The Latest News And Facts On The Jena Six Case

Latest Jena 6 Comment From A Mother Of 5

2007-10-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

Mychal Bell has served enough time in jail for him and the other young men. Now they have come up with something else to have him behind bars.Why not give him time served? It's okay for them to charge him and the others young men as adults, but not okay for him to get time served for all of his crimes. The DA said he couldn't find charges to charges the boys who hung the nooses, well why not make up charges just like he did for the Jena Six. I'm not in no way shape or form excusing what happened,but if you're going to punish people punish everyone invlved and not make excuses why the Jena Six were accused and the white boys weren't. I'm just a concern parent of 5 beautiful children and in this day and age it's ridiculous to have this kind of stuff going on especially sinc so many peole have sacrifice their lives for this same fight hundreds of years ago. God Bless The Jena Six Keep praying and know that all of you are in a lot of people prays and through God All Things Are Possible.

Latest Jena 6 News Mychal Bell Sentenced To 18 Months

2007-10-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

Mychal Bell is back on jail after only two weeks of so called free- freedom, Mychal Bell is once again back behind Jena Louisiana Juvenile jail bars.

Bell, by far the most well-known of the "Jena Six," was taken back into custody Thursday after a juvenile court hearing in Jena, LA.

Mychal Bell, who is only 17,had been held in an adult detention facility for roughly 10 months awaiting trial and then sentencing after a June conviction in connection with the beating of a fellow student at Jena High School,the case then went on to make national headlines. He was had been free since being released on bond on Sept. 27. Not even 1 month ago, the latest news has infuriated the Rev.Al Sharpton, who calls this cruel and unusual punisment.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has supported the Jena Six and worked for Bell to be released on bond last month, issued this statement Thursday night:

"Tonight, Mychal Bell was placed by the same judge in Jena, Louisiana, in a secured juvenile facility for 18 months after convicting him for two prior pending cases.

"We feel this was a cruel and unusual punishment and is a revenge by this judge for the Jena Six movement. His parents must also pay all costs of the court and witness costs and will have to pay for him in the facility. It is belived that the National Action Network will financially support the parents through this unusual financial strain imposed upon them."

Sharpton then added:"I call upon the governor of Louisiana, who has the overseeing powers over the juvenile criminal justice system, to meet with us immediately intervene on this obviously biased decision by the same judge. I intend to raise this next Tuesday, October 16th, in the proceedings of the United States House Judiciary Committee Hearings on Jena in Washington, D.C."

There is litle being said about the Thursday juvenile hearing that lasted from 1 p.m. until just after 8 p.m. A gag order was issued earlier this month by 28th Judicial District Court Judge J.P. Mauffray against Bell, his family and the attorneys involved, they have been prevented from talking to the press about the case, family has said.

It is unknown where Bell is being taken, but it is a juvenile facility.

Home Depot Workers Find Racial Slurs And A Noose Just The Latest Jena 6 News

2007-10-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

A Home Depot, Noose, and a racist slur

Home Depot Construction workers in South Elgin report incident and previous symbol of hate.
South Elgin police are investigating a hate crime after a racial slur was painted on a work counter and a noose was found hanging from an exit at a Home Depot store under construction, authorities said today.

The store's general contractor called police Monday morning to report that someone had written a racial slur in white spray paint on a countertop, South Elgin Detective Sgt. Mike Doty said.

And the construction firm felt it also might be a good time to tell police that about a week ago, workers discovered a noose made out of foam hanging from an exit in the building's garden center, Doty said. The incident was not reported to police at the time.

"There's been nothing like this before since they have been building the Home Depot," Doty said. "Based on the noose and the word, we are investigating it under the form of a hate crime."

The store is expected to open next month. The vandalism is just one of several suspected hate crimes reported in recent weeks in the Chicago area.
On Monday, a Lombard woman awoke to find a racial slur spray-painted in large red letters on the aluminum siding of the house she rents in the 1000 block of Sheldon Way.

Officials say the cases are the latest in a series of racial incidents across the country in the aftermath of the Jena 6 case in Louisiana.

It is said that one of the construction workers who saw the noose did contact the NAACP and told the group he thought it was intended for an African-American co-worker, said Temi Latinwo-Jones, the chapter's president.

A spokeswoman for Atlanta-based Home Depot said the home-improvement giant will also be investigating this latest case of Jena 6 hate crime.

"The Home Depot maintains a zero tolerance policy against discrimination and harassment," said spokeswoman Jennifer King in a written statement.

Jena 6 Latest News Comes From The Senate In The Form Of A Resolution

2007-10-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

U.S. Senate passes Jena 6 resolution

In the wake of the "Jena Six" case, the U.S. Senate on Thusday unanimously agreed to legislation requiring the hiring of at least three new community conciliators for the Louisiana region.

Passed was an amendment introduced by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, to the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill.

"The service waited too long to come to Jena," Landrieu said.

"By the time they set foot in Louisiana, attitudes had hardened and racial divisions had swelled," she said.

"The charges and counter-charges about the incidents in Jena LA. have torn apart a community and left many residents and frankly the whole world uneasy in Louisiana and across the nation. When a community is bitterly divided, the federal government has an obligation to get involved"

Jena 6 High School Burnt Down Just The Latest News In A Town Called Jena

2007-10-07T13:52:00.000-07:00

In a town that has stayed in the headlines it seems they'll be there for a while longer.The latest jena 6 headlines it seems that someone decided to burn the jena 6 highschool down.The pictures are of A fireman as he looks at a crack on the back wall of Jena High School. The crack means the building has been damaged structurally and will soon collapse.

Jena 6 Headlines Your Help Is Needed PLease Dont Turn Your Back

2007-10-05T16:12:00.001-07:00

**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!!

AT THE TOP OF OUR PAGE IS A PAY PAL BUTTON ALL FUNDS WILL GO TO JENA DEFENCE
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!!

Latest Jena 6 News David Banner Takes His Cause To The Radio

2007-10-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

The hip-hop community has been more vocal about the Jena Six case, from its stars to its blogs, which have posted frequent updates about the teens’ fate.

The always outspoken Mississippi rapper David Banner wasn’t at last month’s protest —instead, he went on a radio tour to promote his album so he could let listeners know about the case.

If you wondered why he said “I thought it would have been more powerful for me to get on the radio and talk about it, and drive people there and let people know what’s going on than actually being there,” said Banner. “We wanna be there to show face, but if you’re actually more powerful at the capacity that you are, then you should do what you do.”

Banner says he became involved because “it’s so close to home.

“No. 2, there’s a Jena Six that goes on in Mississippi every month — or every two months,” he continued. “See that’s the thing. America has a tendency to try to make things — single out things — as if this is a one-time occurrence. ... We have to stop acting like stuff don’t exist.”

Another March For The Jena 6 Todays Latest Jena News

2007-10-04T01:16:00.000-07:00

Protest at Justice Dept Jena Six Latest March

Protesters chanting "No justice, no peace" gathered outside the Justice Department on Wendsday to demand that federal authorities investigate the "Jena 6" case.

"We're here today in solidarity with the Jena 6," shouted Howard University senior Eugene Puryear, the organizer of the event. "All charges should be dropped and the Jena Six should be free."

The event, sponsored was by the ANSWER Coalition,The confrontation followed months of escalating racial tensions touched off when three white students hung nooses from a tree on school grounds.

Protesters lifting their neon signs high, formed a rotating circle along the shady sidewalk in front of the Justice Department as some drivers in rush hour traffic honked in support.

Falcons Want There Money Back Vick Lawyers In Court For State Charges

2007-10-04T01:09:00.000-07:00

The Atlanta Falcons wants a refund on the $22 million in bonus money paid to quarterback Michael Vick.

"I don't expect it will go beyond a day," said University of Pennsylvania law professor Stephen B. Burbank, the special master who will serve as arbitrator of the hearing at the law school.

Attorneys representing the NFL Players Association will argue against the Falcons' claim.

The team is expected to contend that Vick knew he was in violation of the contract when he signed the $130 million deal in December 2004, and that he used proceeds from the deal to fund his dogfighting operation.

"I think clearly it's a reach on the part of the Falcons," said Jerry Reisman, a contract and business attorney based in Garden City, N.Y. "I think Vick earned that money. He received the roster bonus given out if you are on a roster at any point. He was on the roster in 2004 and earned the money."

Under the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, bonus money earned cannot be returned.

Also Wednesday, Vick's attorney appeared in Surry County (Va.) Circuit Court and was asked to return Nov. 27 to set a trial date on state charges. The attorney, Larry Woodward, told the judge he would be in touch with the prosecutor. It's possible Vick might agree to a plea deal or his attorneys could file a motion to toss the charges.

Jena 6 News And Latest Facts The Mother Of Mychal Speeks

2007-10-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

After nine months behind bars, the 17-year-old Mychal Bell,was released on bail last week. Essence.com caught up with Melissa Bell to learn how her son is coping, what they both have taken from this experience and why their battle is far from over. Read The Whole Interview Here

Mychal Bell Goes To Court And No One Shows Up

2007-10-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

JENA, La. — No media and no supporters greeted Mychal Bell this time as Mychal heads into court on Tuesday.

There were no details of why Bell was in court since his case now is being handled in juvenile court and is not open to the public.

"I can't tell you about what just happened or what is next," said Louis Scott, one of Bell's attorneys, as he left the building. We will keep you up to
date with the latest on the case.

Exclusive Photos The Jena 6 Latest News

2007-10-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

A group of white Louisiana college students dressed in blackface and reenacted the "Jena 6" assault while a friend snapped photos the staged attack, images that were later posted to one of the participant's Facebook page. The photos, which you'll find here ,were taken late last month on the bank of the Ouachita River, where students from the University of Louisiana at Monroe giddily acted out the racial attack. The photos were posted to the Facebook page of Kristy Smith, a freshman nursing student. The album of images was entitled "The Jena 6 on the River." ,three students with mud smeared across their bodies stomp on a fourth student, while two of the participants are heard to say, "Jena 6." One man can also be heard saying, "Niggers put the noose on." After the video and photos on Smith's page were discovered by fellow students, she removed the material and made her Facebook page private. Smith, who did not respond to a e-mail sent to her school address, apologized for the images in several recent Facebook postings. "We were just playin n the mud and it got out of hand. I promise i'm not racist. i have just as many black friends as i do white. And i love them to death," she wrote.

See The Jena 6 Outrage Latest Video Shows Where The Money Went

2007-10-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

See how the men in the jena 6 spent the money..the latest video from Jena 6 Is Just A shame, But not a big shocker

Investigation going on since noose was placed around a kindergartener's neck

2007-10-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

GRAMBLING -- Grambling State University President Horace Judson said the school has begun a full investigation of facts surrounding a Sept. 20 incident at Grambling Lab's elementary school in which a noose was placed around a kindergartener's neck.

The same day that thousands of protestors marched in Jena, a mock rally of smaller scale took place at Alma J. Brown Elementary School, which is on the GSU campus and run by the university.

Judson said he will meet with officials from the elementary school and the GSU College of Education.

"Everyone wants answers, and I don't have them right now," he said Monday morning.

National attention is aimed at this university today with concerns about child safety following the incident in which teachers used a noose and other means because "the children asked questions" about the Jena Six incident, said Justin LaGrande, a reporter at the GSU student newspaper.

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2007-10-01T00:14:00.000-07:00

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DA In The Jena Six Case Denies The Protests And The Pressure Had Any Bearing On His Desion To Let Bell Go Free

2007-09-29T21:39:00.000-07:00

District Attorney Reed Walters said if he had it all to do over again, he would do things differently. He would not change how he prosecuted the case; instead, he would change how he communicated the case. He’s been true to his word. In the past week he’s held two news conferences and written an Op-Ed spot for the New York Times.

Walters denies the protests and the pressure have had any bearing on his actions. No one in town or elsewhere believes him.

This story has grown beyond Jena in many minds. Sometimes the facts seem to just get in the way. Jesse Jackson said all charges should be dropped against Bell and the other members of the "Jena 6." But there was a crime. Classmate Justin Barker was beat up by a group of youths last December at the high school. And it was not just a schoolyard fight. Barker was blindsided with the first punch as he stepped out the door. As he fell he struck his head. He was defenseless as he was repeatedly punched and kicked while he lay unconscious.

Should Jena ignore this crime for the greater good? Ignore it like authorities allegedly ignored white-on-black incidents in the town? Perhaps Bell, who some say wasn't even part of the assault on Barker, should use the line some fostered in the high school after nooses appeared in a tree on campus, that it was "just a prank."

Heres A Scarry Reality Theres A Morgue Trailer AwaitIng The Next Hurricane

2007-09-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Morgue's new trailer awaits next hurricane

HOUMA, La. -- At Bayou Terrebonne and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a long, white trailer overlooks the downtown Houma marina.

The trailer has been empty nearly two years, but the flip of a switch from a morgue employee can have it roaring to life, its refrigerator dropping the temperature inside in preparation for a new spate of bodies.

Bought by the Federal Emergency Management Agency during 2005's hurricanes, the trailer stored the overflow of bodies from nursing homes in parishes stricken more severely than Terrebonne, said Greg Whitney, an investigator for the parish Coroner's Office.

FEMA gave 200 of its distinctive blue body bags to the parish. The bags are stripped down for emergency use - no handles, for example - but are still high quality, Whitney said.

When the state set up its temporary morgue in St. Gabriel, it used trailers similar to the one that remains in Terrebonne for storage. Since the crisis passed, however, Terrebonne's morgue trailer has not been used. Though it's the same model used by any company that ships refrigerated goods, no one else wants it, Whitney said, for a simple reason: It had bodies in it.

Now, the onsite trailer is kept as a precaution. In the wake of a deadly 2005 storm season, and in the midst of another one that has already produced two Category 5 storms, officials are hanging on to it, just in case.

A morgue trailer may conjure images in the CSI-trained mind of gleaming surfaces and precision instruments, but Terrebonne's offers no such glamour. It's a large, completely empty box that can get quite cold.

"It's as plain as plain can get," Whitney said.

The trailer's main asset is its size. The Terrebonne Parish Morgue has space for 10 bodies, and only eight at present, because of problems with two units - and that's the biggest game in town. The Lafourche morgue can hold three, Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center can hold two, and no one else - not even hospitals or funeral homes - has any storage at all, Whitney said.

By contrast, the 47-foot trailer can hold an estimated 60 to 80 bodies, if needed, Whitney said.

"We start looking around, where can we put the bodies?," Whitney said. "If it's natural deaths or whatever, you have to have some sort of contingency plan."

It also has another design asset - stainless steel floors, which are remarkably easy to clean. The large refrigerator unit up front can easily bring the temperature inside to 50 degrees or lower.

"The cooling unit brings it down enough, so that the bodies don't undergo any more deterioration," Whitney said. The body bags also help hold in the cool air. "The trick is to make sure the body doesn't start decaying."

The trailer wound up on waterfront property when the parish asked the Coroner's Office to move it off the parish yard for space reasons. The morgue was a decent choice because employees stop by regularly to make sure its cooling unit is in good working order. Plus, investigators are often called out at night, so they have ready access to the trailer if they need it.

People often ask what the trailer is for, Whitney said. The back doors, he said, are firmly locked if bodies are present.

"You get some weird people in this world," Whitney said.

Life in LA, Isnt't allways pretty,Jena 6 latest facts, news in and around Jena LA

Colorado students are going to walkout on monday- for the Jena 6

2007-09-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

University of Colorado students organizing Jena Six walkoutBOULDER, Colo. — Some University of Colorado students are organizing a classroom walkout Monday to bring attention to the “Jena 6” case.

CU senior Jarvis Fuller, a member of CU’s Black Student Alliance, said the walkout was part of a national effort called for by rapper Mos Def to highlight the treatment of six black teenagers in the Louisiana town of Jena.

“This is a clear example that there’s a lot of inequality, a lot of injustice going on,” said Fuller, who learned about the effort in an e-mail from a friend on campus.

He said the 50 members of the BSA would participate in the walkout and wear green to represent liberation.

Sally Ho, a spokeswoman for the University of Colorado Student Union, said representatives of the student government would also join the walkout.

Jarvis said he would encourage more students to participate through e-mails and postings on Facebook, a popular social networking site.

Last week, thousands of protesters converged on Jena to rally against what they perceive as different standards of justice for blacks and whites.

Jesse Jackson Still Unhappy The Latest News On The Jena 6

2007-09-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

Jesse Jackson Still Unhappy
Civil rights leaders who met Friday with top Justice Department officials said they are discouraged that the department has not filed any civil rights actions in the racially charged "Jena 6" case.

"It was a very disappointing meeting," Rev. Jesse Jackson told reporters after he and other leaders emerged from talks with Rena Comisac, interim director of the Justice Department's civil rights division.

Jackson said the department was too slow to "enforce the law" against acts he considers hate crimes and threats of violence.

The meeting came a day after the district attorney in Jena, La., confirmed that he would no longer seek an adult trial for 17-year-old Mychal Bell, one of six black teens arrested for beating a white classmate. He still faces trial as a juvenile.

Vick has signed the summons to appear before a judge next week on state dogfighting charges

2007-09-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

Michael Vick has signed a summons to appear before a Surry County judge next week on state dogfighting charges.

The Newport News native and three co-defendants are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Sussex County, the temporary location of the Surry court.

On Tuesday, the grand jury indicted Vick on two felony counts -- one of animal cruelty and another of dogfighting.

The six-member panel rejected eight counts of dog killing that were presented by Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald Poindexter.

Vick pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges in August and awaits sentencing in December.

Meantime, Vick is facing more money issues.

As we reported First Source Bank of South Bend says in a federal lawsuit it suffered damages of at least $2 million because Vick and Divine Seven LLC of Atlanta refused to pay for the vehicles. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

Last week, the Royal Bank of Canada sued Vick in federal court in Richmond for more than $2.3 million that it said he planned to use for real estate investments.

Mychal Bell Bailed Out By A Stranger

2007-09-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — 17-year-old Mychal Bell, the center of a civil rights controversy in a small Louisiana town left jail, he had a stranger to thank.

Dr. Stephen Ayers, who lives about 135 miles away, said he felt compelled to help the family of Mychal Bell by posting the teen's bond and allowing him to go home for the first time in 10 months.

