Jena Six update: Mychal Bell’s conviction overturned!

by Carmen Van Kerckhove

Great news in the Jena Six case! From The Associated Press:

A Louisiana appeals court yesterday overturned the aggravated-battery conviction of a black high school student who was found guilty of attacking a white classmate after a racial incident that raised tensions in their small town.

The state’s 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal ruled that Mychal Bell, 17, should not have been tried as an adult by LaSalle Parish District Attorney J. Reed Walters, and that the trial judge erred in allowing Bell to be tried as an adult on charges of aggravated second-degree battery. Under Louisiana law, teenagers can be tried as adults for certain violent crimes but not battery, the court said.

Bell, who was 16 at the time of the incident, awaited sentencing on Sept. 20 in a case that drew nationwide attention because of the severity of the charges that had been filed against him and five other youths involved in a schoolyard fight. He faced 15 years in jail.

But civil rights leaders will continue to focus on Jena. From The Chicago Tribune:

Black community leaders in Chicago on Saturday sought to keep the spotlight on the racially charged “Jena 6″ case in Louisiana a day after a state appeals court there threw out a felony conviction against one of the teen defendants.

Both Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton pledged to continue plans for a demonstration in Jena, La., on Thursday, arguing the overturned battery conviction against Mychal Bell, 17, did not diminish the racial injustice of a case that drew national attention when Bell and five other black teenagers were charged with attempted murder for beating a white teen and leaving him unconscious.

Thanks to Andre and dnA for the heads-up! And if you’re not familiar with this case, check out this excellent video that sums it all up.

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Trackbacks & Pings

Feministe » Good News on 17 Sep 2007 at 5:09 am

[...] Mychal Bell’s conviction has been overturned. [...]
Jena Six: Some Good News… « In One Ear… on 17 Sep 2007 at 11:18 am

[...] In One Ear… “I see myself as a creative explosion ready to be unleashed” « My Comic Book History, Part 5 Jena Six: Some Good News… September 17th, 2007 This is a start. [...]
General Update Post « Ottermatic on 18 Sep 2007 at 8:06 pm

[...] of Michael Bell, the Jena 6 defendant who was sentenced to 15 years for aggravated battery, was overturned. This is not only fantastic news for Bell and his family, but also for the remaining defendants, [...]
Race and diversity blog - Race Matters » The Jena 6 - timesunion.com - Albany NY on 20 Sep 2007 at 9:48 am

[...] http://www.racialicious.com/2007/09/16/jena-six-update-mychal-bells-conviction-overturned/ [...]

Comments

Ange wrote:

Big sigh of relief, and praise be to Jah!

Posted 16 Sep 2007 at 8:06 pm ¶
Minotaar wrote:

Sharpton is totally right. It should not take a successful circuit court appeal to uphold justice for black people, when the white people committing hate crimes related to this incident are walking free. The hate crimes being committed here, such as the nooses on the tree, are being ignored in the media.

Secondly, Im sick and tired of the common defense when racist kids and racist parents finally get caught. Im tired of “it was just a joke” and “Im sorry you got offended” and “Im not racist”. How many acts of racism does it take to indicate a racist?

Posted 16 Sep 2007 at 8:41 pm ¶
Ange wrote:

The children listen to hip hop, and the parents loooove Oprah, so they couldn’t possibly be racists. And you know they were first in line to see Big Momma’s House.

Posted 16 Sep 2007 at 8:55 pm ¶
squidfly wrote:

I Watched Mississippi Burning; and the Doc, Negroes with Guns: about Mr & Mrs Rob Williams. Both films are still potent and relevant.

Posted 17 Sep 2007 at 12:37 am ¶
veebot wrote:

thank God for small favors. I was so worried this injustice would go ahead. Im gald to see that America still has some sense. They are emabarrassing themseles around the world

Posted 17 Sep 2007 at 7:01 am ¶
Steve Wingate wrote:

This is clearly a racially motivated case BUT why does NOBODY ever mention:

1. That Mychal’s public defender, who called NO WITNESSES during his defense, was black?

2. That there were no black jurors because of the 50 people who responded to the more than 100 summons, none were black.

3. that a black U.S. Attorney, Donald Washington, investigated the “Jena Six” case and held a town-hall meeting explaining that there was no evidence connecting the jumping/beatdown to the noose incident.

4. That Bell was already on probation for battery relating to a Christmas day incident in 2005. No one mentions that Bell was adjudicated (convicted) of two other violent crimes in 2006 and one charge of criminal damage to property. He was hardly a model citizen.

Does he deserve to be charged with murder? Of course not but as always there three sides to every story. Yours, there’s and the truth.

Posted 17 Sep 2007 at 11:15 am ¶
Brad wrote:

1. That Mychal’s public defender, who called NO WITNESSES during his defense, was black?

4. That Bell was already on probation for battery relating to a Christmas day incident in 2005. No one mentions that Bell was adjudicated (convicted) of two other violent crimes in 2006 and one charge of criminal damage to property. He was hardly a model citizen.

