Maybe after dueling protests in Jena, Louisiana yesterday there can finally be healing in that community. Yesterday, a white supremacy organization held a much publicized rally in Jena to protest the treatment of Michael Barker, the white student who was beaten up by the infamous “Jena Six.” Unfortunately, they used the anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to hold their march. Fortunately, only 30 white rights marchers showed up and some were actually turned away because they were carrying weapons.
What is interesting is that the marchers were mostly from outside of the Jena area, with some coming from Mississippi.
There were also 200 counter demonstrators on Monday. The day before Rev. Al Sharpton visited to make a highly publicized appearance and advocate for justice for the Jena six.
Now that we have had months of controversy and marchers in Jena, isn’t it time to let that community heal? Can we stop with the marches and the controversy? Can Rev. Sharpton, the National Black Panther Party and “nationalist” white rights marchers stay away from this tiny Louisiana town?
Most of these groups are just using the Jena incident to bolster publicity for their own causes. They are trying to highjack this unfortunate event for their own self promotional purposes.
The vast majority of citizens in Jena and throughout Louisiana would prefer to focus on healing and moving forward. Let’s hope the media will stop giving publicity to groups using the Jena incident for their own reasons. If the media goes away, these freeloading attention seekers will also leave and when that happens real progress can finally occur in Jena.
Jeff Crouere is a native of New Orleans, LA and he is the host of a Louisiana based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 8:30 p.m. Fri. and 10:00 p.m. Sun. on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 8 a.m. till Noon weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore. For more information, visit his web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com. E-mail him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.
You still don't get it, Jeff. The LOCAL people in Jena started the movement for justice for the black teenagers who received grossly disproportionate treatment from local law enforcement than the white kids who were involved in the incidents at the root of this controversy. Long before they were discovered by bloggers on YouTube and by the national press corps, local blacks in Jena organized against the injustices in this case. These were not isolated incidents - the black community in Jena had finally had enough. These protests were in response to REAL GRIEVANCES that exist in Jena - they are not made up. If the white community in Jena had not blown this off as a "prank," and the District Attorney had not escalated the situation by charging those young men with attempted murder, this issue would never have achieved the national notoriety that it did. Blaming "outside agitators" for stirring up trouble in Jena is the same lie that the Jim Crow South used to try to discredit civil rights protesters during the 1950's and 1960's. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same. Shame on you, Jeff. Written by Dr. Albert Samuels
on 1/22/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
As for your hopelessly blunt racist remarks, ie. ‘violence is how black people express themselves’, you really need to have a good look at the long history of white people expressing themselves through violence against blacks – slavery, burning crosses, nooses, lynchings, rapes, castrations, white thugs clubbing black people to death with baseball bats as they left church, white mothers pushing over school buses filled with black children, police brutality and … oh, man, you retards just don’t have the mental equipment to understand the legacy of hatred and mistrust that white-on-black violence created between the races in this country. I don't condone violence in any form; it just really sickens me when self-righteous whites bang on about black violence, without a hint of historical self-awareness and obviously without any regard for the vast majority of blacks, who have never committed any crime, violent or otherwise. Written by WhitePeopleAreViolentToo
on 1/22/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
Not one single person has come out and said the Jena Six should never have been charged with violent offences. The issue here is equality before the law versus double standards. The six black juveniles who beat up the white kid should have been charged with the appropriate criminal offenses – not charged as adults, not charged with attempted murder. That is excessive and smacks of double standards. Why do you think there was such a solid legal basis for the case against Bell to be thrown out? He had to be re-charged with the right criminal offenses. Had this been done from the outset, the case would never have made headlines. It takes a real hysteric to go over the top and interpret this as saying, ‘support black violence’. Written by Judith
on 1/22/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
You are right. When black people all gang up like cowards and attack someone, we should support them. Whether they beat up a white kid, hispanic kid, black kid, or put a bullet in your grandmother's chest.
Support Black Violence, that's who they are and they should be able to express themselves. Written by BlackPeopleareViolent
on 1/22/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
Hate groups just can’t help themselves, can they? What a surprise that this mob of shameless, low-life, Neolithic pinheads would chose Martin Luther King day to put on their disgusting display in Jena. As for the screaming doris who shrieked herself silly on the Buzzback about the error regarding Mr Barker’s first name – get a life or tell us what’s really bugging you about Jeff’s column. Written by Judith
on 1/22/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
Jeff,
Please do your research. Michael Barker? Who is that? I think you are combining the names of the victim, Justin Barker, with that of one of the assailants, M-y-c-ha-a-l Bell. Nice try, though.
Seriously, how much do you get paid for this blog? Hopefully not much.
It shows. Written by getyourfactsstraight
on 1/22/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
What kind of progress are you referring to Jeff? Linear, or polar? Where should a real voice of reason originate from? That which is provided by the few for the masses, or that which is provided by the masses in support of the few? Tell me Jeff, what is your opinion when it comes to “The last man standing”? This ‘urinal stall wall’ “buzzy board” had it’s own ‘ad-lib’ on this subject on numerous times in the past. No time to try to wash the hands ‘lily clean’ now. I think the underlying tone to this whole sad event of affairs is the ‘hypocrisy’ involved. That is what reciprocating racism is constituted of. Who gets the to point the finger at nothing at what point in time with the meanest poke? That’s what these stories are made of. “Progress”? What progress are you referring to Jeff? Written by Reciprocity
on 1/22/2008
REPORT SPAM OR ABUSE
Maybe after dueling protests in 
