A must read, Jena 6 an American Tragedy

[CalvinInTheMixMorgan]

Not sure if this has been posted before, but we have to be made aware of what still goes on here in our country. I was just told about it and felt the need to share. Please read and share the info about the following story.



"In a small highly segregated rural Louisiana town of Jena in September 2006, a Black student asked permission from school administrators to sit under the shade of a tree commonly reserved for the enjoyment of white students. School officials advised the Black students to sit wherever they wanted and they did. The next day, three nooses, in the school colors, were hanging from the same tree.

The Jena high school principal found that three white students were responsible and recommended expulsion. The white superintendent of schools over-ruled the principal and gave the students a three day suspension, saying that the nooses were "a youthful stunt." Black students decided to resist and organized a sit-in under the tree to protest the lenient treatment given to the noose-hanging white students.

Racial tensions remained elevated throughout the fall. On Monday, December 4 2006, a white student (Justin Barker, photo shown to the right) who allegedly had been racially taunting Black students in support of the students who hung the nooses got into a fight with Black students. Allegedly, the white student was taken to the hospital treated, released, reportedly attended a social function later that evening


As a result of this incident, six Black Jena students were arrested and charged with attempted second degree murder. All six were expelled from school. The six charged were: 17-year-old Robert Bailey Junior whose bail was set at $138,000; 17-year-old Theo Shaw - bail $130,000; 18-year-old Carwin Jones--bail $100,000; 17-year-old Bryant Purvis--bail $70,000; 16 year old Mychal Bell, a sophomore in high school who was charged as an adult and for whom bail was set at $90,000; and a still unidentified minor.


On the morning of the trial, the District Attorney reduced the charges from attempted second degree murder to second degree aggravated battery and conspiracy. Aggravated battery in Louisiana law demands the attack be with a dangerous weapon. The prosecutor was allowed to argue to the jury that the tennis shoes worn by Bell could be considered a dangerous weapon.
When the pool of potential jurors was summoned, fifty people appeared, all white. The jury deliberated for less than three hours and found Mychal Bell guilty on the maximum possible charges of aggravated second degree battery and conspiracy. He faces up to a maximum of 22 years in prison.

The rest of the Jena 6 await similar trials. Theodore Shaw is due to go on trial shortly. Mychal Bell's sentencing has been delayed. If he gets the maximum sentence he will not be out of prison until he is nearly 40."

THIS IS THE LINK FOR THE ENTIRE STORY AND MORE DETAILS (http://electronicvillage.blogspot.com/2007/08/jena-6-american-tragedy.html)

Again, spread the word.

[BrazenMuse]

There are a bunch of threads.
http://deephousepage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143130&highlight=jena+louisiana
http://deephousepage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142868&highlight=jena+louisiana
http://deephousepage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141298&highlight=jena+louisiana
http://deephousepage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140829&highlight=jena+louisiana
http://deephousepage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=139589&highlight=jena+louisiana
plus some on the old board.



Is there a move afoot to collectively donate by DHP members or to do fundraiser parties or something? Just a thought.

[CalvinInTheMixMorgan]

There are a bunch of threads.

Is there a move afoot to collectively donate by DHP members or to do fundraiser parties or something? Just a thought.

Didn't know about the other threads. Something needs to be done, some type of collection, I'm down for that.

[kaaos]

did those six guys gang up on 1 kid?

at worst it should be agrivated assualt for all 7 kids

[KBig]

did those six guys gang up on 1 kid?

at worst it should be agrivated assualt


b4 you ask another question... READ the entire story.

[DJ Timmy Richardson]

b4 you ask another question... READ the entire story.

Thank you.

[kaaos]

b4 you ask another question... READ the entire story.


from waht i can tell the white kid stated it and took on 6 kids all at once, is that right? was he hi or drunk?

[D J 1 3 8]

It's crazy now that if you get in to a fight with other high school kids you can face jail time. In my youth fights among anyone under 18 never lead to an arrest, even those with racial overtones.

[DJ Timmy Richardson]

from waht i can tell the white kid stated it and took on 6 kids all at once, is that right? was he hi or drunk?