Bell is one of six black teenagers accused of beating a white classmate in the central Louisiana town of Jena, where more than 20,000 demonstrators gathered last week to protest what they perceive as differences in how black and white suspects are treated.

Ayers, 42, of Lake Charles in southwestern Louisiana, said Friday that he isn't politically active and isn't usually one to "get into things like this." But then a patient whose feet hurt after the march gave him a report on the event, in which Ayers did not participate.

"I was concerned about what was going on up there and thought the district attorney was a bit harsh in his treatment of Mr. Bell," said Ayers, who is black but added that his race was not his motivation. "I really thought it was overkill."

Bell was released from custody Thursday on $45,000 bail after District Attorney Reed Walters announced that he would abandon adult charges against him. Ayers posted $5,400, the required 12 percent bond set by a judge Thursday.

Mike Vick In The News Again This Time Its A Good Thing

2007-09-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Drawing of Lane Stadium signed by Mike Vick,And 7 other Hokies Will Be auctioned
A drawing of Lane Stadium signed by Michael Vick and seven other Virginia Tech football stars will be auctioned Saturday with proceeds going to the fund set up in the wake of the mass killings at Virginia Tech in April. Brian Hart went to work on the piece after a student gunman killed 32 people and committed suicide April 16 on the Blacksburg campus. He spent two months this summer tracking down eight of the nine former players whose names adorn Lane Stadium's banners that honor its greatest players, with the exception of the late Frank Loria.

"Like a lot of people--most people--I wanted to do something to give, do something to help" in the wake of the massacre, Hart said.

Hart, 43, visited Vick's Hampton Roads home to get the Atlanta Falcons quarterback's signature early this summer, weeks before dogfighting charges placed Vick in the national spotlight.

Since then, Vick has pleaded guilty to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge, been indicted on state charges related to dogfighting and has been suspended indefinitely without pay from the Falcons. On Wednesday, a federal judge tightened restrictions on Vick after he tested positive for marijuana, a violation of the conditions of his release as he awaits sentencing on the federal conviction.

When Hart saw Vick, he said the quarterback was looking forward to the season staring and hoping to lead the Falcons to the Super Bowl. Hart said Vick was eager to help his alma mater.

"It has to have Michael Vick's autograph on there," Hart said "It's be incomplete without it."

To bid online: www.buycollegeart.com

Bank Sues Falcons Quarterback Mike Vick It's Just The Latest News

2007-09-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

South Bend bank sues Falcons quarterback Vick
Fri. September 28 - 2007

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who pleaded guilty last month to federal dog fighting charges, has been sued by 1st Source Bank in South Bend over claims that his company hasn't repaid more than $2 million in loans.

The loans to Divine Seven LLC, a Georgia company, were made to finance vehicles for a car rental firm in the Atlanta area, according to the South Bend Tribune. Loan documents list Vick as the chief financial officer of Divine Seven.

The suit was filed Sept. 26 in U.S. District Court in South Bend. 1st Source finances car rental agencies around the country.

A judge has ordered Vick to be confined to his Hampton, Va., home after Vick tested positive for marijuana this month.

Attorney Reed Walters said he considered when deciding not to appeal said he decidied not to appeal

2007-09-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

JENA -- The best interests of Justin Barker, the victim in the highly publicized "Jena Six" case, were what LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters said he considered when deciding not to appeal the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal's decision to overturn Mychal Bell's adult conviction, sending it back to juvenile court.

"This decision comes after thoroughly reviewing the facts and researching the law in this area, as well as consulting with some of the best legal minds that I know of in this state," Walters said. "While I believe that a review would have merit in a very unsettled area of the law, I also believe it is in the best interest of the victim and his family not to delay this matter further and to move it toward a conclusion."

The Jena 6 Case Has Obama, Clinton battling for black votes

2007-09-28T00:39:00.000-07:00

The Jena 6 Case Has Obama, Clinton battling for black votes in Congress

WASHINGTON -- The Democratic Party's leading presidential candidates get a chance today to reach out to the nation's top African-American policymakers and legislators, but one who is already a member of the Congressional Black Caucus may need the opportunity most.

National polls of black Democrats suggest a near-even split between Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a trend pundits said Obama must improve upon to win the party's nomination.Taking a side on the Jena six case may just be the leverage one candidate may need.

Strictly speaking, Obama's speech today on climate change at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference isn't a campaign event. He should rally behing the jena 6 case and ride it all the way to washington. But coming the same day that the CBC's chair, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, a Michigan Democrat from Detroit, is holding a public dialogue with Clinton, it could help some in the crowd decide who they'll support.

"Every opportunity matters," said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons. "The more African Americans get comfortable with Obama's campaign, the better off he is."

Mychal Bell The Jena 6 Defendant Released On US$45,000 Bail Get The Latest News

2007-09-28T00:28:00.000-07:00

Jena 6 defendant released on US$45,000 bail
JENA, La. -- A black teenager whose prosecution in the beating of a white classmate prompted a massive civil rights protest here walked out of a courthouse Thursday after a judge ordered him freed.

Mychal Bell's release on $45,000 bail came hours after a prosecutor confirmed he would no longer seek an adult trial for the 17-year-old. Bell, one of the teenagers known as the Jena Six, still faces trial as a juvenile in the December beating in this small central Louisiana town.

"We still have mountains to climb, but at least this is closer to an even playing field," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who helped organize last week's protest.

"He goes home because a lot of people left their home and stood up for him," Sharpton said as Bell stood smiling next to him.

Mychal Bell Goes Free, Judge Free's Mychal Bell The Latest Jena 6 News

2007-09-28T00:20:00.000-07:00

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.

Wearing a blue striped golf shirt and jeans, Bell walked out of the LaSalle Parish courthouse a week after an estimated 15,000-plus demonstrators marched through Jena -- a town of about 3,000 -- to protest local authorities' handling of the teens' case.

"We do not condone violence of any kind, but we ask that people be given a fair and even chance at the bar of justice," the Rev. Al Sharpton said outside the courthouse.

"Tonight, Mychal can go home, but Mychal is not out of the juvenile process. He goes home because a lot of people left their home and stood up for him," he said.

"Let America know -- we are not fighting for the right to fight in school. We're not fighting for the right for kids to beat each other. We're fighting to say that there must be one level of justice for everybody. And you cannot have adult attempted murder for some, and a fine for others, and call that equal protection under the law. Two wrongs don't make one civil right."

Demonstrators at last week's march were protesting how authorities handled the cases of Bell and five other teens accused of beating fellow student Justin Barker.

Many said they were angry that the students, dubbed the Jena 6, were being treated more harshly than three white students who hung nooses from an oak tree on Jena High School property.
The white students were suspended from school but did not face criminal charges. The protesters said they should have been charged with a hate crime.

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

Walters said his decision not to appeal was based on what he believed was best for the victim in the case.

"While I believe that a review would have merit ... I believe it is in the best interest of the victim and his family not to delay this matter any further and move it to its conclusion," Walters told reporters. Watch the Rev. Al Sharpton discuss the teen's release »

He said last week's march, which included Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, did not influence his decision.

Bell, now 17, was the only one of the Jena 6 behind bars. His bond previously was set at $90,000.

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2007-09-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

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Latest Jena 6 News Black Pantheres Are Now Involved

2007-09-27T09:26:00.000-07:00

The Latest Jena News, "Black Panthers say they are going to patrol Jena, LA."

Members of the New Black Panther Party plan to patrol the streets of Jena to protect the "Jena Six" and their families following threats by white supremacists.

But local law enforcement officials said they have not seen any party members on patrol.

In an announcement on its Web site, the party claims that Jena police and the LaSalle Parish Sheriff's Office "announced that they would not provide protection for the families of the Jena 6 under threat."

LaSalle Parish Sheriff Carl Smith said Wednesday that is not true.
He said his department has additional officers on duty and is receiving assistance from federal officers and the Louisiana State Police.

Also on Wednesday, LaSalle Parish School Superintendent Roy Breithaupt held a press conference to clarify information circulating about the Jena Six case.

In August 2006, when nooses were hung from a tree at Jena High School, then-Principal Scott Windham called for an expulsion committee to investigate, Breithaupt said.

The investigation showed that the three students involved had no history of behavior problems and had never "demonstrated an inclination toward violence or to do physical harm to anyone," no physical injury resulted, and no violent act was intended when the nooses were hung, Breithaupt said in a press release.

"In deciding the consequences for the students' behavior, the committee determined that expulsion was not appropriate," he said in the release.

The boys involved were sent to alternative school for nine days, served a two-week, in-school suspension, had Saturday detentions, had to attend Discipline Court, were referred to Families in Need of Services and had an evaluation before returning to school as part of the district's Crises Management Policy Procedures.

In the December 2006 incident in which Jena High School student Justin Barker was attacked at school, allegedly by the Jena Six defendants, it was not a "schoolyard fight," Breithaupt said.

"It was a premeditated ambush and attack by six students against one," the superintendent said in a press release. "The victim attacked was beaten and kicked into a state of bloody unconsciousness."

An expulsion committee investigated the attack, and expulsion was recommended. Four students appealed the decision. The expulsions were upheld by the LaSalle Parish School Board after a hearing.

Breithaupt said the expelled students were told they could continue their education in an alternative setting.

"I continue to firmly stand behind the actions of the LaSalle Parish school system in regard to these incidents," Breithaupt said.

Threats made against all parties in the Jena Six case remain under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, state and local officials.

Tina Jones, mother of Jena Six member Bryant Purvis, said Wednesday that she had received several threatening telephone calls since information about her was posted on the Internet. The personal information of the Jena Six families was placed on a white supremacist Web site.

"One called the house and said he was KKK and said he was on the way to Jena to come for my son," Jones said.

Jones said other Jena Six family members had also received threatening calls and letters, which have been given to the FBI.

A meeting between Jena Six family members and about seven representatives from the New Black Panther Party took place Sunday in Jena to discuss protection, Jones said. Exactly how the New Black Panthers would provide protection wasn't discussed, she said.

"They just said they would assist with protecting the families," she said.

Catrina Wallace, local NAACP member and relative of one of the Jena Six defendants, said she arranged Sunday's meeting.

In a press release posted on the party's site, Malik Shabazz, leader of the New Black Panther Party for Self Defense, said members would begin this week to patrol the streets of Jena to protect not only the Jena Six families but all black residents "against open and imminent threats from Ku Klux Klan and other White supremacists advocating violence."

The party is forming a committee called The Security and Protection Committee of the Jena 6 that would involve organizations and volunteers from across the nation.

Among the organizations noted to be a part of the committee were the Millions More Movement and the Black Muslims in addition to the New Black Panther Party. "The coalition will coordinate and lead an all-volunteer effort that will man shifts and provide personal security for the Jena Six families as well as local residents under the threat of Klan intimidation in the wake of the successful September 20th mass demonstration in Jena and around the U.S.," the release states.

The release says security will be provided for the upcoming months.

"This threat is real," the release states. "The September 20th demonstration, which we aided in organizing, has created a resentment and backlash in certain quarters of Jena's white community. In the spirit of the Deacons of Defense, we intend to exercise our full range of legal rights of defense and protection to ensure that this very real threat of violence is neutralized."

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Latest Rullings In The Jena Case

2007-09-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

BATON ROUGE -- District Attorney Reed Walters has agreed that Mychal Bell, one of the group of teenagers labeled the "Jena Six", be tried as a juvenile, Gov. Kathleen Blanco announced.

At a press conference with the Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, Blanco said Walters has decided to drop his appeal of court decision that threw out Bell's conviction as an adult and said he should be tried in juvenile court. Bell and five other students are accused of beating a kicking a student

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Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco Says She Wont Challenge The Courts Rulling

2007-09-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Wednesday that the prosecutor in one of the so-called "Jena 6" cases has decided not to challenge an appellate ruling that sends the case to juvenile court.
LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters had earlier said he would appeal the state appeals court's decision that 17-year-old Mychal Bell's second-degree battery conviction be set aside. The court ruled that Bell could not be tried as an adult.

Blanco said she had spoken with Walters and asked him to reconsider pushing to keep the case in the adult courts system. She said Walters contacted her Wednesday to say he had decided not to appeal the ruling.

"I want to thank him for this decision he has made," Blanco said.

Bell, who remains behind bars, was one of six Jena High School teens arrested after a December attack on a white student, Justin Barker. Five of the six teens initially were charged with attempted second-degree murder, though charges for four of them, including Bell, were later reduced. One teen hasn't been arraigned, and the case of the sixth, handled as a juvenile, is sealed.

Blanco made her announcement at a news conference with activists Martin Luther King III and the Rev. Al Sharpton. Sharpton said he hopes a bond will be set low enough to allow for Bell's release, and he thanked Blanco for getting involved in the matter.

"I want to congratulate her for showing leadership," Sharpton said. "And I want to congratulate the district attorney for good judgment."

Blanco said Walters gave her permission to announce his decision, and that he planned to discuss his decision publicly on Thursday. A phone call placed at Walters' home went unanswered Wednesday.

The case brought more than 20,000 protesters to the central Louisiana town of Jena last week in a marched that harkened back to the demonstrations of the 1950s and '60s.

Critics accuse local officials of prosecuting blacks more harshly than whites. They note that no charges were filed against three white teens suspended from the high school for allegedly hanging nooses in a tree on campus — an incident that was followed by fights between blacks and whites, including the attack on Barker.

Walters has condemned the noose incident — calling it "abhorrent and stupid" in a New York Times op-ed piece Thursday — but said the act broke no Louisiana law.

In the article, Walters defended the aggravated second-degree battery counts most of those charged in the attack on Barker now face. He said Barker was "blindsided," knocked unconscious and kicked by at least six people, and would have faced "severe injury or death" had another student not intervened.

Jena Six KKK Tattoos The Latest Jena 6 News

2007-09-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

Since the Jena 6 rally, copy cat young racist have been hanging nooses from trees at their schools in America. Young white men with KKK tattoos on their chest have been attempting to incite riots by displaying noosed ropes in front of Jena 6 protestors. Racist web sites have been trying to hype up the sleeping white racist in America.

The families of the boys accused of attempted murder in Jena are receiving endless death threats by phone. Why doesn’t the government use the Patriot Act and tap and trace the phones of these terrorist that are terrorizing these families? The government won’t do anything because government security systems aren’t meant to protect African Americans. If these systems were meant to help us, they would use these systems to defend us in times like these. I am sure that they are listening to the phone calls and they are keeping a log of who calls. They just aren’t doing anything to the callers because the terrorist neo-nazis and KKK members are keeping colored people ‘in their places’ like they have done since the end of the Civil War.

President Bush says that the government is monitoring the situation. The government monitored the slave trade. The government monitored the national distribution of drugs into the black community during the civil rights movement. The government monitored Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Now the president says that the FBI is monitoring the Jena 6 situation. What the government needs to do is stop the prosecutor in Jena. The government needs to free Genarlow Wilson.

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Mike Vick Fails Drug Test Could Go To Jail Sooner Than Thought

2007-09-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

A federal judge has placed even tighter restrictions on Michael Vick Wednesday after the Atlanta Falcons quarterback tested positive for marijuana.

Because of the result, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson placed special conditions on Vick’s release, including restricting him to his home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. with electronic monitoring and ordering him to submit to random drug testing.

The urine sample was submitted Sept. 13, according to a document by a federal probation officer that was filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday.

Vick, who has admitted bankrolling a dogfighting operation on property he owns in Surry County in his written federal plea, is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 10. He faces up to five years in prison.

Because Vick violated the conditions of his release, Hudson could take that into consideration during sentencing, said Linda Malone, a criminal procedure expert and Marshall-Wythe Foundation professor of law at the College of William and Mary.

“Every judge considers pretty seriously if they feel that the defendant has flaunted the conditions for release,” Malone said.

“It’s certainly not a smart thing to do.”
On Tuesday, Vick also was indicted on state charges of beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs and engaging in or promoting dogfighting. Each felony is punishable by up to five years in prison.

The 27-year-old former Virginia Tech star was placed under pretrial release supervision by U.S. Magistrate Dennis Dohnal in July. The restrictions included refraining from use or unlawful possession of narcotic drugs or other controlled substances.

The random drug testing ordered Wednesday could include urine testing, the wearing of a sweat patch, a remote alcohol testing system or any form of prohibited substance screening or testing.

Hudson’s order also requires Vick to participate in inpatient or outpatient substance therapy and mental health counseling, if the pretrial services officer or supervising officer deem it appropriate. Vick must pay for the treatment.

Vick’s attorney, Billy Martin, did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

In January, Vick was cleared by police of any wrongdoing after his water bottle was seized by security at Miami International Airport. Police said it smelled of marijuana and had a hidden compartment that contained a “small amount of dark particulate.”

Lab tests found no evidence of drugs, and Vick explained that he used the secret compartment to carry jewelry.

The federal dogfighting case began in late April when authorities conducting a drug investigation of Vick’s cousin raided the property and seized dozens of dogs, most of them pit bulls, and equipment commonly associated with dogfighting.

Six weeks later, when the local investigation seemed to be dragging and a local search warrant was allowed to expire, federal agents arrived with their own warrants and started digging up dog carcasses buried days before the first raid.

Vick had no prior criminal record, so monitoring is the next step for him, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Another failed drug test likely would land him in jail.

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Jena 6 Goes To Capital Hill On The Back Of Al Sharpton

2007-09-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

Lawmakers Are Seeking The Release Of The Jena 6 Teen's
A lawmaker said Tuesday he will press the government for the release of a black teenager held in the "Jena 6" case that spurred one of the biggest civil-rights demonstrations in years. Other activists said they planned more protests if the teen is not immediately pardoned.

"Our first responsibility is to get young Mychal Bell out of prison," said Rep. John Conyers, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who said he will pressure the Justice Department to take a hard look at "the miscarriages of justice that have occurred in Jena, Louisiana."

Conyers spoke after he and several other black lawmakers met with Bell's parents.

Bell, now 17, was one of six teens arrested after a December attack on a white student, in the culmination of several fights between blacks and whites. Five of the six teens initially were charged with attempted second-degree murder, though charges for four of them have been reduced. One teen hasn't been arraigned, and the case of the sixth, handled as a juvenile, is sealed.

