District Attorney Reed Walters argued last year that the tennis shoes of students known as the Jena Six where "dangerous weapons" in order to press the harshest charges against the teens for attacking a classmate. Now, some young NAACP members in Philadelphia are collecting those so-called "dangerous weapons" to send to the district attorney, according to BlackAmericaWeb.com.
The Rev. Elisha B. Morris, youth adviser for the Philly's NAACP youth council, says they are going to send a box of smelly sneakers to Walters in Jena, La. to send a message. The group also wants each person who donates sneakers to contribute $2 for the Jena Defense Fund, the Web site reported.
Four Charged in Killing of Memphis Player
Four men were charged this week in the killing of Memphis defensive lineman Taylor Bradford, authorities said.
According to The Associated Press, police said Bradford, 21, had won thousands at a casino the night before his death. Investigators said Bradford had about $7,400 in his pocket when he was found dead on the Memphis campus and his killers did not get what they came for.
Three of the suspects were not students and between the ages of 21 and 22. Prosecutors have also charged a 21-year-old Memphis student with murder and plotting the robbery.
Teacher Sanctions in Noose Lesson Incident
The president of Grambling State University in Ruston, La., wants sanctions against five teachers who did a "hands on" demonstration of a lynching at a predominantly black elementary school on the university campus.The University president says the activity was inappropriate for kindergarten and first-graders and showed lack of judgment. At least one teacher has been placed on leave with pay, according to The Associated Press.
The Sept. 20 lesson on racism involved a noose placed around a young girl's neck. The university newspaper ran photos of the lesson and reported that teachers explained what a noose meant. The children that day also held their own march for equality for the Jena Six to coincide with a civil rights march of thousands about 100 miles away in Jena, La.
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By: Blair on 10/09/2007 8:08PM
The argument that shoes constitute deadly weapons has been ridiculed, but it has legal precedence. Courts have ruled that shoes constitute deadly weapons in cases where victims were kicked to death. (In response to those who laughed at the “deadly sneaker” charge, Carol Swan, a black professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, has posted the story of her brother's death on the university's official website (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/news/releases?id=37643. He was kicked to death by teenagers wearing sneakers.)
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By: Frederick Jackson on 10/10/2007 12:30AM
What were these teachers thinking in Ruston, LA.? Even without the legal debate and march for Jena 6 this was definitely poor judgment on the teachers. The five teachers need counseling, because what will they expose the elementary students to next?
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By: Cecil Jones on 10/10/2007 4:28PM
Blacks need to listen to the voices of our ancestors before we blindly run off to support failed causes. I'll be the first one to scream and march when there is an injustice, but I won't defend the indefensible. We don't know what motivated those Black kids in Jena to act as savagely as they did. They placed themselves in the crosshairs of justice and they got blown away. They used an uzi and we called it unfair. What did they do to get shot by the justice system? We can't assume that justice is blind or color blind. If you don't want to be injured by a justice system that is for "Just Us" then don't do the crime. Would Dr. King be making these boys martyrs? He'd be focused on the corrupt court trying to take away the uzi that is aimed at the next one. What makes Whites hate us is we won't acknowledge that they did something wrong. If we ignore our hate, then isn't it fair to hate us back? That's just stuck on stupid. That's like following Al Sharpton over a cliff.
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By: blaqgod on 10/10/2007 8:02PM
Cecil, I don't know where you've been, but this has been a topic covered extremely thoroughly. First of all, no one is debating their innocence, it's the level of justice that was renedered. That white boy talked alot of sh#$ when he was around his friends. Threatened the Jena six after they got permission to sit underneath a "white" tree. He didn't die after his ass whippin so therefore attempted murder should not have been the charge. A misdemeanor battery should have been the correct charge. There not martyrs, they were poorly represented and wrongly convicted. La. Supreme Court agreed that they were. This has been brewing for awhile and initiated by those white kids. Learn all the facts before you rush to criticize a movement.
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By: VJ on 10/11/2007 6:17PM
LEAVE WITH PAY IS OFTEN CALLED VACATION IS'NT?
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By: Sam on 10/11/2007 11:35PM
It's sad that children of such a young age are being exposed to the lessons of "racism" by hanging a noose around their neck. They are only teaching "racism" to the young and those children will grow up to be racists and the cycle never ever ends. Also, imagine the nightmares and other problems this could cause small children. We should be teaching our children how to become the best, not teaching them to hate. We can't move forward when our focus is hate and the past.
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By: Sam on 10/11/2007 11:39PM
Regarding dirty sneakers...it is childish to send smelly sneakers. Why not spend that energy sending clean sneakers to those in need.
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By: JERRY on 10/12/2007 3:36AM
JUST IMAGINE IF THESE TEACHERS WERE WHITE,EXACTLY. BLKS CAN DO,WHITES CANT.
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By: Whitey on 10/13/2007 11:15PM
Double Standards, Double Standards!! Where's the outrage? Teachers must have been black.
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By: Nathan on 10/23/2007 8:24AM
true worshiping of your lord, education and pooling our money in our own communitiesthis is freedom of people .to all the pimps in our hoods(Rappers , Sport Figures and above all Ministers) where the money? you see these three ways has always been true success.if you are still addressing the same issues from a 100 years ago, then thats not progress. No one is the blame but ourselves. there no more gas chambers for the Jews & Germany still trying to forget.Life lessons should not repeat themselves, unless you are sleep at you own life. we can and we must.Up you mighty Nation you can accomplish that what you will. I love you.
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