# Chateau de la Tobler

## Thursday, September 20, 2007

### Discussion

Ok, I have a topic of discusion for all. I read a news article about a protest march that happened yesterday to "free the Jena 6". It was held, surprise, surprise in a town called Jena. Apparently there were six black teens who were charged with attempted murder for beating up a classmate. Normally, this wouldn't be a cause for a civil rights march, but apparently, just before this, three white teens from the same school were not punished in any way for hanging three nooses from the high school. Now, taking all racial tentions aside, technicly, the white teens hadn't broken any laws except possibly trespassing or defacing a public building, things like that, whereas the black teen did beat up a white student. Now, also, I think attempted murder might have been a reach, because apparently they didn't even harm this other student enough for him to be admitted to the hospital, in fact, he felt up to attending a school event that very night, so attempted murder? I probably would have felt assult would have been sufficant. Also, they charged and sentanced these teens as adults, even the ones that wern't. I'm not really sure what the DA was thinking! Did he WANT a political hotcake? Personally, I think that the three white teenagers should have been suspended or something, because they were obviously attempting to incite a riot, and I would have been more understanding of the black teenager, because they had been provoked. However, I would have punished the black teenagers harsher than the white ones simply because beating anyone up should never be the responce of anyone, regardless of provocation. And, in the end, no matter HOW awful the actions of the white teens, they didn't physically harm anyone. Opinions, anyone?

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