A state appeals court recently set aside the aggravated second-degree battery conviction against Bell, the only teen to be tried so far, saying he could not be tried as an adult.

Bell remains in jail pending a possible appeal by prosecutors, a situation that activist Rev. Al Sharpton hopes will be addressed in a scheduled meeting Wednesday with Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

More than 20,000 people converged on the small town of Jena last week to protest the case, and Sharpton said those non-violent protests may increase if Bell is not released quickly.

"We started with a mass demonstration, and then next step would be non-violent civil disobedience," Sharpton said.

"We are not fighting for black kids that beat up white kids. We're talking about the disparity in how the law works," the New York-based activist said, adding that he still expects the local county prosecutor who brought the charges to be called to testify before Congress

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The Neo Nazi Websites Are Focus Of Threats There Latest Demonstrations Condemed

2007-09-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Rev. Jesse Jackson- Threats condemned

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who made one trip to Jena before the rally and also led one of the marches in Jena, has issued a statement condemning the threats and calling for swift action to take care of those responsible. He said the threats by "neo-Nazi white supremacy groups" need to be taken seriously, as they are "heavily armed and dangerous" and urged President George W. Bush to intervene.

"The demonstration shamed those with a conscience and roused those with hatred in their hearts," Jackson wrote on his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Web site. "Neo-Nazi Web pages have burned with vile denunciations of the Jena Six and the demonstrators. Last week, one page (www.overthrow.com), an expression of an extremist group that calls itself the American National Socialist Workers Party, chillingly published the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the families of the Jena Six. 'Get in touch,' the Web page threatened, 'And let them know justice is coming.'

"'If these n-----s are released or acquitted, we will find out where they live and make sure that white activists and white citizens in Louisiana know it,' ANSWP Commander Bill White stated today," Jackson wrote on his site Tuesday. "'We'll mail directions to their homes to every white man in Louisiana if we have to in order to find someone willing to deliver justice.' The defendants 'are much better off in the hands of the justice system than they are in the hands of the white citizenry of this nation,' ANSWP Commander Bill White stated. 'And we intend to make sure they know that.' Another White posting on the matter flatly threatened, 'Lynch the Jena 6.'

"'The best crowd control for such a situation would be a squad of men armed with full automatics and preferably a machine gun as well,' added another ranter posting on the neo-Nazi Vanguard News Network, a white supremacist Web forum," Jackson wrote.

Sharpton issued a statement over the weekend also imploring action be taken in regard to the threats.

Rev.Moran stressed that the LaSalle Parish Sheriff's Office, State Police and FBI have stepped up and provided the needed security for families.

"They have all offered total support making sure protection is there for families," he said. "They are doing a very good job."

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Rev Moran Representing The jena Six Families On DR Phil

2007-09-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

'Get the word out'
Rev Moran on Tuesday afternoon was in a Texas airport awaiting a flight to Los Angeles for a filming of the "Dr. Phil" TV talk show, for which the Barker family also was expected to appear. None of the families or defendants were able to go, so Moran said he was appearing as a representative of the family.

"More or less, this is the first time we have been able to be together," he said of himself and the Barkers. "Hopefully, it will do a lot of good. We can put our differences on the table and (Phil McGraw) can show us how to diminish them."

Two of the defendants were scheduled to be among a panel Tuesday night at the national "Cradle to Prison Pipeline Summit" at Howard University, according to a news release from the school.

But Robert Bailey Jr. and Theo Shaw were unable to join the panel discussion on "Endangered Black Males: Racial Injustice and the Pipeline," as originally planned, Bailey's attorney, Jim Boren, said Tuesday afternoon. They didn't find out about the event until last week, and a motion to see if the boys could leave the state wasn't heard in time for them to leave, Boren said.

Boren confirmed the threats against Bailey and his mother, Caseptla Bailey, the once outspoken president of the LaSalle Parish chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. They've received several calls threatening their lives and take them seriously, Boren said.

And even though Boren receives 10 calls a day "from Oprah to NBC" asking for a statement from Robert Bailey, he said his client is going to refrain from any appearances.

"His previous lawyers thought it would be OK to talk to the media," Boren said. "But he has not since I've been involved in the case and won't."

Jones and Melissa Bell, Mychal Bell's mother, appeared earlier this week on "Larry King Live" on CNN. Now they are in Washington, D.C., with the Rev. Al Sharpton.

On Tuesday, the group met with U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, to seek federal hearings and a federal intervention in not only their son's case but the threats all of the families have been receiving, a Sharpton spokeswoman said.

Tina Jones, the mother of Purvis, is also in Washington for meetings, Moran said.

"The families are staying busy with meetings trying to get the word out, figure out what the next step is," Moran said.

Threats Will Make Us Stronger-Jena 6 Latest Unite

2007-09-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

We Wont Let The Threats don't deter Us 'Jena Six'

As the peaceful protesters left Jena, the threats began to pour in.

But even with those threats fresh on the minds of the "Jena Six" and their families, their activities, they say, are not going to stop.

"I don't think they are going to let the threats or anything get to them," said the Rev. B.L. Moran of Antioch Baptist Church in Jena, who said he keeps in constant contact with the families. "They are not letting (the threats) get in the way of what they are going to do."

Family members have been traveling all over the country for media and speaking appearances and meetings with civil rights and government officials.
The FBI has only said it is aware of allegations of various threats made against the Jena Six and those related to the case and that "we're looking into them," said Sheila Thorne, an agent in the FBI's New Orleans office.

Threats have been broadcast on Web pages and online radio shows against the six black teens known as the Jena Six, who have been charged in connection with the December attack on white student Justin Barker.

The teens all originally faced attempted murder charges, although charges against four of the five originally charged as adults have been reduced to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit that crime. Charges against Jesse Ray Beard aren't known as juvenile proceedings aren't public. Bryant Purvis has not yet been arraigned.

Rallies held Thursday in Jena drew as many as 20,000 protesters, according to the State Police. The rallies were held to show support for all of the six teens, with extra emphasis placed on Mychal Bell -- the first defendant to have been tried and the only one who remains jailed without bond.

On June 28, Bell, who was 16 when arrested, was convicted by an all-white jury of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit the same.

The court had summoned 150 people for the jury pool, but only 50 showed up -- none of whom were black, court officials said.

On Sept. 4, 28th Judicial District Court Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. agreed with Bell's attorneys when they said Mauffray never had jurisdiction over the conspiracy charge and threw out that conviction. But he contended that he retained jurisdiction of the battery charge.

The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, however, ruled Sept. 14 that the "trial court erred in denying the defendant's motion" to vacate the adult battery conviction. The three-judge panel ruled that "jurisdiction remains exclusively in juvenile court" for that charge.

Bell's sentencing had been scheduled for this past Thursday before both of his convictions were vacated.

LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters has until Friday to decide if he will seek a higher opinion on the appeals court's decision.

This past Friday, bond was denied a second time for Bell, said his father, Marcus Jones. His attorneys weren't able to comment about the case because it is now a juvenile matter.

During an Aug. 24 bond hearing for Bell, Mauffray cited four previous juvenile adjudications for crimes of violence and Bell's being on probation as part of the reason for denying bond.

As Reported Michael Vick Indicted On State Dogfighting Charges

2007-09-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

Michael Vick now indicted on state dogfighting charges
QB already has pleaded guilty in federal case,and will be sentenced Dec. 10

SUSSEX, Va. - Michael Vick, already looking at a federal prison term for bankrolling a dogfighting operation in rural Virginia, now faces two state charges that could get him more prison time if he’s convicted.

After a Surry County grand jury indicted the Atlanta Falcons quarterback and three co-defendants Tuesday, Vick’s lawyers indicated they will fight the state charges on the grounds that he can’t be convicted twice of the same crime.

The NFL star, scheduled for sentencing Dec. 10 after pleading guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, faces state charges of beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs and engaging in or promoting dogfighting. Each felony is punishable by up to five years in prison. Arraignments are set for Oct. 3.

The grand jury declined to indict the 27-year-old Vick and two co-defendants on eight additional counts of killing or causing to be killed a companion animal, felonies that would have exposed them to as many as 40 years in prison if convicted.

Vick defense attorney Billy Martin said in a statement that the state counts concern “the same conduct covered by the federal indictment for which Mr. Vick has already accepted full responsibility.”

Martin said he will “aggressively protect his rights to ensure that he is not held accountable for the same conduct twice.”

Vick was convicted of a federal conspiracy count while the state indictment deals with the act of dog fighting, said Steven Benjamin, a Richmond defense lawyer who is not involved in the case. The prosecution will argue that’s enough of a difference to allow the charges to proceed, he said.

Surry County Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter had told The Associated Press on Monday night that he would seek indictments on different crimes than the ones Vick admitted to in federal court. He did not elaborate to reporters outside court Tuesday.

The charges are the first leveled against Vick in the county where he built a home that became the base of the dogfighting operation, where local investigators first uncovered evidence of the enterprise.

None of the defendants nor their lawyers were at the Sussex County courthouse, where the grand jury met because the courthouse in neighboring Surry County is closed for renovations.

Poindexter told reporters he was not disappointed the grand jury passed on the eight additional dog killing counts.

“I’m just glad to get this to the position where it is now and, one day in the not too distant future, we will be rid of these cases,” he said.

In a written statement, Poindexter and Sheriff Harold Brown attempted to diffuse in advance any suggestion that race influenced the grand jury. Brown, Poindexter and the four defendants are black, as are four of the six grand jurors.

“These are serious charges, and we can assure you that this grand jury was not driven by racial prejudice, their affection or lack of affection for professional athletes, or the influence of animal rights activists and the attendant publicity,” the statement said.

In pleading guilty to the federal charges last month, Vick admitted helping kill six to eight dogs, among other things. He faces up to five years in prison.

Vick’s co-defendants had pleaded guilty earlier and detailed Vick’s role in the grisly enterprise.

In the state case, co-defendant Purnell Peace was indicted on one count of beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs and one count of engaging in or promoting dogfighting. Quanis Phillips was indicted on one count of engaging in or promoting dogfighting.

Tony Taylor, who left the enterprise several years ago and was the first to plead guilty, faces the most serious state charges — three counts of beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs and one count of engaging in or promoting dogfighting.

Falcons spokesman Reggie Roberts said the team had no comments on the new charges.

The case began in late April when authorities conducting a drug investigation of Vick’s cousin raided the former Virginia Tech star’s property and seized dozens of dogs, most of them pit bulls, and equipment commonly associated with dogfighting.

Six weeks later, with the local investigation perceived to be dragging and a local search warrant allowed to expire, federal agents arrived with their own search warrants and started digging up dog carcasses buried days before the first raid.

Poindexter, widely criticized for the pace of the investigation, reacted angrily when the feds moved in, suggesting that Vick’s celebrity was a draw, or that their pursuit of the case could have racial overtones. He later eased off those comments, saying the sides would simply be pursuing parallel investigations.

Tshirt For The Jena Six Gets Girl In Trouble

2007-09-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

Girl Wearing 'Jena 6' shirt Causes A Stir At Alta Loma High

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A group of Alta Loma High School students wearing "Free the Jena 6" T-shirts last week were asked to turn them inside out by school administrators citing safety concerns. Principal Jim Woolery said the decision was made during first period, and the shirts had not yet caused any kind of disturbance.

He said similar moves are made "any time there is a potential for disruption on campus in one way or another.

"We sat down on that day and met with each of those students, really for two hours, to discuss the issue, the shirts themselves," Woolery said Monday.

There were at least 15 students involved in the protest at Alta Loma High Thursday, some of whom had the phrase on their shirts. Their efforts coincided with one in Jena, La., where tens of thousands of marchers crowded the streets to protest what they consider unfair treatment of six black Jena High School teens accused of assaulting a white classmate.

Five of the Jena teens were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder - charges that have been reduced for four of them. The sixth was booked as a juvenile and the charges are sealed.

The treatment of the Jena teens sparked concerns that the charges
were initially more serious because the students are black.
First Amendment advocates were critical of the Alta Loma High administration's decision to have the students hide the political message on their shirts.

Peter Bibring, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, said a potential for disruption is not enough for a school to prohibit students' political speech - there must be an "imminent threat" of violence.

Students' rights to political speech can only be restricted if the message on their apparel constitutes "a clear and present danger to the life, safety, or health of pupils or school personnel," according to the state Education Code.

"If we were talking about a school in Jena, there might be some justification because, after all, the whole thing started with some fights at school," said Terry Francke, general counsel for Californians Aware.

"But that's not the case here," he continued. "It's simply a national issue that some students were taking sides on. And that can never be enough for suppressing what they say."

Students interviewed at the school Monday were equally critical of the school's actions.

"I don't think that's right, because they say we have freedom of speech rights," said Briana Martinez, a senior at the school.

Nicole Flanagin, a senior, said: "They need to stand up for what they believe in - they were just T-shirts."
As a compromise, Alta Loma High officials agreed to allow the students to hold a forum in the coming weeks to discuss social justice issues.

"What we came up with as a group was to decide to give the students a venue to speak on injustice," Woolery said.

The students will be permitted to wear their shirts to the forum.

Anessa Rankins, a senior at the school who wore black on Thursday in support of the Jena Six, said the forum will make up for students' initial disappointment over the shirts.

"It's better now because we have the big day for it, and we get to wear the shirts," she said.

First Amendment advocates agreed the forum was a positive gesture by administrators, with one caveat.

"That doesn't change the fact that (students) have the right to wear those shirts as well, absent a genuine disruption of the school," Bibring said.

Atheletes In Trouble Jena Latest News And Facts

2007-09-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Mike Tyson pleads guilty to charges of drug possession and DUI

Former heavyweight champion pleads guilty to charges stemming from a traffic stop last year as he was leaving an Arizona nightclub.

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson pleaded guilty Monday in Mesa, Ariz., to charges of drug possession and driving under the influence stemming from a traffic stop last year as he was leaving a nightclub.

Tyson quietly acknowledged to a judge that he had cocaine and was impaired when he was stopped for driving erratically in Scottsdale on Dec. 29.

He pleaded guilty to one felony count of cocaine possession and a misdemeanor DUI count and faces up to four years and three months in prison when sentenced Nov. 19.

A felony charge of possession of drug paraphernalia and a second misdemeanor DUI charge were dropped.

Tyson's lawyer, David Chesnoff, said his client has been clean and sober for eight months.

"It's obvious this was a crime he was committing against himself," Chesnoff said.

The prosecutor in the county where Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has admitted to bankrolling a dogfighting operation plans to present "a host of bills of indictment" regarding the case to a grand jury today at Richmond, Va.

Vick and three co-defendants have already pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in the case, and all are awaiting sentencing in federal court before the end of the year.

The local charges, and a conviction, could spell an end to any hope he has of resuming his NFL career after serving a likely federal prison term.

An animal cruelty charge in Virginia is punishable by up to five years in prison, and Vick admitted in his written plea to helping kill six to eight pit bulls days before the first raid.

That alone could expose Vick to as much as 40 years in prison.

The Securities and Exchange Commission charged Dwight Sean Jones, a former pro football player who manages investments for athletes, with violating securities laws by refusing to allow SEC examiners to inspect his business records.

Jones was an NFL defensive end who played for the Los Angeles Raiders, the Houston Oilers and the Green Bay Packers in the 1980s and 1990s.News In And Around Jena

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Most Jena 6 Readers Do So At There Job

2007-09-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

As I look at where the readers come from, I notice that most do there searches while there working. Is the Jena six taking you away from your work. Dont be ashamed it's a cause that has captured America, and here at Jena-6 we are glad and honored to have you. Stay with us for the latest Jena 6 news and headlines. Do you only search the internet on the job ?...We would love to hear from you,please post your comments and the state your living in, lets us show just how wide spread this issue is.

Students Eveywhere Debate The Jena 6 Case News And Facts

2007-09-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

Louisiana Students and students around the world debate the 'Jena Six'
The "Jena Six" case has been in newspapers across the world, in magazines such as People and on television stations everywhere.

Discussion of the case now is headed into the classrooms of 11,000 high schools and junior high schools, including in Rapides Parish.

Channel One News, which is shown in high schools and junior high schools across the nation, was in Alexandria and Jena on Monday filming a segment to be broadcast Thursday on the Jena Six case and issues of racism.

A forum of Louisiana State University at Alexandria students will be featured on the segment discussing the case and racism in the South.
The Jena Six case involves six Jena High School students accused in December of attacking a fellow student. The defendants in the case are black, and the victim is white.

The six students initially were arrested on charges of attempted murder. Those charges have been reduced for all of the students charged as an adult except for one who has yet to be arraigned.

Before the December attack, the school experienced such incidents as nooses being hung from a tree in the school's courtyard and fights off-campus. In the midst of it all, the school's main academic building was set on fire.

The case sparked a rally that brought thousands Thursday to the rural LaSalle Parish town of fewer than 3,500 people.

Threats have been made to the victim and the six defendants. The Jena Six members had their addresses placed on a Web site promoting violence against them, which is under investigation by the FBI.

On Monday, LaSalle Parish Sheriff Carl Smith, LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters, Jena Mayor Murphy McMillin and Jena Police Chief Paul Smith issued a joint statement condemning the threats on all of the boys involved in the case.

"These groups are encouraging persons of similar views to do harm to the victim or to the defendants. Such vile and cowardly acts will not be tolerated in Jena or LaSalle Parish," the news release states.

The officials said they do not want anyone in Jena or LaSalle Parish advocating vigilante justice and whose intent is to harm or encourage others to harm anyone.

"We further encourage like-minded persons to join us in denouncing any persons or groups who in any fashion advocate the harming of any individuals or groups connected with this case. We strongly encourage all individuals to think about the consequences of their actions before they do anything that would harm our community and subject them to criminal prosecution," the statement reads.

With all of the events swirling, the LSUA students who had gathered to discuss the case had varying views on case and its impact.

Jennifer Fehmie of Bunkie said she felt it has been blown out of proportion. Others in the group credited the media with stirring the pot, while some said if it were not for the media, then no attention would have been brought to the alleged injustice in Jena.

Most said they wanted to see equality in the handling of the cases. The boys who hung the nooses should have been in trouble just as the Jena Six defendants were, they said.

