BlackPerspective.net
Discussing the Diaspora as seen through an internal Black lens
New Strategy on The Jena Six
August 9th, 2007
I made mention last week of what I thought should be the new strategy for trying to bring about pressure in order to get justice for the The Jena Six. I’d like to elaborate on that now.
We’ve attempted to put pressure on congress to move the Department of Justice to intervene based on Jim Crow-esq civil rights violations, and to get the Governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanko to act. In the couple of months that this has been tried by bloggers and others, the needle doesn’t seem to have moved at all. I think the problem is we have not achieved a critical mass of pressure on any individual or groups of politicians that would force them to act. I think the way to achieve that critical mass is to get the word out to the public in mass.
Hence, I propose we pursue a campaign to pressure the national media to start covering the story. If that happens The Jena Six could become a household name, which would provided for exponentially more people to put pressure upon the politicians in Louisiana and in Washington D.C. to do something about this travesty.
I faxed in my letters to both the Governor and State Attorney General’s office, and to date have received no response. But several others who have emailed letters have shown me that they received this exact same response below:
Dear: [no, they didn't even use my name!]
Your email to Governor Kathleen Blanco regarding the Jena Six case has been forwarded to me for a response.
Your input and concerns are vital as we make critical decisions to move this state forward. The Jena 6 case is a matter in the Judicial System and any defects must be addressed in that system with the appeals court. The State Constitution provides for three branches of state government - Legislative, Executive, and Judicial - and the Constitution prohibits anyone in one branch from exercising the powers of anyone in another branch. Certainly, the Governor hopes for and expects fairness.
Thank you for emailing and if this office can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Sheryl Shuffield , Director
Constituent Services
This proves that the governor of Louisiana has no inclination to act, as both pardoning and civil rights investigations by her Department of Justice are without a doubt in the executive branch’s power; and it shows that we need much more pressure to make anything happen.
When I was posting about Jena Six on another site supremelurker showed me this site with all the major media outlets contact info. We need to flood these outlets with emails, phone calls and postal letters until they pick up this story. What say you about this strategy?
Further, CNN has been recently covering a somewhat similar story, primarily on Anderson Cooper 360, about jail abuse and murder in a county jail in Mississippi. Maybe they’ll be more inclined to put on the The Jena Six story as a continuation of the general theme. It should be taken advantage of though, while the Mississippi story is fresh.
posted in Action Alert, Racial Injustice | | | View blog reactions |
30 Responses to “New Strategy on The Jena Six”
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About The Blog
Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.
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Al Sharpton and other large media figures are involved in this case so it is being covered—probably to the degree that it’s going to be covered.
Thanks for the update. I was wondering - is Blancko a democrat? I realize she has some problems within the party vis-a-vis Katrina, but perhaps some higher-level party officials can at least get her to comment in favor of the J6.
I like the civil rights angle. Time to start contacting the federal legislators who are already on Gonzo’s case about his lack of competency. Perhaps that angle can apply some pressure. …
Keep up the good advocacy.
I haven’t seen it in the media much at all, I only know of it from
reading blogs; then I looked up news stories online about it Despite
Al Sharpton, It’s clearly not being covered that much.
Do you think we should just keep trying to pressure the Govenor instead?
I got that bogus email response. I don’t think the Gov cares one bit. Flooding media outlets may be the best way to go.
Well we’ve actually been contacting federal legislatures sauerkraut
and it hasn’t gotten anywhere; which is my point. We need a lot more
people applying pressure to them to get them to move, which is why
I think we should pursue this media strategy so that masses will know
what’s going on.
I’m quite sure that the majority of American’s haven’t even heard of the Jena Six.