This really bugs me about the case. It seems that the coverage of the case was geared to envoke sympathy for these kids when they clearly beat down this kid for whtever reason.

honestly I don’t believe any one in this matter deserves sympathy.

Posted 17 Sep 2007 at 2:44 pm ¶
LM wrote:

I also learned about some of the facts Brad mentioned only recently… and it does make a lot of the coverage look less than thorough.

That doesn’t change that 1) there’s been only a tiny amount of mainstream coverage of this case, and way belatedly, and 2) the sentencing of the Jena Six was way, way out of line considering the alleged crime.

Posted 17 Sep 2007 at 3:44 pm ¶
Brad wrote:

Lm I agree with you this sentence was way out of line. But still the fact that they did beat this kid. I’m not feeling too sorry for them.

PS I think the prosecutor should be thrown out of office he clearly bungeled this whole mess from the begining

Posted 17 Sep 2007 at 4:26 pm ¶
dnA wrote:

There’s no “other side to the story”. You’re suggesting that a schoolyard fight merits a penalty of 15 years and prison as well as charges of aggravated assault and attempted murder, and you’re suggesting it’s a matter of “sympathy”.

The DA in Jena chose not to press serious charges against any white students, and chose to press wildly disproportionate ones against six black students. Recanting Jason Whitlock’s talking points doesn’t actually change that what you are suggesting is that it’s perfectly fine to throw a minor in jail for more than a decade of their life for beating someone else up.

No one’s asking for sympathy. Framing the conversation in those terms is positively childish. This is about justice.

Posted 17 Sep 2007 at 6:19 pm ¶
S wrote:

Brad, please. Sympathy? You make it seem as people are looking for these boys to be let totally off the hook. That is not the point. The point is that the charges and sentencing were UNFAIR for ALL the boys, especially when you are told that your LIFE could be destroyed with the stroke of a pen by an adult white male who, of course, is only threatening you in that manner because he can, and because you are black.
A Black teen was beaten before this and the white teens who beat him weren’t even charged…as usual. And it would not shock me to hear that there were a ton of other racist incidents against black people in that county and at that school that went unpunished.
Furthermore, it’s 2007, it’s pathetic to have to have “your own” in the jury to get a fair trial. The amount of black jurors shouldn’t even be an issue as long as all the jurors are human, but then again, many counties full of white people haven’t mastered this thing called humanity, and equality is still a curse word.

I hope, for the kids sake, that they all stay out of trouble after this. Too many people have gotten off with our prayers and support and turn around and screw it up with a senseless crime that lands them right back into the hands of the devil and his jurors.

Posted 17 Sep 2007 at 9:52 pm ¶
Brad wrote:

S spare me:

The black kids in this case were dishing it out as good as they were taking it

You allege that there were assualts against black students by white students with no charges?

Problem with that assertion is that those incidents didn’t rise to the severity of the Barker assault (whose is no little darling) Nor were they really assualts but altercations with both sides throwing punches.

Remember the barker kid was beaten unconscious.

Heres the two main incidents of contention.

The party incident. A private party with mostly white guests is in swing. Along comes a couple of black students who try to get in but a young woman at the front door won’t let them in because they didn’t have invitations. And for some reason some idiot who was not a student come up and starts getting the black kids face. The young woman smartly throws them all out and calls police. White guy & black guy duke it out on the front lawn and police eventually show up. The black guy was identified as Robert Bailey who would later be involved in the barker assault. The white guy involved was charged and given probation. bailey later said he was hit with a bottle over his head. No evidence was found to support this claim.

Now the convience store incident Bailey again is involved. Bailey and some more friends are hangin at a local convience store when a white guy who was not a student either came up and somehow once again a fight starts. White guy runs back to get a shotgun Bailey runs after him and wrestles the gun away and runs back to his house with it. He was charged with assault, and theft. he was still walking free when he was picked up for assaulting Barker.

So S sorry. for you and others to stand there and say that the black kids in this whole mess were being relentlessy beat on with the white assailents doing this with impunity and there was no effort to be even handed in this affair is simply not true.

And S I do have a link to back up this claim:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six

Go ahead and read it’s all there.

It also has an account of the pen speech by the prosecutor. And yes he gave that speech to a white and a black audience. Some black kids accused him of only looking at the black students

and also how a black US attorney said nothing inappropriate happened.

And For the record I do agree that the charge of attempted murder was out of whack. I’ve said all along that authorities were asleep at the wheel during this whole mess.

Posted 18 Sep 2007 at 1:50 am ¶
Brad wrote:

I have an important correction to make the white guy involved in the fight at the convience store was indeed a student and was at the party the night before. Also this incident took place a few days before the assault took place.

Posted 18 Sep 2007 at 2:03 am ¶
BSG wrote:

A little F.Y.I. in case anyone gave to the Mychal Bell defense fund. His mom just paid CASH for a brand new Jaguar! (the pro bono lawyer said he is not too happy)

Posted 18 Sep 2007 at 6:55 am ¶
Kai wrote:

It’s easy to get distracted by people waving false flags and tangential threads; but if you stick to fundamentals, this is a story about nooses hanging from a white shade tree in a segregated schoolyard, and the consequences for young black men who resist this racist social order.

