tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11334452134036852662024-03-19T01:48:47.524-07:00The Jena 6 BlogYobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-21982805487242992092010-05-25T20:44:00.000-07:002010-05-25T20:47:36.245-07:00Jena Drug Raid: Looks Like We're Going To Have To Go Back<em>Classic style false drug raid conducted against Jena's small Black community in apparent revenge for Jena 6 protest.</em><br /><br />One love to the <a href="http://jessemuhammad.blogs.finalcall.com/2010/05/jena-sheriff-seeks-revenge-for-civil.html#comment-form">JesseMuhammad blog</a> for sending us drum beats on this one via twitter. <br /><br />Jordan Flaherty, an independent [and for what it's worth, white] journalist who was on the front line of helping break the Jena 6 story in 2007 with web articles and video; now brings us the story of last summer's evidence-less drug raid on Jena's tiny Black community. <br /><br /><img src="http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2010-05-13-Picture7.png" alt="Jena Sheriff Scott Franklin" /><br /><em>Jena Sheriff Scott Franklin</em><br /><br /><blockquote>By Jordan Flaherty<br />Posted: May 13, 2010 03:22 PM<br /><br /><strong>Jena Sheriff Seeks Revenge for Civil Rights Protests</strong><br /><br />At 4 am on July 9 of last year, more than 150 officers from ten different agencies gathered in a large barn just outside Jena, Louisiana. The day was the culmination of an investigation that LaSalle Parish Sheriff Scott Franklin said had been going on for nearly two years. Local media was invited, and a video of the sheriff speaking to the rowdy gathering would later appear online.<br /><br />The sheriff called the mobilization "Operation Third Option," and he said it was about fighting drugs. However, community members say that Sheriff Franklin's actions are part of an orchestrated revenge for the local civil rights protests that won freedom for six Black high school students -- known internationally as the Jena Six -- who had been charged with attempted murder for a school fight.<br /><br />One thing is clear: the sheriff spent massive resources; yet officers seized no contraband. Together with District Attorney Reed Walters, Sheriff Franklin has said he is seeking maximum penalties for people charged with small-time offenses. Further, in a parish that is eighty-five percent white, his actions have almost exclusively targeted African Americans. In a town with just over three hundred Black residents, he sent his 150 officers only into the town's Black neighborhood.<br /><br /><strong>Downtown Baghdad</strong><br /><br />According to a report from Alexandria's Town Talk newspaper, LaSalle Parish Sheriff Scott Franklin prepared the assembled crowd for a violent day. "This is serious business what we're fixing to do," said Sheriff Franklin. "If you think this is a training exercise or if you think these are good old boys from redneck country and we're just going to good-old-boy them into handcuffs, you're wrong. These people have nothing to lose. And they know the stakes are high." <br /><br /><script type="text/javascript"><!--<br />google_ad_client = "pub-0694644985152972";<br />/* Image 200x200, created 9/9/09 */<br />google_ad_slot = "1819502426";<br />google_ad_width = 200;<br />google_ad_height = 200;<br />//--><br /></script><br /><script type="text/javascript"<br />src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"><br /></script><br /><br />"It's going to be like Baghdad out in this community at five am," he continued dramatically, explaining that their target was 37-year-old Darren DeWayne Brown, who owns a barbershop -- one of the only Black-owned businesses in town -- and his "lieutenants," who Franklin said supplied eighty percent of the narcotics for three parishes. "Let me put it to you this way," declared the sheriff, "When the man says, 'We don't sell dope today,' dope won't get sold."<br /><br />Sheriff Franklin said that option one is for drug dealers and users to quit, option two is to move, and option three is to spend the rest of their lives in prison. And this day was all about option three. "They will get put in handcuffs, put behind bars today and never see the light of day again unless they are going out on the playground in prison," he boasted.<br /><br />At the end of the day, a dozen people were arrested on charges that ranged from contempt of court to resisting arrest to distribution of marijuana, hydrocodone, or cocaine. Despite catching the accused residents by surprise with early morning raids, in which doors were battered down by SWAT teams while a helicopter hovered overhead and then search teams were brought in to take houses and businesses apart, no drugs or other physical evidence were retrieved -- other than small traces of marijuana at one house.