I've made this mini poster for those of us not able to make it out to Jena LA. on Sept. 20th. I'll be posting mine on my office door. If you are so inclined or have the opportunity you can download the PDF file here. Print it out and hang it up too.
[update] The above poster, now residing on my office door, has informed a number of people on the matter. The noose is what brought them in. If you can, download and post it.
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I am not feeling that poster. I just can't flow with the 'FREE THEM' part of that movement. I am angry about the UNEVEN application of that law, but I am not about to absolve them of their violent response\reaction to the situation they were in. Am I saying that I would not have gotten violent with those white folks? Hell nawh- I am saying that I would be SMART about my actions and plan the 'payback' in a way that insured my freedom...
ReplyDeleteIn this situation, it is not the LAW that is faulty or racist, it is the APPLICATION. We need to be saying "Fair is Fair", not "Free them, period!"; target the miscarriage of justice, not overthrow the rule of law completely!
I agree, actually. If you read my previous posting on the subject you'll see that I am not even questioning the "guilt" of the persons involved. My position on the matter is that. The overall atmosphere is a mitigating circumstance.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of what you or I would have done, how old are we? How "wise" are we? What resources do we access to that they do not? Or, what resources do we have access to that we are aware that we have access to?
This is why the poster is created as it was. It puts the position of
not having to tolerate nooses" at the forefront of the conversation. It puts the actions of the white students front and center rather than the result of the action.
I was born in Louisiana and Black people need to stand up at some point. What man will allow himself to be kicked all his life! Why is it that we are the ones who are brutalized and then when we fight back, we are condemned for protecting ourselves? Something is seriously wrong with that thinking.
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ReplyDeleteFighting back does not always mean LITERALLY fighting back. Violence should be the ULTIMATE\LAST resort. Why? Because we are more likely to end up on the receiving end of longer\harsher jail sentences, more violent police\government retribution, and suffer from the KNEE-JERK, racist, inaccurate media publicity. Part of 'not taking it anymore' should also involve being SMARTER about how we prevent ourselves [adults and youths] from having to defend our actions in a COURT OF LAW. We already know that we can't get any justice, so why do we put ourselves in a position to be at the MERCY [or the lack] of that broken justice system???
ReplyDeleteSure- I am of the mindset that all that 'protest marching' rarely does anything other than make my feet hurt, my voice hoarse, and my clothes sweaty. Now, if you really want to go the 'civil rights' route- organize a HUGE sit-in in the courthouse, the high school, someplace public and RELEVANT to the case.
We can get AGGRESSIVE in our defense without getting violent. Don't stoop to your enemies tactics- remix them and counteract them with SMARTER tactics!!!
Ronin: I'll keep your secret identity secret. :-)
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