Jena Six

The Jena six is about six black students in Jena Louisiana who were arrested after beating up a white student. The white student received a concussion along with many bruises. The six black students were charged with second degree murder and conspiracy. Their sentence could be up to 100 years without parole. This fight did not come out of nowhere though. One of the black students sat underneath a tree at school and the white students did not like this. The next day the white students hung three nooses from the tree but said it was a joke and did not get into trouble. The black students were getting beat up at white parties. Also, a man came up to them at a gas station with a loaded gun. The boys wrestled it away from the man and took it to the police. The black kids got in trouble for stealing the gun away from the man. I chose the Jena Six because it is a current problem happening in the world today. It something that should not occur and it caught my attention when I heard about it and I wanted to learn more about it.

The article “Drawing the Color Line,” it says that white people received much less harsher punishments than the black slaves. This is still happening today. People are taking their personal views of what they believe in and putting it on people in the court system. An example in the reading says, “Six servants and a slave of Mr. Reynolds started to run away. While the whites received lighter sentences, Emanual received thirty stripes and to be brunt in the cheek with the letter “R” and to work in shackle one year or more as his master shall see cause.” This relates to the Jena Six because they are receiving harsher punishments than anyone else. The white kids who beat up the black kids at parties are not being charged for anything. The man who brought in the gun did not get charged but the black kids got charged with stealing. The Jena six are being treated unfairly because of the racism.

I think it is wrong and I believe they should receive a new trial. The city has an all white jury. The Jena six should be released or everyone should be trialed fairly like the white kids who beat up people at the parties should be charged along with the man who brought in a loaded gun.