Many in the group of nine students did not agree with the Jena Six being charged with attempted murder but thought they should face punishment if they were a part of the attack on a fellow student.

"It is all about equality and it is obvious that they are not equal," Will Martin of Alexandria said.

All of the students wanted to see more specific details of the incidents leading up to the fight and be able to separate the stories from the facts. They had all heard different stories of events leading up to the fight and what happened that day.

When asked about the appearance of racism, the group said events like the Jena Six case give the state a bad reputation

"We are not all racists, said Courtney Morace of Deville.

She said the majority are well-educated people, but the few cause a scene and get everyone labeled.

Some felt the rally would make a difference if those who attended work to ensure change, while others in the group felt it would make little impact as people go back to their lives.

"It has made history, and I think it will go down in history," said Leona Dyer of Alexandria.

The broadcast will reach more than 6 million high school and junior high school students.

Rapides Parish Assistant Superintendent Lyle Hutchinson said Channel One has been in Alexandria before to do a feature on the Alexandria Senior High School powerlifting team, which won a national championship.

Note we will be following the Mike Vick Case as well.

The Latest Jena 6 Videos News Facts And Headlines

2007-09-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

Looking For The Latest News On The Jena 6? We Have All The Videos,We Update Many Times Everyday. We Suport The Jena 6,For All The Jena Six Facts Visit Jena-6. We Will Continue To Keep You Updated On All Racial News Making Cases As Well.

More Charges Coming For Michael Vick Lets Not Let Jena 6 Take Away Our Love For Mike

2007-09-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

RICHMOND, Va. -- The prosecutor for the county where Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has admitted to bankrolling a dogfighting operation plans to present "a host of bills of indictment" regarding the case to a grand jury on Tuesday.

"Yes, I'm presenting matters to the grand jury that involve dogfighting at 1915 Moonlight Road," Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald G.

Moonlight Road is the address of the two story home on 15 acres that has been host to the operation known as "Bad Newz Kennels" since 2001, and where dogs have been trained, executed and fought.

"Most of the matters that I'm presenting have already been admitted in sworn statements authored by the defendants in the federal proceedings," Poindexter said.

He couldn't detail the exact indictments he will pursue, but said the local investigation and the federal investigation largely focused on different crimes.

"The killing of dogs is one of those statutory prohibitions. Dogfighting is a crime, the mistreatment of animals is a crime, so you could take your pick, or take them all," Poindexter said before cutting the conversation short. "I don't have anything else to say about it. I'm through with it. Hopefully it's coming to an end."

Vick, his co-defendants and lawyers will not attend the closed proceeding.

Efforts to reach Vick's lawyers were not immediately successful Monday night.

Vick and three co-defendants have already pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in the case, and all are awaiting sentencing in federal court before the end of the year.

Vick, who faces up to five years in prison, also has been indefinitely suspended without pay by the NFL and been dropped by all his major sponsors, including Nike.

The local charges, and a conviction, could spell an end to any hope he has of resuming his NFL career after serving a likely federal prison term. An animal cruelty charge in Virginia is punishable by up to five years in prison, and he admitted in his written plea to helping kill six to eight pit bulls days before the first raid.

That alone could expose him to as many as 40 years in prison.

Vick, in his written plea, also admitted supplying money for gambling on the fights. He said he did not personally place any bets or share in any winnings, but gave his three co-defendants all those proceeds.

The co-defendants, all of whom pleaded guilty before Vick and detailed what they said was his involvement, agreed to testify against him had the case gone to trial.

Poindexter, who had been widely criticized for the pace of the investigation, reacted angrily when the feds moved in, suggesting that Vick's celebrity was a draw, or that their pursuit of the case could have racial overtones. He later eased off those comments, saying that the sides would simply be pursuing parallel investigations. Jena six is not the only thing we should focus on. Mike needs some love too.

'Bus Raid Is Result of Racial Profiling'

2007-09-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

Twista's Manager Claims 'Bus Raid Is Result of Racial Profiling'
The manager of Chicago rapper Twista has hit out at police -- blaming a recent raid on the star's tour bus on "racial and rapper profiling."

Manager Rawle Stewart believes the rapper was unfairly targeted by Michigan State Police after his tour bus was seized by 10 officers en route to Detroit on Wednesday.

The officers were acting on suspicion of handling narcotics and held traffic on the interstate for nearly two hours -- only to find no drugs.

Stewart says, "What started out as a two-car stop turned out to be six or seven Michigan State Police officers searching the bus.

"I think it was a case of profiling because they immediately assumed we had drugs and told us they found residue, but was letting us off with a warning.

"It was so petty. When it was all said and done, we didn't even get a ticket. They gave us a lecture like, 'In Michigan we don't tolerate that and if you come through our state again, you will get locked up.' There's people on the interstate passing by like, Is that Twista? They said to us 'This may help your career or it may hurt your career, but we don't tolerate that in Michigan.'"

Michigan State Police have neither confirmed nor denied the incident.

FBI Is Now Investigating The Virginia Mans Jena 6 Backlash Website

2007-09-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

FBI investigating A Virginia man who posted names and addresses of Jena 6 students online

The FBI says it is investigating a Roanoke, Virginia man who posted the personal information of the "Jena 6" students on his website, urging white supremacists to "deliver justice" by lynching them.

Bill White, who calls himself the Commander of the American National Socialist Workers' Party, posted the names, apparent addresses and phone numbers of the 6 students the same day thousands descended on the Jena. Louisiana to protest against what they call injustice in the court system. The FBI is reviewing the website for any possible federal violation, Special Agent Sheila Thorne, of the New Orleans FBI office said in an email to WAVY.com. Thorne would not say if the agency has spoken to White or if the information on the site is accurate.

Rev. Al Sharpton told reporters families of the Jena 6 students have received harassing and threatening phone calls around the clock.

Hampton Roads residents who traveled to Jena for the protests call White's website "ignorance at it's best.""He wants to threaten these young kids' lives and he's asking somebody to do the work that he won't even do; he's such a coward that he's going to ask someone to go do his dirty work and he sits on his hind-parts and won't step forward and do it himself," said Tony Lee who organized a bus trip to the small Louisiana town.

One of the Jena 6 students, Mychal Bell, remains jailed after a judge denied him bond on Friday. Bell and 5 other black students are charged in connection with the beating of a white student in December 2006.

DMX Pitbulls Had Wounds When They Were Buried

2007-09-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

DOGS BURIED AT DMX HOME HAD WOUNDS: Sheriff continues to investigate
allegations of animal neglect.

*Serious wounds were discovered on two dogs found buried at an Arizona

home owned by rapper DMX, authorities said Saturday.

According to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, one of the dogs

had bite wounds and another suffered trauma to its abdomen, but exact
causes of death have yet to be determined. A third dog carcass had
been
burned so badly an exam was inconclusive, reports the Associated Press.

The dogs were discovered during an Aug. 24 raid on the rapper's
north
Phoenix home following allegations of animal neglect. Authorities
also
seized 12 live pit bulls, numerous weapons, and about a quarter-ounce
of
marijuana in a bedroom, Arpaio said.

The sheriff initially said a half-pound of suspected narcotics
was found, but tests showed the substance was not illegal drugs.

No charges had been filed against the 36-year-old rapper or
anyone else, but Arpaio said that may change.

"Someone's going to have to pay for this," the sheriff told AP.
"We have 12 dogs who were abused and three dogs buried in the yard -
someone's going to have to pay."

DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was traveling overseas and

not present during the raid on his home. His lawyer, Murray Richman,
said the artist hadn't been there for months and was paying caretakers
and veterinarians to care for his animals. Richman on Saturday
questioned how the sheriff could connect his client to any alleged
animal abuse.

"How do you attribute activities to a person who has not been
there, when they have knowledge that other persons have been," Richman
said. "Is it because of the celebrity nature?"

Jesse Jackson Calls Bush Is Told To Leave A Message

2007-09-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Rev. Jesse Jackson on Sunday called on President Bush in the Jena 6 case, accusing authorities in Louisiana of treating six black teenagers more harshly than white classmates who had been involved in fights.

Jackson described the prosecution against the teenagers as the latest struggle in the decades-old civil rights movement, saying "Jena is not just Jena; there is a Jena everywhere," during a news conference at the Third Baptist Church on Chicago's South Side.

"There is urgency in Jena. We need the Department of Justice to intervene," said Jackson, who said he called the White House on Sunday and left a message.

He said he wants to see Michael Mukasey, Bush's nominee for attorney general, counter the actions of local officials, who he said have allowed a double standard to be administered.

"This will be the first test of [Mukasey's] commitment to justice," Jackson said.

Teen Who Hung The Noose Makes Bond $1,670 And He's Now Free

2007-09-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

Teen who hung noose released on bond

One of the Grant Parish teenagers arrested Thursday night in connection with a red pickup truck driving through downtown Alexandria with nooses tied to it was released on bond from the Rapides Parish jail Friday morning.

Jeremiah Munsen, 18 of Colfax, had his bond set at $1,670 after being charged with driving while intoxicated, inciting to riot and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, according to an Alexandria Police Department report.

Munsen and a 16-year-old from Dry Prong were stopped by police after complaints from a group of "Jena Six" protesters from Tennessee who saw the truck displaying the nooses as they were waiting to board a charter bus to leave Alexandria at around 9:30 p.m., police said.

The 16-year-old was also charged with underage drinking and probation violation. He is being held in Renaissance Home for Youth, police said.

Jena Locals Not Happy,Please Dont Step On The Grass

2007-09-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

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."

More Marches, Hate Reins, Nooses Hung,Latest Jena 6 Facts And News

2007-09-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

The latest News And Facts On The Days since Jena rallies marked by nooses, threatsThousands made the journey to Jena on Thursday to show their support for the "Jena Six."

And while the day may have remained peaceful during the rallies, the days since have been anything but.

First, it was the two teens who were arrested Thursday night after driving a pickup truck through downtown Alexandria, where ralliers had gathered, with nooses hanging off the back. Both had been drinking, and a gun and brass knuckles were found in their truck.

The next day, the FBI announced it was keeping tabs on a neo-Nazi activist in Roanoke, Va., who had posted the names and addresses of the Jena Six on his Web site proclaiming "Lynch the Jena 6," the Roanoke Times reported.
William A. White also listed the phone numbers of the teens, urging his readers to "Get in touch, and let them know justice is coming."

Sheila Thorne, an agent in the FBI's New Orleans office, said authorities were reviewing whether the site breaks any federal laws. She said the FBI had "gathered intelligence on the matter," but declined to further explain how the agency got involved.

White -- the leader of a Roanoke-based white-supremacy group -- has a penchant for inserting inflammatory rhetoric into racially charged incidents that attract national attention, such as the Jena Six case, according to the Times.

The "Jena Six" is the name that has become associated with the six black teens originally charged with attempted murder in connection with the Dec. 4 beating of white Jena High School student Justin Barker.

Barker was knocked unconscious and then kicked by a group of students, according to court documents. He was treated for three hours in a local emergency room, released and that night attended a class ring ceremony with his family.

Tens of thousands descended Thursday on Jena to rally around the cause of the group, with specific emphasis on Mychal Bell, the only member of the Jena Six to have been tried and remain in jail.

Bell was convicted in June of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit the same -- the same charges most of the boys now face.

Both of his adult convictions have been vacated, one already being tried in the juvenile court system and the other in limbo until LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters determines if he wishes to appeal or not.

Bell's attorneys on Friday were hopeful he would be granted bond, but it was denied along with a motion to recuse 28th Judicial District Court Judge J.P. Mauffray.

The threatsMark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups, described White's actions to the Times as "appalling, but it's not surprising."
Gov. Kathleen Blanco issued a statement Saturday condemning White's Web site, which she deemed as a threat.

"Harassing families involved in the legal issues in Jena can not and will not be tolerated," she said in the statement. "Public attacks on private citizens done out of ignorance and hatred is appalling, and anyone who stoops to such unspeakable persecution will be investigated and subject to the full penalty of law. I have asked law enforcement agencies to investigate this matter, and as Governor I will do everything in my power to put a stop to these cowardly threats to Louisiana citizens."

The Rev. Al Sharpton also issued a statement about the posting of contact information for the Jena Six family members.

"Some of the families have received almost around the clock calls of threats and harassment since this Web site appeared, and to think that some person could actually harm or even continue to harass these families with no effort by law enforcement, will further exacerbate the tensions around this case immeasurably," he said. "Since our massive rally, there have been hangmen nooses found in several cities. The escalation has been met with a stubborn silence by officials in Jena, and we feel the governor must send in state law enforcement to investigate these threats and protect the public."

The actions of the teens in Alexandria, White and the hundreds of others who have been harassing the families are disgusting, the Rev. B.L. Moran said. He said Tina Jones, the mother of defendant Bryant Purvis, has been especially rattled by one caller who threatened that "whitey's coming to sic the black n-----s."

"There have been statements made on these Web sites saying if (Bell) was released that they'd kill everyone that has anything to do with the Jena Six," he said. "It certainly bothers them. It bothers them enough to get in touch with authorities."

The rallies were held to bring peace and unity, not violence or hatred, he said.

"What they stand for is nooses and murder," Moran said of those threatening the families. "All of this is causing not just Jena and the parish trouble, but trouble all over America. Now when you turn on the TV, you see nooses hanging everywhere. And it all started in Jena."

Alan Bean, director of Friends of Justice, said the actions of the teens in the truck and those making threats represent people trying to provoke fear or anger.

"They are sick individuals trying to get attention for themselves and piggyback on such a peaceful, beautiful event," he said. "They wanted to blemish something that was so completely without incident."

The situation in Jena, Bean said, won't be helped by hurling insults back and forth or, even worse, violence.

"Jena has seen enough violence already," he said.

Whats Next For The Jena Cause

Even though one of the goals of Thursday's rally was to encourage Bell's release, many said they were surprised by the outcome of Friday's hearing.
"I always contended we were not going to get justice for these kids in LaSalle parish," Bean said. ... It was more of the same from Walters and Mauffray. I think reaction (of the bond denial) clearly shows widespread expectation that Mychal would be released and tremendous disappointment when he wasn't."

Bean and his grass-roots activism organization have been involved with helping the families and getting word out about the case long before it graced the covers of papers or television screens across the nation and world.

"It's just beginning," he said of what's going on in Jena.

Sharpton said he and Bell's parents, Marcus Jones and Melissa Bell, will be meeting at noon on Tuesday in Washington, D.C., with U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich. and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, to seek federal hearings and intervention.

"At the same time, Mychal's attorneys will pursue state remedies for his immediate release," Sharpton said in his statement. "For a Judge to refuse to release him after his conviction was overturned is to hold the system of law in contempt and to further display the raw bias that inspired our involvement and participation in this movement around the Jena Six since early this summer."

Sharpton said he and other civil rights leaders and activists will continue their plans for the next "major effort to protest this continued injustice." Those plans, he said, will be announced after Tuesday's meeting.

Bean agreed that another march could be in order, but said it would probably be held outside of Jena.

"I think the problems that we see in Jena are very American problems, very human problems that can be seen everywhere," he said. "I hope when all of these issues are finally dealt with in the courts, Jena can become a sign of healing for the nation. People will be able to pull together and people across the country can talk about these problems."

FBI Investigates The Jena Six Leakage Of Familys Information

2007-09-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

FBI Is Looking Into Anti-Jena 6 Web Page

NEW ORLEANS — The FBI is reviewing a white supremacist Web site that purports to list the addresses of five of the six black teenagers accused of beating a white student in Jena and "essentially called for their lynching," an agency spokeswoman said Saturday.

Sheila Thorne, an agent in the FBI's New Orleans office, said authorities were reviewing whether the site breaks any federal laws. She said the FBI had "gathered intelligence on the matter," but declined to further explain how the agency got involved.

CNN first reported Friday about the Web site, which features a swastika, frequent use of racial slurs, a mailing address in Roanoke, Va., and phone numbers purportedly for some of the teens' families "in case anyone wants to deliver justice." That page is dated Thursday.

The Rev. Al Sharpton said in a statement Saturday that some of the families have received "almost around the clock calls of threats and harassment," and called on Gov. Kathleen Blanco to intervene.

A Blanco spokeswoman said the governor had asked law enforcement — primarily state police — to investigate.

"These people need more than an investigation. They need protection," the Rev. Jesse Jackson said. He said his organization would be in touch with President Bush's nominee for attorney general, Michael Mukasey.

William A. "Bill" White, listed as the Web site's editor and commander of the American National Socialist Workers Party, did not immediately answer an e-mail to his address. Calls to one of the two William Whites listed in Roanoke were not answered; the other said he was not involved with the site.

Blanco said Saturday that harassing families involved in the case "cannot and will not be tolerated."

"Public attacks on private citizens done out of ignorance and hatred is appalling, and anyone who stoops to such unspeakable persecution will be investigated and subject to the full penalty of law," she said in a statement.

Jena Six Personal Information Published On The Web

2007-09-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

BATON ROUGE – The latest news on the Jena 6 trial- Apparently, according to Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, there are national reports of hate groups publishing private contact information for family members of the Jena Six. Reportedly, this information is on the Internet

Governor Blanco in response issued this statement: "Harassing families involved in the legal issues in Jena can not and will not be tolerated. Public attacks on private citizens done out of ignorance and hatred is appalling, and anyone who stoops to such unspeakable persecution will be investigated and subject to the full penalty of law. I have asked law enforcement agencies to investigate this matter, and as Governor I will do everything in my power to put a stop to these cowardly threats to Louisiana citizens."

Also, according to various news stories, bail which had been set for $90,000 for one of the black individuals who battered a white and whose conviction was overturned last Friday, has been denied by the Court. Because the matter is in juvenile details are uncertain if no bond was set or if there was a refusal to allow a bond or if there was a refusal to allow the payment of the prior bond.

Also, a white male hailing from Colorado has been arrested in Alexandria Louisiana for various charges. The male reportedly had a noose in his possession. There are also reports that he has family associations with the KKK.

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Infamous Live Oak tree At Jena High School To End Up On eBay

2007-09-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

Calvin Hardy leaned against the bed of his maroon Toyota pickup truck, perspiration beading on his freckled brow, and smiled broadly at what he called "a piece of history."

