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Showing posts with label facts on the jena 6 case. Show all posts
Showing posts with label facts on the jena 6 case. Show all posts
Monday, October 15, 2007
Latest Jena 6 Comment From A Mother Of 5
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.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Jena 6 Headlines Your Help Is Needed PLease Dont Turn Your Back
**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
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.”
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
See The Jena 6 Outrage Latest Video Shows Where The Money Went
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
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Heres A Scarry Reality Theres A Morgue Trailer AwaitIng The Next Hurricane
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
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
Friday, September 28, 2007
Jesse Jackson Still Unhappy The Latest News On The Jena 6
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Latest Rullings In The Jena Case
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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Fast Loan for the Holiday's
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Atheletes In Trouble Jena Latest News And Facts
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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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
Shop Political T-shirts and More at CafePress.com
Monday, September 24, 2007
DMX Pitbulls Had Wounds When They Were Buried
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?"
Sunday, September 23, 2007
More Marches, Hate Reins, Nooses Hung,Latest Jena 6 Facts And News
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."
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."
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