[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24774]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           INJUSTICE IN JENA

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow in Jena, Louisiana 
will be the culmination of the frustration and the outrage felt by so 
many across America as relates to the Jena 6.
  The Jena 6 is not about a few boys misbehaving, because we understand 
that when young people need correcting, we do so, but it is about the 
systemic discrimination, if you will, of African American males and 
Hispanic males as relates to the juvenile justice system. This young 
man should have been tried in the juvenile justice system, but he was 
tried in a system that gave him a sentence that was clearly, clearly 
without merit.
  Tomorrow we go to ask for justice not just for this young man and the 
other five that are there, but for young men across America who have 
been discriminated against, not given a second chance, and using the 
justice system to punish on the basis of race or ethnic background.
  Enough is enough. Where is the Department of Justice Civil Rights 
Division? Obviously, the lights are out. They need to turn their lights 
on.

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