<br /><br />Virtually all evidence in the cases comes from the testimony of twenty-three-year-old Evan Brown of Jena, who also wore a hidden camera during the investigation that parish officials have said provides powerful visual evidence. "We're completely satisfied with the results," said LaSalle Sheriff's Department Narcotic Chief Robert Terral, who refused further comment on the operation. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jordan-flaherty/jena-sheriff-seeks-reveng_b_575413.html"><br />...see full article here</a></blockquote><br /><br />Unbelievable! Looks like were going to have to go back to Jena.<br /><br />These trumped up drug raids, based on little to no evidence, and usually on the word of a single snitch is an un-talked about abuse-of-power epidemic in the United States.<br /><a href="http://www.americanviolet.com/"><br /><br /><br />Just this past weekend I watched the renowned 2009 independent movie on a fictionalized version of just such a case. </a> This is the same kind of setup and case that happened in <a href="http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2006/04.27/11-tulia.html">1999 in Tulia Texas</a>; which led Alan Bean to act there, and then later be instrumental also in <a href="http://friendsofjustice.wordpress.com/recent-interventions/">bringing the Jena 6 situation</a> to the fore front. <br /><br />I wonder how are we just now hearing about this case, though? Why did they not reach out to those of us who helped last time. Hmm, wondering if they're not wanting outside help, again. They were all thanking us for coming when we were at the march; and talking to Michael Bell on the phone last year, he expressed gratitude for our assistance. <br /><br />Maybe they feel that those activities three years ago having caused this act of revenge now, has now turned out to be more of a harm than good. I don't know. I would submit that with there again being exaggerated ridiculously high bails set, and the cost of lawyers; at the least they would need the financial resources that we brought to bear before, and could again bring; even if there is not physical protest in Jena. In which case we would probably need to defer to the consensus view of Jena's Black community on that, or maybe just to the views of the defendants in this drug raid case. <br /><br />I know that the protest was powerful, though. We were 30,000 deep down there last time. Blanketed the whole city; it was something beautiful to behold. <br /><br />Tens of thousands of dollars were raised. I know my donation went to Michael Bell's lawyer, because though I donated it through a local business man who was doing a collection at the march, I got a receipt in the mail from the lawyer's office about a month later. <br /><br />I also helped raise money here in Nashville before I went. <br /><br />I'm going to call Mychal Bell or his mom in the next few days and see if I can't find out more about what's going on. Hope their numbers haven't changed; it's been about a years since I lasted talked to them. Will also call Alan Bean, and other organizers and reporters from the last Jena stand, and report back.Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-78775877842787019252009-08-25T12:23:00.000-07:002010-03-04T18:27:58.097-08:00Jena 6: Where Are They Now - September 2009Quick Where are they now list of the Jena Six, per <a href="http://friendsofjustice.wordpress.com/2009/08/25/1789/">Friends of Justice</a>:<br /><br /><strong>Jena Six “” Where are they now?</strong><br /><br />¢ Robert Bailey Jr. is enrolled at Grambling State University and will attempt to walk on to the football team.<br /><br />¢ Mychal Bell is enrolled at Southern University and will attempt to walk on to the football team.<br /><br />¢ Jesse Ray Beard is finishing high school in Connecticut.<br /><br />¢ Carwin Jones is planning to go to college in Texas starting in August.<br /><br />¢ Bryant Purvis is enrolled at a community college in Texas and plays on the basketball team.<br /><br />¢ Theo Shaw is enrolled at Louisiana Delta Community College in Monroe and was elected vice president of the school’s student government association for the 2009-2010 school year.<br /><br />Former Jena 6 student Robert Bailey Jr. is taking classes at GSU [Grambling State] and will try to make the football team in the fall.<br /><br /><strong>I will add</strong><br /><br />Justin Barker, the student for who's beating they were charged; was expelled for bring a gun to school in 2007. Last I could confirm he had dropped out of school, and simply went to work. If that's changed since I cannot find info to that effect.Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-4743476381876359572009-08-25T12:11:00.000-07:002010-03-04T18:30:41.473-08:00Jena Six's Robert Bailey, Jr. Attends Grambling State UniversityPer Alan Bean at <a href=http://friendsofjustice.wordpress.com/>Friends of Justice</a>, the local newspaper; which I believe is the <a href="http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage">News Star</a>, did a piece on Bailey. Monroe is about 30 miles East of Grambling from my recollection of driving it this past January, and is also the city in which fellow Jena 6 member Mychall Bell resides with his grandmother. <br /><br />The piece is not available online, but here is some of the text Alan provided:<br /><br /><br /><strong>Former Jena Six student hopes to overcome past, look to future</strong><br />By Stephen Largen<br /><br />slargen@monroe.gannett.com<br /><br /><blockquote>GRAMBLING — What might have sucked most people into a downward spiral only seems to have made Robert Bailey Jr. more determined to turn his life around.<br /><br />Bailey, 19, is one of the Jena Six — six black Jena High School students initially charged with attempted murder in connection with a Dec. 4, 2006, assault on white student Justin Barker at the LaSalle Parish school.<br /><br />The controversial case drew attention across the nation after many called the arrests and subsequent charges racially discriminatory and excessive. A massive civil rights demonstration ensued on Sept. 20, 2007, when at least 20,000 people marched through Jena to protest.<br /><br />Bailey wrapped up his legal issues late last month when, along with Carwin Jones, Jesse Ray Beard, Bryant Purvis and Theo Shaw, he pleaded no contest in a Jena courtroom to misdemeanor simple battery. Bailey and the others were sentenced to seven days of unsupervised probation and a $500 fine, but were given no jail time.<br /><br />They also reached a confidential settlement out of court with Barker.<br /><br />The only member of the group to serve time was Mychal Bell, who pleaded guilty in December 2007 to second-degree battery and was sentenced to 18 months.<br /><br />Now, after graduating in May from Shaw High School in Columbus, Ga., Bailey is taking summer classes at Grambling State University, where he plans to major in marketing. Bailey also will attempt to walk onto the football team as a wide receiver...</blockquote><br /><strong>[According to Bean Bailey attained a 4.0 in his summer courses]</strong><br /><br /><blockquote><strong>Can’t go back</strong><br /><br />Robert Bailey said he has only been back to Jena for a total of three or four days since the controversy exploded.<br /><br />He said he’s made the choice to keep a low profile.<br /><br />“When people ask me where I’m from, I don’t like to say Jena,” Bailey said.<br /><br />“People say ‘You know that’s going to stick with you for the rest of your life, right?’ I’m like, ‘For real?’ And I think about it, like, ,you’re gonna be 40 years old and people are going to look at you like you’re that Jena Six boy. I think it is going to stay with me, but it depends how you look at it. I just choose not to suck myself back into that environment where I know I’m going to get the finger pointed at me. I just choose to stay away.”<br /><br />Bailey also chose to stay out of the spotlight at Shaw, where he enrolled in January 2008 and stayed with family after being kicked out of Jena High.<br /><br />For his first six months at the school, Bailey didn’t even use his own name.<br /><br />Instead, he went by the pseudonym “Xavier Lee,” until a local media outlet identified him as a member of the Jena Six.<br /><br />“The media found out I was in Columbus,” Bailey said.<br /><br />“I had people coming to me like, ‘Dang, that’s one of them boys. You seen one of those Jena Six boys?’ I was like, ‘Nah, I ain’t seen him,’” Bailey said with a laugh. “I keep to myself, I try to stay to my own business.”</blockquote>Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-55814136252820222442009-08-25T11:32:00.000-07:002009-08-26T07:27:54.226-07:00Redemption Story For The Jena 6's Jesse Ray BeardThis is what we fought for...and this is why I don't listen to activist who only want to fight for model citizens in model test cases.<br /><br />Had we followed that ideology and listened to the naysayers, this kid would still be roting in Juvenile Jail probably becoming disaffect, and learning to be a real criminal.<br /><br /><strong>Attorney gives Jena 6 teen counsel, chance at new life</strong><br /><br />By Eliott C. McLaughlin<br /><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/25/jena.to.new.york/index.html?iref=mpstoryview">CNN</a><br /><br />(CNN) -- Jesse Ray Beard said he was constantly in trouble, even when he behaved. It took being accused of the racially charged attempted murder of a white classmate in the Deep South to turn his life around.<br /><br />Beard, 18, now interns at a New York law firm as he prepares for his senior year next month at Canterbury School, a Connecticut prep academy where Beard is highly regarded among peers and teachers.<br /><br />"I didn't change the way I act. I didn't do nothing different. It was just that I was at Canterbury instead of Jena," he said. "It was like Jena was out to get me -- and not just me, but other people, too."