Fuck sympathy. We want justice.

Quite a few of us in the blogosphere have been writing about this since May. It’s a victory of the blog era that this has become a national story and that Bell’s convictions have been overturned under intense pressure.

Since the Thurdsay (Sept. 20) protest remains in effect. I encourage people who are interested and in the area to attend, learn more, network with other anti-racists, and generally stand on the right side of history (or heck go meet Mos Def).

If you haven’t already done so, you can sign a petition. Disclosure, yeah I’ve been involved in this petition since its inception and will be organizing actions and demonstrations around it, along with many other bloggers of color. We’re interested in making this an inescapable issue for all the presidential campaigns, as well as the DOJ and the governor’s office and other local offices.

You never know how far a story will run but it won’t happen unless you shoot high. We were excited when the petition gathered 10,000 signatures in the first month. Now we have 320,000 and are still gaining some 20,000 signatures per day. It’ll be a hell of a thing to slap that list of names on a table when the circumstances are just right.

Join the fight and do what you can. Do the right thing. You’ll be glad you did.

Peace.

Posted 18 Sep 2007 at 9:31 am ¶
Roger Green wrote:

That the defender was black has been evident to me, but exactly what’s the point? That the system that created an inequitable result includes black people? And?

As for the jury summonses, if this true, there’s a dysfunctional system. as someone who showed up for jury duty recently, I was disinclined to blow it off.

The visceral effect of the nooses cannot be underestimated. As I noted elsewhere, “strange fruit, indeed.”

Posted 18 Sep 2007 at 3:28 pm ¶
JB wrote:

What is the appropriate penalty for hanging nooses from a tree?

What is the appropriate penalty for six people beating one person into submission, resulting in an emergency room visit?

Noting, of course, that both incidents are racially charged.

Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 9:49 am ¶
squidfly wrote:

Brad have you ever been attacked for the color of your skin? Followed while walking through a store? Lived in a racially hostile community? Listened to teachers who dismissed you as an abberation?
“Noose” Incidents are happening with disturbing frequency in this country. Do you actually believe that the noose incident was an innocent “Joke” by these white kids? The probability that any of these Black student’s ancestors were lynched is pretty high.
Your information and comments sound very suspect.
Let’s not forget the KKK still have very active chapters in Louisiana. If Bush was serious about his war on terror, then the KKK and Neo Nazis would have been placed on a terror watch list, as it stands it’s still legal to burn a cross, even though this the traditional symbol of terror for Black People, pre-dating the swatstika. The noose and the burning cross go hand in hand as tools of white Supremacy/Terrorism.
Brad if you’re not clear about the animosity that has obviously been brewing in that town for decades, then you are out of touch and need to do a little research. It’s scary when POC start fighting back.
Asking for “Permission” to sit under a tree…

Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 11:40 am ¶
squidfly wrote:

JB wrote:
What is the appropriate penalty for hanging nooses from a tree?
Are you serious? It’s an act of TERRORISM.

What is the appropriate penalty for six people beating one person into submission, resulting in an emergency room visit?
Noting, of course, that both incidents are racially charged.

Once again are you serious? If the noose wasn’t hung from the tree no beating would have occured, if there was true racial meritocracy this wouldn’t have occured. If Jim Crow laws hadn’t been in effect for three hundred years…do I need to go on?

Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 11:49 am ¶
JB wrote:

Squidfly,

Both events happened. It’s a fair question.

The issue is unequal justice, is it not?

The people who put the nooses in the tree only received a three day in-school suspension. What do you think should have been the penalty?

After that happened, came the altercation. Those people were put in jail with very heavy charges levied against them. What do you think would have been appropriate?

Or are you saying, given the provocation of the nooses in the tree, there should be no penalty for the physical violence?

Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 2:34 pm ¶
squidfly wrote:

To any Black citizen a noose is a fear tactic and a real threat; as the Swastika is a symbol of terror on a Temple.
A Noose should be considered a crime of TERRORISM, don’t you get it? It has been the object of choice for the KKK for Centuries.
To call a noose in a tree provocation is an insult to the thousands of Blacks that were lynched. It was a death threat, plain and simple. IF, you know any Black people ask them, what is the meaning of noose in a TREE?
Noose=Threat to Life.
I’m defending their right to defend themselves.
I have no idea what you’re defending.

Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 3:13 pm ¶
squidfly wrote:

Reading some of the disturbing reasons why the Jenna six, somehow caused their own problems by fighting back is laced with bitter Irony when I lament Jody Foster appearing in her movie, The Brave One. The eroticism of a pixiyish white woman, shooting dark, swarthy (middle eastern types) Hip Hop wandering Thugee (types) and blowing them away in true Dirty Harriet style revenge, is clearly a moment of orgasm for many white men and women, who have nothing but resentment and misdirected rage at young Black and Latino men.
The crtics have lauded the movie neglecting it’s racist component; so let’s swap Jody for Halle, she’s hell bent on blowing away the bunch of white thugs who hung her African American husband Doctor from a tree by a NOOSE…that movie would be stalled at the Hollywood Red Light, for obvious reasons.
JB, The last lynchings in the USA: 1981 Michael Donald in Alabama. 1998 James Byrd Jnr, Jasper TX.

Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 3:48 pm ¶
Brad wrote:

Squidfly:

With all do respect hanging nooses from a tree isn’t terrorism. It is however indimidation. I would have expelled them no doubt about it.

PS: Brad have you ever been attacked for the color of your skin?

Yes.

Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 3:52 pm ¶
JB wrote:

squidfly,

I’m not defending anything. I have asked a couple of simple questions. You are apparently unwilling to answer them.

You have made your feelings very clear on the nooses. So what should be the penalty for the students who did it?

And what should be the penalty for the students who administered the beating? None? Even if the victim of the beating wasn’t one of the people who put the nooses in the tree?

Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 4:03 pm ¶
MomWithSons wrote:

Let’s face it people. We live in a place where black people and white people have a different set of rules. A black student fighting a black student would never receive the same charges filed against him in any city. It’s call survival on the streets. SNITCHIN is BITCHIN ! We start off teaching kids to be fair. That’s bullshit. Teachers remind the black kids, they say not intentional, that they are bullies. “Big and Black”, it’s curse and a blessings. Blessing when you’re the guy with the ball..curse when you’re the guy with the temper and attitude to go with it . With all that aside, we must be reminded that racism does exist. It will never end. People will always disagree about racism, partly because they are in denial and the other because they truly feel in their hearts that what they feel is okay. As a parent, I say continue to pray for the young men locked up! We walk around in angry times. We kick ass and take names. We must stop the vicious cycle! Stay PRAYERFUL and keep the faith that all that happens will teach us all a lesson. Love your neighbor even if you hate his ways!

Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 5:19 pm ¶
squidfly wrote:

Brad you are being passive agressive, I answered your question. Stop splitting hairs man.

The penalty? Threat by Noose, Jail time.

The six kids? They should get the benefit of the doubt, understanding, support and love. Why not? Look at all the moratoriums on the Columbine kids, the outpouring of sympathy, the need for the Nation to be more introspective, but you seem unable JB to find any compassion for the anger the Jenna six felt. Yet we come to find out the Columbine kids were bullied and isolated, and their solution… During their hunt, they made sure they got the Black Jock.
I’m sure the Jenna six could have delivered far more devastating injuries on these individuals, but they didn’t, and they did not use a gun. So I say let them go.

We beg to differ on intimidation and Terrorism. Go take a poll of Black people, then get back to me.
A Burning Cross on my front Lawn, or a Noose on my office door would terrify me.

Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 6:00 pm ¶
Anonymous wrote:

squidfly,

I’m against lynching, OK?

I asked you two questions. You seem totally incapable of answering them. Maybe somebody else here will answer. But here’s why I’m asking:

Jena, LA is obviously not the only place where racism lurks. The same thing could happen in any number of small Southern towns, or even in Northern cities, as you well know.

So let me put this to you: What are we going to learn from this?

The kids who put the nooses up got off way too easy. Fine. What is your advice to the high school principal, or local district attorney, who confronts this same type of incident a year from now? How should they deal with it?

In the aftermath of this nasty incident, five or six guys beat one guy unconscious after, presumably, some ugly verbal exchanges (not one of the guys who put up the nooses). They were originally charged with 2nd degree attempted murder. What should have been the correct response on the part of the law authorities?

Posted 19 Sep 2007 at 10:10 pm ¶
JB wrote:

squidfly,

Thank you for your partial answer, regarding the penalty for the nooses. You want jail time. You didn’t say how much. Six months? Twenty years?

Regarding the Jena six, you apparently think they should face no penalty, because of the anger they felt.

In other words, when a group of white people commit a vile act, it is justifiable for a group of Black people to attack a third party, and they should face no consequences for this. Do you realize that this is what you are saying?

Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 8:39 am ¶
michelle devitt wrote:

squidfly is right and you shouldn’t have to be black to see this ,if you look beyond your color and use your mental ability its obverse he is telling it as it is…why are white people on the defensive look at it from a purely human angle…history comes in to play here…i am i white woman from england but my country of orgin and my skin tone does not cloud the issue ..its clear as day a massive injustice has been perpetrated and its is racialy motivated..and all the side issues are down to cause and effect im so glad i don’t have to raise a child of any color amongst such circumstances…i wish the white people would stop bleeting on about its not so one sided they sound like Hitler complaining that a jew took a swipe at him…God is watching and its the devil thats works in supremicy.

Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 10:40 am ¶
squidfly wrote:

Brad/JB/Anon etc:
Read a few books on African American History, find a Lynching link; watch Mississippi Burning; watch Spike Lee’s Doc on the Bombing in Birmingham.
I’m not here to educate white men.

Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 1:53 pm ¶
squidfly wrote:

By the way JB, you seem to conveniently overlook the whole shotgun incident and the fact this individual didn’t serve anytime.

There’s an interesting chapter in Randall Kennedy’s Book NIGGER , in which he talks about the fighting words doctrine, I suggest you peruse his work.

Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 2:07 pm ¶
JB wrote:

squidfly,

What makes you think that I haven’t read anything on African-American history? You are quick to make assumptions about other people. You don’t know anything about me.

Nobody here is denying the legacy of racism. Nobody.

I didn’t “overlook” the shotgun incident. I don’t know enough about it to even comment. No doubt there have been dozens of racially charged confrontations in Jena lately. There is scarcely room here to go into each and every one.

I’m trying to look for a constructive way to deal with these kind of issues. Maybe you just want to stay angry. Fine – that’s up to you. But it won’t solve anything.

“I’m not here to educate white men”. You seem to have a low opinion of white men. Sorry I offended you by asking a few questions.

Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 7:21 pm ¶
JB wrote:

squidfly wrote:

JB, The last lynchings in the USA: 1981 Michael Donald in Alabama. 1998 James Byrd Jnr, Jasper TX.

You forgot one, Squidfly.

1991 – Yankel Rosenbaum, Brooklyn, NY.

Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 7:23 pm ¶
Brad wrote:

I didn’t that shotgun incident SEEMS to have been an act of self-defense. It was several blacks against one white guy. It also appears one of the persons involved in the assault in question was also involved in this incident plus the fight at the party.

Posted 20 Sep 2007 at 8:46 pm ¶
squidfly wrote:

He didn’t get Lynched.
And what about the driver who ran over GAvin Cato, who was whisked away to Israel?
I’m not angry, I’m just passionate.

Posted 21 Sep 2007 at 1:48 am ¶
LM wrote:

JB, your comment #33 indicates to me that you’re (no longer?) here in good faith. To correct you on the facts of Crown Heights 1991 would further cloud this thread, so I urge you to resist the urge to make this about you.

Brad: do you think Mychal Bell and the five others charged in that December 2006 beating should have been/still be facing decades in jail? Yes or no? This is not about determining who’s angelic, it’s about reaching justice.

squidfly: I agree with you on the new Jodie Foster movie. And I’ll join your fight on the potency of nooses as a threat. But you said it yourself: the conditions that led to this have “been brewing in that town for decades.” By that standard, matched with your comments here, violence by any black person anytime in Jena would be justifiable and should go unpunished. There’s probably a good case to be made for that, and not just in Jena. But for multiple reasons we can’t succumb to that type of logic. If you say that the Jena Six should have gone unpunished (and of course they’ve already been punished, more than enough), to me you’re also missing the point of this particular case.

The nooses, palbable a threat as they were, really in this case have served as symbols for people outside Jena to get involved. If the Jena Six had been charged/sentenced as they were and there had never been “the white tree” or the nooses, the injustice would still be as real, and so would the societally racist conditions.

S: “Furthermore, it’s 2007, it’s pathetic to have to have ‘your own’ in the jury to get a fair trial.” Amen.

Posted 21 Sep 2007 at 6:56 am ¶
squidfly wrote:

LM wrote:
Don’t worry I get the point.

The point of the case is Justice Jim Crow.
If you’ve ever been involved in a school yard fight, it requires the intervention of responsible adults, to solve and resolve. In this case responsible adults who were MIA in the application of impartial enforcement. At what point should Black people defend themselves when the law/authorities, continue not only to ignore but punish, when they do protect themselves. The first fight was when a young African American youth was hit with a bottle over his head by a group of white kids at a party, so his friends retaliated and arrested, not the white kids who first assaulted the Black kid.
This case is as much about, under representation in the jury pool, as it is the over reprensentation in the prison system. The question is does the punishment actually fit the crime? And when it comes to Black on white crime, the scales are loaded, and most Black people are aware of that. Benard Goetz perceived that he was “About” to robbed, so he shot those kids on the subway, however his actions were pre-meditated because he was carrying. Considering that, the Jena Six were acting out of self defense, that’s my point, in a Hostile violent society, those kids responded from decades of pent up rage.
This symbolizes the National rage of Black citizens who feel unprotected by the State, yet who are punished and demonized when they respond with the same violence that has been meted out to them for Centuries. Amongst all of this the noose!! has gotten buried, lost, the it’s become about this punch up of six on one.
The kind of racism we’re talking about isn’t the snide comment or the flippant OJ remark, or the water cooler, “Oooh let me touch your hair”
This is the hard core, KKK, I strung your kin up, kind. If these kids had to resort to violence to get attention, then so be it.
I’ve been the only Black kid on a schoolyard with all white gangs and it’s no fun.
There are people who understand that POC and Blacks in particular are under violent attack in this country, I’m tired of Liberals who don’t get that.
The old addage: you don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.

S: “Furthermore, it’s 2007, it’s pathetic to have to have ‘your own’ in the jury to get a fair trial.” Amen.
2007 so what!! I’m so tired of this blase’ remark. Until Liberals start to use the Rhetoric of the establishment, such as calling a Terrorist act by it’s name, then the Libs will be forever trying to work out their feelings.