THIS IS THE LINK FOR THE ENTIRE STORY AND MORE DETAILS (http://electronicvillage.blogspot.co...n-tragedy.html (http://electronicvillage.blogspot.com/2007/08/jena-6-american-tragedy.html))

[KBig]

from waht i can tell the white kid stated it and took on 6 kids all at once, is that right? was he hi or drunk?


READ the ENTIRE STORY...


:rolleyes:

[DJ Timmy Richardson]

It's crazy now that if you get in to a fight with other high school kids you can face jail time. In my youth fights among anyone under 18 never lead to an arrest, even those with racial overtones.

Fights were the norm in the Bx. Some were even scheduled. Why'd I just have a flashback to "The Principal"

[D J 1 3 8]

Charges reduced in 'Jena 6' attack
Tue Sep 4, 2:09 PM ET

JENA, La. - Prosecutors on Tuesday reduced the attempted murder charges against two more teenagers among the "Jena Six," a group of black high school students who were arrested following an attack on a white schoolmate.

Five of the teens were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, carrying sentences of up to 80 years in prison. The sixth faces undisclosed juvenile charges.

Civil rights advocates have decried the charges as unfairly harsh.

On Tuesday, charges against Carwin Jones and Theo Shaw were reduced to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy. That same reduction was made earlier for Mychal Bell, who was tried and found guilty and could be sentenced to 22 1/2 years at a hearing Sept. 20.

Also awaiting trial are Robert Bailey Jr. and Bryant Purvis, who still face attempted murder charges, and the unidentified juvenile.

The attack on Justin Barker, 18, came amid tense race relations in Jena, a mostly white town of 3,000 in north-central Louisiana where racial tensions have grown since incidents that started last school year at Jena High. After a black student sat under a tree on the school campus where white students traditionally congregated, three nooses were hung in the tree.

Students accused of placing the nooses were suspended from school for a short period.

The six black students were accused of beating and kicking Barker on Dec. 4. A motive for the attack was never established. Barker was treated at a hospital emergency room and released after about three hours.

Shaw's attorney, George Tucker, said Tuesday that he still doesn't believe his client will get a fair trial in Jena.

Shaw himself has dreams of attending Gramling State University. "Just drop all the charges and let us go on with our lives," the teenager told CNN Tuesday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070904/ap_on_re_us/school_fight

[D J 1 3 8]

Fights were the norm in the Bx. Some were even scheduled. Why'd I just have a flashback to "The Principal"

Definitely scheduled. There was a high shool near me that had yearly "race wars" among the student body that were scheduled. I kid you not.

Had there been hate crime bills then, shit would have been no joke.

[kaaos]

READ the ENTIRE STORY...


:rolleyes:

I did and the punishment was to severe for that kid. Probation was more fitting.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
They did put the instigator in the hospital. The story does not say what the white kid did to start it all off. Was it physical or verbal? Tried to google and no major news service has this story (WTF?). Only Blogs come up on google.

that white kid should of been charged as well.

[BrazenMuse]

I did and the punishment was to severe for that kid. Probation was more fitting.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
They did put the instigator in the hospital. The story does not say what the white kid did to start it all off. Was it physical or verbal? Tried to google and no major news service has this story (WTF?). Only Blogs come up on google.

that white kid should of been charged as well.
check the oldest of the articles...I think the original stories are there. Also peep http://colorofchange.org/ - that might be simpler. But the whole thing is crazy.

[D J 1 3 8]

I did and the punishment was to severe for that kid. Probation was more fitting.

They did put the instigator in the hospital. The story does not say what the white kid did to start it all off. Was it physical or verbal? Tried to google and no major news service has this story (WTF?). Only Blogs come up on google.

that white kid should of been charged as well.]

When I googled I found articles on Yahoo, MSNBC, CNN, AP, Reuters, etc.

The source linked in this thread may be thorough, but it certainly displays a clear bias, which is why I looked elsewhere to begin with.

[kaaos]

When I googled I found articles on Yahoo, MSNBC, CNN, AP, Reuters, etc.

The source linked in this thread may be thorough, but it certainly displays a clear bias, which is why I looked elsewhere to begin with.

yeah, that is what i was thinking.

i was searchin jenna not jena:rolleyes:


i do smell bullshit though. charges were to severe. did the one kid convicted have priors or was he on probation cause this is bullshit if he did not.

