Real Talk

Peace and blessings,

Last week, I included an article on the incident in Dunbar Village, a housing development in Florida. The argument made at

What About Our Daughters

was that given the other incidents involving criminal acts and/or the lack of justice that have received consistent, national attention, the Dunbar Village incident should have received much more coverage and elicited much more reaction from the nation's leaders than it has. Now by "attention" I don't mean we should be bombarded with the incident constantly. I am referring to attention in a more moral sense, as a reminder of how bad we can treat one another if we are not constantly guarding our mind and spirit. On a personal note, I think this argument is valid because it seemed like since the initial article in which I heard about this horrific event months ago, I haven't really heard much more on the issue. For one, no one should have to experience what that woman and her son experienced. I will continue to keep them in my prayers and pray that God restores their life two-fold. I equally pray for the young men who committed this crime, because the nature of this act is proof of the spiritual warfare that exists, and we must constantly guard ourselves. I pray that they seek Christ, receive forgiveness, forgive themselves, and transform their lives according to His will (Romans 12:2).

Hearing things like this truly hurts my heart. One cannot read about this incident and not feel for the victims. The more I think about it, the more I am perplexed as to why there is not more of a national response on behalf of leaders to not only bring closure to this issue and to do what's needed to help out the victims in any way possible, but also to make sure that we as a nation, as people, are more careful about how we treat each other, and more aware of our need to pray for and look out for each other. In a nutshell, this should not have happened. Below are a few articles on the incident. Even in writing this post I am late and behind in terms of the most recent updates, so I'll make sure to provide updates as I find them. Let me know your thoughts on the issue. Take care and speekonit...


1)

Info center for the Dunbar Village Incident

2)

Family discusses details of the event

3)

Pharmacy donates medicine to the mother and her son

Labels: attention, Christ, Dunbar Village, justice, moral

Peace and blessings,

I wanted to provide a brief outline of the events surrounding the case of the Jena 6, a case that is gaining much attention throughout the country, and duly so. I encourage everyone to seek out more info regarding the situation, and participate in any and every way that you can. The information below can be found at

Color of Change

and

Truthout.

As you read the outline, I urge you to keep the following scriptures in mind, as this case represents another instance of how we often distort and manipulate God's conception of "justice."



"The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed."

Psalms 103: 6

"It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their
affairs with justice."

Psalms 112: 5

"I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor."

Psalms 140: 12


1) after black students sat under the "white tree," nooses were hung from
the tree. In reaction, black students sat under the tree in protest,
prompting the superintendent and District Attorney to get involved. The
superintendent dismissed the nooses as a "prank," while the DA,
accompanied with Jena police, told the black students protesting that "I
can be your best friend or your worst enemy...I can take away your lives
with a stroke of the pen."

2) Racial tension escalated over the next couple of months, with the main
academic building of Jena high school getting burned down on Nov. 30th,
2006 in an unsolved fire. Later that same weekend, a black student was
beaten up by white students at a party. The next day, black students were
threatened by a young white man with a shotgon at a convenient store. They
restled the gun from him and ran away. No charges were filed against the
white man, but the students were arrested for gun-theft.

3) That Monday, a white student taunted the black student who as beaten up
at the party, and allegedly called several black students "nigger." After
lunch, he was knocked down, punched, and kicked by black students. He was
taken to the hosptial, released, and was well enough to attend a social
event that same evening. Six black Jena high students were arrested and
charged with second-degree attempted murder. Bail was set so high (between
70,000-138,000) that the students were in jail for months as families went
into debt to release them.

4) The local district attorney Reed Walters, who initially charged the six
with attempted murder, later reduced the charges to aggravated assault,
contending that Bell's tennis shoes constituted a dangerous weapon.The
first trial ended in June 2007, and Mychal Bell (16) was convicted of
aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated (both felonies)
battery by an all-white jury. In addition, Mychal's public defender did
not call a single witness to testify during th trial. During the trial,
Mychal's parents were ordered not to speak to the media and the court
prohibited protests from taking place near the courtroom or where the
judge could see them.

