When I read the NY Times front page piece on the Jena 6 civil rights march/protest I was shocked. I literally could not believe what I was reading. How could the civil rights leaders and their followers in the black community be so blatantly simple minded? And how could such a sophisticated paper not only get the story soooooo wrong, but fail to ask any interesting questions? Thanks for getting it right, and articulating it so well.

AGREE!! Great article and breakdown. I'm so sick of the "surface" civil rights supporters who have no knowledge of all the facts - they just like to hook on to popular opinion. I was disgusted that a popular radio station in my area (MTV backed with a general demographic of teens/20s) took this Jena 6 issue as a topic for their morning show and accepted calls from teenage somethings who could only agree how 'horrible it was - like OMYGOD'. I sincerely pray for the future of this country.

Hear hear. So few people have actually posed the question: what exactly went wrong in Jena? An obvious and correct answer is "prosecutorial misconduct," but that does not lend itself these days to an Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson march. Another good answer is "social (rather than legal) segregation." But, again, Sharpton and Jackson, as a result of the Black Power legacy, find themselves unable to organize a march against social segregation because they are not in principle opposed to it.

To the extent the answer is "racism," it begs the question, "whose racism?" (Remember who was left physically beaten at the end of the story). In all, Jena is a fascinating situation full of complicated lessons. But the civil rights industry can't manufacture a march out of complicated social lessons.

Interesting points but still missing the issue..not just in the article but also in society.

For some reason whenever a situation that sheds light on the fact that racism, prejudice, sexism, etc still exist in dangerous form today, people find the need to 'prove' that the situation is not about these things. Really, thats why its such a big issue because people are scared to or do not want to recognize it. And then when someone actually has the guts to point out the underlying racism/prejudice, he or she is quickly shut down.

"oh no, its not a race issue. you're being overly sensitive." My answer to that one, if its enough to make you think, there probably is a race issue. Its not the person being overly sensitive..its not being tricked by the subtlety of racist acts. If only white people are sitting in a place and a minority walks in and everyone looks at him/her strangely or they arent seated for a long time, is it really far-fetched for them to think they arent wanted there because of their race? These things happen...depending on where you live, it can be even less subtle (like u dont get seated at all...dont think it happens...try being a group of minorities in VA going to a Dennys)

"White people experience racisim too." Does this mean that racisim against other groups is okay? Absolutely not. Of course, those boys should be legally disciplined but how can someone say that the white guy who threatened the black kids with a gun should not be disciplined?

"Black people self-segregate themselves." People go where they feel wanted. People tend to feel close to those who they feel they connect to. Many asian people hang out mostly with other asians....hispanics mostly with other hispanics...caucasians with other caucasions. Its okay for someone to feel more connected to his/her own race. The problem is when others wont talk to you OR you wont talk to other people because of race.

yes, some individuals do have a tendency to make everything about race/sex/prejudice, etc. But I think its more of a reflection of the kind of individual he/she is...the kind who always needs to find a blame and doesnt want the blame to be on him/her. But we cant let those individuals blind us to the fact that we have a long way to go in improving relations among different people (black/white, gay/straight, male/female) and convincing society as a whole that being different is okay.

I have to say it was a well written article. I also feel important facts were left out.(1) The young man that was beaten couldn't identify Bell (the young man convicted) as his attacker. (2) After being released from the hospital the same day he went in, the young white male attend a party that evening.

My next point, this should have been a school matter. If Jena is going to over look other matters, why wasn't this one of them. The saying 'boys will be boys'. The only way this should have gone futher is if the parents of the young man's parents wanted justice.

They are trying to charge those boys with attempted murder. The only was to do that is with a weapon. The weapon, a tennis shoe. He should be disbarred!!

Ummm, the author has some very valid points. Namely the inability of mass protests to effect any sort of change in the soft racism prevalent in today's society. It can turn the hoses off and keep the dogs at bay, sure, but it won't change Brad’s attitude toward Jerome or vice versa, only familiarity will, assuming it doesn't breed. The currency of victimhood--even if valid--does nothing to bridge such a huge gap in human understanding. Yes, the blacks involved committed a crime. Well, the white's did too! (To borrow from the idiom of the schoolyard.) That's the all-important fact, the heart of the injustice. Violence was perpetrated by both sides, but one side (guess which one) was punished more severely, at every step. The author casually offers that “the various incidents aren’t really comparable”, so it’s impossible to say whether the blacks were punished more severely. Oh come on! The white guy who walks into the convenience store and pulls out a gun is not charged with anything, but the blacks who wrestle the gun away are charged with theft! Even though the facts are in dispute, it’s telling that one side was charged while the other wasn’t; that one side was believed while the other wasn’t. Apparently there were other incidents leading up to the final attack in which the whites were charged with misdemeanors or not at all while the blacks involved were charged with felonies. (http://www.nytimes.com/aponli­ne/us/AP-A-Place-Called-Jena.h­tml?pagewanted=3) The injustice lies in the consistently unequal fashion punishment was meted out to both sides, not in the fact that the blacks were charged at all. The author recognizes this (“The disparity is striking, and it's plausible that racism was behind it.”), and then in the next breath suggests the only disproportionate charge was the final one. And this he conveniently chalks up to prosecutorial zeal.

