Speaking of Points, Mr. Ta-Nehisi Coates writes a scathing piece titled Why Al Sharpton has become irrelevant that appeared in Sunday's Dallas Morning News.  Coates takes issue with the view that Mr. Sharpton represents the opinions of Black America, questioning his credibility and his record in the process.   Here are a few excerpts from Mr. Coates opinion piece.  In more modern times, black leaders could point to real events to show their worthiness. Louis Farrakhan resurrected the Nation of Islam. During his presidential run in 1988, the Rev. Jesse Jackson won five primaries in which almost all blacks voted for him.  Mr. Sharpton's résumé isn't even in the same pile. His list of misses includes backing Tawana Brawley's fraudulent accusations of rape and his shilling on TV for predatory lenders. His 2004 campaign was a farcical remix of Mr. Jackson's.  This "black Jesus" paradigm has become even more useful in the era of the 24-hour news cycle. It allows a struggle – indeed, millions of people – to be boiled down to a single, preferably colorful, person. And for cable networks, Mr. Sharpton is ...

It seems like some of the good folks of Jena have gathered behind the woodshed and come up with some revisionist history regarding the racial unrest that has happened in their town over the last year.  The Christian Scientist Monitor has allowed Craig Franklin, co-editor of the Jena Times, to retell the accounts of Jena's twisted saga at their site.  The story is titled Media Myths About the Jena 6. I'll let everyone read the story for themselves, but here are two examples of what Franklin wants us to believe. Myth 1: The Whites-Only Tree. There has never been a "whites-only" tree at Jena High School. Students of all races sat underneath this tree. When a student asked during an assembly at the start of school last year if anyone could sit under the tree, it evoked laughter from everyone present – blacks and whites. As reported by students in the assembly, the question was asked to make a joke and to drag out the assembly and avoid class. Myth 2: Nooses a Signal to Black Students. An investigation by school officials, police, and an FBI agent revealed the true motivation behind the placing of two nooses in ...

On Tuesday, the Chicago Tribune will announce a motion that they have filed in LaSalle Parish District court contesting the decisions by Judge J.P. Mauffray to close the proceedings in Mychal Bell's juvenile case and order all the parties involved not to speak about it. According to Tuesday's story by Howard Witt, The Chicago Tribune is the lead plaintiff in the petition, which has been joined by the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times Co., the Associated Press, the Hearst Corp., the Belo Corp.(Dallas Morning News/Channel 8), the Gannett Corp., CNN and ABC News. The article goes on to state that the motion filed cites, among other arguments, a 2004 Louisiana Supreme Court ruling that all juvenile proceedings involving certain categories of violent crime—including aggravated second-degree battery—must be conducted in open court. "The underlying facts of this case have been published, broadcast, editorialized about, blogged and talked about throughout the country and across the globe," the petition states. "There is simply no reason to refuse to allow the trial participants to comment as well." Read Mr. Witt's entire coverage of the filed motion here. 

CNN's Kyra Phillips is developing a one-hour investigation into the noose as a symbol of hate.  The special will air on CNN this Tuesday October 23rd at 7:00 p.m. Central (8 pm Eastern).   The network has created a website for Ms. Phillips special that chronicles the recent re-emergence of nooses in America.  It includes video footage that will air on Tuesday. Visit the American Nightmare site here. See the Dallas South noose post here. 

I heard some of the testimony regarding the Jena 6 case that was give before the House Judiciary committee on Tuesday.  Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee of Houston was pretty upset about the whole thing. Ryan Grim of The Politico was on hand for the hearing and reports on the tension filled session.  (See Grim's article Jena Six draws volatile mix).  He details Jackson Lee's emotional interrogation of witnesses from the Dept. of Justice. “I am almost in tears. Mychal Bell is now in jail. ... The tragedy of this case is that it called out for federal intervention for the protection of children,” (Lee) says. “Shame on you.” ...Jackson Lee grows louder, directing her anger now at (Donald) Washington, who she pointedly notes is the first black western district attorney. “I’m asking you to find a way to release Mychal Bell and the Jena Six,” Jackson Lee cries. “What are you doing now?!” Also, check out Howard Witt's article from the hearings (Justice Department May Probe Bias In Jena).  Witt's Chicago Tribune article also has video attached. Witt's article, Washington said for the first time that the hanging of nooses from a shade tree in Jena constituted a federal hate crime. ...