<br /><br />If not for the controversy surrounding the Jena Six and the palpable racial tension in the Louisiana town, Beard never would have met the attorney who changed the course of Beard's life by removing him from everything he knew. Watch Beard describe his reaction.<br /><br /><img alt="Jesse Ray Beard of the Jena 6" src="http://friendsofjustice.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/p6264495.jpg?w=300&h=225" /><br /><Font Size="1">[David Utter, Alan Howard and Jesse Ray Beard in Jena - picture curtesy of Alan Bean]</Font><br /><br />Alan Howard met Beard, the youngest of the African-American teens who made up the Jena Six, in January 2008 when he began representing him in a lawsuit filed by beating victim Justin Barker.<br /><br />The fight followed months of disquiet among Jena High School students, including off-campus skirmishes, a school arson and nooses hung from a campus tree.<br /><br />In September 2007, thousands of protesters, alleging the teens were treated harshly because they were black, converged on middle Louisiana.<br /><br />Protesters were particularly angered at the jailing of Mychal Bell, one of the six, who was charged as an adult. Later in September, he was reclassified as a juvenile and released.<br /><br />The Jena Six were lionized and vilified; donations for their defense poured in, as did threats on their lives.<br /><br />Howard said his first impression of Beard -- that he had "tremendous character, tremendous resilience and tremendous potential" -- was so strong he invited the teen to live with his family in New England.<br /><br />It's been a tidal shift, Beard said, moving from a Louisiana town of 3,000 to Bedford, New York, a well-to-do city of 18,000 situated an hour north of the Big Apple...Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-47158100602692642072009-06-30T15:53:00.000-07:002009-08-26T07:29:42.523-07:00Justin Barker Settles Civil Suit In Jena 6 CaseI had this saved for you guys last week; but then went on vacation and didn't get a chance to publish it for you al. I'm at the library in Alabama putting it up. Anyway, the latest in the Jena 6 situation:<br /><br /><strong>Secret settlement reached in 'Jena Six' civil suit</strong><br /><br />By Robert Morgan<br /><br /><br />JENA -- A settlement for an undisclosed amount of money was approved Friday, June 26, by ad hoc Judge Ronnie Lewellyn in a lawsuit filed on behalf of the family of "Jena Six" beating victim Justin Barker.<br /><br />Barker was attacked Dec. 4, 2006, at Jena High School in an incident that led to charges against six black fellow students who became known nationally as the "Jena Six."<br /><br />The criminal case was resolved earlier Friday when the remaining five defendants -- Carwin Jones, Jesse Ray Beard, Bryant Purvis, Theodore Shaw and Robert Bailey Jr. -- pleaded no contest to simple battery and agreed to fines and seven days of probation, among other stipulations.<br /><br />Terms of the civil lawsuit settlement were not released due to a confidentiality clause in the agreement.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20090630/NEWS01/306300055">See full story</a>Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com88tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-72643036994450601402009-06-30T15:43:00.000-07:002009-07-23T16:16:17.441-07:00The Jena Six Case Ends With Plea DealAn Alexandria Louisiana Town Talk article states:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"JENA -- More than 2½ years after six black teenagers were charged with beating a white fellow student at Jena High School, criminal charges against the remaining five defendants were resolved Friday.<br /><br />In a plea agreement that had been approved by both sides ahead of time, the defendants -- Carwin Jones, Jesse Ray Beard, Robert Bailey Jr., Bryant Purvis and Theodore Shaw -- pleaded "no contest" each to a charge of simple battery, a misdemeanor."</span><br /><br />In other words, <span style="font-weight:bold;">we won</span>. I think that's the specific charge I stated in past postings that they should have been charged with; not attempted murder with up to 100 years attached; and not calling a tennis shoe a deadly weapon to promulgate such a charge. <br /><br />Again, as I said with the Michael Bell deal a year and a half ago, District Attorney Reed Walters agreeing to this charge proves he couldn't prove and didn't believe his previous abusive charges; for if he did, there's is no way he could agree to a charge that carries only a maximum of 6 months in prison. To agree to such minimal charges for what was truly attempted murder would be dereliction of duty at the least. <br /><br />Truth in sentencing and charging is all we ever wanted; and we've gotten something like that. <br /><br />I may have more commentary in the near future. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/200906270245/NEWS01/906270304">The full Town Talk article</a>Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com65tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-36309602861798629272009-02-24T15:51:00.000-08:002009-02-24T16:05:09.507-08:00Jena 6 Prosecutor Appeals To Get Judge Back On CaseJudge J.P. Mauffray was removed from the Jena 6 case last year by a district court for making prejudicial statements about the defendants. Not racially prejudice statements (that very well may be what drove them); but judicially prejudiced in that a judge is suppose to act as an unbiased arbitrator of the law. Yet, before the they went to trial he was practically proclaiming the accused guilt from the bench. <br /><br />Our good friend District Attorney Reed Walters, who first charged the 6 with attempt murder; yet within a year had offered an 18 month plea deal to the one defendant he's defendant that he's yet bothered to prosecute, is fighting to over turn this ruling. <br /><br />Just one thing though; the Judge Mauffray has since resigned!<br /><br />Talk about the ultimate moot point. But this is Reed Walters showing who he is. His vindictiveness, unwillingness to back down, to reassess, to be told anything, or be moved in anyway has him fighting to get a judge put back on the case who is no longer a judge.<br /><br /><a href=http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=9821723>Jena 6 attorneys: Judge's removal should be upheld</a><br /><br />Here's a report from www.katc.com<br /><br />NEW ORLEANS -- Attorneys for members of the so-called Jena Six on Tuesday asked an appeals court to uphold the removal of a judge because of statements he made about the defendants in the case.<br /><br />The attorneys also argued that Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr., who was removed from the case, has since retired.<br /><br />"We simply pointed out again why Judge Mauffray is not an appropriate person to hear this case, and that it is moot anyway," said David Utter of the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, who represents one of the defendants accused of attacking a fellow Jena High School student in December 2006.<br /><br />After Mauffray called the teens "trouble makers" and "a violent bunch," District Judge Thomas Yeager found there was an appearance of impropriety in the statements. Yeager was appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to handle the cases after Mauffray was removed.<br /><br />The five defendants, Robert Bailey Jr.; Jesse Ray Beard; Carwin Jones; Bryant Purvis; and Theo Shaw are charged with aggravated second-degree battery.<br /><br />Mychal Bell, the sixth defendant, pleaded guilty to a juvenile charge of second-degree battery and was held in custody for 18 months<br /><a href=http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=9821723>...</a><br /><br /><br />LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters appealed the removal of Mauffray, who retired in January.<br /><br />The six black teens were arrested and initially charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with a Dec. 4, 2006, attack on fellow student Justin Barker, who is white. The charges were later reduced.Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-50489241250518192992009-01-15T18:30:00.000-08:002009-01-16T12:26:59.131-08:00Mychal Bell Says Suicide Attempt Was Due To Being Distraught Over New ChargesBell talked to CNN about his suicide attempt. I may try to get in contact with his lawyer early next week to see what he says about it, since he <a href=http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/07/mychael-bell-is-indeed-free-july-2008_24.html>granted me an interview before</a>. <br /><br /><strong>Mychal bell suicide attempt</strong> <br />http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/01/15/mychal.bell/index.html?eref=edition_us<br /><br /><em>MONROE, Louisiana (CNN) -- Mychal Bell says he felt pressure to be perfect after his part of 2006's "Jena 6" assault case was over. When police alleged last month that he wasn't, the Louisiana teen took his Christmas money and sought a gun to kill himself. <br /><br />Distraught after being arrested on suspicion of shoplifting and battery, the 18-year-old Bell says, he pointed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger. <br /><br />The gun misfired, and he aimed at his chest and tried again. The bullet ripped through his body, and he fell to the floor of his grandmother's home in Monroe on December 29. <br /><br />"It just got to the point where I just couldn't take it anymore," Bell, who is recovering from the wound, said in an interview with CNN... <br /><br />"I just wanted to show everybody that I really wasn't the type of kid that everybody was making me out to be," said Bell, who worked out with his school's team even though he couldn't play in games. "Nobody will ever be perfect, but it's like that's where my mind was. You need to be perfect."