The Jena Six

This is an interesting vignette about race in America.

In Louisiana an african american high school student asks if he can sit under a tree that a group of white kids usually sit under. He is told OK. Curious that he felt he had to ask but they did say yes. The next day some white students hung nooses from the trees. Very very bad. Since it could not be shown that the action was directed at any one person the act did not fit the definition of any crime on the books. The students responsible where punished by the school.
Not surprisingly this has caused a great degree of racial turmoil in the school. Apparently six african american students decided to beat up one white kid. They were charged with attempted murder. Now the kid was not hospitalized so that charge was probably excessive. I understand the charges have since been downgraded to assault. This would seem more appropriate.
Quite frankly I have little sympathy for anyone who engages in a six on one fight. If you must fight do it mano a mano.

In any event this little story has naturally drawn Al Sharton and Jesse Jackson to the scene. Sort of the way flies are attracted to excrement. Whenever there is a racially tense situation these two are always available to make it worse. They are protesting for the release of of these six students. They argue that laws are applied more harshly to African Americans then whites.

First, at this point the charges against these young thugs, who by the way have committed a bias crime, does not seem to be excessive.
Second, in a broader context, if it is true that African Americans are disproportionately given harsher sentences then whites, the solution is not to let African Americans who commit crimes off the hook . It is to more harshly punish white criminals. That would make it fair to everybody. If the two headed Jackson Sharpton monster were arguing for that they would get my support.