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Saturday, September 22, 2007

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Oh this is such a tough challenge. I have been following the stories about the Jena 6, the stories about folks who lived in public housing in NOLA and who have been refused return, about the larger communities in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast who have been screwed around by so many who have power, I have read so many stories of injustice that my head is spinning.

I think kai makes an important point in her previous post that encompasses everything here, imo. Equal protection under the law. If the laws only protect some and not others, then the law has failed. It is in the enforcement of these laws that the problem lies -- and if it is more than that, more than just a problem of enforcement, then there are problems in the laws themselves that need to be dealt with.

In the case of the Jena 6 the enforcement of law was unequal -- in such a blatant fashion as to boggle the mind.

To me, the problem is trying to track each individual story of social injustice -- there are so many that I find my mind reaching to see some overarching mneumonic(sp?) so that I can remember them all and somehow see how they fit in a larger picture.

Thus far that larger picture has become Equal Protection Under the Law. As a starting point. I know there is much more to learn, but for now that will be the basis of how I view these injustices.

Thank you for posting this great essay.

kick ass, M. you said it very well. this is a fantastic post.

and you've helped, that's what matters. even if nobody else does or knows. you acted on your conscience, and you made a difference. bottom line.

i know its hard for deep-feeling people out here. we can only do what we feel is our part and try not to let everything tear our hearts up. actually, i think you've said as much! of course...i dont follow that advice, either. i am right there with you on that. you tore up your blog...something i dream of doing very often. but hey, i'm a dreamer.

hilarious take on Prince's nombre. and damn its good to see you up in this place, this intranix. hope to see more....soon. :)

M, loving you right back.

And, as to why Mychal Bell is still in jail?

Out of absolute stubbornness that outsiders see fit to control a racially tainted and unjust legal proceeding?
I'm going with that one.

Thank you, Nightprowlkitty; Kai does raise a good point about equal protection. His thinking is on the right track in that the injustices do violate fundamental rights, but the scope of legal reform for these issues is very broad. And you're also right about how difficult it would be for citizens to attempt to track all of these cases. Maybe there's a way to follow the example of Deidra of Black and Missing and track things along those lines. But we can't lighten up the fight, you know?

Hee, thank you Nez. And all I can really say in response is I know, I'm trying, it hurts, you are, and ain't it great? :) I'm anxious to start blogging again soon, after my class schedule calms down a little. I'm still going to chime in when and where I can, but I'm getting weak in the knuckles thinking about it. I miss it. I miss everybody. (And I'm lucky to have teamed up with one of the most chill and trill Asian male bloggers on the 'sphere for this one, no?)

Dr. Elle, I think that's it too, and there's also an element of fear that "their" blacks won't be so safe anymore to manipulate. I mean, come on. Leaving the town? Refusing to show up to a court proceeding? Talk about a bunch of people afraid to do their dirt in full light's view.

So good to 'see' you M. I learned about the Jena 6 from you. And it's true, this is so hard I find myself catching my breath at times. The latest salvo is an AP story that is so factually wrong (kids playing on two nooses) and wrong in tone that I feel almost defeated. It has caught fire in the chat rooms. And by the time a retraction/correction is printed, the damage will surely have been done.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070922/D8RQQDF80.html

this post brought tears to my eyes, for so many different reasons. i am so, so glad to read your words again (& what great words they are). i'm not good @ expressing myself, so this prolly sounds lame. but when you went away it felt like there was an irreparable hole in the blogosphere.

Good seeing you too, Carmen, and I saw that disgusting article. Talk about missing the point entirely. That's what happens when ignorance gets confused with journalism.

Thank you, b. medusa; I really appreciate it. I feel a sting in my heart whenever I look at what I did, but...I don't know. I'm not sure what to say about why I did it. All I can say is I want to return, and so I'm doing what I can. And I'm grateful for you and others who care so much. You have no idea how much, but I am. :) So thank you.

If our mainstream media watchdogs are sleeping on the job or are too busy staring up Britney's skirt, we will lose people to our system routinely burying them under the jail in a matter of days because of insufficient representation, reckless convictions on circumstantial evidence, inadequate investigations, the wonders of a legal device known as a peremptory strike, and many other devices and systemic indifferences that ensure any perception of a person's equal justice under the law is gone.

right on. this is why it's so fucking essential that we incorporate media justice into our movement making. and I personally don't think we should say "if"--I think we should say "because", you know? They *are* sleeping on the job--they *are* more concerned about big fat shaved alcoholic brittany than they are human beings being regularly and systematically destroyed.

and much love back to you, xo

BfP's right. I still can't get over how that crime reporter from Miami had an MSNBC interview about Stepha Henry (a missing black woman) cancelled because Paris Hilton was going to jail. Hours and hours of television coverage and wire story after wire story about some rich girl who drove drunk, and not a word outside of the local area about a woman being kidnapped.

Whatever direction you choose, remember to speak out about it before there's no one left to speak for you.

That should be quoted everywhere.

Good to see you blogging again, M. :-)

btw, just in case it wasn't clear, me calling brittany 'big fat'etc was being totally sarcastic. just thought i should say. :-)

Naw, BFP, you're just relaying "accurate truth seekin' journalism" from what I can see. ;) And you're absolutely right about this case being media justice in action.

Vox, that whole situation was deplorable, and your recent entry taking the media to task for its casual minimization of sex crimes was fucking on point. It's worrisome to be afraid of how much we don't know as a nation because of our mainstream media outlets.

Thank you for this amazing critique, M. I'm so happy to hear your voice again.

Oh lord---so many injustices, so little humanpower and time. Sometimes it's too easy to just say what the hell and give up. For me, mental health strategies are the key to fighters' success. That's a lesson I had to learn this year.

Sylvia I have really missed you. Take care of yourself.

I'd be thrilled if/when you start blogging again, by any other name; and thank you for this post.

Thanks, Yolanda, and I agree about the mental health strategies. A while back, Fire Fly at She Who Stumbles wrote about an activist she knew who emphasized the importance of mental health when engaging in this kind of work. (The same activist unfortunately committed suicide; may she rest in peace.) But the emotional and mental toll of reading and absorbing stories and information like this in all parts of the world...it's grueling. You want to say, "fuck this; I'm going home." But you can't because this is home. And you've gotta deal with it somehow.

Shawn, congratulations on all the opportunities coming your way; every time I get news about your exposure I have a mini-celebration. It's so awesome. :) And I'm trying to do just that.

Thank you, belle. :)

I heart you all days everyday

This is a great post! I would add that it is important that we contextualize the issue of unequal justice for and to those in the media who are unable or unwilling to do so. One way approach this is for our eloquent sisters and brothers who blog or write to editors to concentrate our efforts and target one or two main outlets, say CNN and Fox, and help them be accountable. I think if we pushed hard to have the full story be told by one then the rest will follow like the sheep they all are. It's also important that we begin to put forward the younger leaders because, right or wrong, Sharpton and Jackson have particular associations in America's psyche and their names can be conjured up on cue to create all sorts of angst like a cruel joke. Don't get me wrong I live in NY and if something goes down I'd probably call Sharpton but I think the Jena 6 issues opens up the space for our younger leaders to ascent. Lastly, in general we need to have speakers that are much more discipline in their understanding and delivery of the facts, and particularly in this case. If we learn one thing for the Republicans it is their ability to stay on message and if our messengers are unable to deliver a consistent message then there is no way we can move the debate.

I love this post, I love you Sylvia, and I love you always again Kai for having guest bloggers who amaze and uplift no matter where they pop up.

And Elle - I can't leave a comment at your blog until I stop forgetting and actually get either a Google or Blogger account, but in the mean time just want to tell you in case you come back to this thread that I love your blog, and especially the recent post "To the Progressive White Blogosphere."

Thanks, all of you in this thread and movement.

I'd like to thank you all for your diligent work in bringing this matter to light. I am a native resident of the state of Louisiana currently living in Chicago. For many years these types of injustices have been commonplay. They are the result of many things, but none as scarring as the inadequate educational system that is rampant throughout the state. Black men have no choice but to become willing participants in the newest phase of "the plantation." they'd rather be institutionalized in prisons than going home to entire neighborhoods which are poverty-stricken and riddled with despair. Until hurricane Katrina many of the residents of the city of New Orleans never left the state, and still many of them are now finding it impossible to live in the places where they are currently. I was fortunate enough to had been given a scholarship to a university that took me away some years ago. If there is a better education given to us as Black men and women along with a true knowledge of self, I believe that these incidents would subside because a wise man once said "the end of all education is to know God and to know the laws which govern his universe ... " I pray that all of you continue in the spirit of healing and repairing the moral and legal decay that places us all in danger and that you continue the fight

Thanks for all the wonderful, heartfelt, insightful comments! It's a great discussion. And of course thanks most of all to M for visiting her magic upon this humble blog! I invited M to guest post here because I know that she's an inspiration to many, and I know that it takes inspiration to sustain oneself in a long uphill endeavor, inspiration fueled not just by fear or vanity or greed but by our higher natures. Inspiration, perspiration, determination, patience, urgency, heartbreak, humor, timing, some luck. It's been a hell of a week for movement-building. There's still lots of momentum to ride; so let's keep on building.

Peace.

God Sylvia, I miss you! This is great and right on the money. And yeah, Kai. Thanks for all that you do too.

D1Invador:

I would add that it is important that we contextualize the issue of unequal justice for and to those in the media who are unable or unwilling to do so. One way approach this is for our eloquent sisters and brothers who blog or write to editors to concentrate our efforts and target one or two main outlets, say CNN and Fox, and help them be accountable.

I believe there are some folks in AfroSpear who are trying this route in press releases. The heat needs to stay on the media outlets; I agree. And while I agree we should shape a message and stay on it, we'll have a one-up on the Rethuglicans with the same tactic -- we'll be telling the truth. ;) Thank you for your comment.

I love you too, Joan. You need a blog, woman! I mean, I've heard that's the easiest way to get a Blogger account...just sayin'... ;)

Ledelle, thank you for your comment and your prayers. I generally agree with the idea of black people and people of color as a whole developing healthy individual and collective senses of self, but the readiness and getting there is all.

Kevin! Thank you, and I miss y'all.

And thank you, Kai, for all that you do and that you've done. :)

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