I’ve spoken by email with a guy named Alan Bean, who I BELIEVE is the founder of Friends of Justice. They are actually fighting for the release of the Jena 6 (which I completely disagree with), but he told me that, when it’s all said and done, both sides are going to look stupid. He’s actually spent alot of time in Jena and has read all of the documents related specifically to the Jena 6 case repeatedly. So I’m guessing he probably knows what he’s talking about. We just happen to differ on which side we take.

So we’ll wait and see how it plays out. I’m all for fair punishment. I don’t have a ton of faith in our judicial system, never have. But honestly, it is the best thing we have to go by.

Wake up people…we have to protect our land from terrorist! Can we just at least live in peace, dispite our personal opinions so that we can all survive.

I agree with you, but keep in mind this posting was from June 29th. This was before many of us in Jena decided to fight back the media with facts on the case. Understandably, many people were outraged about what the media portrayed to them as a huge racial conspiracy. I’m sure Laura had these same feelings, too.

Honestly? I only heard hearsay around town about all of this and when I read some news reports, it STUNNED me. I was thinking “Why didn’t I hear about all of this stuff?” Now I know it was media bias.

I’m just happy all of the facts are starting to come to light.

You will skew anything to support your argument. It is not proven whether or not the white kid with the shotgun was provoked by the black students. You are implying that the fact of the matter was that he pulled out the gun and threatened them right away, which is what the black students contend. If you want to analyze this case objectively, I would say, “the person who pulled a gun after claiming to have been provoked by the black students. Reports vary on whether or not he was provoked.”

Scott Windham WAS the principal last year at Jena High School. He resigned. The new principal is Glen Joiner.

[You missed today's post which explained that the high bail was justified by Bell's 4 prior convictions. That is very recent news, and probably will not get much play in the sinestrosphere. As to the petition, read the section above the comment box for a link to the petition, and an explanation on why it is a waste of time. I still think the felony charges are wrong and that this should have been handled in the juvenile system, but Bell's convictions are now established as fact, not rumor, so we should acknowledge it and the effect that those convictions had on his bail and charges. - Laura]

Matt Windham – 21 year old Jena High School graduate who either was part of the group who beat Robert Bailey at the Fair Barn the night before, or at least was present, threatened black students with a shotgun at a Jena convenience store. He was not charged, but the students who disarmed him were charged with aggravated battery and theft.

He was one of the attackers, the other two, Justin Sloan hit him, as well as his sister Jessie Sloan.

I am a internet radio talk show host and I was preparing for a sow on the Sentencing Projects latest report. I wanted to highlight some cases of injustice and came upon this case. I was able to piece togther a possible recourse of action detail in the piece I justfinished writing. Please read it at my blog and pass the info along. Thank you again for your concen for these children. God Bless!

http://oneblackmansblog.blogspot.com/2007/07/conspiracy-against-rights-and-police.html

You’re right: the “law” in Jena has failed.

The law failed three times previously by not even acknowledging the crimes committed against black youths. In fact, in the shotgun incident, charges of assault and theft were brought against the black youths for wrestling the shotgun away from the man.

But the Law is also failing by convicting these six youths.

The conspiracy charges are very loose at best, with no evidence behind them other than what people can assume and read into them (therefore not usable in court). From signed student accounts of the incident Barker was heard taunting Bailey about the attack at the party and using racial epithets to provoke him. The hit or punch to the back of Barker’s head happened literally moments later as Barker left the gym and entered the hallway. It is beyond judgmental to assume that any of what happened was pre-meditated and that six youths should be charged while only one youth threw a punch.

Further, I believe that Reed Walters, Jena’s DA, is culpable in the fight because he threatened the youths’ lives when they tried to express their anger and frustration at the injustice with nonviolent protest under the tree in September.

Barker was not as uninvolved and innocent as your statement suggests. He is friends with those who hung the nooses and injected himself into the incidents by verbally assaulting someone.

Lastly, and perhaps most important, why do people continue to forget that those being put on trial are MINORS. All under the age of 18 when the event occurred, all of them are being tried as adults for a school fistfight. I do not condone violence here, but there is no proportionality between the crime and the sentence.

The real justice, which no court can mandate, is for an understanding, a dialogue, a reconciliation between white and black youth to begin in order that the future communities of Jena will not tolerate the nooses, the race hate crime, which fomented every subsequent incident.

Perhaps the only lasting contribution from Rev. Al Sharpton’s largely symbolic 2004 presidential run, is this quip (my paraphrase):It’s not about the Christian Right, it’s about lifting up right Christians. With that injunction in mind, please meet …