The author wants his chocolate cake and to it eat too. He freely acknowledges the existence of a “pervasive societal racism” generally--he’s so open-minded!--but apparently demands clear and convincing evidence, an actual smoking gun as opposed to one cocked, ready, and aimed, to acknowledge its existence in any particular case. Sometimes, my friend, a spade, ahem, is a spade. I’m sure the author would freely acknowledge that today’s racism isn’t as black and white as it was 40 or 50 years ago. Most people are far too sophisticated and wary, the social disapprobation far too severe, to say outright what really goes on in that little head of theirs. Be bold, Mr. Ford, go with your gut, and quit lawyering. Every now and again Al Sharpton’s hunch is the right one.

p.s. It’s interesting that the author attributes the practice of “self-segregation” only to blacks while whites receive no such admonition. Apparently they keep to their kind only because they’ve been rebuffed at every opportunity from joining their campus’ BSA.

You're such an anachronism...

Yes! Are there racial tensions in Jena? Certainly, but can you imagine MLK Jr. going out of his way to support a group of kids who beat the crap out of somebody? Were they overcharged? Probably, but as the author points out prosecutors do that ALL THE TIME at the outset of a case...better to charge too much early on, & reduce later, then get stuck not charging enough is their logic.

gosh, people are totally missing the point! no one is condoning the violence, this is an issue of inequality. check my post from the previous thread:

this article and these discussions are exactly the reason why the march in Jena was necessary. the facts have been so distorted in so many media outlets that it's sickening. this case has been going on since last year, yet u.s. media is just now feeling like it's worth their while. in a country that so boldly proclaims it's freedoms, it should also proclaim its many hypocrisies. this march was a tool to shed light on something that this country continues to ignore - the injustice of the "justice" system.

this article fails to highlight, or in some cases even mention, key events that led up to the final fight that garnered these ridiculous attempted murder charges. what about the frequent taunting from the white kids towards the black kids after the nooses were hung (racial epithets, etc.)? no mention of the district attorney's threat to the black kids (only) that their lives would be ruined "with the stroke of his pen" during a school assembly. what about the white kids that attacked the black kid at the party that led to the fight at the convenient store (instigated by the same white kids from the party, knowing they had a shotgun in the car)? if these same black kids were really trying to kill someone, wouldn't they have done it when they were able to wrestle the gun away from the white kids instead of turning it in to the police?? only to be charged with theft??? have we heard about ANY felony charges filed against ANY of the white kids involved? or how about charges for not only having a shotgun, but carrying it around in a vehicle?? NO, WE HAVE NOT! just as was mentioned previously, all anyone wants to talk about is the boys jumping on the 1 white kid, with NO mention of any of the attacks on the black kids.

i have not heard 1 black individual, leader or follower, say that the boys were justified in beating the white kid that was taunting them. this case has everything to do with JUSTICE FOR ALL. remember that phrase? no, he shouldn't have been beaten that way, but please spare me all the he almost died speeches cuz the kid was released from the hospital the same day and even went to an event later on that night! sounds like he came out pretty good compared to some other attemped murder victims. can't say the same for megan williams, can we? yet the bond amounts for her attackers have been set at the same amount as the jena 6 kids??? u have got to be kidding me. looks like lady justice is only blind in 1 eye...

in any case, the white kids who participated in these events should ALSO be prosecuted. attempted murder charges and being charged as an adult should never have entered the equation on either side. the march signified justice for all, not justice for some. when people say "free the jena 6", they are referring to the fact that the white counterparts of the black kids are free and never saw a bond amount above $10,000, let alone felony charges. yet, the jena 6 bond amounts were set at or near $100,000. sound fair to you? if so, you are simply ignoring the fact that racism and discrimination are alive and well in this county. no matter how the media tries to sugarcoat it, this kind of thing is happening everyday.

i'd like to see who filed the previous charges against mychal bell. i wonder if they used the same standard of justice as the one used here. i bet if someone did some digging, some of these white kids involved in this issue have some skeletons in their closets that have been "overlooked"...

If you'd really "like to see who filed the charges," then go see. It's funny that you have a lot of angry things to say about the justice system but you also seem to believe that the ADAs who operate it are anonymous.

did i say anonymous? don't think i did. actually, i said, "i'd like to see..." if u sense that i'm angry, understand that i'm angry that this kind of thing is still going on and that people like u are oblivious to the basis of this whole issue

I liked the article, too. I especially liked:

"Stop Informal Segregation and Prosecutorial Overzealousness That Disproportionately Affects African-Americans Here and Elsewhere"

While it might not fit on a tee shirt, it might be squeezed into our schools (or hearts?) if we try.

I don't think the article stands alone, and I did see a few others where more details were present; this article was more eloquent.