Update 9/27/07

CNN has the story:

Mychal Bell, a black teenager accused of beating a white classmate and who was the last of the “Jena 6″ behind bars, was released from custody Thursday after a juvenile court judge set his bail at $45,000.

Bell’s release followed an announcement from LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters, who said he would not appeal a higher court’s decision moving Bell’s case to juvenile court.

Bell’s attorney Lewis Scott said the teen was moved from jail to a juvenile facility earlier Thursday.

I’m very happy to hear that finally some sense of justice has been served. Mychal has sat in jail close to a year and now he is finally getting the taste of freedom. This is certainly proof that there is power in protest and activism. If we don’t stand for something, we will fall for anything. This time it was the Jena 6, the next time it could’ve been your husband, son, brother, nephew, cousin, neighbor…but hopefully with everything that has transpired it will make folks think twice about their actions…whether that means not putting their hands on someone to retaliate or not manipulating the law to serve racist motivations.

 

 

Update 9/21/07

If there was any doubt lingering about how racist the DA and judge are in the Jena 6 case, CNN is reporting that Mychal Bell has been denied bail and the release from jail! This is just absolutely outrageous. He has already sat in jail since December of last year and now that his conviction has been tossed out he is still supposed to rot there while the prosecutors drag their feet and cook up some new charges to file? This is a f*&king outrage! It makes a total mockery of the notion of justice for all races in this country and it’s a slap in the face. Even if he did beat up the white kid…he has spent close to a year in jail for inflicting minor injuries….3 hours in the hospital for the white kid is worth more than a year taken away from the life of a young black man? While an adult white male beat up a black kid in that town days earlier and got away with probation…it’s outrageous! I’m just so disgusted by this and there needs to Federal intervention NOW!

9/20/07

Here is the story from Eurweb:

Thousands of protesters from across the country are making plans to attend a rally in Jena, Louisiana Thursday to voice outrage against the treatment of six black students by the town’s judicial system.

In December, the six teens – known as the Jena 6 – were accused of attempted murder for assaulting a white classmate who had taunted them with racial epithets. The victim was knocked unconscious and hospitalized, but attended a party the same evening. The local district attorney, Lee Walters, argued the six attacked the boy with a deadly weapon - their shoes.

The incident followed months of racial tensions in town, sparked by white students at the high school hanging nooses on a tree after black students had recently sat underneath. The school board briefly suspended the students who hung the nooses, but many black families felt the punishment was not severe enough. Police were called to the school because of racially-motivated fights.

Last Friday a state appeals court threw out the conviction against one of the six, Mychal Bell, stating he shouldn’t have been tried as an adult. However, he is still behind bars and protesters for the “Jena 6″ say the punishment is too harsh and racially motivated. The rally and march is still scheduled for tomorrow and is expected to draw more than 40,000 protesters.

Radio host Michael Baisden is asking people to wear black in solidarity with the Jena 6 and is scheduled to do his show live from Jena.”

First let me start by saying that I don’t condone violence against another person regardless of how wrong that person is. Not so much for self-righteous reasons, but for self preservation. Growing up in LA…I know of entirely too many stories where something started as a fistfight and ended in gunfire. So…for the simple fact that things can easily escalate into something horrendous, it’s just not a good idea to put your hands on anyone. As an adult…I know how much there is to lose by assaulting someone…your freedom, your ability to maintain a fruitful career, etc…so for that reason it’s always better to turn the other cheek unless you are attacked. It’s a shame that regardless of the outcome, these young men have already gone through hell and their lives will be forever changed while the kid they allegedly attacked is probably sitting somewhere getting a big kick out of their misery. That’s my two cents…BUT…there is a greater issue at hand.

This isn’t about whether 6 young black teens should get away with beating up a white kid that yelled racial slurs at them…it’s about how a district attorney with racist motivations  has given himself the omnipotent authority to manipulate the justice system to punish them way more severely than warranted. It’s about how white kids were allowed to beat up a black student for entering an all white party or pull a gun on a group of black kids at a gas station without being charged for anything (Source)…yet these black kids are getting the book thrown at them.  Trying to lock these young men up for the next 25 years over an altercation where the victim wasn’t even admitted to a hospital overnight and was able to go to a party that night is unconscionable. These young men shouldn’t be treated like their lives are disposable and they have no redeeming value to society whatsoever. The fact is…if this kind of treatment is accepted, then it’s only going to become an even more widespread problem (to compound the system disparities that already exist). Do you want DAs to be able to lock 16 and 17 year olds up and throw away the key over petty crimes? It’s a dangerous precedent and if the people don’t stand for something, then be prepared to fall for anything.

What do you guys think of all of the controversy that surrounds the Jena 6? What should be done to address the racial disparities in the justice system? Do you think this is an isolated case or symptomatic of a larger problem in this country? What kind of lessons will be learned from this ordeal? With all of the criticism that many Hip Hop artists have levied at Al Sharpton (i.e. calling him irrelevant, etc.) where are these same people to stand up for the Jena 6?

Posted by Reecie