I'm just saying...

I’m sure many of you heard about the march on Washington Friday. In case you missed it, people from all over the country led by Al Sharpton marched around the Justice Department to demand more enforcement of hate crime laws.

The march was largely fueled by anger of the lack of federal intervention in the case of the noose-hanging incident in Jena and other recent noose-hanging incidents across the country.
I know we’re all not going to agree on the case of the Jena Six or its surrounding events, clearly. That’s not even up for debate specifically in this post.

And I know some folks across racial lines are going to always refer to people like Rev. Al Sharpton as troublemakers. (Just remember, Martin Luther King Jr. was commonly referred to as a troublemaker too back during the civil rights movement… Just something to think about.)

But if the federal government can deem it urgent and necessary to intervene on behalf of dogs (i.e. the Michael Vick dog abuse case) and baseball (i.e. the steroid case with Barry Bonds) can’t we at least agree that more federal action should be taken against a hate crime that symbolizes decades of gruesome, brutal, unjust murders committed throughout this country against a race of people?

If you still think leaving nooses around is just a harmless, kiddie prank, check this CNN special out. Or, better yet, watch it whenever it airs again and let me know what you thought.

It's not over

So Gov. Kathleen Blanco finally spoke out for real and put pressure on the D.A. Reed Walters to do the right thing concerning Jena High School student Mychal Bell and try him as a juvenile…And, apparently it worked.

Is it time to celebrate?

No, not even close. Last week’s march in Jena was just the beginning.

One of the things that’s annoys me most is when people attack the character of these teenagers and their families or bring up their past.

“It’s not like they’re innocent. They beat up someone.”
“Well, you know Mychal Bell had a record with the juvenile system.”
“Well, you know they were trouble already.”

I haven't heard anyone say these kids were saints. Nobody’s even said what they did was right. That’s not what last week’s march was about and that’s not what is on the table for discussion.

The point is that this kid was not given fair punishment for his wrongdoing and the case of the "Jena 6" reflects a historical pattern of racism that continues in many other judicial systems across the country.

Bell’s wrongful punishment has finally been made somewhat right about a year too late, but what about all the other Mychal Bells out there who receive unfair, inequitable punishment compared to their white counterparts? What about the four other “Jena 6” teens? Have we already forgotten about Shaquanda Cotton from earlier this year? How many other teenage boys and girls are sitting in adult jails for juvenile crimes while their white counterparts go free or get juvenile detention or even probation for the same thing?

It’s all about being fair and just, across the board, regardless of race. I hope that we as citizens begin to take a closer look at issues like this in our community. As one protester shouted out last Thursday: It’s time to wake up…and STAY awake!

More from Jena

The signs (Click on pics to make the bigger.)

Two things that are always a relief to see in situations like this:


Cold water! (Provided by the American Red Cross.)


Port-a-potties!

People marching to Jena

State troopers



Jena resident sits on her porch and listens to protesters
While her daughter, a Jena High School student, talks to an ABC news reporter. (below)




Below, she talks to Times reporter Loresha Wilson about what she thinks will happen after this protest.

And I'll leave you with a quick funny story about the guy in the video below. This guy was walking around waving this piece of wood in the air, proudly declaring to anyone who would listen that he'd found the final piece of the infamous tree at Jena High School... Unfortunately for him, his moment of fame last about 15 minutes when another guy came along waving a branch in the air, proudly proclaiming the same thing - that he had the final piece of that same tree.

Below he talks to Times reporter Ashley Northington about what he hopes will come out of the day's events, but he gets drowned out by the chants of the protesters.

March on Jena: People, people, people

So, as it turns out, my preconceived "party with a purpose" notion wasn't so far off. I mean, it wasn't a party, but the atmosphere definitely had the feel of something like a family reunion.

I ran into friends, former classmates, colleagues, former co-workers and sorority sisters. Even people I didn't know greeted me with smiles and friendly conversation. That's how I met folks like Dashene, a young aspiring filmmaker who drove all the way from New York City, alone, just to participate in the event and show his support to the Jena Six.

The weather didn't seem all that hot at first, but by the end I was definitely sweating and my feet let me know that those tennis shoes I thought would be so comfortable actually turned out to be unbearable!

Anyway, the first thing that I found most fascinating were obviously the crowds. (FYI: You can click on the pics to see them bigger.)



We started out at the LaSalle Parish Courthouse where it looked like at least 20,000 or more folks were, including the crowds in the pics above.



And I guess where there's a will, there's a way because some folks even found seats in the treetops:

















Various speakers were taking their turn at the mike shouting chants like "Free the Jena 6! Free Mychal Bell!" We heard that just minutes before folks like Tyler Perry and the Rev. Al Sharpton were among those speakers. The P.A. system made it difficult at times to hear what was being said, so some in the crowd would spontaneously start their own chants and mini-marches, like this one:


After that we wandered to the other side of the courthouse where we saw a whole 'nother crowd that appeared be in the thousands marching on a road that ran from the school to the courthouse.
I admit, it was a bit overwhelming at times taking it all in because there didn't seem to be a set schedule that I was aware of and there were so many things to see, so many rallies and gatherings going on at the same time all around that you weren't sure which one to go to next. However, despite the confusion and crowds, everyone was so friendly from their greetings to their polite "Excuse me ma'am," or "Excuse me sister," as they passed through the crowd.

Check back for more on my journey in Jena, including pics and video from the day's events.

Getting there

Our journey began early Thursday morning, just before 4 a.m. and it’s weird because it felt so strange at first, like we were alone in the darkness.
But then, around 5 a.m. I noticed the caravan of headlights stretched along I-49 for miles and miles headed toward Jena via of Alexandria with license plates that said Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and more.

Even when we stopped at the Air Base Road, the gas stations and the one fast food restaurant that was opened were packed as though it were broad open daylight instead of pitch blackness with folks dressed in all black getting out the vehicles.

By the time we got to Alexandria around 6 a.m., the traffic slowed to a crawl and would pretty much remain that way until we got into Jena around 8 a.m. Just when my eyes were getting heavier by the minute, I felt this burst of new energy as we got closer to Jena and saw the trail of hundreds of folks walking alongside our vehicles to join the rally some miles away.

When we finally were able to park and make our walk to the LaSalle Parish Courthouse I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was to see the crowd of people. I mean, there were easily several thousand folks just on the street leading to the Courthouse Blvd. not to mention folks that were in the park, the school and other parts of the small town. And I'm not just talking about people who looked like me, but people of all races.

Unfortunately, it was at this point that we also discovered that we had no cell phone or internet service. But that did little to affect the excitment in the air is we made our way to the parish courthouse.