Bail Denied for Jena 6 Teen
By Charlene Israel
CBN News
September 22, 2007
CBNNews.com - Mychal Bell, one of the teens embroiled in a bitter dispute in Jena, La. has been denied bail and was ordered to stay in jail.
The move comes even though his conviction was overturned.
Thursday, thousands of protestors rallied in the town because of the case.
The controversy all began last September when a black high school student sat under a tree traditionally reserved for white students.
The next day, three nooses hung from the tree. Three white students were briefly suspended, but no legal charges were pressed.
The district attorney says he couldn't find a state law under which to charge the white students accused of hanging the nooses.
Then in December, six black teenagers beat a white student unconscious. They were charged with attempted murder. The maximum sentence: 100 years in prison without parole.
Civil rights activists argue the case is one of racial inequality -- highlighting the stark contrast between the way black boys and white boys in the same town were treated.
The ground swell of support for the Jena-6 has taken on the feel of civil rights marches from the 60's -- with busloads from around the country converging on the tiny town saying they want justice.
"We demand that all charges be dropped and that actually the system has an apology do to these youth," one protestor said.
"It's remarkable," said 15-year-old protestor Taylor LaBlanc. "I never thought something like this could happen in 2007."
But the district attorney says the case isn't about race. It's about justice for an innocent victim and holding people accountable.
The six are still in custody or under indictment. The murder charges were reduced to aggravated second degree battery for all but one of the six. If convicted, they could face 15 to 22 years in prison.
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