Yobachi, don’t be discouraged. Tiny drops can wear down a mountain over time. The fact that the sentencing for the first student (Mychael Bell) was delayed until 9/20/07 is a positive sign that the pressure is beginning to mount. I see today that there is an official website for the effort now in effect –> http://www.freethejena6.org. Anyhow, your suggestion about reaching out to the traditional media is a valid one. Thank you for sharing the link to the media contact points.
peace, Villager
Well good then Natalie, I hope you’ll pass the message on via your blog or whatever other mediams you have at your disposal.
I’m in. I’ll add a link to this blog under the Jena Six banner with info on my blog, as well as contact media. I wonder if an official press release can be pushed through prweb.com or a related engine as well?
Villager, that’s true that they have been some adjustments made in Bell’s prosecution, including some lowering of the charges for which he was tried, suggesting that pressure is having some effect; but I don’t think these boys really have the time on their side to wait for water drops to wear down a mountain. Nonetheless I get your sentiment and will heed the thought.
Good looking on the official website. I’ll try to contact the people behind it one day and see if we in the bloggesphere can coordinate with them in some manner. Plus it should be a good resource for us to keep up with efforts on the ground in Jena and elsewhere.
Hey Zoe, that all sounds good to me. That prweb looks like a good medium to use.
I’ll puts some words together over the next few days for a press lease, and you can do the same if you like, and see what we come up with.
Yobachi, have you considered adding your blog to The AfroSpear? I think you would enjoy the vibes of the brothers and sisters in that collaborative venture.
peace, Villager
Actually Villager, I had planned too, I just haven’t done it yet. I’ve been to the webiste and everything, just never remember to email them when I’m at home.
I will work on letters over the weekend, and see about digging about information regarding an official release. I’m unsure of the permissions. I found another engine also that has no cost (prweb.com has a cost of 40-80 dollars and may only allow official representatives to send a release), but am not sure of how mainstream it is.
http://www.pr.com
A release could be eligible under the ‘Organization’ heading, but I am unsure which of their other categories it could be filed under. I have a feeling the momentum will grow.
Pardon the typos.
Nice. 7 blog reactions.
Just stopped through quickly to leave this url: http://jena6.vesana.com/support
I added my blog to the supporter’s section of the freethejena6.com site (though I don’t believe they show up right away…they may have to be approved). Maybe we can all leave our blogs in the ’supporters’ area. This can have a strong impact as the list grows.
I’ve begun working a press release (it isn’t complete because it needs quotes). It can be a bit of a collaboration, as we can collect quotes to add to it.
What are your thoughts on this?
*There are a number of pr-related ways to spread the word. Picture petitions have also become popular over time (folks holding up a sign that reads ‘Free Jena Six’).
*Street interviews can be conducted by a willing amateur or professional videographer stopping random folks and telling them the facts of the Jena 6 case if they don’t know them and asking for their view of it. The collected footage can be uploaded to the net via associatedcontent.com or another source like youtube .
*Someone who is graphic design savvy can design a postcard that concerned individuals can send to friends. The site Villager mentioned would likely add it to their action page.
The list goes on…
Depending on who is interested and can dedicate a small bit of their leisure hours, alot can be done in a short time.
I broke night and will need to get a few zzz’s, but will log on later.
Be Blessed.
Hi Yobachi! Thanks for those links to the major media outlets!! I will make sure to post them on my blog asap. I agree with Villager’s thoughts as well. We can (AND WILL) definitely make a difference in this case by continuing to be vocal about the Jena 6!
I sent the press release to your email(minus quotes that need to be filled in) yesterday in the later afternoon. I’ll be looking for places for the separate letter I write in the next few hours as well (I may post the letter I write in the comments and link it from the Jena 6 entry at Ultraviolet Underground in case anyone else wants to use it when they write a letter.
Also (slightly off topic but related) I commented on the Sand and Storm Documentary letter drive you suggested, and also suggested maybe an open letter to HBO, because they don’t offer an address for program related customer comments. They only supply a phone number.
