Deep South Race Blues

Jena, Louisiana has now become a household name, but for all the wrong reasons.  This current case underscores just how little things have changed for race relations throughout much of the southern United States.   The nationwide statistics bear this out: young black people get shafted by the criminal justice system at a much higher rate than white offenders do. 

In this particular town, children can hang nooses from a tree at their school and have an expulsion ruling be overturned and made into a slap-on-the-wrist suspension.  Ultimately, young black boys are are more often seen by the justice system as irredeemable animals, while white juvenile delinquents are more often seen as kids who have made mistakes but can be rehabilitated.  White prosecutors and judges often deny this simply because they don't know they are doing it.  They think they are being fair and impartial, but of course we know that in too many cases this is a lie. 

Sharpton is down there, to the surprise of almost no one.  I hope he doesn't bollocks things up even more than they already are. 

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