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Nooses and a legal lynching in Jena, Louisiana
A Letter from
James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa, and the rest of the
ColorOfChange.org
team
July 17th, 2007
Dear Rudolph,
Last fall in Jena,
Louisiana, the day after two Black high school students
sat beneath the "white tree" on their campus, nooses
were hung from the tree. When the superintendent
dismissed the nooses as a "prank," more Black students
sat under the tree in protest. The District Attorney
then came to the school accompanied by the town's police
and demanded that the students end their protest,
telling them, "I can be your best friend or your worst
enemy... I can take away your lives with a stroke of my
pen."1
A series of white-on-black incidents of violence
followed, and the DA did nothing. But when a white
student was beaten up in a schoolyard fight, the DA
responded by charging six black students with attempted
murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
It's a story that
reads like one from the Jim Crow era, when judges,
lawyers and all-white juries used the justice system to
keep blacks in "their place"--but it's happening today.
The families of these young men are fighting back, but
the odds are stacked against them. Together, we can make
sure their story is told, that this becomes an issue for
the Governor of Louisiana, and that justice is provided
for the Jena 6. It starts now. Please add your voice:
http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=2017-171620
The noose-hanging
incident and the DA's visit to the school set the stage
for everything that followed. Racial tension escalated
over the next couple of months, and on November 30, the
main academic building of Jena High School was burned
down in an unsolved fire. Later the same weekend, a
black student was beaten up by white students at a
party. The next day, black students at a convenience
store were threatened by a young white man with a
shotgun. They wrestled the gun from him and ran away.
While no charges were filed against the white man, the
students were arrested for the theft of the gun.2
That Monday at
school, a white student, who had been a vocal supporter
of the students who hung the nooses, taunted the black
student who was beaten up at the off-campus party and
allegedly called several black students "nigger." After
lunch, he was knocked down, punched and kicked by black
students. He was taken to the hospital but was released
and was well enough to go to a social event that
evening.3
Six Black Jena High
students, Robert Bailey (17), Theo Shaw (17), Carwin
Jones (18), Bryant Purvis (17), Mychal Bell (16) and an
unidentified minor, were expelled from school, arrested
and charged with second-degree attempted murder. Bail
was set so high -- between $70,000 and $138,000 -- that
the boys were left in prison for months as families went
deep into debt to release them.4
The first trial
ended last month, and Mychal Bell, who has been in
prison since December, was convicted of aggravated
battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery
(both felonies) by an all-white jury in a trial where
his public defender called no witnesses. During his
trial, Mychal's parents were ordered not to speak to the
media and the court prohibited protests from taking
place near the courtroom or where the judge could see
them.
Mychal is scheduled
to be sentenced on July 31st, and could go to jail for
22 years.5 Theo Shaw's trial is next. He will finally
make bail this week.
The Jena Six are
lucky to have parents and loved ones who are fighting
tooth and nail to free them. They have been threatened
but they are standing strong. We know that if the
families have to go it alone, their sons will be a long
time coming home. They will lose precious years to
Jena's outrageous attempt to maintain a racist status
quo. But if we act now, we can make a difference.
Please add your
voice to the voices of these families in Jena, and help
bring Mychal, Theo, Robert, Carwin, and Bryant home. By
clicking below, you can demand that Louisiana Governor
Kathleen Blanco get involved to make sure that justice
is served for Mychal Bell, and that DA Reed Walters drop
the charges against the 5 boys who have not yet gone to
trial.
http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=2017-171620
Thank You and Peace,
James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa,
and the rest of the
www.ColorOfChange.org team
* *
* * *
References:
1. "Injustice in Jena as Nooses
Hang From the ‘White Tree,'" truthout, July 3, 2007
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070307B.shtml
2. "Racial demons rear heads,"
Chicago Tribune, May 20, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/yvh7t5
3. See reference #1.
4. See reference #1.
5. "'Jena Six' defendant
convicted," Town Talk, June 29, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/ysxtgg
Other resources:
NPR: Searching for Justice in Jena
6 Case (streaming audio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11756302
Democracy Now! - The case of the
Jena Six ...