5) Louisiana's 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, acting on an emergency
defense appeal, reversed the aggravated second-degree conviction of Mychal
Bell, ruling that the youth had been tried improperly as an adult in a
case. Last week, the judge who presided over Bell's trial in June, LaSalle
Parish District Judge J.P. Mauffray, vacated a conspiracy conviction
against the youth for the same reason, but inexplicably let the more
serious battery conviction stand. Now Walters must decide whether to
refile the entire case in juvenile court.

6) Walters said in a statement Friday, September 14th 2007 that he
intended to appeal the reversal of Bell's conviction to the Louisiana
Supreme Court

More on the conviction reversal can be found in an article by the

Chicago Tribune.

Rather you are aware of the situation or are just hearing about it for the first time. I'm interested in people's thoughts on the issue. What are your reactions? Who do you think plays a more significant role in how the events that have taekn place (Superintendent, local district attorney, the school for not addressing the tree issue sooner, etc...)? Do you see any difference between how justice is used in the Jena 6 case, and God's sense of justice as illustrated in the scriptures? From what i've heard about the case so far, the thing that gets me is how no attention (prior to these events taking place and while they were taking place) has been given to the tree-issue. The fact that there existed (for so long) a tree at Jena high school with this much racist, divisive power in itself speaks volumes as to the value the high school places on their students' worth, because racism and divisiveness is detrimental to all who are involved.

I am asking anyone who comes across more updates regarding this issue can sent it to me at info@speeklife.com, so that I can frequently update the blog regarding this matter. Also, make sure you check out the third video of fox news, and pay attention to the last minute of the clip, where Hannity "dodges" Rev. Sharpton's question about whether or not he supports the Jena 6. They have been talking for over six minutes, but as soon as Re. Sharpton asks this question, all of a sudden Hannity can't hear him. Even his partner on the show heard him clearly. Racism, like any sin, cannot stay "hidden." Eventually it's going to come out and get exposed. I'm not saying i'm perfect or anything, but Hannity's "true feelings" regarding U.S. race relations is extremely evident in this clip. Jesus help us... Please share your thoughts, continue to pray that God heals this situation, and as always, speekonit...

Labels: attention, God, Jena 6, justice, Lord, oppressed, Psalms, scriptures

Peace and blessings,


"THE SPIRIT of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound,"

- Isaiah 61:1 (NKJ AMP)

Out of all of of the justice fighters that are recognized within the U.S. as well as internationally, MLK, through his sermons, speeches, and activism is one of the most widely known and referenced. He was someone who embodied the type of love for and activism on behalf of others mentioned in this scripture. Despite the many issues he addressed and methods he used to address them, it is interesting how mainstream media has "selective memory" in terms of determining which aspects of MLK's activism to emphasize, and which aspects to downplay or even negelct. We are constantly told of the movement he helped lead in the name of achieving racial harmony. However, we are less often reminded of his concerns for the poor. We are often told of his dream of black and white children playing together in a racist-free climate. However, we are told less often about his discontent with the economic and political decisions made by those in power that are to the detrimental of the powerless. Despite the various ways in which MLK's life and service is celebrated, there still appears to be

a signifacnt aspect of MLK's life that does not get much attention.

Towards the last few years of his life, he seeemed to experiene a shift from focusing primarily with race relations to focusing on class divisions as well. In addition, he was more critical of the U.S.' capitalism as well as

the Vietnam war.

What do you think? How do you remember the life and service of MLK? Are there any aspects of MLK's life that are not adequately addressed in textbooks or in the media? Weigh in and speekonit...

Labels: activism, attention, capitalism, economic, Isaiah, love, mainstream, media, MLK, movement, political, race relations, sermons, U.S., Vietnam war