Jena Six - Color of Change Update

Hat tip:Jack and Jill Politics

The blog Color of Change, which has been at the forefront of The Jena Six situation from the beginning, now has a petition up to Governor Blanco of Louisiana requesting that she intervene.

Dear Governor Blanco,

I am writing to request your intervention into a situation of great injustice taking place in Jena, LA, as well as a written response to this letter.

Last fall, when two Black high school students sat under the "white" tree on their campus, white students responded by hanging nooses from the tree. When Black students protested the light punishment for the students who hung the nooses, District Attorney Reed Walters came to the school and told the students he could "take [their] lives away with a stroke of [his] pen."

Racial tension continued to mount in Jena, and the District Attorney did nothing in response to several egregious cases of violence and threats against black students. But when a white student--who had been a vocal supporter of the students who hung the nooses--taunted a black student, allegedly called several black students "nigger", and was beaten up by black students, six black students were charged with second-degree attempted murder. Thankfully, Mychal Bell’s June conviction has been nullified but all 6 young men are still awaiting trial, and remain unable to return to Jena High School and get on with their lives.

I would like to believe that what is happening in Jena is not consistent with your values, or with what the State of Louisiana sees as justice. I have asked District Attorney Reed Walters to drop all charges against the six young men. You should act immediately to make clear your commitment to justice in this case, and announce that you will grant immediate reprieves to any of the young men who are convicted. And you must investigate the conduct of District Attorney Reed Walters, whose actions are a blatant and unacceptable abuse of power, to begin the process of healing in Jena and to make sure this never happens again.

Respectfully,

There is also a letter to the DA, Mr. " I can change your life with a stroke of a pen" Walters.

Please go here to find both of them as well as the petition.

FREE THE JENA SIX

Let's Not Forget About Darfur

As a poster reminded me, let's not forget about Darfur.

Act to End Genocide in Darfur Sudan

View Current Signatures - Sign the Petition
To: United Nations, White House


In the Darfur region of Sudan, government-supported militias are attacking and burning undefended villages, raping and murdering civilians, and abducting women and children. Over 700,000 victims of this ethnic cleansing have fled to other parts of Sudan, and another 110,000 refugees have crossed the border to Chad, where they are suffering from malnutrition and disease, and are exposed to daily cross border raids by militias, who murder them and steal the blankets and food given to them by international aid agencies.

The United Nations and member countries have done nothing to stop the militias, who continue to attack villages, burn homes, and rape and kidnap people.

Mukesh Kapila, U.N. co-ordinator for Sudan said, "I was present in Rwanda at the time of the genocide, and I've seen many other situations around the world and I am totally shocked at what is going on in Darfur. This is the world's greatest humanitarian crisis, and I don't know why the world isn't doing more about it."

Sign the Petition Here

Stand with the Burmese Protestors

Stand with the Burmese Protesters

After decades of military dictatorship, the people of Burma are rising – and they need our help. Marches begun by monks and nuns snowballed, bringing hundreds of thousands to the streets. Now the crackdown has begun, but the protests are spreading...

When the Burmese last marched in 1988, the military massacred thousands. If the world stands up and supports their struggle, this time they could win. We're in a race against time-- targeting the dictatorship's main backer China in a global advertising campaign, delivering the petition to the UN secretary-general and sending the Burmese our support via radio--

Sign this petition HERE.

Petition to Disbar DA in The Jena Six Case

Over at YourBlackWorld.com....

There is a petition to disbar the DA, Reed Walters.

Remember:

LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters, flanked by the police, informed the black students at an assembly later that day that he could end their lives “with the stroke of a pen.”

If Mike Nifong can go down for what he did with the Duke Lacrosse team, surely Mr. Walters can be held accountable for his actions in this sham.

FREE THE JENA SIX!