WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 The events in Jena, La., that led thousands to protest the treatment of six African-American teens, "have saddened me," President George Bush said Thursday.
"(All) of us in America want there to be fairness when it comes to justice," Bush said during a news conference in Washington. It was his first public comment on the racially-charged matter.
Racial tension has been growing in Jena since last September, when a black student defied tradition by sitting under the school's so-called White Tree. The next day three nooses appeared in the tree. Later, a white student was allegedly beaten by six black students, who were charged with attempted murder rather than assault.
Thousands rallied in the small Louisiana town of 3,000 Thursday to protest the black youths' treatment.
Bush said both the Department of Justice and the FBI were monitoring the situation and that litigation was taking place.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
