Jena Six: Thousands to Rally for Justice

This post, written by Pam Spaulding, originally appeared on Pam's House Blend

Things are gearing up for the rally in support of the Jena 6 tomorrow (my last post here). Thousands are expected in Jena, Louisiana and at rallies around the country. You can learn more about the event at Freethejena6.org and Color of Change. You can search for events near you here.

* No surprise -- The Southern Poverty Law Center Warns of Expected White Supremacist Activity at Jena Rally.

One particular web posting, on the white supremacist message board Stormfront.org, came from former Baton Rouge neo-Nazi leader Robert Moore. In the posting, Moore wrote about police security arrangements in Jena and whether weapons would be allowed in certain areas. "Remember, Louisiana is an open-carry state, and your vehicle is an extention [sic] of your home," he wrote. "We also have the right to defend ourselves if attacked."

* Sigh. I am not surprised at the media whoring Jesse Jackson -- he criticized Barack Obama for not speaking out more forcefully on the Jena 6.

"If I were a candidate, I'd be all over Jena," Jackson was quoted as saying. "Jena is a defining moment, just like Selma was a defining moment." By not seizing on the issue more, Obama was "acting like he's white," the paper quoted Jackson as saying. Jackson, who endorsed Obama in March, today denied making that last comment, while The State stood by its reporting. Obama's campaign, meanwhile, noted that he had made a strong statement on the matter last week, when he called for the district attorney to drop the charges and said, "When nooses are being hung in high schools in the 21st century, it's a tragedy. It shows that we still have a lot of work to do as a nation to heal our racial tensions."

* Donna Payne, HRC's Associate Director of Diversity, is traveling to Jena; There will be Rally of Solidarity in DC and HRC President Joe Solomnese will attend. "The Human Rights Campaign is proud to join with our coalition partners in the civil rights community to show our support for ending racial bias and injustice. This type of prejudice and hate in our country affects all Americans, regardless of race, ethnicity or sexual orientation."

* George Cook interviews reporter Suzanne Malveaux of CNN about the Jena 6. CNN's blog on the politics of the Jena 6 case is here.