[Dean's World] Aziz P: Jena 6 revisited: passions cool, injustices multiply

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Posted by Aziz P:
Jena 6 revisited: passions cool, injustices multiply
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1191407924.shtml


   Several people in the last thread and via (thoughtful) email pointed
   me in the direction of more information regarding the Jena 6, which
   have served to substantially cool my earlier anger about the issue.
   The most relevant item is [1]this opinion piece by sports columnist
   Jason Whitlock (whom as everyone noted, irrelevantly, is also
   African-American). What is notable is that Whitlock takes a very
   Cosby-esque turn of analysis:

     The fact that we waited to love Mychal Bell until after heâd thrown
     away a Division I football scholarship and nine months of his life
     is just as heinous as the grossly excessive attempted-murder
     charges that originally landed him in jail.

     Reed Walters, the Jena district attorney, is being accused of
     racism because he didnât show Bell compassion when the teenager was
     brought before the court for the third time on assault charges in a
     two-year span.

     Where was our compassion long before Bell got into this kind of
     trouble? [...] Here is another undeniable, statistical fact: The
     best way for a black (or white) father to ensure that his son
     doesnât fall victim to a racist prosecutor is by participating in
     his sonâs life on a daily basis.

     That fact needed to be shared Thursday in Jena. The constant
     preaching of that message would short-circuit more potential "Jena
     Six" cases than attributing random acts of six-on-one violence to
     three-month-old nooses.

     And I am in no way excusing the nooses. The responsible kids
     shouldâve been expelled. A few years after Iâd graduated, a similar
     incident happened at my high school involving our best football
     player, a future NFL tight end. He was expelled.

     The Jena school board foolishly overruled its principal and
     suspended the kids for three days.

     But the kids responsible for Barkerâs beating deserve to be
     punished. The prosecutor needed to be challenged on his excessive
     charges. And we as black folks need to question ourselves about why
     too many of us can only get energized to help our young people once
     theyâre in harmâs way.

   That's a subtle, but critical point that I think gets lost in the
   larger drama of racial tension.

   As for the original context and accusation of racism, it's worth
   noting that Whitlock concurs that while the six assailants should be
   punished, the charges against Bell were grossly excessive. But the
   bottom line remains: The best way for a black (or white) father to
   ensure that his son doesnât fall victim to a racist prosecutor is by
   participating in his sonâs life on a daily basis.

References

   1. http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jason_whitlock/story/284511.html