Surah al Mulk, Ayat 16
“Are you sure from the One in heaven causing the earth to swallow you as it quakes?”
Seven Killed in Minneapolis Bridge Collapse
To God do we belong and our return to Him is inevitable. As sad as this is, I’m happy it wasn’t worse. Especially considering that this happened during rush hour. Something similiar happened in New Orleans years ago when the bridge spanning the now-infamous 9th ward Industrial Canal bridge collapsed and killed a pregnant woman. La howla wa laa quwatta illa billah.
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In other news, my activist buddy Jordan Flaherty, who is a regular entry on my Katrina Blog, is featured on Democracy Now’s website. In Louisiana (of course it had to be my state!), six Black young men, now known as the Jena 6, are facing lifetime sentences because of a school fight. Jordan elaborates further in the transcript.
The case began with nooses hung from a tree at Jena High School nearly a year ago. Racial tension escalated in the town, which is 85% white, after the nooses were hung. The black students led a protest after noose incident. Nearly every black student at Jena High School stood under the tree. The town district attorney, Reed Walters, came to the school and told black students, “Stop making trouble. I can make your lives disappear with the stroke of a pen.”
One weekend last December, two black students were beaten by a group of white students. Later, a group of black students were threatened with a shotgun by a white former student. Whites were not punished for the noose incident or these other incidents, but the following Monday when a white student was beaten up by black students in a schoolyard fight, six black students, the Jena Six, were arrested and charged with attempted murder.
Three hundred protestors rallied in Jena, Louisiana this week and at least 43,000 signatures have been collected to urge District Attorney Reed to drop the charges. The NAACP has given their support to the Jena 6 and you can sign the petition on their website. Subhan’Allah, they think this is 1935 and Jim Crow is still fashionable. Why does this crap continue to happen? I would love to hear what Tim Wise has to say about this, especially since he’s a Tulane University alum.
‘Jena 6″ trail proves racism still exists
Stealth Racism stalks deep South
fathima said,
August 6, 2007 at 4:33 am
thank you for posting this. i had no idea this was happening. my skin is literally covered in goosebumps. this is godawful.
Indigo Jo Blogs said,
August 6, 2007 at 10:10 pm
Life without hope
Life without hope: America’s child prisoners – Weekend Guardian This story is a distressing read; it is about people locked up for life without parole as juveniles in the USA, in particular Michigan, although such a sentence is mandatory in…