http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/cvus05.pdf

“There are none so blind as those who will not see.”

Mychael Bell does have a juvenile criminal record, including battery and property damage. We don’t know the circumstances, but even if we did, it doesn’t change the facts behind these events.

There was nothing but inconsistent testimony by the eyewitnesses who saw the event, and the only person who said he saw Mychael Bell kick Justin Baker was one of the people who hung the nooses at the school. Frankly, I would not consider him a reputable witness.

Even the injuries that Justin Baker suffered are inconsistent with the assertions that 6 black men (all star football players), knocked and held this man down, kicking and hitting him repeatedly. His injuries were consistent with being hit and knocked down, perhaps hit again, and either getting hit in his hands, or his hands were stepped on.

The stories neglect to mention all the other events, including (and this was from another journalist, Darryl Fears, from the Washington Post), about Justin Baker bringing a loaded gun to school a few weeks after this incident, and why wasn’t he charged for doing so? Frankly, I find a loaded gun to be more dangerous than loaded tennis shoes.

There really wasn’t enough clear, substantiated fact to bring this to trial, much less bring about a conviction. The witnesses were tampered with, what physical evidence exists does not corroborate the stories, which were inconsistent with each other. Realistically? This should have resulted in suspensions, perhaps being expelled, and that’s about it. There wasn’t enough criminal evidence to make this a clean charge in court.

To bring about a charge of second degree murder based on such flimsy testimony and evidence is an absolute miscarriage of justice. Then, when the charge is ‘reduced’, to justify second degree assault (which requires a weapon) by saying that tennis shoes are a dangerous weapons — well, I would think the people of Jena would rather admit to racism than to being thought of us as stupid po’dunk ignorant hicks who got their legal training from watching old Perry Mason shows.

I’ve been seeing that link in other weblog posts on this topic, Frank. It’s sad to see how eagerly it was accepted.

Shelley called you on that, noting that Bell’s juvenile record is sealed so the level of detail you provided made it seem like you were trying to blow smoke up our collective asses (I’m paraphrasing here.)

You defended yourself by deflecting your false and/or misleading statement to unidentified bloggers. You said: I should have written that according to some bloggers, one of the victims of Bell’s previous attacks was his 17-year-old girlfriend who was beaten so severly that her eye was dislocated from the socket. Actually, this type of injury is more common in fights than people think.

Shelley (with an “e”) said, in effect, “What bloggers are you talking about?”

Here’s where it gets absurd… you said, in direct response to Shelley’s question… you said, help me here, I’m blowing beverage out my nostrils, yes, you said… (hey, and this is after you’d gotten all clinical about people’s eye-sockets being emptied of their orbs and shit) you said… well, you said NOTHING. You did NOT respond to Shelley’s question, but for some reason you thought it would be meaningful to try the smoke blowing trick one more time.

Do me a favor, “Blair.” Don’t come back until you can point to the bloggers that are spreading the misinformation. And until you do provide us those links, we can all rest easy in the understanding that YOU MADE THAT SHIT UP. Jackass.

The following is fact: Bell’s prior convictions and parole status were reported at Bell’s bail hearing after the initial charge was dismissed. It was reported by a parole officer and a court clerk.

You made a statement of fact based on things you heard as hearsay from ‘some’ bloggers.

In addition, can you contemplate the possibility that the only reason you recounted this is because you believed it, and you believed it _because_ Mychael Bell is black?

Please list the links to the ‘some bloggers’ that are reporting this story.

Locals Dispute Growing Story of Jena 6 (http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3641855)

The so-called “white tree” at Jena High, often reported to be the domain of only white students, was nothing of the sort, according to teachers and school administrators; students of all races, they say, congregated under it at one time or another

“It was widely reported that Bell, now 17, was an honor student with no prior criminal record. Although he had a high grade-point average, he was, in fact, on probation for at least two counts of battery and a count of criminal damage to property.

I should have written that according to some bloggers, one of the victims of Bell’s previous attacks was his 17-year-old girlfriend who was beaten so severly that her eye was dislocated from the socket. Actually, this type of injury is more common in fights than people think.

Oh, woah! Which o which news brand to trust!?