The story of the Jena 6 disturbs me on several levels. First of all, why in the hell is that kind of racism still around in the 21st century? The Civil Rights Act was signed into law in 1964, 43 years ago, almost half a century. Haven't we moved beyond this kind of thing? Having been born and raised in Texas, I realize that the south can be backwards and painfully idiotic at times, but really, the way they tried to charge them as adults, the way the judge allowed for a shoe to be entered into evidence as a "deadly weapon!" Ludicrous. The only thing dangerous about a shoe is when a foot has been marinating in it all day, without socks, and someone decides to take it off in an enclosed area.

The entire jury was white! What the hell? Doesn't the Bill of Rights call for a "trial by peers?"
I'm glad we had a protest here at UNT. I just wish I had been around in time to sign to petition and to talk to the administrator who told the students that they couldn't hang the nooses from the university's trees. Why wasn't there a larger scale protest in Denton? I talked with Charlye Heggins, the city councilwoman, after the council meeting last week, about the protest we held on campus, and she was wondering the same thing. The only thing the Denton Record-Chronicle had to say about the matter was that Dr. King's son would not be coming for his little tour of Denton because he had to go to the protest.

On a lighter note, the fact that the media are calling it the "Jena 6" makes me laugh, if slightly in an ironic way, because the title definitely refers back to the late 50s, early 60s. "The Butterfield 8" anyone?