Jena Local upset officials didn't provide prior notice
The city knew it was coming for months. They'd been warned by the media; they'd been warned by the ralliers on the LaSalle Parish Courthouse lawn; they'd been warned by civil rights leaders coming to the tiny town of Jena to speak out about the "Jena Six."
But never once did the residents get a warning from the city, the leaders of the place they call home, Michelle Neal of Jena says.
"We needed to hear from the city what to do, how to handle it," she said of Thursday's rallies in the town of fewer than 3,500 residents. "It wasn't that I didn't want (the demonstrators) here. It is their right to protest. I believe in freedom of speech -- they have the right to be here. But I don't think the protesters have the right to have picnics in our yards."
Neal said she and many of her neighbors felt violated by the invasion without proper protection from the city. The responsibility, she said, doesn't fall on her head, doesn't fall on the head of law enforcement -- but instead on the head of city officials.
Neal, who lives on Second Street, said she didn't find out from the city or anyone else that the marching route would be going right by her and her neighbors' houses.
She stood on her front lawn Thursday watching as the sea of marchers dressed in black came toward her yard -- the yard Neal said she had spent $4,200 to landscape.
"I really didn't care if they were here, really that isn't the issue," she said. "But I stood on the corner of my yard and just kept saying, 'Do not step on the grass. Do not step on the grass.'"
In the end, Neal said there weren't any real problems in her city. Yeah, streets were littered with trash and some lawns were damaged, but the worst fears of some residents were not realized.
"I just think if the city had had some kind of town hall meeting or told us what was going on and told us what to do, it would have helped," Neal said. "When you don't prepare people for something, they go on fear. And that's what happened."
****What Can I Do To Help****
**LATEST JENA 6 NEWS YOU CAN STILL HELP** Many ask how can they help with the Jena 6 case I have put together some ways you can help..it's the latest news and ways you can help stop the racism..We need you to stand up!! Even $5.00 Will Help!!Donate online to the: Jena 6 Defense Fund or mail donations to. Jena 6 Defense Committee, P. O. Box 2798, Jena, LA 71342 Advocate in your community: Mobilize your community and local government to have a voice and unite on equality within the United States criminal justice system.Send a letter to the Louisiana Governor and the Louisiana Attorney General: Urge your local officials to investigate this matter to ensure that these young men’s constitutional rights are safeguarded.Register to vote: Make your vote count.Join the NAACP: Become a member of the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization and help make a difference.DONATE HERE IT'S FAST AND SECURE PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN!! PLEASE HELP!! PLEASE HELP EVEN $1 DOLLAR ADD'S UP!!
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Jena Defence
Louisiana Earns Dubious Distinction
Louisiana incarcerates more of its residents than any other state in the nation. Here are the top three:
1. Louisiana (791)
2. Texas (691)
3. Mississippi (660)
Lowest three states:
1. Maine (144)
2. Minnesota (180)
3. Rhode Island (189)
(Note: The national average incarceration rate is 491 per 100,000 residents.)
What Is The Jena 6
A little background for those that do not know, the Jena 6 are six Black students who face the possibility of going to prison for very long time, all because of a schoolyard fight. Almost a year ago, in the small town of Jena, Louisiana a group of Black students sat under a “whites-only” tree in the schoolyard. Yes they still have them.
Apparently, this upset some of the white students so much that the next day they put up nooses hanging from the tree. Soon after the nooses were hung, most of the 93 Black students (out of a total student enrollment of 546) at Jena High School stood together under the tree, in a courageous act of protest.
It wasn't long after this that a a school assembly was called, where a white district attorney told the Black students to just keep their mouths shut about the nooses. He told them if he heard anything else about it, he “can make their lives go away with the stroke of his pen.”
This eventually led to a fight that sent one white student to the hospital and six Black students to jail and that’s when all the comotion and eventual hell broke loose.
The Jena 6 are Robert Bailey (17), Theo Shaw (17), Carwin Jones (18), Bryant Purvis (17), Mychal Bell (16) and an unidentified minor. All were expelled from school, arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder. Bail was set so high starting at $70,000 and going as high as$138,000 that the they were left in prison for months as families went deep into debt to release them.
Here at Jena-6 .blogspot we will devote this entire site to the Jena 6 story. It is said to be covered by Oprah soon, only time will tell. We will keep you up to date on that as well.
Apparently, this upset some of the white students so much that the next day they put up nooses hanging from the tree. Soon after the nooses were hung, most of the 93 Black students (out of a total student enrollment of 546) at Jena High School stood together under the tree, in a courageous act of protest.
It wasn't long after this that a a school assembly was called, where a white district attorney told the Black students to just keep their mouths shut about the nooses. He told them if he heard anything else about it, he “can make their lives go away with the stroke of his pen.”
This eventually led to a fight that sent one white student to the hospital and six Black students to jail and that’s when all the comotion and eventual hell broke loose.
The Jena 6 are Robert Bailey (17), Theo Shaw (17), Carwin Jones (18), Bryant Purvis (17), Mychal Bell (16) and an unidentified minor. All were expelled from school, arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder. Bail was set so high starting at $70,000 and going as high as$138,000 that the they were left in prison for months as families went deep into debt to release them.
Here at Jena-6 .blogspot we will devote this entire site to the Jena 6 story. It is said to be covered by Oprah soon, only time will tell. We will keep you up to date on that as well.
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