This is the victim of the the so-called Jena 6, Justin Barker. It is plainly obvious that he was beat up. No dispute. He is the primary victim. I use the word primary because the so-called Jena 6 are the secondary victims. I have a problem with various individuals, including the La Salle parish district attorney Reed Walters, saying “remember who is the victim” without considering all the victims. I say to Mr. Walters:
Don’t you see how you have hurt all the victims?
The primary victim, Justin Barker, has to watch thousands of people descend upon his hometown and only talk about the so-called Jena 6. Not his situation. He was beat up by six people. To be “jumped” by numerous people (I was in high school also) is a scary situation. And I empathize with him intensely. But because of a macho district attorney (I’m not ready to call him a full-blown bigot yet), he has to watch as his story is diminished as the larger issue of equality in the law is played out.
The secondary victims, the so-called Jena 6, have been sentenced by a jury “of their peers” harshly and reduced to common gang members. Not excusing their foolish and wrong-headed attempt at justice, they are tarnished and have had their faces plastered across the media. For all the marching on their behalf, people are still going to associate them as the so-called Jena 6 and make negative snap judgments against them.
All because of district attorney Reed Walters.
I want the Jena 6 punished. I want the parents of the Jena 6 to pay for Justin Barker’s medical bills and apologize to his parents for their sons’ actions. The so-called Jena 6 should be suspended half the school year, go to anger management, and work in the community. And if the so-called Jena 6 even blinked wrong after this incident, you could drop the hammer on them. Alas, it didn’t happen.
So now Jena, Louisiana is in the national spotlight. Other issues are being brought out. Some people are speaking smartly and others, well, just sound dumb. The “Old South” term is being thrown around. Racism. Bigotry. So on and so forth. I’m reminded of the title of a 1989 Spike Lee movie. It’s called Do The Right Thing.
That’s all that needed to be done in Jena, Louisiana. All around.
I’m not complex. Don’t have time for all that. And all that complex stuff bad for the stomach. Just color me simple and plain with a twist.