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.
Jena 6 case,Jena Six news,Racial news Jena 6
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**LATEST JENA 6 NEWS YOU CAN STILL HELP** Many ask how can they help with the Jena 6 case I have put together some ways you can help..it's the latest news and ways you can help stop the racism..We need you to stand up!! Even $5.00 Will Help!!Donate online to the: Jena 6 Defense Fund or mail donations to. Jena 6 Defense Committee, P. O. Box 2798, Jena, LA 71342 Advocate in your community: Mobilize your community and local government to have a voice and unite on equality within the United States criminal justice system.Send a letter to the Louisiana Governor and the Louisiana Attorney General: Urge your local officials to investigate this matter to ensure that these young men’s constitutional rights are safeguarded.Register to vote: Make your vote count.Join the NAACP: Become a member of the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization and help make a difference.DONATE HERE IT'S FAST AND SECURE PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN!! PLEASE HELP!! PLEASE HELP EVEN $1 DOLLAR ADD'S UP!!
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Louisiana Earns Dubious Distinction
Louisiana incarcerates more of its residents than any other state in the nation. Here are the top three:
1. Louisiana (791)
2. Texas (691)
3. Mississippi (660)
Lowest three states:
1. Maine (144)
2. Minnesota (180)
3. Rhode Island (189)
(Note: The national average incarceration rate is 491 per 100,000 residents.)
What Is The Jena 6
A little background for those that do not know, the Jena 6 are six Black students who face the possibility of going to prison for very long time, all because of a schoolyard fight. Almost a year ago, in the small town of Jena, Louisiana a group of Black students sat under a “whites-only” tree in the schoolyard. Yes they still have them.
Apparently, this upset some of the white students so much that the next day they put up nooses hanging from the tree. Soon after the nooses were hung, most of the 93 Black students (out of a total student enrollment of 546) at Jena High School stood together under the tree, in a courageous act of protest.
It wasn't long after this that a a school assembly was called, where a white district attorney told the Black students to just keep their mouths shut about the nooses. He told them if he heard anything else about it, he “can make their lives go away with the stroke of his pen.”
This eventually led to a fight that sent one white student to the hospital and six Black students to jail and that’s when all the comotion and eventual hell broke loose.
The Jena 6 are Robert Bailey (17), Theo Shaw (17), Carwin Jones (18), Bryant Purvis (17), Mychal Bell (16) and an unidentified minor. All were expelled from school, arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder. Bail was set so high starting at $70,000 and going as high as$138,000 that the they were left in prison for months as families went deep into debt to release them.
Here at Jena-6 .blogspot we will devote this entire site to the Jena 6 story. It is said to be covered by Oprah soon, only time will tell. We will keep you up to date on that as well.
Apparently, this upset some of the white students so much that the next day they put up nooses hanging from the tree. Soon after the nooses were hung, most of the 93 Black students (out of a total student enrollment of 546) at Jena High School stood together under the tree, in a courageous act of protest.
It wasn't long after this that a a school assembly was called, where a white district attorney told the Black students to just keep their mouths shut about the nooses. He told them if he heard anything else about it, he “can make their lives go away with the stroke of his pen.”
This eventually led to a fight that sent one white student to the hospital and six Black students to jail and that’s when all the comotion and eventual hell broke loose.
The Jena 6 are Robert Bailey (17), Theo Shaw (17), Carwin Jones (18), Bryant Purvis (17), Mychal Bell (16) and an unidentified minor. All were expelled from school, arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder. Bail was set so high starting at $70,000 and going as high as$138,000 that the they were left in prison for months as families went deep into debt to release them.
Here at Jena-6 .blogspot we will devote this entire site to the Jena 6 story. It is said to be covered by Oprah soon, only time will tell. We will keep you up to date on that as well.
Jena 6 Race Factor
Jena 6 Videos
Thursday, September 13, 2007
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