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/10/1413220
Too Sense: Free The Jena Six Now
http://halfricanrevolution.blogspot.com/2007/07/free-jena-six-now.html
While Seated: Jena Six
http://www.whileseated.org/photo/003244.shtml
Nooses, attacks and jail for black
students in Jena Louisiana
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/28/144445/384
Justice In Jena, by Jordan Flaherty
http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=12783§ionID=30
The Perpetrator becomes the
Prosecutor (and other related entries)
http://friendsofjustice.wordpress.com/blog/
'Stealth racism' stalks deep South
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/6685441.stm
* *
* * *
Jena 6 Response
Contact@GOV.STATE.LA.US
Dear:
Your email to Governor Kathleen
Blanco regarding the Jena Six case has been forwarded to
me for a response.
Your input and
concerns are vital as we make critical decisions to move
this state forward. The Jena 6 case is a matter in the
Judicial System and any defects must be addressed in
that system with the appeals court. The State
Constitution provides for three branches of state
government - Legislative, Executive, and Judicial - and
the Constitution prohibits anyone in one branch from
exercising the powers of anyone in another branch.
Certainly, the Governor hopes for and expects fairness.
Thank you for emailing and if this
office can be of further assistance, please do not
hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Cheryl
Shuffield, Director
Constituent Services
* *
* * *
White Tree Chopped
Down
One weekend last
December, two Black students were beaten by a group of
White students. Later, a group of Black students were
threatened with a shotgun by a White former student.
Whites were not punished for the noose incident or these
other incidents, but the following Monday when a White
student was beaten up by Black students in a schoolyard
fight, six Black students, the Jena Six, were arrested
and charged with attempted murder.
 |
Protesters yesterday came
from as far away as New York, California,
Florida and Chicago, with large delegations
from Houston, Lake Charles, Monroe,
Lafayette and New Orleans. 43,000 signatures
on a petition written calling for District
Attorney Reed Walters to drop all charges
were delivered, and protesters rallied
outside the courthouse and marched through
downtown Jena.
Jena town officials have
no comment, but this week the school board
had the notorious tree chopped down. |
Source:
Seeing Black.com
* *
* * *
On July 31st, more
than 300 people came from around the country to stand
with the families of the Jena 6.
It was quite a scene for Jena. We rallied in front of
the courthouse and marched through the city, but perhaps
the most intense moment was when a group of six
supporters, led by a Jena 6 family member, walked
through a line of sheriff's deputies into the District
Attorney's office, to deliver stacks of petitions
representing the demands of more than 43,000 of you that
District Attorney Reed Walters drop the charges against
the five students still waiting to be tried.
It was a tense and powerful moment. Black folks don't
confront power like this in Jena, and certainly not with
hundreds of people of every color supporting them. From
the looks on the faces of the sheriff's deputies and
other officials in the court house, it was clear they
got the message--it is no longer business as usual in
Jena and their racist attack on these young men will not
be allowed to stand.
We also know we're making an impact on Governor Blanco.
She finally started responding to the more than 60,000
emails ColorOfChange members have sent. Her
condescending and insulting response--claiming she's
powerless to intervene and failing even to condemn the
egregious injustice that's taking place--was clearly an
attempt to back away from the issue completely. We're
not going to let that happen.
You can help build momentum and keep the heat on
Governor Blanco, by spreading the word and asking your
friends and family to get involved. You can find a brief
letter to send them here:
http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/thanks.html
Our impact has also
been felt by the families of the Jena Six. Your support
for their sons “in person, and in spirit” gives them
energy and strength to continue their struggle for
justice. Concretely, ColorOfChange members have raised
over $70,000 to provide legal support for the Jena 6.
It's critical that these young men get representation
from exceptional lawyers; even if they find pro bono
counsel, they are likely to incur $30-50 thousand each
in expenses. To help, visit the following link. Every
penny goes directly to the legal defense of the Jena 6.
You can contribute by credit card, PayPal, or check.
http://www.colorofchange.org/jena_fund
We are planning on-the-ground events on or around
September 20th, the new date set for Mychal Bell's
sentencing. In the next few weeks, we'll nail down the
dates and locations. Until then, please keep the Jena 6
in your thoughts and do what you can to let others know
about the situation.
The road ahead for the Jena 6 is not likely to be
short. But together, with a little persistence and some
decent smarts, we can help them win. Moments like
these--where the law and government oversight fail
us--help us remember that our ability to survive and
protect our children comes down to building a community
of support. We are so grateful to have the opportunity
to do this work, and so thankful that you are part of
this community.
Thank You and Peace,
James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa, and the rest of the
ColorOfChange.org team
* *
* * *
posted 18 July
2007 / updated 28 March 2008 |
