I know it is not my week to post a topic but I thought this was blog worthy.
I am sure everyone has heard about controversy going on in Gena, La. on the news.
If not, here is a (very) brief summary…
This town has been in the news because 6 black students allegedly beat up a white student. (Going a little further back, there were several events leading up to the altercation between these students in the last four months or so. One, nooses being hung from a tree outside the local high school after the black students tried to join a group of white students under this tree. Also, a white student pulled a gun on some black students outside of school. The black students fought to take the gun away from the white student. The white student was not reprimanded yet the black students were charged with theft of that firearm. Never heard if those charges stuck.)
These students were initially being charged with attempted murder in the second degree for “beating” this white student. This student (who was supposedly severely beaten) was able to attend the local football game the same night as the fight…
The charges have been reduced to battery for all but 1 black student. He was originally convicted on an aggravated second-degree battery and that could send him to prison for 15 years, it was overturned and that is the case that will be heard today.
I am baffled by the fact that these students may face YEARS in prison over a high school fight. How is that justice ? Especially since they were being taunted and discriminated against. Why wasn’t more done to reprimand the white students? It was stated the reason was because there isn’t a law on the books… There isn’t a law in the books about threatening to commit a hate crime? or death threats? Because to me, hanging nooses is a threat of bodily harm.
There should be a law for that!
When I initially heard this story, I thought to myself the news must be talking about a story from the history books because surely in 2007, this is not happening. But sadly it is.
Your thoughts?
8 comments:
I've heard a little about this story. The "nooses" is up in the air to me. The black kids claimed that the white boys hung nooses, but there is no evidence of it (last I heard anyway). I believe that if six kids jump one kid, the six should be punished, whether they were being provoked or not. You can't just run around beating people up, and then expect to blame it on the victim becuase he said some racial slur to you. There are other ways that these black kids could have handled it. They could have notified a teacher, or the principle, or anybody in authority. And then let them handle the white boys' racial stuff. Instead, these kids decided to take matters into there own hands and act violently. Both parties in this incedent should be punished, but the ones who used physical assualt should get the worst of it. Kids need to learn that fighting is not right, and against the law.
I don't disagree that they should be punished. My concern is whether or not the punishment fits the crime. Historically, this town has been issuing unfair punishments to blacks for a long time. I think that we are only getting a snap shot at what the real problem is in this town.
I think any type of hate crime is a horrible thing and should not be tolerated. However, I agree with Jared that two wrongs don't make a right. It sounds like both groups of kids were in the wrong to me.
I'm not positive that I have my facts straight.. But I heard on the radio that a 15 year old black student is being tried as an adult and that is where the huge sentence is coming from. I think all 6 students should definitely be punished as long as the punishment fits the crime.
I think they should be expelled as any student probably would. I also think serving some time would be a fair punishment no matter what race they are. But it seems to me that 15+ years is excessive.
It is sad that in today's day and age that this is still going on.
I really think that the school should had intervined before this came to a head the way it did. In school a group of peers and me started a peer diversity traing that is still in Fulton County schools to this day. I think even though there has been so much damage done that the people shouldn't go to jail for this but yet be put through peer diversity training. Jail is only going to harden their feeling against one another vs changing their views in a positive direction. Racism is a thought behavior which can be unlearned.
I agree with Margret. Sending these kids to jail will only "blacken their hearts." For all of this to have spanned over a course of 4 months, I am sure they've tried to tell some sort of adult figure--maybe their family members. The whole hanging nooses thing has surpassed ignorance. There is no way anyone could hang nooses and no adult figure would know about it. Someone knew about the incidents that led to this fight and continued with their day as if nothing happened. To me, the witnesses are as just as guilty as the participants. As far as the guy pulling a gun on them, he kind of asked for it. At my old high school, close to the end of my senior year, my middle brother ended up in a gang fight. All who were involved were sent to prison for the remainder of the day. Throughout the rest of that school day I and anyone who were affiliated faced threats. By the time school let out, I was headed to my car but had to look for my boyfriend, so I headed to the bus lanes. A boy affiliated in a rival gang pulled a gun on me and my boyfriend. He was beaten unconscious by us and some surrounding witnesses. When we went to court for the incident, they ruled that he shouldn’t have had a gun in the first place—none of us were legally of age to have one. We were put on probation, but the judge said that his pulling out a gun provoked us to try and defend ourselves.
I do agree that both parties should be punished, but a firearm always out number 6 individuals. If they would have chosen to turn and walk away they could have been shot. And if they are being treated unfair now imagine what kind of support they would have had if they wpuld have went to an officail earlier on.
I disagree with the way this matter has been handled. And I say again it is time for the law to be just that; THE LAW. Equal justice for ALL. First, this should not have even reached the local authorities, it was a school fight. And if it was one on one, black and white it would still have had the same outcome.
Either suspended, alternative school, expelled, etc. Not individuals looking at jail time. So I feel that the whole town, from the muncipal to the teacher, be reconstructed with level minded,law binding individuals. Because I am sure this isn't the first and not the last racial incident in Gena, LA.
I also can not belive that we still have such a big problem this day and age especially in America. I mean, in my experience your always going to be treated differently because of the color of your skin, but to the extent that you'll be arrested for doing the right thing and suspended from school is ridiculous, I still can't believe that this is still a topic, why has a judge not seen this and done something about it with out having to fight through a legal system.
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