Speak Now Against The Day

Rollin through my bookmarked sites this morning, saw this at TCP via Blue Collar Muse.

Here is an excellent recap, but I have a question for any lawyerly types out there.  Wasn’t this case deserving of a change of venue?  In fact, I’d like to see more of an explanation by the Public Defender’s office as to why this case wasn’t moved to another jurisdiction.

There is no justification for a six on one beating.  The boys that participated in it should be punished, but it is readily apparent that there is more than a little overt racism in that Parish, particularly with respect to the application of justice.

It’s worth noting that Jena is the site of the infamous Juvenile Correctional Center for Youth that was forced to close its doors in 2000, only two years after opening, due to widespread brutality and racism including the choking of juveniles by guards after a youth met with a lawyer. The US Department of Justice sued the private prison amid complaints that guards paid inmates to fight each other and laughed when teens tried to commit suicide.

Seems the adults there have done a poor job of protecting everyone’s children.