Why you need to know about the Jena 6

While we are distracted by the blatant constitutional abuses by the Bush Administration and its supporting cast, Congress, the specter of racism is raising its ugly head. And while we are all focused on one person (the university student in Florida) who has had his right of free speech trampled, 6 young men — boys, really — are facing a much harsher injustice. They face 20+ years in prison for what was essentially a schoolyard fight. This while the white students who committed the hate crime of hanging a noose from the schoolyard tree, were suspended for 3 days.

And in case you think the racism that is at the core of this incident, and the judicial system's reaction to it, is an isolated event, CNN is reporting atmosphere that should be unimaginable in 2007:

Two arrested in noose incident near Jena, Louisiana

A Louisiana city that hosted many of the "Jena 6" protesters Thursday became the site of a racially charged incident of its own.

Authorities in Alexandria, less than 40 miles southwest of Jena, arrested two people who were driving a red pickup Thursday night with two nooses hanging off the back, repeatedly passing groups of demonstrators who were waiting for buses back to their home states.

You can make your voice heard in this cacophony of madness by signing a petition organized by ColorOfChange. The petition asks the governor of Louisiana to intervene and ensure that these six young men face equal justice under the law.