Jena 6 at Brave New Films

Jena 6 Protest In DC Today

2008-06-14T15:30:52Z

Very cool. Somewhere George Allen was sitting in an office with his trusty noose on the wall, because, you know, somebody needs to honor "Southern culture and tradition."

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Online activism and the Civil Rights Industrial Complex

2008-01-20T16:21:06Z

The Civil Rights Industrial Complex, the system of traditional activism and organizing around Black issues, is scared of Black Activism 2.0: online activism.

The group leading the effort to organize people online in support of the Jena 6, Color of Change, was attacked a few weeks ago by a Black radio personality named Michael Baisden. The audio of the attacks are here, but what they amount to are baseless accusations of the "shady-ness" of Color of Change [and groups like them] and questions of whether or not the monies raised by Color of Change were distributed appropriate or at all.

In a demonstration of class, transparency, and accountability, Color of Change responded to the attack by posting on their website the full documentation of their fundraising efforts (cancelled checks, receipts, signed letters from family and lawyers, etc.).

Did Baisden apologize, retort, or do anything respectable as a result of these revelations? Of course not, instead only offering an apology on George Bush could love. Black bloggers have written extensively on this issue, and the responses can be seen here. In addition to my website's support and official response, I have given an interview on this subject.

Weekend of Justice in DC

2008-06-15T03:30:33Z

January 2006: 14 year old Martin Lee Anderson is suffocated to death at juvenile boot camp by 3 sheriffs for not completing his mandatory mile run, within hours of his arrival.

November 2006: 23 year old Sean Bell is killed in a barrage of 50 bullets hours before his wedding by police officers using excessive force to control a situation with 3 unarmed men. 11 bullets were recovered from the right side of one surviving victim’s body.

December 2006: 6 Black Teen agers living in the small town of Jena, LA are charged with attempted murder for allegedly beating up their white classmate after events escalating from the hanging of nooses on tree used by white students. No adults; school administrators, parents or otherwise take any action to stop racial tensions from rising to the level they did between either of the groups – rather they put pressure on DA Reed Walters who in turn shows up at Jena High School after a peaceful protest and threatens the black students by telling them he can end their lives with the stroke of a pen. I guess he meant by trying them as adults and charging them with attempted murder.

September 2007: Megan Williams is held against her will by the Virgina 6 for a week. During this time she was tortured, stabbed choked and beaten.

September 2007: Nooses have become the burning cross of the new millennium. They hang in school yards, at Universities, on cars, in front of homes.

Friday Nov 16^th, 2007 - March at the Department of Justice

Spearheaded by: Al Sharpton - National Action Network, Martin Luther King III - Realizing the Dream, Charles Steele - President of the SCLC

Saturday Nov 17^th, 2007
Enough is Enough! Stop Hate Crimes and Police Brutality

Rally and Concert at the Washington Monument

12 noon until dark

Join victims and family members of victims of police brutality and hate crimes, as well as activists and artists for a FREE EVENT featuring M1 of dead prez, and Go-Go bands performing live including Backyard, ABM, TCB, Familiar Faces, Uncalled 4 Experience, Mambo Sauce, What Band. Hosted by Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr.

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The Jena 6 pt 2: The return of Blackface

2008-01-12T20:31:25Z

A group of University of Louisiana at Monroe students thought it'd be funny to act out one of the un-funniest things to happen in the last 2 years.

Regardless of how you feel about the legality/outcome of the Jena 6 situation, this is pretty twisted. It isn't funny to act out someone getting beat up. It also isn't funny to act out threatening someone with a noose. It also isn't funny to do it all in a mud-wrestling outfit that looks eerily similar to blackface (funny how the kid getting beat up didn't have on mudface, for all those who think the mud doesn't represent anything).

Facebook is great, isn't it? That's where we found all this.

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Al Sharpton On The Jena 6

2008-06-15T15:30:37Z

No comment, just watch. I am not a huge fan of Mr. Sharpton to put it mildly, as I lived in New York when he was at his worst.

But good for him for speaking out on this issue.

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Obama challenges the new AG on the Jena 6

2008-01-12T20:29:12Z

Courtesy of Too Sense.

