Mychal Bell Jailed Again

The Jena 6 situation is getting uglier and uglier.

Louisiana State District Judge J.P. Mauffrey Jr. sentenced Bell to 18 months in the juvenile facility for four previous offenses, including two counts of simple battery and two pertaining to criminal destruction of property that occurred before the beating of classmate Justin Barker, according to The Associated Press.

This is yet another shameful move that continues to show the terror under which Blacks live in, not just in Jena, but the entire United States of America. Nooses being hung on college campuses on on job sites, it's way past time for this madness to stop.

Just so there's an accurate picture of the judge's decision, Bell has been placed in a juvenile detention facility. It's not an adult prison but he's still incarcerated.

Jena, Take Your Nooses Down

I've seen blog posts about John Mellencamp's powerful song about Jena, Louisiana and the Jena mayor's unhappiness about it. Now that I've seen the video, I can understand why the mayor would be upset. When a major recording star such as Mellancamp pens such a critical song, the story of the negative environment blacks endure in Jena finds an even larger audience.

The fact that Mellencamp is Caucasian also frames Jena and the trials and tribulations of the Jena 6 as a wrong or right issue, not just a black or white issue. Unfortunately, many will think the song is only about Jena when it's actually about any situation of racial injustice.

The news has been filled with too many reports of racial violence and threats. As in the previous post, "Here a Jena, there a Jena…"

Here a Jena, There a Jena…

James Clingman writes an excellent commentary on the environment Black folks are dealing with lately…

Here a Jena, there a Jena, everywhere a Jena, Jena

By James Clingman, NNPA Columnist October 8, 2007

In case you haven't noticed, Black people are under full attack in this country. The Jena Six case is just another in a long line of travesties heaped upon Black people by our so-called criminal justice system. All over this country there are cases of gross injustice against Black people, so much so that we could conduct a march every week if we chose to deal with them all. Maybe that's the point: I wonder how many of those who went to Jena, Louisiana, have similar situations in their own cities. I also wonder if they have marched and protested in their own backyards about that injustice.

Let's put it right out there, brothers and sisters. Black folks are a mere afterthought in this country. The following is an excerpt from my book, Black Empowerment with an Attitude - You got a problem with that? Read it and think about our standing in the U.S.A. [Continue reading…]

Southern Illinois University Students March for Jena 6

Black balloons marked the site and a message was sent.

Injustice will not be tolerated.

Operation Hope for Jena 6 was seen throughout campus Thursday evening as about 100 Carbondale community members marched in support of the six black high school students from Jena, La., who are being charged with second-degree aggravated battery and second-degree attempted murder, after many racial incidents beginning in August 2006.

The highly publicized ordeal began when white students hung three nooses from a tree on the high school campus after seeing black students sitting underneath it the day before.

The SIUC chapter president of Generation Change, Christina Colon, said she was upset that she only heard about this a few weeks ago.

"We get five minutes, if that, about racial discrimination going on," Colon said. "We felt we needed to do something about it."

Melodi Green, a third-year law student from Peoria and partial organizer of the march, said this injustice will not be tolerated.

"Stop the injustice. Stop the injustice now," Green said.

Organized as part of the Jena 6 National Day of Action, the march began at 6 p.m. The group gathered on the front lawn of the School of Law, where participants were able to take signs to carry and sign petitions for the support of the Jena 6. These petitions will be sent to the Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and the Jena District Attorney, Reed Walters.[Continue reading…]