"Jena 6... Justice, or Just-Us?" Jena, Louisiana 2007

"Jena 6... Justice, or Just-Us?" Jena, Louisiana 2007

This sign asks a question that gets to the heart of everything the movement was about. Three simple words, a visual pun, and two stark images: the scales of justice and a noose. Together, they capture a devastating reality that protesters were refusing to accept.

The question itself is brilliant in its simplicity. "Justice, or Just-Us?" It's wordplay, yes, but it's also a direct challenge to the legal system. Is justice truly blind and impartial, applying equally to all people? Or is it "just us"—meaning just for people like those in power, just for white communities, just for those who fit a certain profile? The sign is asking: in Jena, Louisiana, which system are we actually experiencing?

The images drawn on the sign make the argument even sharper. On one side, the scales of justice—the symbol of fairness and law that should apply equally to everyone. On the other side, a noose—a symbol of racial terror, of extrajudicial violence, of a system that has never treated Black Americans fairly. The protester is saying: look at what you're claiming versus what's actually happening. The gap between them is the problem.

What makes this sign powerful is that it names something that many people felt but couldn't articulate. The Jena Six case felt different because it was different. Six Black teenagers faced serious felony charges for a schoolyard fight, while other incidents—including racially motivated threats at the school—were treated as minor infractions. The legal system's response exposed something uncomfortable: whose side is justice really on?

This sign speaks to a generations-long pattern in America. Laws that look fair on paper have been applied unfairly to Black communities. Courts that should be impartial have shown bias. The question "Justice, or Just-Us?" asks people to see that pattern, to recognize it in Jena, and to refuse to accept it. That's why this simple handmade sign, held by someone whose name we don't know, captures something essential about the movement: the demand that real justice finally include everyone.