In the past few months there has been much written and said about Jena, Louisiana. How much of what the average person has heard and read about this incident is true and how much is gossip stretched to make the truth sound horrible?
First of all, I would like to say from first hand knowledge that Jena, Louisiana is a very small town close to the center of the state. It is not known for any famous festivals (such as many cities and town across the state are known for). It doesn’t have a large population with many outspoken people as the bigger cities in this state. There are no major highways or interstate highways that run through it. It is just Small Town, USA!!
How did this small town attract so much attention? Well, Jessie and Al would like to make you think that Jena is a town that is brimming with racists and bigots. They want everyone to believe that the “White Folk” in Small Town, USA are out to do injustice to the people of color. I can assure you that this is FAR FROM THE TRUTH.
There was stories told about nooses being hung in a “Whites Only” tree at the High School in Jena to let the African American students know that it would not be acceptable for them to sit there. To speak the truth: Yes, white students did sit under this shade tree during the school day breaks. I am sure that had these students had friends of color that wanted to sit with them that would have been fine. Yes, there was an incident where a white male student was attacked from behind and knocked to the ground rendering him conscience. While he was down and out, six students of color did beat, and kick him until he was bloody and bruised. Did he fight back? No, he was not able to because the first hit to him knocked him out. He could not defend himself. He couldn’t have if he had wanted to (and, No one knows if he would have even fought back).
Next it has been said that he couldn’t have been hurt that badly because he attended a Party the next night. Yes, he was taken to the hospital and he did spend a good amount of time there and was released after being treated for a concussion and cuts and bruises. Yes, he did go to a school event the next night. It was a special gathering called a Ring Ceremony. All schools may not have this type of ceremony but in Small Town, USA these types of events are a reason to celebrate ceremoniously. A parent who is proud that their child has achieved the status of receiving a High School Class Ring doesn’t want their child to miss out on something this “BIG.
Now, the question arises as to why the six boys weren’t just suspended from school because of their actions. Anybody that truly believes that this type of behavior warrants only a suspension from school can’t be living within reality. This young man was beaten and after he was unconscious he was repeatedly kicked, etc. If this is only grounds for suspension, then what happens when someone enters the school shooting at everyone? Do they get apprehended and then suspended from school? I would hope that no one would agree with that as justifiable.
OK, next we hear that when it came time for the trial to begin for Young Mr. Bell that there were no black jurors. Why do you suppose there were no black jurors sitting in the jury box? The truth is; it is common here in Louisiana to send out notifications by mail to those selected for jury duty. The prospective jurors are picked by a “lottery” using voter registration rolls and driver’s license records. If there are not enough people of color on these rolls then the chances of them being selected are not so good. Once again, the population size of the Town of Jena is about 3,000 people. I personally have no idea what the racial makeup of this area is but from being a fairly frequent visitor to this town, I can imagine that it would be a lopsided mix with the larger majority of people being white.
No one can blame lack of certain jurors on the Judge, the Prosecutor, or the police of the town. This is out of their hands. Also, the defense team has the opportunity to dismiss a stated number of jurors that they believe may not be partial to their client.
One point I can make in the issue of young Mr. Bell being tried as an adult when he was sixteen at the time of the incident is this: In Louisiana if you commit a crime of this nature you can be Lawfully tried as an adult if you are sixteen years old.
This was definitely not a “School Yard Fight” as the Reverends would like everyone to believe. A “School Yard Fight” is a fight between TWO people… and they both have to be participating. In this case, one was unconscious!!! If it were just a schoolyard fight, why was it six on one??? You don’t win a boxing match with just one participant in the ring.
I am upset that there are Reverends in this country/world that would stand up and rile up a crowd the way Jesse and Al did. Why are they not in their own church teaching the word of God to their followers. If they profess to be Reverends then they should be spreading the Word of God to all people and I don’t believe that God would justify their actions. I believe that it was totally wrong for them to go into Jena, Louisiana and talk the way they did. If they wanted to help these boys, they should have sought counseling for them. They should have discussed the boys actions with them and conveyed God’s message of Love and forgiveness to them. There was no need in encouraging 20,000 to 35,000 people to come to such a small town and march and protest.
To be honest with everyone, Jena is not nor ever has been known as a racist town. The people there are very friendly to one another and to strangers who visit there too. I know, I visit there about every three months. I shop the Walmart there and have lunch at one of the eateries there. I have always been kindly received. No one has ever made me feel unwelcome or out of place.
I would like for everyone to give Jena a chance. Don’t go by what you have “heard”. Gossip spreads like wildfire. Contempt breeds contempt. If you don’t know the story “first hand”, then you don’t have the TRUTH. Think about it!!!!!!
