In a remarkable show of solidarity for six black teenagers charged with attempted murder over a school yard fight, tens of thousands of protesters converged on the small town of Jena, Louisiana today.
Donning black for the day’s events, people from all walks of life—college students, blue collar workers and civil rights activists— came together for a rally reminiscent of the marches and gatherings of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement.
Rev. Al Sharpton called the day the beginning of the 21st century Civil Rights Movement.
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In an interview with CBS, he also called on members of the federal government to investigate the Jena District Attorney for what he believes are excessive and unfair charges.
“You cannot have justice meted out based on who you are rather than what you did,’‘ Sharpton told CBS’s The Daily Show. “You can’t have two standards of justice.”
Reed Walters, the District Attorney prosecuting the case spoke Wednesday, denying rumors that race had anything to do with the actions his office has taken against the teenagers.
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“It is not and never has been about race,”Walters said. “It is about finding justice for an innocent victim and holding people accountable for their actions.”
Other Jena residents rushed to defend their town from—what they believe—unfair accusations and charges of rampant racism.
“We are not a racial town. We get along with each other, we get along fine,” Jena resident Terry Adams told CNN. “This is something that got out of proportion. It really has.”
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Other town residents point to black and white students being able to play team sports such as football together in peace as a sign that things in the small town aren’t as bad as “outsiders” make it seem.
Despite the claims that the town has little to no problem concerning race, Jena virtually shut down, with many residents remaining in their homes concerned that the event may get out of hand.
The thousands of protesters both in Jena and around the world would beg to differ.
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Things in Jena began to heat up last year the day after a group of black students decided to sit under a tree at Jena high school that was infamously referred to as “the white tree.” The students obtained the approval of the school’s principal before congregating under the tree.
One day later, three white students hung nooses from the tree.
The students involved in the noose hanging were not tried for a hate crime and were given an in school suspension despite the recommendation from the school principal that they be expelled.
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A short time later, black students at Jena High School organized a protest under the tree and the police and district attorney were summoned to quell the peaceful demonstration. According to several reports, Walters told the students, “With a stroke of this pen, I can make your life disappear.”
The words of Walters would later be prophetic.
A string of physical encounters between black and white students in Jena culminated in December when six black teens —Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Ray Beard—beat fellow classmate Justin Barker, who is white.
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Barker was knocked unconscious as a result of the attack and was hospitalized, treated for his injuries and released the same day. He attended a social function later that night.
Bell was the first of the six to be tried.
After a trial in which his public defender called no witnesses, Bell was convicted in less than 48 hours by an all white jury. He faced up to 22 years in prison before an appellate court threw out the conviction, saying Bell shouldn’t have been tried as an adult.
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Charges for the other five students are being slowly reduced as well, but as of press time, Bell—the only member of the Jena 6 with a prior criminal history—remains in prison.
Stay tuned to DX for more news on this developing story and go to the Message Board (Click Here) to leave your thoughts which may be included in a future HipHopDX feature regarding the Jena 6.
