Mick,

You must not live or worked in rural South or you would know that presecutors, unless there is some high level of scrutiny do purdy much what ever they like...

Here in Page County a black kid was arrested for wearing a mask while driving a motor scotter... Is there such a law against it??? No, but the commonwealth's attorney held the kid for several months until it fianlly made the news... Kids are arrested for all kinds of dumbass things that adults never thought needed to be codified...

The prosecutor ***could*** have found something to haul these white kids in on and threatened to prosecute them with a statement that in his or her opinion these actions were at the very least hateful... Actually, I believe that the noose represents a "battery" in terms of most law...

Janie,

Yeah, I've made the same point as you have about the situation in Jena being an opportunity... Problem is, if things in that area are like things around here, there is no will by the white adults to have the schools do much in the way havfing a discussion on race... Plus, I know several local teachers and these folks just wouldn't have a clue...

But at least some of the adults here are making an attempt to have this discussion becuase it is long overdue... What I am afraid of, however, is that most white adults really would rather it just go away... Plus, the right wing has hammered programs aimed at leveling the playing field that alot of white adults think it's perfectly okay not to have the discussion...

But one thing one can take to the bank and that is that Jenas won't just go away 'cause Jim Crow ain't dead yet...

Bobert