The Jena 6 Case

[melliedee]

I have not been following this case until recently, and saw this from the AP today:

"NEW ORLEANS (AP) — 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."


And also on CNN that Sharpton and company are planning a march for Thursday. My understanding is that even though Bell's conviction was overturned, he remains in jail?

The Associated Press: Jena 6 Defense Gets Assist From Rocker


Here is a breakdown of the events:

Trey Ellis: The Jena 6 Case is History Written in Lightning - Politics on The Huffington Post

[Sol]

Melliedee,
Thanks for posting this news. I was unaware of this as well. Perhaps Bowie's contribution for the legal defense of these young men will bring national attention to this incident.

[dartay]

Bell's conviction was overturned because the court said it should have been handled in Juvenile court rather than regular court. In no way did it exonerate him from beating the other kid.

And if the joke Sharpton is involved you know he's guilty as sin.

[dartay]

The Bell kid had already been convicted twice prior to this of battery and 2 other times for other things........he was a thug not some poor kid in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The judge won't reduce his bail.....boo hoo.

[melliedee]

Originally Posted by dartay

The Bell kid had already been convicted twice prior to this of battery and 2 other times for other things........he was a thug not some poor kid in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The judge won't reduce his bail.....boo hoo.

All this lead up to an incident involving nooses being placed under the schools' "white" tree when a black kid sat under it. Guess you didn't read the link?

The always excellent Wade Goodman of NPR reported what happened next:

"The next night, 16-year-old Robert Bailey and a few black friends tried to enter a party attended mostly by whites. When Bailey got inside, he was attacked and beaten. The next day, tensions escalated at a local convenience store. Bailey exchanged words with a white student who had been at the party. The white boy ran back to his truck and pulled out a pistol grip shotgun. Bailey ran after him and wrestled him for the gun.
After some scuffling, Bailey and his friends took the gun away and brought it home. Bailey was eventually charged with theft of a firearm, second-degree robbery and disturbing the peace. The white student who pulled the weapon was not charged at all.
The following Monday, Dec. 4, a white student named Justin Barker was loudly bragging to friends in the school hallway that Robert Bailey had been whipped by a white man on Friday night. When Barker walked into the courtyard, he was attacked by a group of black students. The first punch knocked Barker out and he was kicked several times in the head. But the injuries turned out to be superficial. Barker was examined by doctors and released; he went out to a social function later that evening.
Six black students were arrested and charged with aggravated assault. But District Attorney Reed Walters increased the charges to attempted second-degree murder."

The first black kid to go to court, Mychal Bell, then 16, was tried as an adult and convicted by an all-white jury. He faced 22 years in prison. After an outcry the charges were reduced; however, tomorrow Mychal Bell is to be sentenced on the lesser charges.
The white kids who attacked Bailey the night before have not been charged with anything.
Trey Ellis: The Jena 6 Case is History Written in Lightning - Politics on The Huffington Post

[TAPPY]

Originally Posted by dartay

The Bell kid had already been convicted twice prior to this of battery and 2 other times for other things........he was a thug not some poor kid in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The judge won't reduce his bail.....boo hoo.

Exactly !! None of people involved in the case are sweet little kids on the playground !!!
There is way more to this than is being played out in the Sharpton media circus.

There was a big article in the New Orleans paper when all this came about. They referenced a recent very brutal murder of two white teenage college students in Tennessee who had been brutally murdered by six blacks and some one stated where was Al Sharpton with all his outrage ? Most people never even heard of this murder and I dont think it made the media main stream.

My own personal disgust for Mr Sharptons past actions do not allow me to listen to any message he may be trying to send.

[Sol]

Originally Posted by TAPPY

Exactly !! None of people involved in the case are sweet little kids on the playground !!!
There is way more to this than is being played out in the media circus.

There was a big article in the New Orleans paper when all this came about. They referenced a recent very brutal murder of two teenage college students in Tennessee who had been brutally murdered by six blacks and some one stated where was Al Sharpton with all his outrage ? Most people never even heard of this murder and I dont think it made the media main stream.

My own personal disgust for Mr Sharptons past actions do not allow me to listen to any message he may be trying to send.

Thanks for your input, Tappy!

[kirbyfan]

Originally Posted by melliedee

All this lead up to an incident involving nooses being placed under the schools' "white" tree when a black kid sat under it. Guess you didn't read the link?