Posted 21 Sep 2007 at 11:34 am ¶
LM wrote:

“You don’t bring a knife to a gunfight.” Agreed.

I’m not burying the noose, nor did I mean to convey S’s laudably idealistic comment as part and parcel of my response to you.

I’m saying that you don’t escalate a fight you can’t win. I”m saying that “the National rage of Black citizens who feel unprotected by the State” doesn’t EVEN need a noose to be stoked. A noose is just one of many ways things can get set off, and really if anything the white establishment in Jena got carried away and caught because the charge and the sentence were so egregious. That’s why the response has to be more subtle, consistent and at a higher level than physical, because with violence at some point the music’s going to stop. The targets will be the same… and then what?

Posted 21 Sep 2007 at 12:13 pm ¶
LM wrote:

Don’t know who this guy is, but he takes my sentiment quite a bit farther:

http://averagebro.blogspot.com/2007/09/averagebro-blogs-live-from-jena-la.html

Posted 21 Sep 2007 at 12:37 pm ¶
squidfly wrote:

I agree LM: Violence is never the way.
check out Rob Williams and his wife Mabel in this Documentary.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/negroeswithguns/talkback.html

Posted 21 Sep 2007 at 7:48 pm ¶
Natalie wrote:

Minotaar wrote:

Sharpton is totally right. It should not take a successful circuit court appeal to uphold justice for black people, when the white people committing hate crimes related to this incident are walking free. The hate crimes being committed here, such as the nooses on the tree, are being ignored in the media.

Secondly, Im sick and tired of the common defense when racist kids and racist parents finally get caught. Im tired of “it was just a joke” and “Im sorry you got offended” and “Im not racist”. How many acts of racism does it take to indicate a racist?
__________________________________

I totally feel what you’re saying Minotaar. I’m tired of the excuse and I’m sure you and I are not the only one. These kids hang nooses, bust up in convenience stores with guns and somehow get to walk free. But we had to go over and beyond just to get this far for the Jena Six. It sucks, it really does. What sucks real bad is the fact that the media is indeed ignoring the noose and the convenience store incident and focusing on poor little white boys that get jumped.

Ya know what I wanna say? I wanna say GET THE FUCK OVER IT! How many times have Black men been shot and killed by the police simply because they had their hands in their pockets? Innocent, good black men being killed on the way to their weddings? Ya know, I hate to say it, but that kid probaly damn well deserved it. He probaly made more threats and in a town like Jena, a black person probaly can’t call the police. I mean, look at how corrupt their law system is down there. The only way one can defend themselves is to probaly kick someone’s ass.

I wanna know why the citizens of Jena are so upset at the media attention they’re getting? People of Jena, you brought it upon yourselves. Stop being so corrupt and racist. In this day and age of technology and the interent, you can’t expect to continue to support the kind of ideals and wrong doings and expect for the rest of the world to not find out about it.

To the Jena 6 and the rest of the Jena black community, stay strong. Don’t do anything stupid or anything out of anger. That’s what everyone wants you to see. Instead, keep holding those peaceful rallies. It was so good to see Black people stand together for something that’s right.

I see such a change coming over this country. I hope it’s a change for the better, but one cannot make change by denying the fact that change is needed. One cannot continue to pass hurtful things off as a joke, and expect everything to be OK.

I went to a racist school. I gradutated in May. I didn’t stand up for myself simply because I knew if I did, I would be kicked out and those I tried to fight, would be able to go across the stage. Now that I am out of high school, I can at least help to make someone else’s high school years a lot more enjoyable. No one should have to put up with this and I will help in any way I can to help bring justice to this situation.

Posted 21 Sep 2007 at 8:06 pm ¶
JB wrote:

LM wrote:

JB, your comment #33 indicates to me that you’re (no longer?) here in good faith. To correct you on the facts of Crown Heights 1991 would further cloud this thread, so I urge you to resist the urge to make this about you.”

I didn’t bring up the topic of lynching. Somebody else did.

American Heritage Dictionary:

“lynch (lĭnch) tr.v. lynched, lynch·ing, lynch·es – To execute without due process of law, especially to hang, as by a mob.” That’s what happened to Rosenbaum. It is certainly not the only thing that happened there, but it happened.

I respect that you have your own views on Crown Heights 1991 and I have mine. To patronizingly assert that you need to “correct me”, when you have heard very little of my views, is arrogant, and I’m sure you wouldn’t appreciate it if I told you that I needed to “correct” you. So I’m satisified to leave that issue to the side for now if you are.

I came to this thread and asked a couple of neutral questions, with a view to how a community can deal with these type of problems in the future. I think dialogue is a good thing. Can we do this without the put-downs?

Posted 21 Sep 2007 at 11:11 pm ¶
Brad wrote:

LM asked:

Brad: do you think Mychal Bell and the five others charged in that December 2006 beating should have been/still be facing decades in jail? Yes or no? This is not about determining who’s angelic, it’s about reaching justice.