Barack Obama is saving face since he didn't show up in Jena. He wrote this letter to AG nominee Michale Mukaskey. Here's an excerpt:

In recent months, our nation's attention has been focused on the racial strife in Jena, Louisiana, and the disparate treatment of six African American youths. As Attorney General, will you commit the investigative resources of the Civil Rights Division to ensuring the fair treatment and execution of the law in cases such as the Jena 6, as well as the recent acquittal by an all-white jury of eight prison guards accused of killing a young black male at a juvenile detention center in Florida?

I am happy that Obama is showing some character here. It is called the Department of Justice, so he is calling for Justice to be served to everyone everywhere. I want to see more, concrete Civil Rights-related statements like this from Obama.

Nov. 2nd Black out to raise awareness of Black issues Domestic torture

2008-01-21T21:24:17Z

Activist and Radio Talk Show Host Warren Ballentine has called for a Black out on Friday, Nov. 2nd. This is in response to, among other things, the domestic torture of Megan Williams, and the Jena 6.

From the release:

Until we have federal legislation in place regarding these hate crimes, as African Americans we need to band together to show our “Economic Power” by refusing to spend ANY money that day from fast food restaurants to gas.

There are calls for these sorts of actions all the time, and they are usually motivated by positive intentions: solidarity, taking a stand, being deliberate with your economic power. We see them on all sorts of issues, from gas prices to impeachment. These are all good things, but I question their effectiveness. For one, this sort of action can only successful if it is extremely specific and if it is sustained.

Tuesday Morning Round Up

2008-01-12T20:28:10Z

Is this Pope John Paul II waving from beyond the grave? Vatican TV director says yes
This fiery figure is being hailed as Pope John Paul II making an appearance beyond the grave.
The image, said by believers to show the Holy Father with his right hand raised in blessing, was spotted during a ceremony in Poland to mark the second anniversary of his death.

From my accidental viewing of a few minutes of Bill O'Reilly last nite (from memory, not transcript).

Ann Coulter- "There are lots of bad Republicans, no good Democrats."
Bill- "No, there are a few.......... Lieberman....... Bayh is a good Democrat."

Evan, just a friendly tip. You're doing something wrong when Bill O'Reilly lumps you in with Lieberman as a "Good Democrat". Oy.

Bush: "Fiscal Showdown" Coming Congress has not passed the spending bills necessary to fund the government - and the President has pledged to veto them as soon as they get to his desk. The end result - approaching quickly - could be an epic battle over taxes and spending which, according to some analysts, may be Bush's last chance to energize both his base and his fledging presidency. Yesterday, the President left no doubt about his intentions. The AP reports Bush "admonished Congress on Monday for failing to send him a single spending bill yet, and warned lawmakers to trim their plans or face rejection."

Besieged Air Force Official Found Dead The New York Times reports this morning, "The second-highest-ranking member of the Air Force's procurement office was found dead Sunday in an apparent suicide." Charles D. Riechers "came under scrutiny by the Senate Armed Services Committee this month after reports that the Air Force had arranged for him to be paid about $13,400 a month by a private contractor,

House Full Judiciary Committee Hearing on the Jena Six Case (9:30am) - LIVE

Putin warns against Iran attack on landmark visit

TEHRAN (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday warned against military action against Iran and backed its right to nuclear energy, during the first visit to the country by a Kremlin chief since World War II.

And finally, a funny-

Conan O'Brien: "This morning, Senator Hillary Clinton appeared on 'The View.' She was on 'The View' this morning. Yeah. There was an awkward moment when Hillary looked around and said, 'Good Lord, I'm the hottest one here.'"

Democracy Now: Blackwater killed fleeing civilians

2008-07-09T19:48:21Z

Democracy Now for Friday October 12th looks into new evidence that the Iraqi civilians killed by Blackwater on Sept. 16th were fleeing and not fighting back. Other topics include "Jena 6" Mychal Bell being sent back to prison, Afghanistan Closing 2 Private Military Firms, and the UN Security Council Censuring Burma Junta and much more.

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LCCR Addresses Hate Crimes & Jena 6

2008-06-15T21:30:56Z

Wade Henderson, head of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), was on MSNBC Wed, Oct. 10 addressing hate crimes in America. He called the Jena 6 situation a "learnable moment" for our nation with real consequences.

The key takeaway here is that racism and prejudice still exist in this country. However, this ignorance can destroyed with education and sensible dialogue.

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Jena - John Mellencamp's Music Video

2008-07-09T14:51:08Z

John Mellencamp decided to write a song and produce a music video about the "Jena 6" while he was working on a new album. This is the statement he released.