The always excellent Wade Goodman of NPR reported what happened next:

"The next night, 16-year-old Robert Bailey and a few black friends tried to enter a party attended mostly by whites. When Bailey got inside, he was attacked and beaten. The next day, tensions escalated at a local convenience store. Bailey exchanged words with a white student who had been at the party. The white boy ran back to his truck and pulled out a pistol grip shotgun. Bailey ran after him and wrestled him for the gun.
After some scuffling, Bailey and his friends took the gun away and brought it home. Bailey was eventually charged with theft of a firearm, second-degree robbery and disturbing the peace. The white student who pulled the weapon was not charged at all.
The following Monday, Dec. 4, a white student named Justin Barker was loudly bragging to friends in the school hallway that Robert Bailey had been whipped by a white man on Friday night. When Barker walked into the courtyard, he was attacked by a group of black students. The first punch knocked Barker out and he was kicked several times in the head. But the injuries turned out to be superficial. Barker was examined by doctors and released; he went out to a social function later that evening.
Six black students were arrested and charged with aggravated assault. But District Attorney Reed Walters increased the charges to attempted second-degree murder."

The first black kid to go to court, Mychal Bell, then 16, was tried as an adult and convicted by an all-white jury. He faced 22 years in prison. After an outcry the charges were reduced; however, tomorrow Mychal Bell is to be sentenced on the lesser charges.
The white kids who attacked Bailey the night before have not been charged with anything.
Trey Ellis: The Jena 6 Case is History Written in Lightning - Politics on The Huffington Post

That is an extremely one sided account of this incident. I am not taking sides and am admitting that I dont know all the specifics in the case but the problem is there are a lot of injustices implied yet no facts behind them for instance, why havent the white kids who allegedly attacked Baily been charged? Is it racism or is there just not enough evidence, racism is impled IMO but that might not be the truth. It is also stated as though it is fact that a group of white kids attacked Bailey, if there isnt enough evidence(asumption by me) to prosecute how do we know it is even true?

There are plenty more questions that are unanswered in this that really need to be answered before one could make a call either way.

[dartay]

Originally Posted by TAPPY

There was a big article in the New Orleans paper when all this came about. They referenced a recent very brutal murder of two white teenage college students in Tennessee who had been brutally murdered by six blacks and some one stated where was Al Sharpton with all his outrage ? Most people never even heard of this murder and I dont think it made the media main stream.

You answered your own question....the students murdered were white.......that's none of the joke Sharpton's concern.

[TAPPY]

Originally Posted by dartay

You answered your own question....the students murdered were white.......that's none of the joke Sharpton's concern.

I think Sharptons media circus is going to do the boys more harm than good in the long run.

[MWC]

Both sides are full of thugs, with an overblown sense of entitlement and warped sense of perspective because they're on sports teams.
This is one illustration of why I drum into my girls to never bring home a football player. My brother was a HS player, and some of the party stories I heard were appalling. And this was 30 years ago!

Flame away, but that's how I feel.

[kirbyfan]

Originally Posted by MWC

Both sides are full of thugs, with an overblown sense of entitlement and warped sense of perspective because they're on sports teams.
This is one illustration of why I drum into my girls to never bring home a football player. My brother was a HS player, and some of the party stories I heard were appalling. And this was 30 years ago!

Flame away, but that's how I feel.

Its ok, if you want to sterotype thats fine... but ignorant.

[dartay]

And the circus comes to town.......complete with clowns...

"It breaks our hearts to see him in handcuffs and leg shackles, but his spirit is high," Sharpton said after his courthouse meeting Wednesday with Mychal Bell

"He doesn't want anything done that would disparage his name — no violence, not even a negative word," Sharpton said.

Disparage his name? This from someone twice convicted of battery and in jail for the 3rd time.

I can just see Sharpton and Jackson is big red shoes and whiteface with red rubber noses.

[Seakony]

I haven't heard about it. but I do have a question...where was the party that the first beating took place? Was it a private or public party? Were these kids invited or did they crash? I don't condone anybody putting thier hands on anybody else for any reason except self defense.

[MWC]

Originally Posted by kirbyfan

Its ok, if you want to sterotype thats fine... but ignorant.

No argument. My "moderate" cloak is chafing at the neck .