WHY I WON'T MARCH!!!!

By William Dailey
Special Guest Contributor

In light of the breadth of my thoughts on the Jena 6, I resisted the temptation to revert back to the days of old where I would post emails to no end with political ramblings and calls for action. However, after witnessing the beautiful scene in Louisiana this morning, I could not help but to share a few points. Make no mistake, I do not condemn the activism of those who have traveled from all parts of the country to attend today's rally. Indeed, it shows commitment to a greater cause and is commendable.

Notwithstanding the positives, it is a [???choose your own expletive] shame that it has gotten to this point for us to take a stand. I heard this morning that Oprah, Michael Baisden, Sybil Wilks and several others with national audiences and great influence were expected to be in attendance. Yet, where were these same folks when the charges were first brought? Michael Bell was represented by a Black public defender who failed to call a single witness. The US Attorney's office concluded today that there was no link to the infamous noose incident and the fight for which the Jena 6 were convicted. Sure, the jury was all white. However, reports are that of the 100 jury questionnaires submitted, only 50 people responded and nam one of them were Black. I concede that the defendants of equally zealous prosecution in the Duke case had greater means to finance a top notch legal team. However, had we not been caught in a reactionary vacuum that limits our struggle to an after-the-fact radicalism, we would have prepared the means to assist one another when cases like this happen well in advance.

Beyond that, the focus of today's march is too limited for my liking. Does anyone believe that this case is the only case in the judicial system where Black defendants are facing disparate or unjust charges and suffering from inadequate representation? In spite of this arguably national trend, today's march is limited to today's cause. If you do not believe me, look at how many people are wearing shirts or holding signs exclusively dedicated to the "Jena 6" as opposed to "Justice for All." When Rosa Parks was arrested, the marchers did not say, "free Rosa Parks." Instead, they said, "End Segregation" and moved towards shutting down a system. Unfortunately, our so-called leaders today have abandoned such a wholistic view of liberation.
Further, I can not get with what I feel are mismatched priorities. Again, we ought to demand justice wherever and whenever justice is observed. However, when will our focus gravitate towards Black victims of crimes as opposed to Blacks accused of crimes? Where is the march for the sister who was kidnapped, raped, abused, and beat in W. Virginia? Where is the march for the sister in Florida who was gang raped and forced at gun point to perform oral sex on her son? Where is the march for the three teens in Jersey who were killed execution style days before leaving for college? Where are the marches for the growing body count here in St. Louis whereby car jackings and drive bys are commonplace? For some insane reason, we would rather take a stand for our people against injustice when "the system" is the culprit, but will not stand WITH our people when others who look like us are causing the pain. We practice willful blindness and celebrate a "stop snitching" lifestyle while Black men, women, and babies are dying. And yet, the marchers are no where to be found.

Do not get me wrong, I am certain that there are such efforts taking place in select towns. I believe Philly and Memphis are on the verge of putting together "armies" to fight against the destruction of our own. Yet, as a student of life, I could not bring myself to embrace another march for a isolated event (the march is targeted at those with the ability to impact THIS case, not all cases like it), when so much more remains to be done. Trust, I marched in Baton Rouge my freshmen year at Xavier. Ask me if I remember what we were marching for.
For those who want to march. March on. There's a role for every soldier in this battle. For those who are not marching, I pray that you focus your energies and finances on the work that remains to be done. Thanks for indulging my flashback to the days in which I'd write just for the sake of writing.

In closing, I leave you with a politically correct paraphrase of the Last Poets: Die N-word die! So the Black folks can take over.

Will.
07BT96, Epsilon Lambda
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated