Common Ground joins tens of thousands in Jena

Volunteers from Common Ground Relief joined tens of thousands of protesters in Jena, Louisiana to stand in solidarity with the families who have suffered a great injustice. Camping out in the backyard of one of the families the night before, volunteers marched from the starting point nearly three miles to the LaSalle parish courthouse, then back again to the park for a benefit concert. Working as a "relief" organization in New Orleans, it may not seem immediately apparent why Common Ground has been involved with the Jena 6 since mid July, long before it became an case of national significance. As the saying goes, "a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere." As Common Ground Relief works with the people of New Orleans to rebuild a just and sustainable city, we believe that the institutions and mindsets of racism that made the storm so catastrophic for poor, black people here, are the same structures at work in Jena: a criminal justice system that is disproportionately punitive to black men.

As Alan Bean, founder and director of Friends of Justice, a criminal justice reform group, said yesterday, we are dealing with a "new Jim Crow--using the criminal justice system to control the consequences of poverty." Though speaking about the case of the Jena 6, his statements ring equally true for the current post-Katrina situation in New Orleans. As Common Ground continues to fight against the consequences of racism and poverty that continue to hinder a just reconstruction for the city, we will stand with those who face the injustices of racism in all its forms, wherever they are.

-ECF

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Evan Casper-Futterman
Common Ground Legal Advocacy