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Take Down Your Nooses
I think everybody knows the story about the Jena 6. This is a huge case of misjustice and people continue to show their support for the black victims. A new song and video have been released in support of the black students and it has angered the town’s mayor.
Before we get to the song let me fill you in on the story of the Jena 6, in case you have been living under a rock.
In the town of Jena, Louisiana, a black freshman, at Jena High School, asked if black students were allowed to sit underneath a big oak tree outside the school. I can’t beleive that he would even need to ask. This is America, he can sit whereever he wants. Anyways, a few days later the white students hung nooses from the tree.
The nooses were soon taken down, but the black students were continually harassed. There was even a website that the FBI began investigating, that called for the students and their families to by lynched. What fucking year is this? Did I miss something? Did I fall asleep and wake up in 1954?
Three months after the nooses were hung in the tree and the black students were tired of being harassed, they decided to defend themselves. They decided to kick the shit out of one of the white kids that had been harassing them. They beat the racist bastard until he was unconscious.
Of course the black kids, four of which are 17 years old, were quickly arrested and charged with attempted murder. The charges have since been reduced to aggravated second-degree battery and four of the 17 year olds have been arraigned. The only youth tried so far was convicted, but that conviction was overturned on appeal and the case has been sent to juvenile court.
This has lead a lot of people to Jena to protest and support the black students. One of the people supporting the black students is John Mellencamp. Mellencamp has recorded and released a video for the song Jena. Mellencamp is now being criticized by the Mayor of Jena, Murphy R. McMillin.
McMillin released a statement to the AP, in regards to the video. McMillin had remained quiet on the issue until now. In the statement McMillion says that the Mellencamp video is inflammatory: “so defamatory, that a line has been crossed and enough is enough.” He went on to say : ”The town of Jena has for months been mischaracterized in the media and portrayed as the epicenter of hatred, racism and a place where justice is denied.”
Mellencamp issued a statement on his website Thursday saying : “I am not a journalist, I am a songwriter and in the spirit and tradition of the minstrel, I am telling a story in this song. The story is not, strictly speaking, about the town of Jena or this specific incident but of racism in America.”
He continued: “The song was not written as an indictment of the people of Jena but, rather, as a condemnation of racism, a problem which I’ve reflected in many songs, a problem that still plagues our country today. The current trial in Jena is just another reflection of prejudice in our nation. If the song strikes an emotional chord with people and if they examine it and interpret as they will, something will have been accomplished. The aim here is not to antagonize but, rather, to catalyze thought.”
It is hard to beleive that his kind of hate still exists. Mellencamp is an artist and has every right to record and release whatever the hell he wants. McMillin allowed these black students to be terrorized and threatened for nothing except being black in a backwoods, redneck, racist, pile of shit town. He has no reason to be mad. He should have made sure to address the problems and at least try to keep the kids safe from these KKK wannabe shit-bags.
Here is the video for Mellencamp’s new song Jena.
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5 Responses to “Take Down Your Nooses”
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Am I the only one who thinks Mellencamp sounds like Bob Dylan here??
I wish the song was a stronger one. I would love for Mellencamp to rise back to prominence, and this seems like a good cause for him to support.
Yeah, this is perfect for Mellencamp. Racism has always been a big topic for him. I agree about the song too, it’s not his best and the video could be better.
I’m just glad that somebody like him is getting in on the issue thought. He helps the issue more than Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton.
People don’t take those two clowns seriously anymore.
Holy Shit, this angers me to no end.
First Mr. Mayor, your town already sucks because a black kid has to ask to sit under a tree. That’s your problem and it was a problem long before Mellencamp wrote a song.
Second, shouldn’t these white kids be in Gitmo right now? I mean, aren’t we fighting a war on terrorism, Mr. President? Isn’t racism a form of terrorism? Isn’t the KKK a terrorist group? Why aren’t we rattling cages right here to fight the war on terror.
@ Piper - I agree totally. This guy should be thrown out of office. He has sat by and allowed these innocent kids to be abused and terrorized and did nothing about it.
He has a lot of power in the city and could have at least tried to helped the kids in some way. Instead, he allowed the racist, redneck, white trash town of his pretend like it was still the 50’s and treat the few black people of the town as if they were inferior.
Racism is a big problem in this country and hick, backwoods towns like this are a major part of the problem.
Sadly this is not an isolated case. Old time racism still exists in the US of A. I remember one small town in Georgia that I once drove through; the local diner was divided into black and white sections, even the doctor’s office had seperate waiting rooms. Look at ST Louis, where the two major political parties are best described as the white Democratic party and the black Democratic party (although this is thankfully starting to change). The sad thing is this mayor’s popularity will probably rise after these comments.
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