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They did catch the people who put up the nooses. They got three-day suspensions. Then there were a series of fights. Not just one. It seems that white kids arrested for beating up black kids got lighter sentences. At one point the DA in the area reportedly threatened black students, saying he could "end their lives with a stroke of the pen".
They charged the kids with attempted murder. Max sentence: 80 years. The first to be tried, Mychal Bell, was found guilty of aggravated second-degree battery and consipiracy to commit second degree battery. The consipiracy charges were vacated by the judge. He still faces 15 years in prison.
15 years? It was a long and convoluted series of fights. The kid they beat walked away. He was taken to an emergency room, but treated and released. Never admitted. He went about his business. These kids should spend 15 years in jail for that?
Location: In an illegal immigrant free part of the country.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CarolinaBredChicagoan
They did catch the people who put up the nooses. They got three-day suspensions. Then there were a series of fights. Not just one. It seems that white kids arrested for beating up black kids got lighter sentences. At one point the DA in the area reportedly threatened black students, saying he could "end their lives with a stroke of the pen".
They charged the kids with attempted murder. Max sentence: 80 years. The first to be tried, Mychal Bell, was found guilty of aggravated second-degree battery and consipiracy to commit second degree battery. The consipiracy charges were vacated by the judge. He still faces 15 years in prison.
15 years? It was a long and convoluted series of fights. The kid they beat walked away. He was taken to an emergency room, but treated and released. Never admitted. He went about his business. These kids should spend 15 years in jail for that?
No, I have to agree with you on that. I guess I need to look into it more but bringing up hangings from years ago has nothing to do with this event. I would have given the kids that hung the nooses a harsher sentance but I guess unless they outlaw nooses I don't know how they could.
Yeah. It's tough. I believe in free speech even when I disagree with what's being said, but to hang a noose from a tree in the deep south seems so imflammatory that it needs to be addressed. Almost a 'fire in a crowded theater' scenario.
It doesn't help things that in a town about an hour and a half from Jena, Bunkie, three white kids got charged with simple battery, a much less serious crime, for beating a black kid who landed in the hospital for 3 days with brain swelling and bleeding.
Location: In an illegal immigrant free part of the country.
2,096 posts, read 1,470,748 times
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I certainly would have given the "noose" kids at least a charge of criminal mischief. You would think there would be some law they violated.
The race issue is kept alive by people like Sharpton. They make a lot of money beating that drum. The whole issue would be better off buried and the new generations would not have it as a tool for harassment or a crutch.
I grew up in a town that had no blacks. Sure I heard some derogatory statements as I was growing up and years later when blacks did move into town, they got some harsh looks and a few ignorant comments but were soon welcomed just like anyone else because they were nice and an asset to the community.
Well, I grew up in South Carolina, which has the largest per capita black population in the country. My elementary, middle, and high schools were all predominantly black.
Race is still an issue. It's one that we can work around and work on, but ignoring it can only get us so far as long as there are those for whom it is a genuine sticking point making decisions that affect us all.
I now live in Chicago and have spent time in Rockford, IL and Detroit. Based on experiences in those places, I feel that the industrial midwest actually has a much less healthy relationship with race than the South does. People have their biases in the South, but it's tough to hate an entire group of people when those people are your customers, employees, acquaintances, etc. In the midwestern cities I see a lot more compartmentalization. People build enclaves that are all white or all black and ignore the fact that the other exists except to occasionally complain when someone gets out of line. It's odd.
They did catch the people who put up the nooses. They got three-day suspensions. Then there were a series of fights. Not just one. It seems that white kids arrested for beating up black kids got lighter sentences. At one point the DA in the area reportedly threatened black students, saying he could "end their lives with a stroke of the pen".
They charged the kids with attempted murder. Max sentence: 80 years. The first to be tried, Mychal Bell, was found guilty of aggravated second-degree battery and consipiracy to commit second degree battery. The consipiracy charges were vacated by the judge. He still faces 15 years in prison.
15 years? It was a long and convoluted series of fights. The kid they beat walked away. He was taken to an emergency room, but treated and released. Never admitted. He went about his business. These kids should spend 15 years in jail for that?
The victim in this violent crime, the white student Justin Barker, was knocked unconscious. That makes it a felony in most jurisdictions. The article says the maximum sentence Mychal Bell could be hit with is 15 years, but that doesn't mean he'll get 15 years. More likely he'll get something like 5 to 7 years. Which is appropriate. Mychal Bell committed a felony, and he should go to prison.
The white student that was suspended for three days received an appropriate punishment. He didn't knock anyone out or commit any other felonies like Mychal Bell did. There's a huge difference between students getting involved in a "school fight," and a student getting beat unconscious.
I will agree with one thing, however. Mychal Bell shouldn't have been charged with attempted murder. Unless of course Bell actually said he was going to kill Barker, his victim, then continued to beat him after he was unconscious. Then the attempted murder charges may have been appropriate. But because the judge reduced the charges I have to assume the beating didn't rise to the level of an attempted murder. And the USA Today article doesn't elaborate.
In other words, justice was served. Bell should go to prison.
It wouldn't surprise me however, if the other students got off. When people like Sharpton scream racism loud enough it gets media attention, and that can put pressure on the prosecutors office to reduce or outright drop the charges against the other criminals. But Sharpton has an agenda, and it has nothing to do with justice.
I certainly would have given the "noose" kids at least a charge of criminal mischief. You would think there would be some law they violated.
The race issue is kept alive by people like Sharpton. They make a lot of money beating that drum. The whole issue would be better off buried and the new generations would not have it as a tool for harassment or a crutch.
I grew up in a town that had no blacks. Sure I heard some derogatory statements as I was growing up and years later when blacks did move into town, they got some harsh looks and a few ignorant comments but were soon welcomed just like anyone else because they were nice and an asset to the community.
The race issue is kept alive by ppl who put nooses up trees to intimidate others and also by allowing these ppl to get away with slap on the wrists.
Heck yeah it's justice. Violence of this type should not be tolerated. If someone beats someone to the point where they're unconscious, they're committing a felony. Prison is appropriate. Sharpton is trying to turn this into a racial injustice. But race has nothing to do with it. If it was the white student who knocked and beat his victim unconscious, then he should go to prison as well.
It's a simple rule for everyone to follow. If one beats someone to the point they lose consciousness, then a felony has been committed. If one commits a violent felony they go to prison.
I certainly would have given the "noose" kids at least a charge of criminal mischief. You would think there would be some law they violated.
The race issue is kept alive by people like Sharpton. They make a lot of money beating that drum. The whole issue would be better off buried and the new generations would not have it as a tool for harassment or a crutch.
I grew up in a town that had no blacks. Sure I heard some derogatory statements as I was growing up and years later when blacks did move into town, they got some harsh looks and a few ignorant comments but were soon welcomed just like anyone else because they were nice and an asset to the community.
Please pull your head out of the sand. The reason race isn't an issue to you is because your from a town with ONE race.
FACT
Al Sharpton is the white man's race card scapegoat.
FACT
Racisms still exists strongly is a lot of areas. Stop pretending it doesn't.
This is racism
A fight over a tree where only whites are to sit and the whites get suspended and the blacks get charged with attemted murder and the whites in the town support it.
This is racism
Yes it does make whites look bad but that's you're problem. Don't blame Al Sharpton.
As far as history, imho, it teaches me that when dealing with whites(generalzation) the race card is always admissable.
I know.....you hate it.
But I do too.
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