<br /><br />Bell said he felt people were constantly watching him, hoping he'd fail: " 'Just mess up, just mess up.' There was a lot of pressure on me..." <br /><br />In his CNN interview in Monroe, Bell -- who is back in school despite being in pain from his wound and subsequent surgery -- didn't comment on the shoplifting allegations because the case is pending.<br /><br />But he said he "cried every day" after the arrest and "could never get back right."</em><br /><br />I personally think we have someone here who is somewhat criminally inclined, attracted to bad boy behavior; and yet though has tried to do better and often times succeeds, he retreats back into familiar territory impulsively. <br /><br />But witnessing his farther's foul, abbrassive, reckless, and dishonest behavior the last year and a half; I again say <a href=http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/09/michael-bells-farther-accussed-of.html>he didn't have much of chance to start with</a>. Hopefully he starts to take responsibility to rise above what he comes from to be a better man. He's grown now, it's on him. Talk about a guy running out of second chances.Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-53484101256601332312008-12-30T13:06:00.000-08:002008-12-30T13:23:59.786-08:00Mychal Bell Shoots Himself After Shoplifting ArrestI guess I'll go ahead and post on the latest with Michael Bell since so many of you are coming to this site all of a sudden; I'm sure for that purpose. I'd unoffically retired this blog (which means I stopped actively working to update it even semi-regularly); but was leaving it up for historical reference. <br /><br />So here it is, from <a href="http://thetowntalk.com/article/20081230/NEWS01/81230011/-1/rss01">Thetowntalk.com</a><br /><br /><strong>Mother says Bell still in hospital</strong><br />By Barbara Leader • Louisiana Gannett News • December 30, 2008 <br /><br /> MONROE - Jena Six chief figure Mychal Bell’s mother Melissa Bell says that Michael is “fine” but confirmed that he remains hospitalized Tuesday morning as a result of what police said is a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.<br /><br /><br />Melissa Bell said she did not know whether Mychal would be released from the hospital today and declined further comment. <br /><br />Melissa Bell, Bell’s sister Carlissa Bell and grandmother Rosie Simmons told police at 109 Grayling Lane, Monroe, on Monday night that Mychal Bell had said because of media attention resulting from his Christmas Eve arrest, he did not feel like he could live anymore.<br /><br />Bell had been arrested Christmas Eve and charged with shoplifting, resisting arrest and simple battery following an incident in Dillard’s department store at Pecanland Mall in Monroe. He was freed on $1,300 bond. <br /><br />Police reports said, “Once at E.A. Conway, Mychal stated that he shot himself because he was tired of all the media attention.”<br /><br />Bell’s Dec. 24 arrest occurred less than one month after he completed a sentence for his role in the beating of a fellow classmate, Justin Barker, at Jena High School in 2006. That case — Bell was charged with five black cohorts in the beating of the lone white student — led to national attention and a massive protest march in Jena, where it was alleged that the defendants, charged with attempted second-degree murder, were charged too severely because of racial bias.<br /><br />Bell later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and moved from Jena to Monroe, about 80 miles north, to live with a foster family. He enrolled at Carroll High School and has sinced moved in with his grandmother in Monroe.<br /><br />Louis Scott of Monroe, a former defense attorney for Bell, said that because Bell’s previous criminal convictions happened when he was a juvenile, he was considered to not have an arrest record. <br /><br />Lt. Jeff Harris of the Monroe Police Department said despite previous convictions as a juvenile, Bell’s access to handguns was not legally restricted. Harris said today police do not know where he obtained the handgun he used to shoot himself...Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-60837563458236635962008-09-28T09:03:00.001-07:002008-09-28T09:03:54.597-07:00You Know How We Stop Political Abuses Such As Seen In Jena.......political power.<br /><br />We must get our people registered, and then vote y'all.<br /><br />As posted on BlackPerspective.net on September 19th:<br /><br /><strong>Afrosphere Action Coalition</strong><br /><Font Color=Blue><strong>National Voter Registration Push</strong></Font><br /> <br />Black folks, we need to register our people to vote, and there's not much time left. From what I can tell October 6th is the beginning of voter registration deadlines in many states; including the all important battle ground states of Pennsylvania and Florida.<br />The Afrosphere Action Coalition is calling upon our partners in net-activism to help rally our folk to the cause of getting our people registered; especially in the important battle ground states where our voices can make a difference. As recently as August 20th, it was reported that a third of eligible Black voters (8 million) still aren't registered. http://proudblackvoter.