[kaaos]

got this from ikipedia so dont know how accurate it is:


The following Monday, December 4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_4), a white student named Justin Barker, aged 17, loudly discussed - "bragged," as characterized by National Public Radio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Public_Radio) - how Bailey had been beaten up by a white man that Friday night.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-NPR_6>[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-NPR)</SUP> When Barker walked out of the school gymnasium into the courtyard later that day, he was assaulted by Bailey and five other black students, and was temporarily knocked unconscious. The concussion he suffered has been described in the media as resulting either from a punch to the face or from hitting his head on concrete when thrown to the ground. While on the ground, Barker was kicked repeatedly. Barker was examined by a doctor at the local hospital.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-stealth_2>[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-stealth)</SUP><SUP class=reference id=_ref-NPR_7>[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-NPR)</SUP> After two hours of treatment and observation for his concussion and an eye that had swollen shut, Barker was discharged in time to go to the school Ring Ceremony that evening.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-wapo_3>[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-wapo)</SUP> In the meantime the six black students, eventually dubbed the "Jena Six"<SUP class=reference id=_ref-6>[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-6)</SUP>, were arrested.

Mychal Bell's juvenile record was recently released, revealing that he had been previously convicted of four other crimes. Bell was put on probation for a battery that occurred December 25, 2005, and he was later convicted of yet another battery charge and two charges of criminal damage to property.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-13>[19] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-13)</SUP>

[CalvinInTheMixMorgan]

got this from ikipedia so dont know how accurate it is:


The following Monday, December 4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_4), a white student named Justin Barker, aged 17, loudly discussed - "bragged," as characterized by National Public Radio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Public_Radio) - how Bailey had been beaten up by a white man that Friday night.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-NPR_6>[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-NPR)</SUP> When Barker walked out of the school gymnasium into the courtyard later that day, he was assaulted by Bailey and five other black students, and was temporarily knocked unconscious. The concussion he suffered has been described in the media as resulting either from a punch to the face or from hitting his head on concrete when thrown to the ground. While on the ground, Barker was kicked repeatedly. Barker was examined by a doctor at the local hospital.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-stealth_2>[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-stealth)</SUP><SUP class=reference id=_ref-NPR_7>[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-NPR)</SUP> After two hours of treatment and observation for his concussion and an eye that had swollen shut, Barker was discharged in time to go to the school Ring Ceremony that evening.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-wapo_3>[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-wapo)</SUP> In the meantime the six black students, eventually dubbed the "Jena Six"<SUP class=reference id=_ref-6>[11] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-6)</SUP>, were arrested.

Mychal Bell's juvenile record was recently released, revealing that he had been previously convicted of four other crimes. Bell was put on probation for a battery that occurred December 25, 2005, and he was later convicted of yet another battery charge and two charges of criminal damage to property.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-13>[19] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-13)</SUP>


As stated ealrier in the replies, the charges are way too much. But it looks as if the criminal history of two of them was taken into consideration. In 2005/2006 you still have those that are stuck in the dark ages, a whites only shade tree.

[ProvocativeElement]

Mychal Bell's juvenile record was recently released, revealing that he had been previously convicted of four other crimes. Bell was put on probation for a battery that occurred December 25, 2005, and he was later convicted of yet another battery charge and two charges of criminal damage to property.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-13>[19] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six#_note-13)</SUP>

they released his juvenile record? sump'n 'bout that don't seem quite right to me.

[CalvinInTheMixMorgan]

they released his juvenile record? sump'n 'bout that don't seem quite right to me.

ditto. Why not build a case why don't you? When it comes to justice, the same folks always get railroaded, again and again.

[righteous knowledge]

just got my "free jena 6" t-shirt in the mail. i told my students about this story in may. remember to wear all black on the 20th. this new millenium jim crow shyt got to stop.

"a luta continua"
the struggle continues!

[CalvinInTheMixMorgan]

Yo, how can I grab one of the T's?

[righteous knowledge]

Go to colorofchange.org and register. the shirts are $10 and they are asking people ifyou can't make it to jena onthe 20th,to wear the shirt or all black as a sign of resistence.

[CalvinInTheMixMorgan]

Go to colorofchange.org and register. the shirts are $10 and they are asking people ifyou can't make it to jena onthe 20th,to wear the shirt or all black as a sign of resistence.
Thanks, I'll do that, let's right this wrong.