Peace
-PZ
At least two of PA’s congressional delegation have been made aware of the Jena6; I was told by a local aide of one that a counterpart in DC was taking a look at the matter. I am also informed that as Senator Specter campaigns “town hall” style in PA, someone at one venue asked him a couple of questions about the Jena6. Although he is a republican, Sen. Specter has always been a strong advocate for civil rights. Many of Specter’s town meetings have been aired on PCN and I am attempting to obtain a copy of any such tape.
Emails have also been sent to members of the new england congressional delegation. Not because I know any of them but because their office staffs tend to be really good about responding to my emails in the past on a variety of issues.
Keep up the good work. Never let them relax until the Jena6 are released.
Soulfull I’m glad to hear that you’re on board with the campaing.
Looks like the traditional media is slowly stepping up…
http://halfricanrevolution.blogspot.com/2007/08/newsweek-discovers-jena-sixthanks-to-al.html
Good sign. What list of addresses are you using for major media? I thought I saw something in the comments about you giving the addresses to someone but I can’t find them anywhere on the site to use for the letter sending.
The Jena 6 information in the sidebar at UltravioletUnderground (purplezoe.blogspot.com) has updated websites and such. I also provide a letter template in the comments of my Jena 6 post.
Have a good 1.
Good work sauerkraut. Let us know what kind of response you get from these various officials. Any of these folks, especially national officials, who show a predilection to helping out can be a great conduit because they have the ear, and possibly influence over people who could make something happen visa via the justice department or whomever.
And Spector is the top republican on the Senate committee that has review jurisdiction over the Justice Department, so he would be perfect!
Hello Yobachi,
This is “Lynn” from HicktownPress.com
Just wanted to stop in the tell you “thanks” for your support of the new blog and I’m thrilled that you are staying on top of this situation with JenaSix.
Lynn Green
Peace Yobachi
Found this in an email sent to me.
http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/takeaction/efca/efca_virtual_rally.cfm
It’s a virtual march for something else, but a nice idea for a possible event. Perhaps others would be interested in hosting a virtual march and bloggers can help post banners on their profiles to gather more folks to hold up a free the Jena 6 banner in a picture?
What’re your thoughts?
Hey Yobachi!! Thanks for stopping by my spot. I will definitely continue to check back for developments on the case. I will coninue to ry and do whatever I can to get the word out. Thanks again for stopping by and I will definitely be back.
Great Sincere, hope to see you around.
I posted the info on the media lists because the website was timing out.
Also put pressure on NAACP to fix the donations page so that people can donate to the defend fund.
Thanks and keep up the good work. One for all, all for one.
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Is anyone planning to go to Jena for Mychael Bell’s hearing? I will be in DC on the 20th, but if I can get money and people together, I want to be there to witness for justice. This young man and the other 5 are being mistreated in a terrible travesty of justice without compassion. I find it reprehensible that the folks who mouth “family values” allow this behavior from our public servants when it is obvious that what is happening to the kids in Jena is wrong. Whatever you do, make sure you continue to call and write all the politicians, legislators, the governor, and the media. Write letters to the editor and keep the noise up. We can’t let this kind of racist action continue to destroy our yourth and our country. love,Eliz
Eliz, I’m meeting latter this week to organize locally to take a contingent from Nashville. I’ll be posting about that next week.
Read about the Direct Action were taking on the net this thursday with the “Day of Blogging for Justice”: http://www.blackperspective.net/index.php/jena-6-day-of-justice/
The written laws of civil rights are only an illusion
to the laws of reality. There is legalized racism in America and this is reality. There will never be change
if one stays in denial. Denial is defense. Facing reality often brings pain and shame. The pain and shame has to be dealt with to make progress. I face injustices as I write to you. I work at one of America’s most reputable companies and racism is alive and well. Being born a minority in America is justification to be unlawfully violated. Peace, FREE2BD
[...] of critical review in the run up to the war in Iraq by the media at large is why on an issue like The Jena Six we must press the media hard to pick up the story and to look into it in depth. “We The People” have to make the [...]