I am not a journalist, I am a songwriter and in the spirit and tradition of the minstrel, I am telling a story in this song. The story is not, strictly speaking, about the town of Jena or this specific incident but of racism in America. The song was not written as an indictment of the people of Jena but, rather, as a condemnation of racism, a problem which I've reflected in many songs, a problem that still plagues our country today. The current trial in Jena is just another reflection of prejudice in our nation. If the song strikes an emotional chord with people and if they examine it and interpret as they will, something will have been accomplished. The aim here is not to antagonize but, rather, to catalyze thought.

Jena, Louisiana. Six black teenagers are accused of beating a white student. The incident followed white students hanging nooses from a tree on school grounds. Initially five of the "Jena Six" teens were charged with attempted 2nd degree murder, to be tried as adults by an all-white jury.

Strange Fruit

2008-01-12T20:25:58Z

CNN is currently running a video about the recent onslaught of nooses being hung around the country – most likely in response to the events in Jena, LA., and that it has essentially replaced the burning cross. As repugnant as it is, it doesn’t surprise me. Although many do not believe it, we still live in a very racist country. The video suggest that it is possible that people do not understand the history of hate, fear and degradation that comes with a hanging nooses. So instead of posting the video, which you can find here - I’ve posted this picture. Those of you that are truly racist will continue to write disgusting and bigoted comments, and those of you that truly didn’t “get it” before –might get it now.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck's filthy mouth!

2008-06-11T09:30:39Z

She can't explain why exactly....but that doesn't matter, does it? Self-righteous , sanctimonious and even just plain dumb. See the epitome of what's wrong with the nation thanks to misplaced values and a lack of understanding about the very essence and nature of our own constitution. The right seems to hate freedom since they see fit to dole it out only among the few they decide are worthy. The rest of us can all go to hell as far they are concerned. This little bitch represents everything that is wrong with Republicans. See why this little bitch considers herself a Republican since she has no claim whatsoever on conservative values. Republicans stand for hate and ignorance. See why Elisabeth, a true racist and slimy bigot, identifies with the Republic Party.

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The Jena 6 Part 2

2008-07-26T18:37:20Z

A report on the legal lynching underway in Jena, LA, where 6 black students face life in prison for a schoolyard fight.

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Jena 6 Part 1

2008-07-26T18:37:20Z

A report on the legal lynching underway in Jena, LA, where 6 black students face life in prison for a schoolyard fight.

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Jena September 20

2008-07-26T18:37:19Z

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered Thursday in the town of Jena, Louisiana to demand justice for the Jena Six -- the six African American teenagers facing a total of over 100 years in prison for allegedly beating a white student in a schoolyard fight. The fight occurred after white students hung nooses from a tree at the school. Thursday's protest was one of the largest civil rights rallies in the South since the 1960s. According to the Associated Press the state police estimated as many as 60,000 people took part in a series of rallies and marches in Jena, a town of just 3,000 residents.

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pop!talk: Jena 6: Keep Your Trees -- We Know What You Drink!

2008-07-09T14:51:24Z

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In case you didn't know

2008-01-12T20:24:08Z

pic via Cat of course

Michigan government is shut down. You can read all the gory details here.

Protesters go topless to rally against war

Karzai offers government role to Taliban (ed.note- wtf?)

Taliban suicide blast in Kabut kills 30

U.S. sends envoy to Myanmar

Girl in taped sexual assualts found after media reports

Stranger pays teen's bail in Jena 6 case

Re: Re: Mychal Bell FREE!

2008-07-02T12:28:30Z

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Re: Mychal Bell FREE!

2008-06-16T09:34:39Z

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Mychal Bell FREE!

2008-07-09T19:48:24Z

Free!

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Jena Six: Mychal Bell Released From Jail

2008-06-09T09:38:06Z

Better late than never! Power to the people!

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Purvis Jigga Sings

2008-07-09T14:51:20Z

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Elizabeth Edwards - Send-off Rally for Jena 6 Riders

2008-06-16T15:30:57Z

Elizabeth Edwards speaks at a send-off rally for those departing by bus to the march in Jena, La. She is speaking in Columbia, S.C. on September 19, 2007.

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JENA 6 March - ZOOM ZOOM ZOOM

2008-06-09T09:37:05Z

Ben Hart of Jackson State University and his fraternity brothers sing "zoom zoom zoom" at the Jena 6 rally on September 20, 2007

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