Mr. Hardy chainsawed down the infamous live oak tree at Jena High School this summer. That was the gathering place for white students, under which black students sat in August 2006. Nooses were on the tree the next day, and tensions escalated, resulting in the December attack.

Mr. Hardy pointed to a piece of the tree's severed trunk in the back of his truck.

"It was a beautiful tree; I didn't see no reason to cut it," he said. "They wanted it down to keep the conflict down, I guess."

Mr. Hardy was paid $500 by the school for his work but plans to cash in on the controversy again. "I got seven kids," he said, mentioning that he might sell the log on eBay. "I never got a piece of history before. I figured I better hold on to it."

Moments later, LaSalle Parish Superintendent Roy Breithaupt walked across the street to confront Mr. Hardy about showcasing and selling the log. "It's a shame that people would want to profit as a result of people's discomfort and confusion," he said.

Latest News On The Jena 6 Jena looks for next step after protests

2007-09-21T22:27:00.000-07:00

Jena looking for it's next step Now that the protests have ended

Residents wonder if national attention will calm racial tensions

10:46 PM CDT on Friday, September 21, 2007

Chris Johnson, 25, says discrimination has existed all his life in Jena, La. "I think things will change," he said. JENA, La. – There were two main points of view in Jena on Friday, a day after tens of thousands of civil rights protesters effectively closed this fading sawmill town.

Some people believe life will never be the same. Others say things may never change.

And like many issues here, what you think seems to depend on the color of your skin.

Chris Johnson, a lanky 25-year-old black man, said the chanting and cheering crowds awakened the nation's consciousness. Jena can't go back.

Whats The latest On The Jena Six

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Jena residents gear up for march in support of black teens

Jena's unearthed tree a symbol of division

There's no walking around divide

"Now that people have seen what we've had to put up with so long, I think things will change," he said. "I hope they do."

A few doors away, Ron Liles, a 63-year-old white fire inspector, was skeptical. He said it takes time and patience to change men's hearts.

"In a way, this may be good for Jena," he said. "This kind of thing makes you deal with the problem."

On Friday, television cameras were still stationed outside the LaSalle Parish Courthouse as a judge rejected a motion that would have given 17-year-old Mychal Bell a chance at freedom.

Mr. Bell is the only one of the black teenagers known as the Jena Six to be tried so far in the December beating of a white classmate.

He was convicted of aggravated second-degree battery. But the conviction was thrown out by a state appeals court that said he could not be tried on the charge as an adult because he was 16 at the time of the beating.

After the juvenile court hearing Friday, his mother emerged from the courthouse in tears.

Behind the court building, Calvin Hardy leaned against the bed of his maroon Toyota pickup truck, perspiration beading on his freckled brow, and smiled broadly at what he called "a piece of history."

Mr. Hardy chainsawed down the infamous live oak tree at Jena High School this summer. That was the gathering place for white students, under which black students sat in August 2006. Nooses were on the tree the next day, and tensions escalated, resulting in the December attack.

Mr. Hardy pointed to a piece of the tree's severed trunk in the back of his truck.

"It was a beautiful tree; I didn't see no reason to cut it," he said. "They wanted it down to keep the conflict down, I guess."

Mr. Hardy was paid $500 by the school for his work but plans to cash in on the controversy again. "I got seven kids," he said, mentioning that he might sell the log on eBay. "I never got a piece of history before. I figured I better hold on to it."

Moments later, LaSalle Parish Superintendent Roy Breithaupt walked across the street to confront Mr. Hardy about showcasing and selling the log. "It's a shame that people would want to profit as a result of people's discomfort and confusion," he said.

Many people, including a federal investigator, criticize Mr. Breithaupt for under-reacting last year when three white students hung the nooses from the tree.

Mr. Breithaupt defended his decisions Friday afternoon. The three white teens responsible for the hangman's nooses, who were suspended instead of expelled, as the principal had recommended, had not been in serious trouble before. He said there was no evidence to suggest that the group meant to harm anyone.

He said their actions were impulsive and irresponsible. As to the December arrest and felony charges against the Jena Six, Mr. Breithaupt said the case has been handled fairly. "That was a premeditated ambush and attack by six students on one student," he said. "He was beaten down into a bloody, unconscious state."

Jena's schools were closed a second day Friday. Mr. Breithaupt said extra security would be on hand when classes resume Monday.

Tensions continued to run high in the area.

Two teenagers were arrested in nearby Alexandria after police said they were trying to provoke a group of protesters waiting to catch a bus home by repeatedly driving their truck – with hangman nooses dangling off the back – past them.

Jeremiah Munsen, 18, of Colfax, La., was charged with inciting a riot, driving while intoxicated and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile. A city attorney will decide whether to file charges against the 16-year-old boy from Dry Prong, La., who was in the truck.

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Masta Mix Records To Donate A Dollar For Every HoodTreason CD Sold To The Jena 6 Defense

2007-09-21T14:29:00.000-07:00

Masta Mix Records will donate a dollar for each HoodTREASON CD sold at Best Buy and Circuit City Stores to the Jena 6 Defense Committee. We at Masta Mix Records just want justice. We do not have an opinion one way or the other but we do believe that this cause deserves our assistance. We do not want to be accused of being part of the so called do nothing Hip Hop Culture I say suport the cause buy the CD and keep your heads up. And thats the latest On the Jena 6 case.

Judge Says No To Bail For Bell Jena 6 Case Goes On

2007-09-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

JENA, La. — It had many of the signs of the early civil rights protests — militant slogans, upraised clenched fists and multitudes of police — but it had none of the atmosphere of those hate and fear-drenched campaigns in Selma, Little Rock and Montgomery.

Tens of thousands of protesters stormed this tiny Louisiana town on Thursday, rallying against what they see as a double standard of justice for blacks and whites.

But unlike the protests that became landmarks for civil rights when fire hoses and police dogs greeted demonstrators, Thursday's rally to support six black teenagers facing aggravated battery or attempted murder charges after a school fight had a festive air and a laid-back demeanor.

But today the hopes were on the ordered bail hearing, but bell was denied bail and will remain locked up.The mother hasnt comemented but we have the latest news on the Jena 6 and we will keep you updated with it as it comes in.

'Jena 6' teen denied again won't be released today

2007-09-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

'Jena 6' teen won't be released todayMychal Bell, one of the so-called 'Jena 6,' apparently will not be released from juvenile detention today. Bell attended a hearing in juvenile court in Jena, La., this afternoon, one day after a massive civil rights protest in the town involving the arrest of six black teens for the alleged beating of a white teen.

From the AP: Lawyers would not comment because juvenile court proceedings are secret. But the father of one of Bell's codefendants said Bell's bail request was denied. Bell's mother left the courthouse in tears and refused to comment

Bell's bond hearing may come today The Latest News From Jena

2007-09-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

Bell bond hearing might come today
JENA -- Mychal Bell, who has been jailed for more than nine months, could be granted bond today.

During a recusal hearing at 10 a.m. today, 9th Judicial District Court Judge Tom Yeager will decide if a different judge will rule over Bell's sentencing than the one who presided over his jury trial, a court official said.

If Yeager decides there is a conflict with 28th Judicial District Court J.P. Mauffray presiding over the bond hearing, Yeager will hear it today.

A 72-hour deadline from the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal gives the court until Monday to have a bond hearing for Bell, who currently is being held without bond.
Bell is the first of six black Jena High School students known as the "Jena Six" to face trial in connection with a Dec. 4 incident at the school that left white student Justin Barker unconscious and bleeding. Barker was treated for about three hours at a local emergency room.

Bell, along with the others, was charged initially with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit that crime.

He was convicted in June of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit that crime, the highest charge possible after LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters reduced his charges just before the trial.

On Sept. 4, Mauffray ruled that Bell's conviction of conspiracy should have been handled in the juvenile court but contended that he had jurisdiction for the battery charge.

On Sept. 14, the 3rd Circuit ruled that the battery conviction as well should have never been handled in the adult judicial system and tossed the charge back to juvenile court. Walters has said he is considering appealing that decision but hasn't had the time to research the case.

Bell was denied bond on Aug. 24 during a hearing with Mauffray who cited previous criminal behavior.

His bond had been set for $90,000 before his felony conviction. After a conviction, there is no bond until a bond hearing is held to determine the amount of bond.

During the August bond hearing, four past adjudications were brought into evidence two charges of battery and two of criminal damage to property.

On Thursday, the thousands packed onto the courthouse lawn chanted "Free Mychal Bell now!" Many questioned why he was in jail.

At one point during Thursday's rally, there were rumors flying around that Bell had been freed.

A woman walking on First Street on Thursday shouted to a crowd, "Mychal is free" and cheers went up from those in earshot.

Soon, the word continued to spread as people walked to and from the downtown rally area.

LaSalle Parish Sheriff's Office officials, however, confirmed that Bell still was being housed in the LaSalle Correctional Center in Urania and will remain there until granted bond and the bond is paid.

Louis Scott, a member of Bell's defense team, said Thursday that the 3rd Circuit's ruling was a culmination of a lot things that had been in the works.

He said the hearing requires that cause is shown why Bell should continued to be held.

When asked how Bell is doing, Scott said he had not talked with Bell on Thursday and did not know how much the teen had seen of what was happening in Jena.

Scott said he was surprised by how many people came to the march but thought more could have come.

He said some travelers were stopped coming in to Jena and that the crowds could have swelled to 100,000 people.

Robert Clark of Monroe came with friends in a recreational vehicle stocked with a sound system. He said he raised more than $26,000 for Bell's bond and the Jena Six Defense Fund. Rock star David Bowie announced earlier this week he had donated $10,000 to the defense fund.

"Mychal may have a lot of problems right now," Clark said, "but money is not one of those."

Latest Jena Six News Headline Hearing Must Be Had Within 72 Hours

2007-09-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

News broke Thursday afternoon that the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal ordered a hearing within 72 hours to determine if the only one of the six still behind bars can be released.

The order has "got to be good," Mychal Bell's attorney, Bob Noel anounced. "It means we have a day in court. Any day in court is going to be a good day."

Earlier, there was an aura of a pilgrimage at the site where the controversial tree once stood before school administrators had it removed.

Many people touched the ground and some retrieved a lump of dirt,part of the town was ill-prepared for the crowds -- no water or toilets were available.

In the background, groups shouted "Black power" and "No justice, no peace."

The estimated 15000 to 20,000 demonstrators shut down the town of 3,000 in central Louisiana. Many residents left for the day, and government agencies, businesses and schools were closed.

Sgt. Tim Ledet of the Louisiana State Police said protesters in buses were still bringing people to town at midday because of the gridlock, but many protesters got off and walked into town on foot.

"There is just no room to maneuver in this small town," he said.

Jena resident Terry Adams disagreed with any accusations that there might be a black-white divide in the area.

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Jena 6 Latest News Everything That Happened, Videos, Articles,Pictures And The Rally

2007-09-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

Chaos rulesPlans changed nearly by the hour. Press conferences were announced hours before they began.

Fire in Jena
A fire Wednesday night in a house trailer was not suspicious in nature, according to local officials

State Police assure safety

Traffic into Jena will be allowed, but roads on the two planned marching routes will be completely blocked while marchers are on the road, State Police said. Officers will be posted at each intersection's barricades ensuring that ralliers remain safe.
Officers will also be on the lookout for anyone veering off the road onto private property. If anyone is seen doing this, they will be dealt with, police said.

"We are planning for the worst but praying for the best," State Police Sgt. Julie Lewis said.

She said they are preparing for as many as 60,000 to converge on the town of less than 3,500, although there may be much less than that.

Bell's attorneys still working on his releaseLouis Scott, one of Mychal Bell's attorneys, said he is hoping to get word soon about when a bond hearing will be scheduled for Bell's possible release, but at this time there is no hearing scheduled. Until a hearing is scheduled, Bell can't be released, Scott said.

Sharpton speaks with Clinton about 'Jena Six'
The Rev. Al Sharpton interviewed Sen. Hillary Clinton by phone from the LaSalle Parish Courthouse for his radio show.

He said Clinton has great concern about the situation.

Sharpton said Clinton told him that she hopes the current presidential administration steps in and takes action concerning the Jena Six.

Rocker donates $10,000 to fundDavid Bowie has donated $10,000 to the Jena Six legal defense fund.

"There is clearly a separate and unequal judicial process going on in the town of Jena," Bowie said Tuesday in an e-mail statement. "A donation to the Jena Six Legal Defense Fund is my small gesture indicating my belief that a wrongful charge and sentence should be prevented."

DA discusses chargesLaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters was greeted by applause from the few community members that gathered on the courthouse lawn Wednesday afternoon for a press conference.
After giving a statement, Walters spent a few minutes answering questions until various people started shouting questions and arguing with him.

When asked why he charged the boys with attempted murder, he said it was because of his perception and knowledge of what the facts were.

He also addressed the question of why and when he made the statement about taking lives with the "stroke of my pen." He stressed that he never threatened anyone and that the statement wasn't directed at any one particular group.

Speaker: God may 'wipe' out Jena
Nation of Islam representative Deric Muhammad said they were in Jena because there has been an abuse of power. He said Louis Farrakhan had asked him to pass along the message to Jena to "save yourselves by giving justice to the Jena Six." He said the message was to watch the weather, and if justice isn't served, "God will wipe" out Jena.

Jackson said support for Obama not diluted
The Rev. Jesse Jackson made a statement reaffirming his support of presidential hopeful Sen. Barak Obama after he said comments from him about Obama were taken out of context.

"I reaffirm my commitment to vote for Sen. Barak Obama. He has remarkably transcended race, however the impact of Katrina and Jena makes America's unresolved moral dilemma of race unavoidable. I think Jena is another defining moment of the issue of race and the criminal justice system. This issue requires direct and bold leadership. I commend Sen. Obama for speaking out and demanding fairness on this defining issue. Any attempt to dilute my support for Sen. Obama will not succeed.

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Jena 6 Rally Protests Draw Thousands From Around Nation; See Photos And Check Back For The Latest Updates

2007-09-20T11:57:00.001-07:00

Jena protests draw thousands from around nation; see photo galleries and check back for updates. UL students take bus to join movement
JENA — Thousands have converged on this small central Louisiana town to protest in support of the Jena Six.

"This is a day I will tell my grandchildren about," Paillet said. "I remember the stories that my grandparents told me and they thought that I'd never have to go through that."

Paillet is one of countless people here in Jena today rallying against of the arrest and charges brought against six Jena High School students.

"It's heartbreaking," said Northside High School junior, Chantelle Cormier.

A steady stream of traffic engulfed the town. The buses continued to come through the morning, well after the Rev. Al Sharpton took the stage in front of the LaSalle Parish Courthouse to rally the crowd. Some in the crowd said buses lined La. 8, which leads into the town.

Sharpton took the courthouse stage and rallied the crowd: "No justice."
"No peace," the mass of people who had come to rally in Jena from as near as Alexandria and Lafayette and as far as Chicago, Detroit, and Alaska.

Sharpton then started, "Free the Jena Six" then began chanting "Who" The crowd, fists in air, shouted back, "the Jena Six."

Thursday's rally marked the modern civil rights movement, Sharpton told the crowd.

Following the rally at the courthouse, the sea of protesters marched about a mile to Jena High School.

The walkers moved to the refrains of "No justice! No peace!"The protesters are gathering in front of the LaSalle Parish courthouse, listening to speakers and chanting, "What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!"
The case of six black high school students arrested and charged after a fight left a white student hospitalized has sparked a nationwide movement.

One of the Jena Six, Bryant Purvis, was introduced to the crowd at the courthouse.

Most Asked Questions Surrounding The 'Jena Six"

2007-09-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Frequently asked questions surrounding the 'Jena Six"Editor's Note: Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the "Jena Six."

Who are the "Jena Six"?

The six black Jena High School students charged in connection with the beating of a white student have been referred to as the "Jena Six" ever since a June rally at the LaSalle Parish Courthouse where supporters were chanting "Free the Jena Six."

Jesse Ray Beard, Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis and Theo Shaw were all originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit the same, according to LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters. Those charges came after Justin Barker was hit and then repeatedly kicked by a group of students at the high school on Dec. 4.
All of the students but Beard, who was 14 at the time, were charged as adults. Bell, who was 16 at the time of the incident, was convicted as an adult in June of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit that crime. Walters reduced his charges just before the trial.

Since then, both of those convictions have been vacated and tossed back to juvenile court.

Charges against Bailey, Jones and Shaw have been reduced to aggravated second-degree battery. Purvis has yet to be arraigned. Details about Beard's case are unknown as it is being handled in juvenile court, though he is back at Jena High and participating in athletics.

Was it really an all-white jury that convicted Bell?

Yes. There were 150 people summoned for jury duty, although only about 50 appeared. That ratio is normal for LaSalle Parish, court officials said. In those 50 who appeared, none were black. There was no effort to find the nearly 100 who didn't appear, both black and white. That too is common in LaSalle Parish. Punishment for dodging jury duty is at the discretion of the judge.

Community members have squabbled over how many minorities appeared on the list of 150 potential jurors, with numbers ranging from four to more than 20. There is no entry in the juror database for race to ensure that bias isn't used in jury selection, a court official said.

Why were some of the boys charged as juveniles and others as adults?

According to Louisiana's Children's Code, if someone is 15 or over -- Bell was 16 at the time of the incident and Beard was 14 -- and they are charged with one of a list of specific charges -- including attempted murder -- they must be tried in the adult justice system. If a defendant is under the age of 15, he can't be charged as an adult. This decision isn't one resting in the hands of the judge or district attorney but is clearly spelled out in law.

The point of contention in this case was when the charges were reduced from a crime that a child can be charged as an adult -- such as attempted murder -- to a crime that a child can't be charged as an adult -- aggravated battery.

Bell's attorneys argued that the adult court no longer had jurisdiction, while Walters contended that according to law he did.

On Sept. 4, 28th Judicial District Court Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. agreed with Bell's attorneys when they said Mauffray never had jurisdiction over the conspiracy charge and threw out that conviction. But he contended that he retained jurisdiction of the battery charge. The appeals court didn't agree.

