A Noose Is a Noose Is a Noose
I’ve been down off my soapbox long enough I think. I’ve purposely not talked about the Jena Six case because I feel that it finally has enough media coverage.I'm not going to say anything that hasn't already been said, but I really wanted to go on record. Also, I think some folks are missing the point of it all.
I don't believe that racial taunts should be met with violence. I do think that the administrators of the school* and local law enforcement should have done the right thing and thoroughly investigated and properly punished the white students who hung the nooses on the tree in the first place!
I guess hope just always springs eternal with me.
Instead, the students were suspended for a few days. They should have been expelled, thrown right out of that school and charged with a hate crime. They may be minors, but they're not children. That would have made it clear as day that that sort of behavior would not be tolerated. But they just slapped them on the wrist.
I doubt if anyone reading this entry needs a refresher on why a noose is not a joke to African-Americans, here’s a reminder:
If that upsets you, it should. Just like it should have upset the white administrators, the white DA, and the white citizens of Jena. I know it upset the black citizens. I have to look at this kind of stuff more than many people and it never stops being as awful as it can be. I will never become jaded when it comes to this.
Hanging an empty noose anywhere where a black person will see it is a direct, unambiguous assault. It doesn’t mean anything more or less than Die, Nigger, Die! to a black person. It is a provocation and a violent act. If you don’t believe me, then mark well what those individuals in West Virginia told that young black woman whom they kidnapped, tortured and raped: they didn’t like black people and they were going to hang her. If you’re still not convinced, go reacquaint yourself with our history of lynching.
If you display a swastika in Germany, or shout “Heil Hitler,” if you question the Holocaust, even, they will throw you in jail; they don’t care who you are. It should happen that way here.
Do I think the Jena Six should be punished for beating up that white boy? Yes I do—escalating the violence by assaulting him helped no one.** But I think the punishment should fit the crime. Just because OJ was acquitted of a double murder when all evidence pointed to him, doesn’t mean that blacks are treated fairly in our judicial system. His case was a MAJOR exception, and if you want my opinion about his trial and subsequent acquittal you can read it here at americanheritage.com.
The real trouble lies in allowing people to think they can get away with hate crimes. It helps create the impression that folks can pull “pranks” like hanging nooses on trees. The atmosphere of bad behavior builds, it is ignored and then it’s a short trip from putting up an empty noose to actually hanging someone in that noose. The good people of Jena say they are shocked and that they don’t have a race problem. Well, so did the good people of Jasper, Texas, and look what happened there.
*Apparently, the principle of the school tried to expel the students, but the school board overrode his decision.
**An earlier incident involved a black student being beat up by white students and no charges were brought against the white students. Where was the district attorney then?
I don't believe that racial taunts should be met with violence. I do think that the administrators of the school* and local law enforcement should have done the right thing and thoroughly investigated and properly punished the white students who hung the nooses on the tree in the first place!
I guess hope just always springs eternal with me.
Instead, the students were suspended for a few days. They should have been expelled, thrown right out of that school and charged with a hate crime. They may be minors, but they're not children. That would have made it clear as day that that sort of behavior would not be tolerated. But they just slapped them on the wrist.
I doubt if anyone reading this entry needs a refresher on why a noose is not a joke to African-Americans, here’s a reminder:
If that upsets you, it should. Just like it should have upset the white administrators, the white DA, and the white citizens of Jena. I know it upset the black citizens. I have to look at this kind of stuff more than many people and it never stops being as awful as it can be. I will never become jaded when it comes to this.
Hanging an empty noose anywhere where a black person will see it is a direct, unambiguous assault. It doesn’t mean anything more or less than Die, Nigger, Die! to a black person. It is a provocation and a violent act. If you don’t believe me, then mark well what those individuals in West Virginia told that young black woman whom they kidnapped, tortured and raped: they didn’t like black people and they were going to hang her. If you’re still not convinced, go reacquaint yourself with our history of lynching.
If you display a swastika in Germany, or shout “Heil Hitler,” if you question the Holocaust, even, they will throw you in jail; they don’t care who you are. It should happen that way here.
Do I think the Jena Six should be punished for beating up that white boy? Yes I do—escalating the violence by assaulting him helped no one.** But I think the punishment should fit the crime. Just because OJ was acquitted of a double murder when all evidence pointed to him, doesn’t mean that blacks are treated fairly in our judicial system. His case was a MAJOR exception, and if you want my opinion about his trial and subsequent acquittal you can read it here at americanheritage.com.
The real trouble lies in allowing people to think they can get away with hate crimes. It helps create the impression that folks can pull “pranks” like hanging nooses on trees. The atmosphere of bad behavior builds, it is ignored and then it’s a short trip from putting up an empty noose to actually hanging someone in that noose. The good people of Jena say they are shocked and that they don’t have a race problem. Well, so did the good people of Jasper, Texas, and look what happened there.
*Apparently, the principle of the school tried to expel the students, but the school board overrode his decision.
**An earlier incident involved a black student being beat up by white students and no charges were brought against the white students. Where was the district attorney then?
Comments
secondly, it's a watershed moment. there are still pockets of hardcore racism that exist in the south and an incident like this one helps to illuminate that. i'm saddened though that the hideous actions of a few idiots will serve to taint a larger swath of people with the racist brush. but what are you gonna do?
As to Jesse . . . he lost my confidence a long time ago.
I like to believe in my heart that folks will do the right thing, and don't like to paint people with the same racist brush, but honestly, a lot of people have not proved otherwise. We had to amend the constitution to give black people rights they already had! Some people are just not wired to do the right thing, so like preschoolers, they have to be forced to do the right thing with laws.
Hey, sweetie -- 'tis moi.
Love, C.