Comments on: The Jena Six

By: Frank Paynter

Frank Paynter — Mon, 24 Sep 2024 14:32:58 +0000

Wow. Sorry to have betrayed your expectations, Charles. My fellowship notwithstanding, I am no kind of expert on the nuances of black-white relations, current events in racial injustice, or the movement for racial equality and social justice. I thank you for the Racialicious link. I’ve bookmarked it and will add it to my weekly web journey.

I’m working this year to develop efforts to share prisoner support and visitation experiences, workshops and seminars to research and report on the scope of the problems found in Wisconsin prisons and to draft public policy proposals for improvement. This fellowship is about helping to develop a shared understanding of the entire correctional system. Racial demographics and inequities are at the center of this work, I think.

Sorry I have not stayed awrae of the entire spectrum of USian hegemonic uglies. Perhaps my pink little corner of the leftish world has paid too much attention to the war and blinded ourselves to other important stuff. perhaps I’ve been strokin’ it too much with Facebook faux friendships and tweets. I’ll get down to work now, boss.

By: Charles Follymacher

Charles Follymacher — Mon, 24 Sep 2024 13:28:49 +0000

I want to be very careful in what I say here because I really admire and respect you, Frank. Your heart’s bigger than (and at least as plainly visible as) your tummy and you have typing skills which belie a sharp and curious mind.

The inevitable “however” bit is my shock and surprise when I read you’d only heard of the “Jena 6″ on the 20th of September. How could that beee!

I mean, MSM is one thing. And bloggers are another: the universe of alternative publishing (Utne Reader is less important now as a source of undercurrent goings on). I acknowledge that there are still circles within circles in this cheap pub soup; poet people read other poets; cat lovers perk up every Friday; quilters and knitters link their bits; sports nuts chase ball-breaking news, etc. Birds and their feathers, I get it.

Sandhill I have come to view as an eclectic hodge-podge of Paynter points of view, ranging from physics to politricks to poetry to pheminism to pomo and mo’ but a central theme was justice in the American system.

I was surprised by your fellowship, but assumed it would mean greater coverage of racial injustices. I’m not sure it’s worked out that way so far, but you wouldn’t be the only one. The point is, I guess I’d assumed urrybody knew about the Jena 6 case from looong ago. Anyone who’s plugged into the full range of Yankee hegemonies, that is.

This isn’t a plug for me (tho, yes, I finally pointed to a great summary of this case on Sept. 7). This is a plea for you (and friends) to peek into a site called, Racialicious even once/week. It’s not all black-white ish and it’s not all amazing stuff, but it will keep y’all in the loop.

Please, no more nasty surprises for you or me.

By: Frank Paynter

Frank Paynter — Sat, 22 Sep 2024 15:40:20 +0000

It has been thirty years and more since the media has bothered trying to do justice to the “Correctional System” story. Disparities in the administration of justice exist everywhere in the US and it is up to the voters to force the courts to give equal justice to all citizens. Some in the media have framed the Jena story in the context of “Racism in one small town: Yes or No?” How many other Jena stories are out there, stories about young black men (and boys) whose transgressive behavior — perhaps a single act — puts them into a system of justice administration that handicaps them for life?

I look forward to reading your follow-ups.

By: Shelley

Shelley — Sat, 22 Sep 2024 15:28:28 +0000

Thanks, Frank. I’ve found some very thoughtful and carefully documented posts from folks in Louisiana that show much of a miscarriage of justice this is.

I’ll be having follow up posts because I think this is one the media really doesn’t want to cover.