The 3rd Circuit ruled on Sept. 14 that the "trial court erred in denying the defendant's motion" to vacate the adult battery conviction. The three-judge panel ruled that "jurisdiction remains exclusively in juvenile court" for that charge.

In a statement made Sept. 14 following the appeal court's decision, LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters said that after reviewing the ruling, "I will ask the Louisiana Supreme Court to review the decision of the court of appeals."

Bell had a juvenile hearing Sept. 10 regarding the conspiracy charge, but those details are confidential. A juvenile hearing on the battery charge is pending appeals.

Were there really nooses found in connection with this case?

Two nooses were found hanging from a tree at Jena High after a black student asked in a "jocular fashion," according to U.S. Attorney Donald Washington, if the black students could sit under the tree where white students sat. Three students were accused of placing the nooses, and the school principal recommended expulsion for the students. A committee of the LaSalle Parish School Board overruled the decision, and the students were suspended. Details of the suspension aren't a public record. Washington said none of the statements of the accused or the witnesses from the Dec. 4 incident included anything about the nooses. The Jena Six supporters and family contend that the noose incident is what precipitated the Dec. 4 incident.

Who was the victim? What happened to him?

Justin Barker was a student at Jena High. He was knocked unconscious and suffered several injuries to his face during the attack. Barker was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he was treated for three hours. That evening he attended a ring ceremony at the high school.

Just a few days before the end of the school year, months after the Dec. 4 incident, Barker was expelled after a hunting gun was found in his car on the school grounds. He was charged as an adult with possession of a firearm in a firearm-free zone. His expulsion carried through to this school year.

Was he involved in any of the previous incidents?

Barker wasn't one of the three students disciplined for the noose incident, and he hasn't been named in any of the fights in Jena leading up to the Dec. 4 incident.

Was the arson at Jena High School connected to the nooses or other incidents?

Police have no leads in the investigation into the November arson that destroyed the main building of the school.

Do any of the "Jena Six" defendants have a criminal past?

Bell has been adjudicated of four previous crimes of violence -- two for battery and two for criminal damage to property. He was placed on probation until his 18th birthday -- Jan. 18, 2008. Juvenile records are normally sealed, but Bell's juvenile record was discussed during a hearing to set bond after his June adult felony conviction. If any of the other students have previous convictions, they haven't yet been made public.

Whats Happening In Jena Today

2007-09-20T09:24:00.001-07:00

National Action Network/Michael Baisden rally
The Rev. Al Sharpton said Wednesday that he, Martin Luther King III, Bernice King, radio show host Michael Baisden, TV and movie personality Tyler Perry and bus-loads of supporters will be arriving in Jena today in the wee hours of the morning.
Sharpton said the buses will meet at 5 a.m. at the Rapides Parish Coliseum in Alexandria and caravan to Jena, arriving at the LaSalle Parish Courthouse.

There, the buses will unload the groups of people, who will stage a rally in front of the courthouse. Following that rally, Sharpton said the group will march to Jena High School, where another rally will take place.

After the rally at the high school, the group will return to the courthouse, where the ralliers will load back onto the buses and return to Alexandria for a rally planned for noon, Sharpton said.

The groups will gather in front of city hall in Alexandria where Sharpton and Baisden will broadcast their radio shows.

He said that at no point will the group go to the Ward 10 Recreation Center south of Jena, where other groups are planning to congregate and march.

There is so much support for this," said Rachel Noerdlinger, the vice president of communications for Sharpton's National Action Network of the Jena Six. "Definitely, different groups will be doing different things."

At noon Wednesday, Sharpton and Baisden met with Bell and others at the LaSalle Parish Jail saying it was hard to see Bell shackled and hand-cuffed, but that the boy was encouraged by all the support.

Sharpton stressed that Bell didn't want anyone disparaging his name or the cause by any acts of violence or negativity.

NAACP rally and events

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's annual state conference has been scheduled for months to begin today in Alexandria. Organizers thought that there was no better way to kick off their conference than with a rally in support of the Jena Six and for justice in Jena and everywhere, Louisiana NAACP president Ernest Johnson said.

Ralliers with this group are expected to meet at the Ward 10 Recreation Center between 6 and 7 a.m. with the rally kicking off at 8 a.m. Speakers at the rally include NAACP national president Dennis Courtland Hayes, Congresswoman Maxine Walters, Civil Rights activist Dick Gregory and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. He said Martin Luther King III, Bernice King and Sharpton are expected to speak at their event as well.

After the rally, a nearly two-mile march to the courthouse is planned.

"There has been a great injustice," Johnson said of the case involving the teens. "One of these teens has been in jail for almost a year from something that was clearly nothing more than a school fight. The punishment is not fitting the crime."

After the march is completed, they are heading back to Alexandria where the NAACP convention is being held. Johnson said they are hosting a Town Hall meeting about disparities in the public school system at the Alexander Fulton Hotel convention center.

Jena Six Benefit Concert

The families of the Jena Six have organized a benefit concert for noon today at the Ward 10 park to "bring together the young people of Jena and surrounding communities with local artists and performers from around the country," concert organizer Catrina Wallace said.

She said the concert is a "unifying event that shares cultural music, spoken word and poetry, as well as the collective struggle to overcome racism and hatred." Wallace said concert speakers and performers will also share their vision for young people, families and communities achieving justice and equity.

Those coming, Wallace said, include David Banner, Lyfe Jennings, Bay Bay, Hurricane Chris, Trill Ent, Big Boom & 2Throwed, Sunni Patterson, Stooge's Brass Band and Big Unk.

Earlier reports from Wallace that Cupid, creator of the popular Cupid Shuffle line dance, would be performing were incorrect. Cupid said he was never contacted about performing in the town.

"I didn't know anything about this until my dad saw it in the paper and called me," said Cupid, aka Bryson Bernard of Lafayette. "This is wrong information being put out by a promoter who never contacted me."

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A "wear black" vigil is scheduled for Thursday September 20, from 4:30p.m. to 6:30p.m.

2007-09-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

A "wear black" vigil is scheduled for Thursday September 20, from 4:30p.m. to 6:30p.m. on the corner of Central Avenue and East Parkway to show support for the "Jena 6."

Jena 6 Pictures As Thousands Rally

2007-09-20T09:18:00.001-07:00

Nationally syndicated radio host Michael Baisden will broadcast live

2007-09-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

Nationally syndicated radio host Michael Baisden will broadcast live his radio show

Where: Alexandria Levee Park Amphitheatre and the Alexander Fulton Park (downtown mini-park)

When: From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today

Why: In support of Mychal Bell and the group of teenagers known as the "Jena Six"

How to get there: Bus parking for the event will be at the Rapides Parish Coliseum, under Interstate 49, between Washington and Murray streets or on Elliott and Jackson streets.

Denver Has A Jena 6 Rally

2007-09-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Denver Jena 6 set to rally tonight

Until Wednesday, A Denver woman had never organized a protest against anything. But something about the story of the Jena 6 — six black Louisiana youths many feel were charged unfairly with attempted murder after beating a white student — stirred her heart. She started calling and e-mailing friends, trying to figure out what she could do and settled on holding a march.

"I just said, 'OK, I'm going to go for it,'" she said. "I've never done anything like this. But I said I'm going to go out and march, even if it's just by myself."

Williams is one of several people in the metro area taking grassroots action to support the Louisiana youths, as marchers from across

"A lot of people think they don't have a voice or they can't do anything," said Denver filmmaker donnie l. betts, one or the organizers of tonight's rally. "But if you give them the tools, they can do that."

So on Wednesday evening, with chants and signs and the rhythmic thumping of bongo drums, Williams led a group marchers out of Denver's City Park and down Colfax Avenue to the state capitol to raise awareness about the story of the Jena 6. They handed out flyers to shop owners, to bums, to people waiting for the bus and to people smoking outside of bars. They waived and cheered whenever a passing motorist honked.

It didn't much matter there were only 13 of them marching, not counting the toddler in a stroller. It's not so.

Denver resident Rene Marie said she heard about the case only recently but said she was floored by what she sees as an unequal treatment of the Jena 6.

"It kind of hails back to something from the 1930s to me," said Marie, who is a noted jazz singer. "Everybody I know is shaking their head incredulous that something like this is happening."

Marie said she initially felt helpless to do something, but then began talking to friends, including betts, and decided to put together tonight's rally.

"It's to give people a chance to actually do something about the situation, other than just talk about it or shake their head," she said.

A.J. Greene, an Aurora resident, said he heard about the case in March, while listening to a Los Angeles radio station online.

"To do nothing would just be saying you're accepting it," Greene said. "I can't do that."

Greene said he has been passing out flyers for the last six months, giving them to all his friends leaving them on car windshields in a Target parking lot near his house. He got a T-shirt store to print up shirts in support of the Jena 6. And he attended Wednesday night's march. Greene said he is happy the case is now getting widespread attention, but hopes the notice won't die as quickly as it's grown.

"My biggest worry is after tomorrow that will be it," he said. "And then what will happen to the other kids? I'm happy for it to catch on anytime, as long as it keeps going."

The Associated Press, the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times contributed to this report

As the crowd grew in Jena, they found most of the local population gone

2007-09-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

JENA, Louisiana, Thousands of protesters gathered in Jena, Louisiana, Thursday to show support for the "Jena 6," six black teens charged in the beating of a white classmate.

Justin Barker was allegedly knocked out and stomped by the Jena 6 in December.3 of 3 Thursday was the day Mychal Bell expected to find out his punishment for his alleged role in the school beating.

"This is a march for justice. This is not a march against whites or against Jena," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights activist and one of the protest organizers.

Sharpton called Jena the beginning of the 21st century civil rights movement.

"[The Rev. Martin Luther] King went to Selma. That wasn't the only place you couldn't vote. That was the point of action," Sharpton said. "They went to Birmingham. That wasn't the only place we didn't have public accommodations. It was the point of action.

"Jena is a point of action for the Jenas everywhere," Sharpton said.

"There's a Jena in every state," the Rev. Jesse Jackson told the crowd in Jena on Thursday morning.

JoAnn Scales, who brought her three teenage children on a two-day bus journey from Los Angeles to Jena, made the same point.

"The reason I brought my children is because it could have been one of them" involved in an incident like the one in Jena.

"If this can happen to them [the Jena 6] , it can happen to anyone," Scales said.

Ondra Hathaway was on the bus with Scales.

"If this young man (Bell) was railroaded to do time as an adult, how many more people has that happened to?" she said.

At 8 a.m. ET, a Louisiana state patrol officer said five tour buses were being allowed into the town every 12 minutes. That resulted in buses lined up as far as the eye could see in both directions on Route 49.

As the crowd grew in Jena, they found most of the local population gone,The town's businesses had shut down, he said.

Demonstrators are protesting what they say are excessive criminal charges and bond amounts for the teens.

Bell, 17, has been in prison since his arrest in December.

Thursday morning, demonstrators walked to the high school, asking to see the tree where nooses were hung. They couldn't; the tree has been chopped down.

Charges against Bell were reduced, as were charges against Carwin Jones and Theodore Shaw, who have not yet come to trial.

Robert Bailey, Bryant Purvis and an unidentified juvenile remain charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Bell, who was 16 at the time of the fight, was to have been sentenced on battery and conspiracy convictions Thursday. But a district judge earlier this month tossed out his conviction for conspiracy to commit second-degree battery, saying the matter should have been handled in the juvenile court.

Last week, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Lake Charles, Louisiana, did the same with Bell's battery conviction.

But a Louisiana appeals court ruled Tuesday it was too early to consider a motion to free Bell from prison.

Meanwhile, the U.S. attorney who reviewed investigations into the nooses and the beating said he believes the incidents -- though likely symptoms of racial tension --were not related.

"A lot of things happened between the noose hanging and the fight occurring, and we have arrived at the conclusion that the fight itself had no connection," said Donald Washington, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Louisiana.

"There were three months of high school football in which they all played football together and got along fine, in which there was a homecoming court, in which there was the drill team, in which there were parades," Washington added.

Obama Catches A Break From Rev Jackson

2007-09-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

Jesse Jackson on Wednesday softened his criticism of Sen. Barack Obama, whom he reportedly criticized earlier in the week for "acting like he's white" on the Jena 6 race case in Louisiana.

Jackson said in an interview Wednesday that "acting white" isn't a phrase he uses regularly, and that it doesn't accurately represent his feelings about Obama, the Illinois Democratic senator whom Jackson supports for their party's presidential nomination.

Obama, meanwhile, sought to take Jackson's comments out of a racial context, saying he thinks the discussion about the case isn't "a matter of black and white," but rather "a matter of right and wrong.

"We should stand as one nation in opposition to this and any injustice," Obama said, not so subtly adding that his previous remarks on the Jena case were advised in part by Jackson's son, Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.)

The controversy arose this week as the elder Jackson was preparing for a trip to Jena, La., for a Thursday demonstration in support of six black teenagers at the center of a nationwide fight over racial equity in the criminal justice system.

After black students asked officials at the local high school for permission to sit under a tree that was usually a gathering place for white students, three nooses appeared in its branches.

Not long after that, police said that six black students beat up a white student, and they were charged with attempted murder. The case has touched off a nationwide protest set to culminate with the demonstration. The charges were subsequently reduced, and the conviction of one of the youths was overturned last week.

Earlier this week, The State newspaper in South Carolina quoted the elder Jackson as saying that Obama was "acting like he's white" by not being more bold in his response to the case of the Jena 6.

On Wednesday, Jackson told the Tribune in an interview that he doesn't contest the newspaper account but doesn't recall saying the phrase. He said the phrase doesn't reflect his opinion.

"That is not my conviction," Jackson said. "But I will say the Democrats should act with more courage on this. It is one of the defining moments of our time."

Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, said on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show Wednesday that the situation raises "very serious questions of injustice and inequality," and that it "shines a bright spotlight on the disparate treatment that happens all too often in our country."

"Jena Six" supporters who rallied Wednesday night

2007-09-20T08:34:00.000-07:00

The eyes of the world are on Jena, the Rev. Al Sharpton told "Jena Six" supporters who rallied Wednesday night at the Alexandria Riverfront Center in anticipation of today's protest march.

About 1,500 showed up at the Riverfront Center to cheer Sharpton and show support for a group of Jena High School students known as the Jena Six. They are accused of beating a fellow classmate in a December incident at the school.

"If (Mychal Bell) is old enough to be prosecuted, then the whites who hung a noose are old enough to be prosecuted," Sharpton told the cheering crowd.

Some, including Sharpton, have drawn comparisons between the incident to an earlier one at the school in which three students hung nooses from a tree that whites traditionally sat under after some black students sat there.
During his speech, Sharpton drew comparisons to today's march for the six students to marches in Selma, Ala., during the early 1960s to protect black voting rights. He reminded the crowd to march peacefully as the protesters in Selma did.

"Don't get out there and have a Negro fit tomorrow," Sharpton warned the crowd.

Bell, the first of the Jena Six to face trial, was 16 when arrested.

He and five other black students were originally charged with attempted murder in the incident, which some call a brutal attack, while others call it a schoolyard fight. Bell's adult conviction on a lesser battery charge, which could have earned him as many as 15 years in prison, was thrown out week by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal.

Attempted murder charges for four other Jena Six members were also reduced. A fifth member, who was 14 at the time of his arrest, is being tried in juvenile court.

Sharpton said after his speech that Bell -- the only member of the Jena Six still in jail -- should be immediately released.

He also would like laws to be changed so students who committed acts like the ones who hung the nooses could be prosecuted for hate crimes.

Those who attended the rally, which was hosted by nationally syndicated radio personality Michael Baisden, were charged $10 for admission. Baisden said a portion of the proceeds of the tickets sales would go into a legal defense fund.

Organizers also said a portion of proceeds from alcohol, soft drinks and food sold at the event go to the legal defense fund.

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Louisiana Appeals Court Rules In The Jena 6 Case

2007-09-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

Court: It's 'premature' to release Jena 6 defendant Thousands expected to rally, march in Jena on Thursday to protest charges

A Louisiana appeals court ruled it was too early to consider a motion to release an black teenager who allegedly took part in beating up a white classmate in Jena, Louisiana, last year.

Mychal Bell, 17, had his convictions vacated, but a court ruled it was "premature" to release the teen.

1 of 3 The ruling is the latest turn in the racially charged saga of a group known as the Jena 6 -- six black teens initially charged with attempted murder after they allegedly knocked out classmate Justin Barker and stomped him during a school fight. Five of the teens were charged as adults.

Civil rights groups and other organizations have marshaled thousands of people to march on Jena on Thursday, a day originally slated for 17-year-old Mychal Bell's sentencing hearing on battery and conspiracy convictions.

However, a district judge earlier this month tossed out Bell's conviction for conspiracy to commit second-degree battery, saying the matter should have been handled in the juvenile court. On Friday, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Lake Charles did the same with Bell's battery conviction.

A three-judge panel ruled Tuesday, however, that it would not consider a motion to free Bell from prison.
"The motion for release from custody, filed by the defendant in this court, is premature," the panel ruled without setting a date for considering the motion.

The future of Bell's case is up to the district attorney, who must decide whether to refile the charges in juvenile court, Bell's attorney Bob Noel said last week.

Charges against four of the teens -- Bell, Carwin Jones, Theodore Shaw and Robert Bailey -- have been reduced to battery and conspiracy. Shaw and Jones have not gone to trial. Bailey has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his trial is scheduled for November 26.

Bryant Purvis and an unidentified juvenile remain charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Radio Stars Take To The Air For The Jena 6 Suport Raly

2007-09-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

Louisiana's at the center of a storm

Wednesday, September 19th 2007Black and progressive radio will be all over tomorrow's court appearance of Mychal Bell, the black Louisiana teenager sentenced to jail after a racially triggered brawl.

Activists call it a throwback to old-style Southern justice because no white students were charged after the fight, only blacks. They are being called the Jena Six, after the town where the incident took place.

The morning shows at WBLS (107.5 FM) and WRKS (98.7 FM) have given the case extensive coverage and will continue tomorrow, when rallies are planned both in Jena and at City Hall in New York.

"It's not technically a local story, but it's got huge interest here," says morning newsman Bob Slade of WRKS, which promoted a bus trip from New York to Jena. "Folks are outraged."

