TRHE FULL STORY!!!!!
http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2007/july/video/dnB20070710a.rm&proto=rtsp&start=9:23
The Jena 6 is a group of young men in Jena, Louisiana, that are being charged for a heinous crime in which the charges are way out of control. The controversy began when one of the young men back in September of 2006 asked an administrator if he could sit under the shade of a tree that was “reserved” for the white students. The administrator replied by telling the young man to sit where he liked, so he did. The next day when everyone returned to the school, there where 3 nooses painted in school colors hanging from the tree. The school principal found the 3 white students that did it, and passed it off as a “youthful prank”. They were suspended for 3 days.
The black students decided to call for a sit in under this “tree”. The police were called and so was the District Attorney Reed Walters. He had an assembly in the school, where he made such a statement to the black student body, “I can end your lives with the stroke of a pen”. No future action was taken after that.
A few months later at a party in the town, a couple black boys were beaten up by a group of young white males. There were no charges brought upon the teens. A few weeks later a white male pulled a gun on 3 black young men. The gun was taken away by the black young men and they went to the police to let them know what happened. The three young men were charged with theft if an armed weapon. No charges were brought upon the male who pulled the gun on them.
In December 2006, in the halls of the Jena high school, a young white male was taunting and picking at one of the young men that were beaten up at the party. The white male was then “jumped” by some black students. The six black students were charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy. They face up to 100 years in prison without parole. The Jena Six, as they have come to be known, range in age from 15 to 17 years old.
In July 2007, an all-white jury took less than two days to convict 17 year-old Mychal Bell, the first of the Jena Six to go on trial. He was convicted of aggravated battery and conspiracy charges and now faces up to 22 years in prison. Some of the men were unable to make bail. So they sit in jail and await court dates. The bail ranges from $70,000 to $183,000.
After Tenisha Wilkerson read this on the site DemocracyNow.org, she knew it was time to take a stand. She is organizing a committee by the name of Midwest Committee for the Jena 6. They will be having a peaceful rally on Sunday, September 9th 2007 at 9am. They will march from NBC 5 studios to ABC 7 studios in Chicago, Illinois. There is no media coverage on this issue that is going on. Media attention is strongly needed. The rally will end at city hall.
We are calling for all aldermen, congressmen, media stations, press, & anyone who wants to stand for the rights of these six young men, to come out on September 9th 2007 and stand for justice.
To learn more about the Midwest Committee for the Jena 6, please email MCJena6@gmail.com. For more information on the Jena 6, please log on to DemocarcyNow.com, or NAACP.com.
(read less)TRHE FULL STORY!!!!!
http://play.rbn.com/?url=demnow/demnow/demand/2007/july/video/dnB20070710a.rm&proto=rtsp&start=9:23
The Jena 6 is a group of young men in Jena, Louisiana, that are being charged for a heinous crime in which the charges are way out of control. The controversy began when one of the young men back in September of 2006 asked an administrator if he could sit under the shade of a tree that was “reserved” for the white students. The administrator replied by telling the young man...
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