Again, many thanks to the Chicago Tribune's Howard Witt for his work and this interview.  The interview can be viewed in it's entirety at NowPublic.  DSB   Why do you think it took the national media almost 4 months  after your original article to cover what was happening in Jena. HW: It was the complexity of the story, as I mentioned above, which  eludes the grasp of reporters-especially TV reporters--in search of  simple sound-bites. And it was the sensitivity of anything having to  do with race in our society-many reporters shy from such  controversial stories. DSB:  What are your thoughts on the debate that has taken place  since the Jena Rally regarding how the popular media covers race  issues and people of color? HW: Well, to the extent that people are talking about this issue, I think that's important. But I have been disturbed-though not  surprised-by the backlash from many whites in Jena and elsewhere  across the country, who insist that somehow the whole story has not  been told and that the media has twisted the Jena story to make the white townsfolk look bad. I can't vouch for what other reporters  have done with this story, but for my part, I tried very hard ...

JENA, La. (AP) ? A teenager at the center of a civil rights controversy is back in jail after a judge sentenced him on charges that were pending before the attack that put him in the national spotlight, his attorney said Thursday. Mychal Bell, who along with five other black teenagers had been accused of beating a white classmate, went to juvenile court Thursday expecting another routine hearing, said Carol Powell Lexing, one of Bell's attorneys. Instead, after a six-hour hearing, state District Judge J.P. Mauffrey Jr. sentenced him to 18 months on two counts of simple battery and two counts of criminal destruction of property, Lexing said. He had been hit with those charges before the Dec. 4 attack on classmate Justin Barker. "He's locked up again," Marcus Jones said of his 17-year-old son. "No bail has been set or nothing. He's a young man who's been thrown in jail again and again, and he just has to take it." After the attack on Barker, Bell was originally charged with attempted murder, but the charges were reduced and he was convicted of battery. An appeals court threw that conviction out, saying Bell should not ...

I FINALLY have a chance to share with you an audio diary put together by Bro. Elliot Williams.  I had the opportunity to walk the streets of Jena with Bro. Elliot, who had his MP3 recorder in hand as we marched.   He has put the sounds of Jena in MP3 form, and added a soundtrack underneath. You can also find more of Elliot's work at Project Vibe. In the words of Bro. Elliot: "With the help of Crown City Rockers (D Minor Nine), the musical backdrop serves as the perfect canvas for such a painting that helps capture the spirit of the crusade and the resilience of a people who tell Jena, LA and the rest of the world, Enough is Enough..." This is awesome, please listen. [audio:The Peoples Movement - Jena On My Mind.mp3]

I have had a chance to collect my thoughts since last Thursday's historic rally in Jena, Louisiana, and I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts about the events of the day. 1. Black is Beautiful The suggestions that everyone wear black made the visual impact of last Thursday even more stunning.  As far as the eye could see at any time in any direction folks were dressed in black Once we made it close to the courthouse, the crowd was so think we could hardly move.  But at no point did the situation seem dangerous in any way. There were many times when my companions and I had to retreat because the people flow was at a stand still.   I don't trust any of the estimates under 30,000, and 50-75K is probably more realistic.  2. We Trashed Jena The Jena rally was a peaceful protest, but the day's events produced a lot of trash.  For any future gatherings such as this, there would need to be lots more trash cans in place.  I was on one of the last buses out of Jena, and it was left pretty much like it was found; ...

Many of you may remember Howard Witt, Southwest Bureau Chief for the Chicago Tribune, who's coverage of the ShaQuanda Cotton case garnered national attention for she and her situation. Mr. Witt now has a story out of Jena, a small town in Louisiana that has experienced heightened racial tensions over the last few months. See Mr. Witt's Chicago Tribune story here. In his May 18, 2007 story, Mr. Witt tells of an incident that happened at the local high school in Jena where black students decided they wanted to sit under a tree whose shade had been reserved for white students only for years. When campus officials gave their blessing to the students request to sit under the tree, a series of events began that have apparently launched the town into a downward spiral. According to Mr. Witt's article the following events have occurred since the initial action by the black students last September: * The next day three nooses were hanging from the tree * Once three white students were identified as having hung the nooses on the tree, the school superintendent suspended them for only three days. (The principal had suggested expulsion). The superintendent felt the nooses ...