Many have heard about the Jena 6 story on the radio or seen it on television. This controversy began a little over one year ago in Jena, Louisiana, in the month of September, 2006.

According to news reports, after receiving permission from the vice principal, several black students at Jena High School sat under an oak tree where white students usually gathered. The next day, three nooses were found hanging from the branches of the same tree.

Jena High School's principal suggested that the three white students who hung the nooses be expelled from school; however, the school district committee overruled the recommendation and only suspended the students.

On November 30, 2006, Jena High School's main academic building caught fire. Although some have concluded that the arson is linked to racial tension at the high school, the crime remains unsolved.

While racial tensions continued to build, another incident added fuel the fire. At a private party in Jena, a 22 year old white man, Justin Sloan, attacked one of the "Jena 6," 17 year old Robert Bailey. Although Sloan was charged, it was only with simple battery and afterward received merely probation as punishment.

The next clash occurred in December 2006. A few black students, "Jena 6" as they have been nicknamed, attacked a white student at the high school. The student, Justin Barker, was knocked unconscious, kicked and stomped.

Although parents of the six black students contend that Barker triggered the attack by using racial slurs, Barker's parents deny the allegation. Barker was treated at the local hospital and released the same day.

The six teens, Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Pervis, Theo Shaw, and Jesse Ray Beard, were suspended from school, arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated battery and conspiracy.

In a New York Times guest column, LaSalle's District Attorney, Reed Walters commented, "I am a small-town lawyer and prosecutor. For 16 years, it has been my job as the district attorney to review each criminal case brought to me by the police department, or the sheriff, match the facts to any applicable laws and seek justice for those who have been harmed."

The charges for Bailey, Pervis, Jones, and Shaw, were reduced to battery and conspiracy when they were arraigned. Beard was charged as a juvenile and recently allowed to return to school. Bail for the Jena 6 was set between $70,000 and $138,000. Five of the six students have posted bond.

Despite the fact that the charges were reduced to aggravated battery and conspiracy, Bell is the only one of the six teenagers to stand trial thus far. In June of 2007, District Attorney Reed Walters, tried Bell as an adult and won convictions on two of the charges, aggravated battery and conspiracy.

The appellate court judge vacated Bell's battery conviction, saying, "He should never have been tried as an adult." Bell was 16 at the time of the alleged beating on Barker and 17 is the legal adult age in Louisiana.

Walters said, "Only the intervention of an uninvolved student protected Mr. Barker from severe injury or death. There was serious bodily harm inflicted with a dangerous weapon - the very definition of aggravated second-degree battery. Bell's conviction as an adult has been overturned, but I considered adult status appropriate because of his role as the instigator of the attack, the seriousness of the charge and his prior criminal record."

In spite of the judge's decision, Bell has remained in prison since his arrest. The judge refused to lower the $90,000 bail, referring to Bell's prior criminal record, which includes four juvenile offenses - two of which are simple battery charges. These occurrences sparked protests from the community and other civil rights activists.

20,000 to 50,000 protesters congested the tiny town of Jena on Thursday, September 20th to show their indignation over what they considered unjust, unequal punishments meted out in two racially charged incidents. In the background, groups were heard shouting "Black power" and "No justice, no peace."

Information for this story came from the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and other news sources.

Copyright 2007 Metropolitan Community College