By now, I am hoping that most Americans have heard of The Jena 6. For those that are un-aware of what I am speaking of; allow me to give a brief description.
In August of 2006; a few black students at Jena High School sat under what is dubbed the white tree in the schools courtyard. As a result of their sit-in; white students hung nooses from the white tree to depict a mock lynching. District Attorney Reed Walters visited the high school to cool racial tensions only to make them worse. While speaking at the assembly; he looked in the direction of the black students involved and stated that he could take their lives away with a stroke of his pen. Incidents of violence and threatening behavior against black students by white students were not acknowledged by District Attorney Reed Walters. When Justin Barker, a white student, began to berate black students with racial slurs; tensions finally boiled over. 6 black students were accused of beating Justin Barker un-conscious and sending him to the hospital. Mr. Barker was released two hours after being treated and attended a social function the same night. The black students weren t so lucky. The six black students involved in the fight were charged with attempted murder. The murder weapon as described by District Attorney Reed Walters was a shoe. Mychal Bell was the first of the six to be tried on the attempted murder charges. Let me also point out that Mr. Bell was 16 at the time of the incident and was charged as an adult. Mychal was convicted by an all white jury and faced up to 22 years in prison. A few days before Mychal was sentenced; a Louisiana appeals court threw out all charges against him as an adult. Mychal still awaits a decision from the D.A. as to if he will be tried as a juvenile. So this is where the story stands as of today. Mychal Bell remains in juvenile custody with no bail. But this is where the story begins for most of us. The Jena 6 is a story of equal justice and racism in America. Why can so many African-American s relate to their story? Because so many of us have been terrorized by a broken American justice system.
The case against Mychal Bell represents a systematic problem within the American justice system and American society. Without looking at the race of the students; the simple fact that 6 teenagers were originally charged with attempted murder for a schoolyard fight should be alarming for every single American citizen. The issues of racism and un-equal justice have long been a part of American Society. In 1991, Rodney King was pulled over for suspicion of drunk driving by the LAPD. King was then taken from his vehicle and assaulted by 4 Los Angeles police officers. The officers were charged with use of excessive force and placed on trial. An all white jury returned a not guilty verdict for each officer. As a result, thousands of African-Americans incited a riot in the City of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, 53 deaths occurred during the race riots of 1992. Racism again reared its ugly head to reveal the methodical problems within the American justice system. There has been little progress made since the riots of 1992. We have another chance to have an open and honest dialogue about racism in America. Our opportunity to correct the ills of bigotry within this nation is shrinking. We must act now to work toward a solution.
Racism and un-equal justice is a problem faced by many African-Americans on a daily basis. The fight that s ahead of us is to combat the issues presented by the Jena 6. Why must issues of racism and un-equal justice continue to plague our society? Because racism is deeply rooted within our nation. If we work together to change those that have a bigoted frame of mind; then we can begin to change the endless cycle of producing Americans with racism as a state of mind.
The case against The Jena 6 goes further than just plain racism. Charging a human being who is still considered a minor in the eyes of the law with attempted murder as an adult is an atrocity. Not only should all African-Americans show outrage; so should America. The greatest American ever produced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated it best; an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
If we fail to take care of the six students involved in this case then we have failed his efforts and those that shed blood for our freedom.
Marching on Jena was a wonderful start. We have to continue our fight once this story disappears from the media s attention. What will happen if/when Mychal Bell is released from jail? Will we forget about the 5 teenagers still facing charges? What the District Attorney handling the cast, Reed Walters? Will he be fired for his actions? Also once this terrible ordeal has ended for the students involved; what will we do so that this never happens again? There are many questions to be answered; however we are the ones to provide the response. It is up to our generation to lead the fight for equal justice and to stamp out racism. Make sure that we hold ourselves, our peers and most of all our leaders accountable for what it is most important to us.
-JH
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