Background on the Jena Six case: The current racial tensions started in December last year when black high school students sat under a tree where usually only whites sat. Amazingly, a black student actually asked for permission from a school official to sit under the tree. Permission was granted, but three white students didn't appreciate it, and the next day three nooses were found hanging from the tree. Shortly after the original incident, at a school assembly, the DA told students that with a stroke of his pen, he could take their lives away. (There are various phrasings of what he said; I don't know the actual words. It's reported as "taking their lives away", "destroying their lives", "ending their lives", etc.)
In July, an all-white jury convicted the first of the six black teenagers involved and he faces up to 22 years in prison.
Tensions have been simmering, and a series of racially sparked incidents has followed the original.
Destroying the innocent tree hasn't soothed the situation. Surprise.
Schools and businesses shut down in the face of a huge celebrity-studded protest held yesterday demanding the release of the jailed teenager, which won't be happening.
And last night, two white teenagers were arrested for driving around town with nooses on their pickup truck (inciting to riot) and DUI (one said his family is Ku Klux Klan, and he in fact has a KKK tattoo on his chest). They were carrying brass knuckles and an allegedly unloaded rifle.
Of course there's much more to it than this very simplistic presentation. I've not been keeping you up on it, so you'll have to read through some of the links.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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