Thousands rally in Jena

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A massive rally in Jena, Louisiana? They said it couldn't be done. It was for a good cause--to seek justice for six Black students who face more than a decade in prison after allegedly beating up a White schoolmate. But the pundits said that the central Louisiana town--with no interstate highway within 60 miles, and the closest airport about hour and an half away--was too far off the beaten path for Black folks to show up in large numbers.

But as the sun rose over the once-sleepy town, and hundreds of buses and thousands of cars rumbled down Route 8, the doubters soon realized that nothing could stop these freedom riders.

The prosecutorial misconduct that has been blamed in the Jena 6 case and other cases across the country has touched a nerve in Black America, said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who helped lead the push to organize the rally. It turned out to be the largest civil rights demonstration in years.

"People came out in big numbers because they are tired of the way the criminal justice system treats our people," he said in an exclusive interview with JET.

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Although regional officials estimated the crowd tally at between 10,000 and 20,000 participants, rally organizers' crowd estimates were as high as 60,000.

The Jena 6 case arose from an altercation in December in which six Black students at predominantly White Jena High School were arrested and charged in beating up a White student on school grounds. The victim, Justin Barker, was treated at a hospital and released the same day, according to news reports.

Tensions reportedly had been high between White and Black students after three nooses were hung from a school tree typically used by White students a day after Black students sat under the tree. Though some suggested that hanging a noose is considered a federal hate crime, the three students responsible for hanging the ropes only received short suspensions, and LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters, who is White, did not bring charges against them.

Meanwhile, the six Black students--Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and Jesse Beard--initially faced attempted murder charges in the fight. An all-White jury convicted Bell on lesser charges of battery. That verdict was later tossed out by Louisiana's Third Circuit Court of Appeal, which said that Bell never should have been tried as an adult. At JET press time, Bell remained in jail awaiting a new trial. The five others students are out on bail and have yet to be tried.

Rally participant Steven Jackson called what happened to the Jena 6 "a double standard" and said that he had to come from Memphis to join the protest. He was among the thousands that wore black as they marched to the courthouse, where a rally was held. "I was upset, and instead of just talking about it, I decided to come out here to do something about it."

Most demonstrators traveled the entire night to make it to Jena for the morning rally. No arrests were made at the rally, as demonstrators, including a sprinkling of Whites, carried signs that read "Free the Jena 6" and "Enough is Enough."

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"The injustice in our justice system is an issue that will drive the 21st Century civil rights movement," Sharpton said. "We mobilized our community through the Black media, through Black radio. This is really the birth of a new movement. And it's being led by the young people."

The town was virtually shut down, as shop owners stayed away for the day.

Tiffany Lindsay came down with 50 schoolmates from Bennett College for Women in North Carolina. "I couldn't believe that this was going on," she said. "I'm here to support the brothers to let them know that they are not by themselves. I'm in awe. I've always read about movements, it's beautiful to be in the midst of it."

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As the rally played out in Jena, White opponents made their feelings known. While there were no organized counter demonstrations, two incidents did make news. In Roanoke, Va., reputed neo-Nazi group leader Bill White posted the home addresses and phone numbers of five of the Jena 6, a local newspaper said, with a directive to his American National Socialist Workers Party followers to: "Get in touch and let them know justice is coming." And in Alexandria, La., near Jena, two White males were arrested for allegedly attaching two nooses to the back of a pick-up truck and driving near where Black protesters had gathered.

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Alexandria resident Wanda Porter, who participated in the Jena 6 rally with her husband and son, said that racism in the area is normally "not blatant, but it's alive," she said. "I just think that people down here have been oppressed so much that we don't speak out about it."

Celebrities like Tyler Perry and Ice Cube were on hand to lend their support. "We have to stomp out this kind of injustice wherever it is," said Ice Cube, who brought his two sons.