March on Jena: Hate the messenger(s), if you must, not the message!

Instead of tuning in to CNN, I urge you to watch the 4-minute video below on the racially-charged case of the Jena 6 that will be headline news today. Because it presents the issues and charges involved in the prosecution of six black high-school students, for beating the crap out of a white classmate, in an informative and sobering documentary.

(Incidentally, this beating, which occurred in December 2006, was the culmination of a series of fights between blacks and whites at Jena High School in Louisiana that was provoked when white students hanged three nooses from a tree on campus in August 2006.)

In addition, this video documentary eschews the gratuitous drama being hyped by CNN and the racial flames being stoked by Rev Al Sharpton. Although, notwithstanding his opportunistic political motives, there’s no denying the indispensable role Sharpton has played in furthering justice in this case.

After all, but for his agitation, the most serious charges against the six black students (namely, that of attempted murder against Mychal Bell) would never have been dropped (to a lesser charge). Therefore, one can understand why Sharpton feels emboldened to keep the pressure on until all charges against all six defendants are resolved consistent with fairness and justice.

Meanwhile, the fact that no white student was prosecuted for hanging the nooses (or any other racial assault) is fueling outrage amongst blacks all over America. Accordingly, there’s bound to be a whole lot of pressure applied today when an estimated 10,000 to 40,000 blacks march on predominantly-white Jena ( pop. 3000) shouting “no justice, no peace”.

By contrast, Rev Jesse Jackson should be utterly condemned for declaring that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is “acting like he’s white” because he chose not to lock arms with Jackson and Sharpton to lead this march. Indeed, nothing demonstrates Jackson’s political venality quite like his assertion that:

Nevertheless, let us confront (and seek redress for) the racial injustice this case represents without turning the political clock from Jena, Louisiana 2007 back to Selma, Alabama 1965. Never mind the dogged (Bull-Connoresqe) prosecutor and few redneck (confederate) racists in Jena who would like nothing more than to reclaim the privileges and immunities of the Jim-Crow era.

(Let me hasten to clarify that I am not suggesting that the Jena 6 should not be prosecuted. Instead, I think the white students – who ignited the chain of events that led to this fateful schoolyard brawl – should be prosecuted to the same extent as the black students who were charged. But, frankly, none of them should be sentenced to prison, which makes the fact that Bell remains incarcerated almost a year after being charged all the more outrageous….)

Finally, some people have expressed stupefaction that Jackson would undermine Obama’s political credibility by slurring him with such ghetto rhetoric; especially since Jackson claims to be supporting his presidential campaign.

But I suspect that, given their failed campaigns, neither Jackson nor Sharpton can countenance any other black man being elected president of the United States. Not to mention the fact that Obama has shown far less willingness to aid and abet their race-hustling enterprises than Hillary has demonstrated….

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*Published originally yesterday, 19 September at 4:05 PM

Jena 6