WRKS plans extensive coverage tomorrow, says Slade. Besides Fatiyn Muhammad at City Hall, the station has the Rev. Al Sharpton and afternoon host Michael Baisden, who has been outspoken about the case, live from Jena. Both will call in reports, and Baisden will host his 3-7 p.m. show from there.

Morning host Steve Harvey of WBLS has been asking listeners to contact Louisiana officials about the case. Harvey's Web site features the case, and he's promised "to stay on it until things are made right."

The Miss Jones morning team on WQHT (97.1 FM) and Ed Lover with Egypt on WWPR (105.1 FM) have also talked about the case, though they plan no special programming tomorrow.

Deepa Fernandes' "Wake-Up Call" on WBAI (99.5 FM) reported on the case yesterday and will return to it tomorrow, said Fernandes.

This case has gotten less attention outside black media, where hosts like Slade and Imhotep Gary Byrd of WBLS, WLIB and WBAI have been on it since July.

Texas Southern University students and community activists getting on the bus for Jena LA.

2007-09-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

Houston students taking caravan to Jena 6 protestTSU students, activists gear up for trip to Louisiana rally protesting black teens' case

Hundreds of Texas Southern University students and community activists are getting ready to take part in a mass rally on Thursday in a central Louisiana town embroiled in racial unrest.

They attended an event at TSU on Tuesday to hear about the Jena 6, black high school students charged with attempted murder after allegedly jumping a white teen in a case drawing national attention.

The rally is expected to draw tens of thousands of people from around the country to Jena, population 3,000. On Thursday morning, 10 buses, along with vans and cars, are scheduled to leave Houston for Jena.

So far, 300 students have signed up for the ride, organizers said. Five buses will leave from TSU. In all, organizers estimate 1,000 will leave from Houston.

"What if it was your brother, your sister, what if it was the Houston 6 ... ?" senior Jasmine Pope, 21, TSU's student government association president, said at the rally. "This is our time to get on the bus."

David Bowie has donated $10,000 to the Jena 6 Defense fund

2007-09-19T12:00:00.001-07:00

Jena 6 Defense Gets Assist From David Bowie

NEW ORLEANS — David Bowie has donated $10,000 to a legal defense fund for six black teens charged in an alleged attack on a white classmate in the tiny central Louisiana town of Jena.

The British rocker's donation to the Jena Six Legal Defense Fund was announced by the NAACP as thousands of protesters were expected to march through Jena on Thursday in defense of Mychal Bell and five other teens. The group has become known as the Jena Six.

"There is clearly a separate and unequal judicial process going on in the town of Jena," Bowie said Tuesday in an e-mail statement. "A donation to the Jena Six Legal Defense Fund is my small gesture indicating my belief that a wrongful charge and sentence should be prevented."

Bell was found guilty on second-degree battery charges June 28 by a six-member, all-white jury. Before the case was overturned by the state 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, his sentencing had been set for Thursday.

The court said Bell, who was 16 at the time of the alleged December 2006 beating, shouldn't have been tried as an adult.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who helped organize the march, planned to do his syndicated radio show from Alexandria on Wednesday, then travel about 35 miles to Jena in an attempt to visit Bell, who remains in jail because he is unable to post $90,000 bond.

Sharpton says he expects more than 10,000 marchers.

"We are gratified that rock star David Bowie was moved to donate to the NAACP's Jena campaign," National Board of Directors Chairman Julian Bond of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said in a statement. "We hope others will join him

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Mos Def, comedians Steve Harvey and Rickey Smiley and radio show host Tom Joyner Will Attend The Jena 6 Rally

2007-09-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

Black entertainers to attend rally

Several prominent black entertainers plan to participate Thursday in the "Rally and March for Peace and Justice" in Jena.

"Free the Jena Six Rally and Concert" organizer Catrina Wallace said nationally recognized rappers Lyfe Jennings and David Banner will perform at The LaSalle Parish Ward 10 Recreational Park in Jena.

Other scheduled artists include Hurricane Chris, Big Unk, Bay Bay, Trill Ent, Big Boom and 2Throwed, Sunni Patterson and Stooge's Brass Band.

Hurricane Chris is a Louisiana artist currently receiving national attention. Hurricane Chris, whose breakout hit "A Bay Bay" is in heavy rotation on urban and Top 40 radio stations, is from Shreveport.
Other entertainers who are not affiliated with Wallace's production but have confirmed appearances are rapper/poet Mos Def, comedians Steve Harvey and Rickey Smiley and radio show host Tom Joyner.

Syndicated radio show host Michael Baisden on Thursday will broadcast "The Michael Baisden Show" live from Jena as well.

Lisa Harris, community development coordinator for the city of Alexandria, said a representative for "The Michael Baisden Show" was in Alexandria on Tuesday to secure the Levee Park Amphitheatre for a post-rally show. But as of Tuesday evening, no contract had been signed.

Television talk show host and author of "Snakes In the Pulpit" Reuben Armstrong plans to be in Jena today and Thursday.

"Justice has not been served to the Jena Six," Armstrong said. "The charges need to be dropped, and people are going to continue to march until the right thing's done -- both black and white will be there."

Armstrong will record a show that will be broadcast live on his Web site, www.reubenarmstrong.com, at 5 p.m. Armstrong will air two more shows -- Sept. 26 and Oct. 3 -- at 11 a.m. on the CW.

"If this happened to a Caucasian, we'd be there fighting, too," Armstrong said. "It's not even a black and white thing we are fighting, it's a right and wrong thing."

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Mayor Of Jena Says Order Will Rein

2007-09-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

JENA -- With a line of city and law enforcement officials behind him, Jena Mayor Murphy McMillin stressed Tuesday that the city will be well taken care of and that "order" will be maintained during Thursday's rally.

"I'm counting on the guys behind us," he said, referring to the gathered officials.

Col. Stanley Griffin, commander of the Louisiana State Police, said troopers will be on hand in Jena and the surrounding areas to assist the LaSalle Parish Sheriff's Office and will be focused on traffic management.

He said the State Police have heard that anywhere from 1,000 to 50,000 people will pour into the city for the rally planned to support the "Jena Six."Many of the details about the enforcement effort for security, traffic and crowd control haven't yet been finalized as the number of those planning to come to the rally continues to grow.

Griffin, like McMillin, is confident the day will be a peaceful one.

"We have deployed sufficient resources to address this situation," he said.

LaSalle Parish Sheriff Carl Smith said the other agencies on hand to help with the rally and influx of people include task forces from the Louisiana Sheriff's Association and Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police, the U.S. Marshal's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana.

McMillin said there were seven groups that had requested permits from the city to demonstrate and that all seven had received them. He said he "surely welcomes" those who are coming but wished they would come in smaller numbers so the city could accommodate them better.

"We'd like for fewer people to come at various times," McMillin said. "... But they are here exercising their constitutional rights."

All of the groups that received permits were researched, McMillin said, and they were found to be peaceful.

Griffin said he looked forward to the day being a proud one for both Jena and the state and said the law enforcement presence would be a neutral one to ensure that it is a "secure and uneventful" day.

"We are here to assist and ensure public order," Griffin said of the authorities' role. The gathering, he said, won't be an "adversarial" one.

Traffic is a big concern for officials with hundreds of buses expected to travel to the community of about 3,500.

"We are expecting a crowd in the tens of thousands," U.S. Attorney Donald Washington said. "The infrastructure is not there to address that."

Jena Police Chief Paul Smith said there will be some roads closed to help manage traffic but that authorities won't prevent people from coming into the city.

Griffin said they will be managing traffic but also will "give attendees proper access to the venue." He said they will not turn anyone around.

"There is an issue with just sheer volume," he said. "We are trying to manage that."
Law enforcement officials, Griffin said, are going to make every effort to keep traffic flowing and that they are not going to deny access to anyone.

Officials said if the town receives 50,000 people, it will be a "major challenge."

The rally originally was planned around the sentencing of Mychal Bell, the first of six black teenagers known as the Jena Six to face trial.

The teenagers all were initially charged with attempted murder in connection with a Dec. 4 incident at Jena High School that left white student Justin Barker unconscious and bleeding with facial injuries. He was treated at a local emergency room for about three hours.

Bell, who was 16 when arrested, was convicted in June of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit that crime.

On Friday, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal overturned Bell's felony battery conviction, saying the charge should have been handled in juvenile court. LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters said he would appeal the decision.

Bell's conspiracy conviction also was tossed back on Sept. 4 to juvenile court by 28th Judicial District Court Judge J.P. Mauffray.

Bell's father, Marcus Jones, said he was frustrated that Tuesday's news conference focused on the logistics of Thursday's rally rather than the root causes for which they are rallying.

"(All the officials) ain't trying to get to the cause and the root of the problem," he said. "What about the charges on my son and all the charges (on the other boys)? ... All of the press didn't ask the right questions."

What Jones said he wanted those in attendance to ask is why the students accused a year ago of hanging nooses in a tree on the Jena High campus weren't charged, why the DA charged the boys so harshly and what the community was going to do to deal with the situation.

Thursday's rally, Jones said, never would have happened had those nooses not been found hanging from that tree.

"I'm just ready for this all to be over and my son get out of jail," he said. "... And the town to get back to normal life, the kids go on with their lives."

Latest On The Jena 6 March On Thursday

2007-09-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Students who support 'Jena 6,' will join in Louisiana

ATLANTA --About 200 students marched from the Atlanta University Center campus to Centennial Olympic Park on Tuesday in support of the six black high-school students accused of attacking a white student in Jena, La.

The crowd of young people, mostly from Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University, held signs reading, "Stop the racist prosecution of the Jena 6," and chanted slogans like, "Until the Six are free, neither are we!"

Racial tensions at Jena High School became public when white students hung three nooses from a tree after a black student asked during assembly if black students could join the white students who gathered under its shade. Reports of racial fights and confrontations at the school followed, culminating in the December attack on Justin Barker.

On Thursday, between 5,000 and 40,000 people are expected to descend on the central Louisiana town of about 2,900 in support of Mychal Bell, whose conviction on an aggravated second-degree battery charge was overturned Friday, and five others not yet tried. Many are coming to protest what they consider excessive charges and bond for the youths.

Morehouse sophomore Koree Hood said that he was especially affected by the case as a young, black male.

"They represent us," Hood said as he marched towards the park. "We see an injustice in Jena, La. It's gone on for too long, and very few people knew it was happening today."

Hood said he is planning to join a bus caravan leaving from Atlanta on Wednesday.

Reginald McKinley, a senior at Morehouse and one of the organizers of Tuesday's rally in Atlanta, said it's important for young people to show up in Louisiana.

"We're here to make sure our voices are heard and to make sure they see support from their peers," McKinley said.

Tammy Timbers, a senior at Spelman College, said she first read about the case a month ago in the New York Times. The political science major said she immediately saw it as a violation of the 14th Amendment.

"Things like this happen all the time," Timbers said. "Jena Six is just getting a lot of publicity."

Also in Atlanta this week, the city council on Monday unanimously passed a resolution in support of the six young men.

And the Southern Christian Leadership Conference announced that the group will take buses to Jena and establish a temporary conflict resolution center there.

"People need an alternative to violence," SCLC President Charles Steele said on Tuesday. "That's the culture of Jena because of a lack of exposure, they don't know a better way. We're going to work with the local leadership there to provide (nonviolence) training."

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Jena 6 Petition Sign The Jena Six Petition

2007-09-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

Justice for the Jena 6
The lives of six young black men are being ruined by Jim Crow justice in Jena, Louisiana.
The District Attorney has refused to protect the rights of Jena's Black population and has turned the police and courts into instruments of intimidation and oppression.

We can help turn things around by making it a political liability for the authorities of Jena to continue the racist status quo, and by forcing the Governor of Louisiana to intervene. SIGN THE JENA 6 PETITION

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The Latest News On Jena 6 .. DA And Judge Dont Show Up

2007-09-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Jena 6 DA and judge fail to show for 'Jena 6' bail hearing
Tuesday, September 18th 2007, 9:14 AM

The black teen at the center of a furor over legal racism remained behind bars - though charges against him were thrown out Friday - because the judge and prosecutor didn't come to a bail hearing yesterday, his lawyer said.

"We showed up. There was nobody there," said Bob Noel, lawyer for 17-year-old Mychal Bell of Jena, La. "No DA, no judge."

A woman who answered the phone at District Attorney Reed Walters' office said he had no bail procedure on his calendar.

A massive protest is planned for Thursday in tiny, rural Jena on behalf of Bell and five co-defendants who are known as the Jena 6. Other rallies that day include one outside Brooklyn Borough Hall.

"To imagine that in 2006, 2007, we're still fighting these fights is just incomprehensible," said Assemblyman Darryl Towns (D-Brooklyn) at a Jena 6 rally at City Hall yesterday.

An appeals court on Friday threw out the conviction of Bell, who was charged as an adult with attempted murder last year for punching a white classmate in a schoolyard scuffle.

The charges were later reduced to aggravated battery, a charge the appeals court said should have been dealt with in juvenile court.

Noel had filed a motion to have Bell released - or his $90,000 bail reduced - while the prosecutor mulls whether to appeal the overturning of Bell's conviction. He has two weeks to decide.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said Washington should step in.

"We needed federal intervention to get into school in Little Rock [in the 1950s] and we need federal intervention now," he said.

All six black Jena football players were hit with heavy charges after a white student was punched and kicked at Jena High School on Dec. 4, one of a series of racial dustups that began when white students hung nooses in a school tree.

White students involved in similar fistfights were shown leniency.

Bell is the only one who has been tried. The other blacks still face trial on charges that are widely seen as overly harsh.

Organizers say at least 10,000 demonstrators will flood the mostly white town of 3,000 people.

Councilman Albert Vann (D-Brooklyn) organized yesterday's New York rally to keep the pressure on Louisiana prosecutors and set the stage for Thursday.

"There's a national spotlight now on Jena," he said.

Jena 6 Rally On Thursday Is Expected To Bring Tens Of Thousands

2007-09-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

State Police to have 'sizable presence' in Jena for rally
Gov. Kathleen Blanco said State Police will have a "sizable presence" in Jena on Thursday for the "Jena Six" rally.

Blanco issued this statement Monday:

"The events of September 20 promise to bring a substantial number of visitors to Jena, and as with any large occasion preparations must be made for an orderly experience.

"To that effect, I am working with State Police Superintendent Colonel Griffin, who has coordinated with the LaSalle Parish Sheriff's Department to support its safety efforts during Thursday's activities.

"Colonel Griffin has also reached out to leaders of groups organizing, assuring their safety as they demonstrate. Given the high number of expected participants, State Police will have a sizable presence in Jena to ensure a peaceful and therefore meaningful event.

"I support citizens exercising their right to free speech, and I encourage all involved in Thursday's march to respect one another and that right."

The rally in Jena on Thursday is expected to bring possibly tens of thousands of people to the town.

Jena 6 Rally Drawing Thousands And They'll Get To Jena Anyway They Can

2007-09-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Thousands traveling by bus to Jena for protest

JENA -- Thousands are expected to travel hours by bus this week for a rally at the LaSalle Parish Courthouse to show support for the "Jena Six."

Many of those organizing the busloads of people to Jena said they also are making the trek to say "enough is enough."

Buisnesses To Close Down For Thursdays Jena 6 Rally

2007-09-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

JENA -- The prospect of thousands marching through the streets of Jena has caused concern for many of the small community's residents.

One business owner said she is thinking of boarding up her windows. Another is closing up shop and spending the day far away from downtown. One woman said a group that big, no matter how well intentioned, could easily cause chaos.

Tina Norris, owner of the downtown Café Martin, said the restaurant will be closed Thursday solely because of the rally, which is scheduled to take place just a few blocks away

"Of course we'll lose money," she said Monday during the bustling lunch rush. "But we don't know what else to do. No one has given us any direction, told us what to do.

"We don't know how many are going to be here, what kind of an attitude they are going to have. It has created all kinds of worries," she said.

Norris said she is going to "lock up, go home and stay out of the way." She said she is thinking about boarding up the large plate-glass windows at the restaurant.

No one really knows just how many people will be in Jena that day, although thousands have already pledged their presence from across the country via bus reservations. Some estimates are as low as 5,000, while others have said more than 40,000 will make their way to Jena in support of the "Jena Six."

Kirby Jones of South Side Service in Jena said the business is shutting its doors Thursday.

"We won't get traffic through here or get any business -- all it would be is people coming in to use the bathroom," Jones said of why the service station is closing.

Jones and another man lease the gas and service station, which is along the nearly two-mile route planned for those marching to the LaSalle Parish Courthouse.

Organizers are encouraging those coming into Jena to boycott local businesses anyway, he said. Many planning to make the trek, such as Martha McFerren of St. Louis, have vowed to follow those instructions.

"We going to bring in things like water and food so we don't have to support the community," she said. "We don't want to support this community as a way to express our concern for the way it is treating some of its residents. All we are asking for is fair treatment for everyone."
Jones said he thinks all of the outsiders coming in for the rally are unnecessary.

"This thing has been blown all out of proportion," he said. "Most people in this community have a good relationship with everybody. We've never had problems here."

The community of Jena, Jones stressed, is a good one that has been given a bad name. The town has problems like everywhere, he said, but it isn't at all like what has been portrayed nationally.

Although those organizing the rally have stressed that it will be a peaceful one, some are still fearful that some protesters may come with a different attitude.

Sandra Jones of Jena said she thinks that those marching and rallying are supporting a good cause, but she said she hopes those coming will be respectful of her community.

"The black people in Jena, we still have to live here after all of them are done and gone home," she said. "I just hope everyone comes in a positive way and doesn't make it hard for us that live here.

"A lot of people are scared because Jena has never gone through something like this. We are just all hoping that everyone comes peacefully and no one tries to start any trouble," she said.

Jones acknowledged racism in Jena but said it's no different than anywhere else.

"Racism is everywhere," she said. "It's not just Jena, and it's not like people are saying it is. I just hope that everyone that comes here -- all the leaders and all the activists -- accomplish what they came to do and have a peaceful time."

Many in the community, Jones said, think Thursday will be about rioting. Norris said she too had heard that some were coming to riot and cause trouble.

