Reed Walters -- the district attorney in the Jena 6 case -- wrote a most unfortunate op-ed in today's New York Times. He may have thought he was explaining his position, but he really opened a can of worms.
Aside from admiting he a "small-town lawyer" he also wrote this...
I cannot overemphasize how abhorrent and stupid I find the placing of the nooses on the schoolyard tree in late August 2006. If those who committed that act considered it a prank, their sense of humor is seriously distorted. It was mean-spirited and deserves the condemnation of all decent people.
But it broke no law. I searched the Louisiana criminal code for a crime that I could prosecute. There is none.
A DA can find some law to prosecute if he or she wants to. My first thought was Reed Walters could have charged the noose-hangers with Disturbing the Peace, which they certainly did.
To determine why he didn't do this, I called the office. The receptionist said she would relay my message to him. His office number is (318) 992-8282 - the fax is (318) 992-4731. Please be polite when you call.
The bottom line is that it's hard to see that racism didn't play a roll in Walter's blindness to the legal options as well as the very disturbing door he leaves open to anyone who would taunt Blacks in this way.
Really upsetting.
