Jena, Louisiana: 6 Teens Facing 80-100 Years Without Parole
Sunday, July 15 2007 @ 08:07 PM UTC
Contributed by: Anonymous
Views: 6,853
On September 1, 2006-the morning after 3 black students attempted to integrate Jena High School's playground by sitting in the traditionally all white area under a tree-three nooses were left hanging from the tree's branches. Racial tension rose--a series of fights broke out around town, a white man pulled a sawed-off shotgun on black students at a convenience store (they wrestled it away from him), and someone burned down most of the school. When the boys who hung the nooses were caught and the superintendent brushed it off as a "harmless prank," every black student in school crowded under the tree in protest. The District Attorney was called into the school to end the protest. Flanked by police officers he held a pen in the air and told them all "I can end your life with the stroke of a pen." A weeklater he tried to make good on his promise. On December 4th, another fight broke out at school and the DA charged six black students with attempted second-degree murder. He wrote an open letter to the students in the town's only paper that "when you are convicted, I will seek the maximum penalty allowed by law."
The six teenagers are facing 80-100 years in prison without parole. They range in age from 15-17 years old.
Their names are: Bryant Purvis, Jesse Beard, Carwin Jones, Mychal Bell, Theodoore Shaw and Rovert Bailey. Mychal Bell was recently convicted of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. An all-white jury took less than 2 days to convict him. He faces up to 22 years in prison. His sentencing is set for July 31.
The families have requested publicity and contributions to their defense fund (they cannot afford lawyers). The address to the Defense Fund is:
Jena 6 Defense Committee
PO BOX 2798
Jena, LA 71342.
To hear more information about this case, go to www.democracynow.org and type in a search for Jena. You can also go to http://friendsofjustice.wordpress.com/blog/ for information about current organizing efforts in Jena.
Petition here: http://www.petitiononline.com/aZ51CqmR/petition.html