Jones said she still hasn't decided if she's going to go to Thursday's rally. The cause is a noble one, she said, but she is still a little leery about the number of people predicted.

"I just pray for the best," she said.

Jena 6 Hotels Are All Booked Solid Prior To Event

2007-09-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

Area hotels booked prior to event

Nearly every hotel in Jena is booked for Wednesday night, with most of those rooms occupied by those rallying for the "Jena Six."
But although Wednesday isn't usually one of their busiest days, most hotel managers said handling the influx of people will be nothing out of the ordinary.

"During the sports season we are always booked up," Quality Inn manager Bill Carr said. "This isn't really out of the ordinary."

He said about 90 percent of the hotel's 58 rooms are for those coming in for the rally in Jena. The economic impact on Alexandria, if any, will be small.

Effie Hall, front desk clerk at Days Inn, said nearly all of the hotel's rooms would be filled with rally-goers Wednesday night coming in from Washington, D.C., New York and Georgia.

"We're still getting calls asking for rooms even though we've been booked for weeks," she said. "I have heard that pretty much everything is booked here. I'm telling people to call Natchitoches or other places."

Hundreds of buses are expected to meet Thursday morning at the Rapides Parish Coliseum -- showing people want to stay in Alexandria instead of Monroe or other larger cities, Hall said.

Tomiko Monger is driving down from Memphis. She called Friday to book a hotel in Alexandria, but didn't have much luck and decided to stay at a bed and breakfast.

"It's important to come down for this because this could be anyone's child," Monger said of the six black students known as the Jena Six, who originally were charged with attempted murder in a Dec. 4 incident at Jena High School. "It's a great injustice.

"I don't think nothing should be done to these boys, because they shouldn't have been fighting. But being charged with the charges they have been charged with for as little of what was done isn't right," Monger said.

Bell, the first member of the Jena Six to face trial, was 16 when arrested. He and five other black students are accused of beating white student Justin Barker.

Medical records indicate Barker was left unconscious and bleeding with facial injuries. He was treated at a local emergency room for about three hours.

Charges of attempted murder have been reduced to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit that crime for four of the five teens charged as adults -- Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones and Theo Shaw. Bryant Purvis has not yet been arraigned.

Jesse Ray Beard, who was 14 at the time of his arrest, is being tried in juvenile court, which isn't open to the public.

On June 28, Bell was convicted by an all-white jury of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit the same.

The court had summoned 150 people for the jury pool, but only 50 showed up -- none of whom were black, court officials said.

On Sept. 4, 28th Judicial District Court Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. agreed with Bell's attorneys when they said Mauffray never had jurisdiction over the conspiracy charge and threw out that conviction. But he contended that he retained jurisdiction of the battery charge. The appeals court didn't agree.

The 3rd Circuit on Friday overturned Bell's felony conviction of aggravated second-degree battery, ruling that the "trial court erred in denying the defendant's motion" to vacate the conviction. The three-judge panel ruled that "jurisdiction remains exclusively in juvenile court" for that charge.

Many of those coming in for the rally have stressed that they plan to spend no money in Jena.

"I will not be spending one dime in Jena," Monger said. "I don't care how thirsty I get down there. I don't want the town to profit in any way from the people coming down for the rally."

Jena's Townsmen Inn has been booked for months, but a hotel employee who declined to give her name said only about five of the hotel's more than 50 rooms were available as the other rooms are booked for the workers doing renovation to the LaSalle Parish Detention Center.

Jena, LA. Armed Robbery

2007-09-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

Investigators with the Lafayette Sheriff's Ofice and the Scott Police Department are investigating an armed robbery at St. Landry Bank on the corner of Cameron Street and Blue Boy Drive in Scott.

Detectives tell us they're looking for a heavy-set black man who left the bank with an undetermined amount of cash. On his way out, the suspect dropped some of the cash after a dye-pack went off and stained the money. The suspect left on foot, but police aren't sure if a get-away car was used.

Anyone with information should call 911 or the Scott Police Department at 233-3715. No one was injured in the robbery, but police say the suspect is considered armed and dangerous

Jena 6 of The 3000 Residents Only 350 Are Black

2007-09-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

Just below the surface of the United States of America, there is an undercurrent. It flows silently, seeping into structures, doing damage and causing erosion that can only be viewed as result.

Beginning over a year ago in the small town of Jena, in LaSalle Parrish in Louisiana, with its inhabitants numbering approximately 3,000, only 350 of whom are Black, eyes have been on Jena, Louisiana. Six Black high school youths were arrested and charged in connection with the beating of a White youth in December 2006.

Racial tensions had been escalating in Jena since three nooses, in the high school colors, were hung from a tree in the high school courtyard on September 2, 2006.

The nooses were hung the day after two Black students, who had asked about sitting under the tree and had been told, by the vice principal, nothing was stopping anyone, sat under the tree, a custom usually observed only by White students. The tree, known to most in the town as the 'white tree', has been cut down.

For many Black people in the U.S., the horror of lynching comes to mind when viewing a noose slung over a tree limb. This repugnant pastime, that occurred for an acknowledged 100 years, although the actual number of years will never be known, was meted out upon Black men, women and children, often drawing crowds of thousands from miles around.

Those 'hosting' these brutal events, which often concluded with physical 'trophies' being obtained, frequently delayed the 'happening' to allow for the arrival of spectators. The haunting ballad, Strange Fruit, sung by the late Billie Holiday, immortalized this savagery.

In its own way, the U.S. government was complicit in these acts, by refusing to legislate against the practice and in allowing postcards to be sent, through the U.S. Postal Service, without any action or charges brought against those distributing items that documented a crime, with the perpetrators posed, smiling for the camera.

The first Black youth due to be sentenced in Jena was Mychal Bell, after his conviction for the beating. He, along with the other five youths, were initially charged with attempted murder. The local prosecutor, Reed Walters, according to the Chicagotribune.com, had contended that Mychal Bell's tennis shoes " .... constituted a dangerous weapon." Mychal Bell was later charged with aggravated second-degree battery.

On September 14, 2007, Louisiana's Third Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the conviction of Mychal Bell, stating the case should have been tried in juvenile court.

It is unknown if this decision will be appealed by the prosecution.

Teens Conviction In The Jena 6 Case Thrown Out

2007-09-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

The latest news on the jena 6.. A state appeals court on Friday threw out the only remaining conviction against one of the black teenagers accused in the beating of a white schoolmate in the racially tense north Louisiana town of Jena.

Mychal Bell, 17, should not have been tried as an adult, the state 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal said in tossing his conviction on aggravated battery, for which he was to have been sentenced Thursday. He could have gotten 15 years in prison.

His conspiracy conviction in the December beating of student Justin Barker was already thrown out by another court.

Bell, who was 16 at the time of the beating, and four others were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder. Those charges brought widespread criticism that blacks were being treated more harshly than whites after racial confrontations and fights at Jena High School.

Bell's attorney Louis Scott said he didn't know whether his client, bond was set at $90,000, would get out of jail immediately.
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'We don't know what approach the prosecution is going to take _ whether they will re-charge him, where he would have to be subjected to bail all over again or not,' Scott said.

Civil rights leaders, including the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, had been planning a rally in support of the teens for the day Bell was to have been sentenced.

'Although there will not be a court hearing, we still intend to have a major rally for the Jena Six and now hopefully Mychal Bell will join us,' Sharpton said in an e-mailed statement.

Said Jackson: 'The pressure must continue until all six boys are set free and sent to school, not to jail.'

Jena is a mostly white town where racial animosity flared about a year ago when a black student sat under a tree that was a traditional gathering place for whites. A day later, three nooses were found hanging from the tree. There followed reports of racial fights at the school, culminating in the December attack on Barker.

The reversal of Bell's conviction will not affect four other teenagers also charged as adults, because they were 17 years old at the time of the fight and no longer considered juveniles, said attorney George Tucker of Hammond.

Prosecutors have the option of appealing to the state Supreme Court. District Attorney Reed Walters did not return a call Friday.

Judge J.P. Mauffray had thrown out Bell's conspiracy conviction, saying it was not a charge on which a juvenile may be tried as an adult. But he had let the battery conviction stand, saying Bell could be tried in adult court because the charge was among lesser charges included in the original attempted murder charge.

Teenagers can be tried as adults in Louisiana for some violent crimes, including attempted murder, but aggravated battery is not one of those crimes, the court said.

Defense lawyers had argued that the aggravated battery case should not have been tried in adult court once the attempted murder charge was reduced.

The case 'remains exclusively in juvenile court,' the Third Circuit ruled.

Jena 6 Rally News And Facts About The Jena 6

2007-09-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

NLG Endorses September 20 Rally In Jena
Press Release: US National Lawyers Guild

The United People of Color Caucus of the National Lawyers Guild Endorses September 20 Rally in Jena The United People of Color Caucus (TUPOCC) of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) endorses the planned rally in Jena, Louisiana on September 20 in support of the six black high school students who have come to be known as the "Jena 6." The rally takes place on the sentencing date of Mychal Bell, one of the Jena 6. "It is still the Jim Crow era in Jena," said Kerry McLean, TUPOCC member, and member of the NLG national executive board. "The constitutional rights and human rights of these boys have been flagrantly violated. TUPOCC stands in solidarity with the Jena 6, and demands justice."

Bell, originally charged with attempted murder for allegedly beating up a white student, was later charged with and convicted of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. A judge recently dismissed the conspiracy conviction, saying that juveniles could not be charged with conspiracy in adult court. The battery conviction remains. Bell faces up to 15 years in prison.

The other five teens, Robert Bailey, Theo Shaw, Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis and an unidentified juvenile, face charges ranging from aggravated second-degree battery to attempted second-degree murder. Most of the boys spent months in jail before being able to raise tens of thousands of dollars for bail, and Bell was never able to raise the money to make bail.

The story of the Jena 6 began last September, when three black high school students sought respite from the sun under a leafy tree in the school yard where usually only white students sat. The next day nooses were found hanging from the tree. Though the culprits who hung the noose were discovered and recommended for expulsion by the principal, the school board chose to reduce their expulsions to a three-day, in-school suspension. After the entire black student body protested peacefully by sitting under the tree, Jena District Attorney Reed Walters informed the school in an assembly that he could take away the lives of the black students with a stroke of his pen.

Over the following months several incidents occurred, including threats and acts of violence against black students to which DA Walters did not respond. However, after a white student was beaten up by black students in December, Walters charged six black students with second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The white student was treated at the hospital, released that same day, and was seen at a social function that very night.

"The situation in Jena makes it apparent that racism continues to thrive in the U.S. 'criminal justice' system, and that we must raise our collective voice to a deafening pitch in order to oppose the systems of oppression that continue to treat us as second-class citizens," said Anne Befu, co-chairperson of TUPOCC. TUPOCC calls on all allies in the fight for racial justice to join the rally on September 20 in Jena, Louisiana.

Founded in 1937 as an alternative to the American Bar Association which did not admit people of color, the National Lawyers Guild is the oldest and largest public interest/human rights bar organization in the United States. Its headquarters are in New York and it has chapters in every state.

Jena Six News The latest News And Updates For The Jena 6 Case

2007-09-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

Louisiana UUs decry racism in 'Jena Six' case
“We've had people released from jail without ever having seen an attorney.”

Carwin Jones, center, one of the "Jena Six," is flanked by his mother, Tina Jones, left, and his father John Jenkins, in front of the LaSalle Parish Courthouse in June.

Two Unitarian Universalist churches in Louisiana are rallying to the cause of the “Jena Six,” the teenaged defendants in a criminal case that has drawn national attention to racial tensions in their small town. Both churches adopted resolutions expressing concern about racism, are joining interfaith prayer services and candlelight vigils, and plan to attend a mass demonstration later this month.

The Jena Six are African American young men—four 17-year-olds, one 18-year-old, and one minor—who were arrested and charged with attempted murder after a high school fight with a white classmate in Jena, Louisiana, in December. Civil rights group have called the charges against the young men excessive and say officials failed to respond adequately to racist incidents at the high school that may have led to the fight.Read the whole story

Jena 6 Outrage Read The Letters

2007-09-14T11:13:00.000-07:00

Letters express outrage,And disgust at Logan torture case

My God, something is really wrong here. How can people possibly do this to someone no matter what the color of their skin is? And to have them only charged with assault and battery when clear intentions may have been to kill, this doesn’t sit well to me at all.

If this was a hate crime then we clearly as Americans need to re-evaluate our legal system when we have six young men in jail in Jena, La. for a school fight all charged with attempted murder and these individuals are being charged with assault? Where is the justice? Are these really the times we are living in? Is this acceptable? I hope that the charges against these individuals are higher and this young lady will have some type of justice. My prayers are with her and her family.

Courtney Brown
Jacksonville, Fla.

READ ALL THE LETTERS

Judge Tosses Another Count in Jena 6 Race Fight

2007-09-13T09:50:00.000-07:00

Judge Tosses 1 Count in Jena Race Fight

JENA, La. -- A judge threw out a teenager's conspiracy conviction in the alleged beating of a white student by a group of black schoolmates, but the teen's battery conviction still stands.

The ruling Tuesday means Mychal Bell, 17, will face at most 15 years in prison rather than 22 1/2 when he is sentenced later this month.

The case drew protests after five of the six teens, dubbed the "Jena Six," were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, carrying sentences of up to 80 years in prison. The sixth was charged in juvenile court.

The beating victim, Justin Barker, 18, was treated for injuries at a hospital and released the same day, and a motive for the alleged Dec. 4 attack at Jena High School was never established.Jena 6.

Bell was the first of six teens to go to trial. The attempted murder charges were reduced to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery, and Bell was convicted. However, Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. threw out the conspiracy conviction Tuesday, saying juveniles could not be charged with conspiracy in adult court.

Both sides said they would appeal. Bell's attorneys want the battery charge throw out, as well, and the case returned to juvenile court.

The charges against two of the other teens, Carwin Jones and Theo Shaw, were also reduced Tuesday from attempted second-degree murder to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy. Robert Bailey Jr. and Bryant Purvis, still face attempted murder charges, and the unidentified juvenile has yet to go to trial.

The beating came amid tense race relations in Jena, a mostly white town of 3,000 in north-central Louisiana. 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.

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Hundreds Expected To Support "Jena Six"

2007-09-13T09:47:00.001-07:00

Hundreds Expected To Support "Jena Six"
“I think it is very brave, the men who sat under the tree because they asked permission from the prinicpal. They were making a deliberate stand against something that they felt was wrong.”

This incident capped several months of escalating racial tension at Jena High in Jena, Louisiana. via WLTX-TV Columbia

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Charges Dropped Again In Jena 6 Case

2007-09-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

Charges reduced for another 'Jena Six' member
JENA -- Four of the five Jena High School students charged as adults with attempted murder in the Dec. 4 attack on a fellow student have had their charges reduced. more »

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National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

2007-09-11T19:27:00.001-07:00

The Rev. B.L. Moran said he is now the acting president of the LaSalle Parish branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and is asking anyone with concerns to contact him at (318) 308-8598.

Charge Reduced Again in The 'Jena 6' Case

2007-09-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Another Charge Reduced in 'Jena 6' Case

“The prosecutor from the beginning of this case has seemingly employed less than ethical and just legal tactics in over zealous attempts to have Mychal Bell unjustly convicted”

Prosecutors reduced the attempted murder charge against yet another of the 'Jena Six,' a group of black high school students whose criminal charges after the beating a white classmate drew protests of racism and unequal justice.

Robert Bailey Jr. pleaded not guilty Monday to aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery.

He was among five of the six teens originally charged as adults with attempted murder. The sixth was charged in juvenile court.

Mychal Bell, the only member of the 'Jena Six' to be tried so far, was convicted of aggravated battery; the judge threw out his conspiracy conviction. Prosecutors also dropped the attempted murder account to battery last week in the cases of Carwin Jones and Theo Shaw when they were arraigned.

The Jena 6 get new lawyers

2007-09-05T12:34:00.001-07:00

The Jena 6 get new lawyers

Conspiracy charge dropped against Mycal Bell in The Jena 6 Case

2007-09-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

Conspiracy charge dropped against black student in Louisiana school beating case
September 5, 2007

JENA, Louisiana: A judge has dropped one of two criminal charges against a black teen convicted of assaulting a white student in a racially-charged Louisiana school beating case.

The dismissal of the conspiracy to commit aggravated second-degree battery charge means that Mychal Bell — the first of six black teens to be tried for the attack on another student at Jena High School — will face at most 15 years in prison.

A judge had reduced murder charges against two of the other teens accused in the case. Carwin Jones and Theo Shaw will instead face aggravated-second degree murder charges in the attack on Justin Barker. The attack followed months of racial tension after black students found three nooses hanging from a tree at Jena High School.

The students are part of what has become known as the "Jena Six."

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A Judge Has Thrown Out Conviction In The Jena 6 Case Against Mychal Bell

2007-09-05T11:26:00.000-07:00

JENA, La. A judge threw out a teenager's conspiracy conviction in the alleged beating of a white student by a group of black schoolmates, but the teen's battery conviction still stands.

The ruling Tuesday means Mychal Bell, 17, will face at most 15 years in prison rather than the 20 plus years when he is sentenced later this month.

The Jena 6 case drew protests after five of the six teens, dubbed the "Jena Six," were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, carrying sentences of up to 80 years in prison. The sixth was charged in juvenile court.

The victim, Justin Barker, 18, was treated for injuries at a hospital and released the same day, and a motive for the alleged Dec. 4 attack at Jena High School was never established.

Bell was the first of six teens to go to trial. The attempted murder charges were reduced to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery, and Bell was convicted. However, Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. threw out the conspiracy conviction Tuesday, saying juveniles could not be charged with conspiracy in adult court. This decsion wil no dought make some happy and others irate.

Both sides now say they would appeal. Bell's attorneys want the battery charge throw out, as well, and the case returned to juvenile court.

The charges against two of the other teens, Carwin Jones and Theo Shaw, were also reduced Tuesday from attempted second-degree murder to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy. Robert Bailey Jr. and Bryant Purvis, still face attempted murder charges, and the unidentified juvenile has yet to take his case to trial.

The beating came amid tense race relations in Jena, a mostly white town of 3,000 in north-central Louisiana. 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.

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