Absolutely not anyone who looked at this can say no with a straight face.

Posted 21 Sep 2007 at 11:55 pm ¶
LM wrote:

Thanks for the link, squidfly. I don’t think think “violence is never the way.” I do think organization and sustainability are keys to change.

Posted 22 Sep 2007 at 8:43 am ¶
squidfly wrote:

JB/Brad wrote:
“lynch (lĭnch) tr.v. lynched, lynch·ing, lynch·es – To execute without due process of law, especially to hang, as by a mob.” That’s what happened to Rosenbaum. It is certainly not the only thing that happened there, but it happened.

He wasn’t Lynched, he was stabbed, please get it right.
What about Gavin Cato and the Orthodox Ambulance that wouldn’t take him, the driver who never stood trial and was whisked away to Israel?
And to make such a comparison between Crown Heights and the Jena Six is just plain sad.

Posted 22 Sep 2007 at 2:40 pm ¶
monica wrote:

I still say its not fair. i am truly sad at this point because I feel that there will not be any justice serve. the reason for being because once you are black as they say you are black .I’m black with two beaultiful girls and im afraid if they grow older or now that they are a target out there with whites that are racist and it might lead to something bad. I could not sleep because i feel so sorry for our brothers that is really been wrongfully accuse. I think in this case any child that fight should go to jail. black, white any color but see going back to what was said we are black and thats how the world is going to see us for ever that is why brothers and sisters go to school get your education so you can rule the world and overturn the law because we need that just keep having faith in God and everything these people are doing to our brothers they will be made shame in the name of god.

Posted 23 Sep 2007 at 10:08 am ¶
JB wrote:

squidfly,

I agree with you (at least with what I think you are saying) about Gavin Cato, the ambulance, and the injustice with the driver fleeing out of the country.

My point about Rosenbaum is that he was totally uninvolved with these events, yet was targeted as a Jew and executed by a mob because he was a Jew. He wasn’t hanged, but he was still lynched. James Byrd wasn’t hanged either. He was beaten with a baseball bat and dragged behind a truck. I think it would have been just as evil had he been stabbed.

Posted 24 Sep 2007 at 10:08 am ¶
squidfly wrote:

JB, Brad.

What’s your point in bringing up a totally unconnected case, are you trying to re-define Lynching?
Well good luck selling that one.

Go wtih God, JB aka Brad.

Posted 24 Sep 2007 at 11:32 am ¶
JB wrote:

squidfly,

You brought up lynching, not me.

I’m not redefining lynching. The dictionaries have definitions for it, if you care to look. You are free to write your own little dictionary if you like.

And I’m not Brad. But don’t feel bad – I know we all look alike.

Posted 26 Sep 2007 at 11:30 am ¶
NA wrote:

Now it seems a very good discussion has gone completely off topic!

To anyone that feels that 50 years is a long time, then it’s foolish to think so. Racism exists now as it has existed during the time of slavery. With all the attention that has been brought on the Jena Six, it’s a good example that must be embedded in the minds eye of countless Africans (people originating from Alkebulan), which seem to think that racism some how magically vanished.

This incident is a symbol of the history that Africans have had to deal with for the last 500 years (See the documentary 500 Years Later: http://www.500yearslater.com/). And history does repeat itself, unless there is change. Marcus Garvey says Africa for the Africans. That seems to be the best solution! Slavery is over, why don’t the Africans and their descendants go back to Africa with their skills and abilities and build Africa, as it needs to be built. Fix your home first policy! Look at how much has been done here in the West. America was built off the backs of Blacks while to this day white people sit back and lives off the kickbacks. Could you find a government building in your town that is owned by the blacks that built it during the days of enslavement? No! Because they have nothing for the hard work that they produced. With that said, how many of you are willing to get up and go back to Africa. Probably none! So still the problem remains. How do we have change if the same thing happens over and over again and the only time that Black unites is when faced by a struggle? Well the solution is simple! End the vicious cycle the same way it started. With the kids! If anyone of you out there has not read “The Making Of a Slave” by Willie Lynch http://www.thetalkingdrum.com/wil.html (That’s where Lynching originated from by the way, for those that don’t know), I suggest you do so. It contains the poison that plagues blacks today for the last 300 years, and from this poison lays the antidote. Willie Lynch has put in place a self propelling infection in the minds of blacks for the last 300 years, which involves the breaking of blacks and programming of their seeds. Now if you don’t see this, I beg you to read the letter and apply it to what you see today in the black community (Music, Media, Lifestyle etc.), and tell me if you don’t see a clear connection. Look at the difference between the other races. I want to see change, and change comes with re-programming (Re-Education) of the Seeds (Kids). The only way to a fast changing future is to apply the antidote to Willie Lynchs’ poison. There is no point in focusing on those affected by the last 300 years of physical and mental slavery. In the Willie Lynch letter, which was dated year 1712, he mentions that he will teach the white slave masters how to break the black slaves and keep them that way for 300 years. Do the math, 1712 + 300 = 2012. He also says the only way to break this curse is to UNITE. It can happen, Re-Education not violence. The use of the power of the mind to win a battle is more rewarding than the use of a fist or gun.

