowed to stay in the courtroom. The parents, who had been widely quoted in the media as critics of the process, were also told they could no longer speak to the media as long as the trial was in session. Marcus Jones had told the media "It's all about those nooses" and declared the charges racially motivated.

Other supporters who planned a demonstration in support of Bell were ordered by the court not to do so near the courthouse or anywhere the judge would see them.

The prosecutor called 17 witnesses - eleven white students, three white teachers, and two white nurses. Some said they saw Bell kick the victim, others said they did not see him do anything. The white victim testified that he did not know if Bell hit him or not.

The Chicago Tribune reported the public defender did not challenge the all-white jury pool, put on no evidence and called no witnesses. The public defender told the Alexandria Town talk after resting his case without calling any witnesses that he knew he would be second-guessed by many but was confident that the jury would return a verdict of not guilty. "I don't believe race is an issue in this trial I think I have a fair and impartial jury"

The jury deliberated for less than three hours and found Mychal Bell guilty on the maximum possible charges of aggravated second degree battery and conspiracy. He faces up to a maximum of 22 years in prison.

The public defender told the press afterwards, "I feel I put on the best defense that I could." Responding to criticism of not putting on any witnesses, the attorney said "why open the door for further accusations? I did the best I could for my client, Mychal Bell."

At a rally in front of the courthouse the next day, Alan Bean, a Texas minister and leader of the Friends of Justice, said "I have seen a lot of trials in my time. And I have never seen a more distressing miscarriage of justice than what happened in LaSalle Parish yesterday." Khadijah Rashad of Lafayette Louisiana described the trial as a "modern day lynching."

Tory Pegram with the Louisiana ACLU has been working with the parents for months. "People know if they don't demand equal treatment now, they will never get it. People's jobs and livelihoods have been threatened for attending Jena 6 Defense meetings, but people are willing to risk that. One person told me: 'We have to convince more people to come rally with us.....What's the worst that could happen? They fire us from our jobs? We have the worst jobs in the town anyway. They burn a cross on our lawns or burn down my house? All of that has happened to us before. We have to keep speaking out to make sure it doesn't happen to us again, or our children will never be safe.'"

Whites in the community were adamant that there is no racism. "We don't have a problem," according to one. Other locals told the media "We all get along," and "most blacks are happy with the way things are." One person even said "We don't have many problems with our blacks."

Melvin Worthington, the lone African American school board member in LaSalle Parish said it all could have been avoided. "There's no doubt about it," he told the Chicago Tribune, "whites and blacks are treated differently here. The white kids should have gotten more punishment for hanging those nooses. If they had, all the stuff that followed could have been avoided."

Hebert McCoy, a relative of one of the youths who has been trying to raise money for bail and lawyers, challenged people everywhere at the end of the rally when he said "You better get out of your houses. You better come out and defend your children because they are incarcerating them by the thousands. Jena's not the beginning, but Jena has crossed the line. Justice is not right when you put on the wrong charges and then convict. I believe in justice. I believe in the point of law. I believe in accepting the punishment if I'm guilty. If I'm guilty, convict me and punishment, but if I'm innocent, no justice" and the crowd joined with him and shouted "no peace!"

What happened to the white guys? The white victim of the beating was later arrested for bringing a hunting rifle loaded with 13 bullets onto the high school campus and released on $5000 bond. The white man who beat up the black youth at the off-campus party was arrested and charged with simple battery. The white students who hung up the nooses in the "white tree" were never charged.

The people in Jena are fighting for justice and they need legal and financial help. Since the arrests, a group of family members have been holding well-attended meetings, and have created a defense fund--the Jena 6 Defense Committee. They have received support from the NAACP, the Louisiana ACLU and Friends of Justice.

People interested in supporting can contact: the Jena 6 Defense Committee, PO Box 2798, Jena, LA 71342 jena6defense@gmail.com; Friends of Justice, 507 North Donley Avenue, Tulia, TX 79088 www.fojtulia.org; or the ACLU of Louisiana, PO Box 56157, New Orleans, LA 70156 www.laaclu.org or 417.350.0536.

What is next? The rest of the Jena 6 await similar trials. Theodore Shaw is due to go on trial shortly. Mychal Bell is scheduled to be sentenced July 31. If he gets the maximum sentence he will not be out of prison until he is nearly 40. Meanwhile, the "white tree" outside Jena High sits quietly in the hot sun.

Bill Quigley is a human rights lawyer and law professor at Loyola University New Orleans. You can reach him at Quigley@loyno.edu

Audrey Stewart contributed to this article.