Can Someone Explain to me This Whole "Jena Six" Thing?

Question

Perhaps I do not have the whole story.  I know the high school has nooses hanging in the trees.  Then a group of black students assaulted a white student.

One went to jail, and the other five just got seven days probation  Now, I understand they were minors, so their charges would be reduced.  But seven days probation?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090626/ap_on_re_us/us_jena_six

The story obviously can't be as cut and dry as this.  What were some of the circumstances surrounding this incident that resulted in such a lax sentence?

Any clarification you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Oh okay · Accepted Answer

Basically the beatings just resulted from heightened racial tensions at the school after the noose incident. 
They were originally charged with attempted murder, which people believed was way too harsh for minors and thought it was about racism, so everybody got fired up into a big important cause.

But simple battery? Seven days probation? That's just ridiculous. A GROUP of students beat up another one until he was unconcious, and then continued beating him. Maybe it wasn't attempted murder, but it wasn't just simple battery.

SteveR · Answer

several black students beat and left a white student for dead. the went to prison. then the naacp marched on the town. Now suddenly "justice" hasbeen served and all of these kind and inocent students are left out of jail because obviously they were all convicted on the color of thier skin and not becuase they beat the young man half to death.  I wound if the roles were reversed how this all would have played out.   did you know that in the US there is no such thing as black on white hate crime...nice

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Can Someone Explain to me This Whole "Jena Six" Thing?

2 Answers