Let the incident of Jena Six be a lesson to all races, people are people, and everyone has a right to live. And everyone has a right to stand up for his or her right. Only an obscured uneducated irrational and clearly racist judicial system would deem a simple schoolyard fight as reason to take the lives of young men. Lets face the facts here. Some individuals’ look at this from the point of view the white kid getting beaten up. But seriously answer this question without much pondering; would the penalty that was received by the Jena Six be applied the same if the tables were turned and the Kid was Black and the Jena Six was White? That’s an obvious NO! In actual fact no one would even hear about it. So hanging a noose from a tree is a death threat and the punishment should be far worse than that of a schoolyard fight.

Posted 02 Oct 2007 at 3:14 pm ¶
NayLah wrote:

Death threat – DUH-Alicious but I bet Hate Crimes legislation didnt apply to this case

Steve you said:
This is clearly a racially motivated case BUT why does NOBODY ever mention:

1. That Mychal’s public defender, who called NO WITNESSES during his defense, was black?

2. That there were no black jurors because of the 50 people who responded to the more than 100 summons, none were black.

3. that a black U.S. Attorney, Donald Washington, investigated the “Jena Six” case and held a town-hall meeting explaining that there was no evidence connecting the jumping/beatdown to the noose incident.

4. That Bell was already on probation for battery relating to a Christmas day incident in 2005. No one mentions that Bell was adjudicated (convicted) of two other violent crimes in 2006 and one charge of criminal damage to property. He was hardly a model citizen.

Does he deserve to be charged with murder? Of course not but as always there three sides to every story. Yours, there’s and the truth.

Are you forgetting the attorney is from the south?? I think people tend to miss the point that racism and blacks go hand and hand and head to head meaning the inferiority of blacks professed by whites has become engrained in how blacks in the south “think”. And what witnesses was he going to call? The other 5 students involved in the case???

And why would black people living in Jena want to respond back to a jury duty summons when it is obvious that if it were so important to the judge about giving Mr. Bell a jury of his peers – he would have just kept interviewing and what makes you think other blacks werent afraid that they wouldnt even be selected if they RESPONDED to the jury summons?….seems to me that you are making excuses for Jenas LACK of racial equality and what do we know of Bells priors and the facts of those cases?? but I guess you were there in the courtroom for each incident – so my bad.

This case is racially motivated and without RACE there wouldnt be a case and I am sure Mr. Bell wouldnt even have priors if he had in fact been white……..for you to bring up your four points is an insult to me as a black individual.

Sure will be glad when people stop looking at issues with cataract infested eyes.

Posted 02 Oct 2007 at 3:31 pm ¶
NayLah wrote:

BSG wrote:

A little F.Y.I. in case anyone gave to the Mychal Bell defense fund. His mom just paid CASH for a brand new Jaguar! (the pro bono lawyer said he is not too happy)

Posted 18 Sep 2007 at 6:55 am ¶

How do you know or are you just reading post boards on myspace

Posted 02 Oct 2007 at 4:05 pm ¶
merq wrote:

JB said:

“I’m not here to educate white men”.

You seem to have a low opinion of white men. Sorry I offended you by asking a few questions.

This isn’t necessarily an indication of some disdain Squidfly supposedly has for white men. The fact is in this society, despite the atrocities inflicted by the white race upon other races, the average white man still looks the ‘other’ to be his “racial shaman” to hold his hand through every step of some much-hyped idea of racial redemption.

It’s downright insulting to these people of color that, despite your well-meaning, hand-wringing declarations of a desire to “begin the healing,” you expect them to do all the heavy lifting.

In other news, I just attempted to educate a white person on why he shouldn’t expect to be educated. Shoot me now.

Posted 02 Oct 2007 at 10:59 pm ¶
JB wrote:

merq wrote:

“This isn’t necessarily an indication of some disdain Squidfly supposedly has for white men.”

No, not necessarily.

“The fact is in this society, despite the atrocities inflicted by the white race upon other races,…”

Who do you mean by “the white race”? All of us?

“…the average white man still looks the ‘other’ to be his “racial shaman” to hold his hand through every step of some much-hyped idea of racial redemption.”

I don’t know too many white men who fit this description. Certainly that was not my attempt. Go back in the thread and check – all I did was ask what penalties people thought should have been imposed on both the people who hung the nooses and the students who assaulted the other student in the schoolyard.

“It’s downright insulting to these people of color that, despite your well-meaning, hand-wringing declarations of a desire to “begin the healing,” you expect them to do all the heavy lifting.”

What heavy lifting? Spare me, please.

I came to this forum with an open mind. I try to learn from other people, and respect their opinions.

Don’t go out of your way to “educate” me. That might mean you need to defend your opinions logically, which could turn out to be heavy lifting.

Posted 03 Oct 2007 at 4:58 pm ¶

Jena Six update: Mychal Bell’s conviction overturned!

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