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-08-27T16%3A26%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=7<br /> <br />We need a persistent push for the next month, as all the voter registration deadline dates that I've seen are between October 6th and 15th. We are asking bloggers not to just blog on it, but to organize registration in their communities, and when they do blog, to ask their readers not to only register themselves, but to at least pass the word on to people in their circles, volunteer with local groups do registration, or even organize their own efforts.<br />See here: http://proudblackvoter.blogspot.com/2008/09/state-by-state-voter-registration-links.html<br /> <br />and here: http://proudblackvoter.blogspot.com/2008/09/tennesseepennsylvania-you-have-til.html<br /> <br />For some information on voting deadlines.<br /><br /><strong>Will you commit to use your medium, from here through October 15 </strong>(the last day of registration deadlines); to urge readers in people in your sphere to not only register themselves but to participate in registering others as noted above?<br /> <br />Will you commit to a combination of 3 post or mass emails a week for these next 4 weeks? (note: these do not have to be elaborate productions. As a matter of fact, functional and informative is more important than poetic appeals. How much time does it take to jot down a few lines of reminder, and a couple of links to resources? The point is to keep beating the drum).<br /> <br />Also, will you commit yourself to register voters, if it's nothing more than carrying around some voter registration cards in your car, and keeping some at you office, or with in your books as you go to class, and registering the people that you run across and know?<br /> <br />Of course, nobody can force you to stick to the commitment, it will be up to you to follow through. But here is where we can put our politics to work. Here's an opportunity to make a tangible difference by doing. If enough of us follow through we can use this medium of the internet to affect and outcome. We can do more here than blog about a problem or it solutions; we can create a solution. <br /> <br />If you're with this commitment please comment with your email letting me know so that I can have you on our list of participants and make sure you receive information updates as the campaign goes forward.<br /><br /><strong>Or, email me at lionrunner777 @ yahoo dot com</strong>Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-84957008101008238692008-09-19T18:58:00.001-07:002008-09-19T19:05:12.181-07:00Remembering The Jena 6 March With Urban EpiCenter's Keith CaldwellThe following is an interview I conducted tonight with Keith Caldwell, fellow community organizer here in Nashville, and one of the principle parties that I worked with in helping to organize 10 free bus of some 500+ people to go down to Jena 1 year ago tomorrow.
<br />
<br />We discuss how it all started with a conversation over breakfast; and what we've taken from it and have built on that mobilization since.
<br />
<br />The Evonne I reference in the convo is Evonne Tisdale of Center for Community Change.
<br />
<br /><object width="450" height="190"><param name="movie" value="http://www.utterli.com/fp/embed_img.swf?1221661608" /><param name="flashvars" value="utt_id=ODAwNTA1Ng&autoplay=0&wu=NDk1Njk0NQ" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed src="http://www.utterli.com/fp/embed_img.swf?1221661608" flashvars="utt_id=ODAwNTA1Ng&autoplay=0&wu=NDk1Njk0NQ" width="450" height="190" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /></object>
<br />
<br />http://www.urbanepicenter.org/
<br />
<br />http://www.blackperspective.net/Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-63144185286041640842008-09-19T08:07:00.000-07:002008-09-19T14:02:56.647-07:00Redux - The Jena 6 March In RewindYou can see again my thoughts right after returning from the Jena 6 march last year. <br /><br />In the coming days I will have a number of post and podcast of interviews and commentary on the organizing of the march, and what has come out of it.<br /><br /><a href="http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v130/Yobachi/?action=view¤t=ThrongsInJena.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v130/Yobachi/ThrongsInJena.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a><br /><br /><strong>The Jena March for Justice: My Experience and Perspective</strong><br />My perspective and the sights and sounds that I experienced as a participant in the historic march for justice in Jena Louisiana for the Jena 6.<br /><a href="http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/392910/the_jena_march_for_justice_my_experience.html">View more »</a><br /><br /><strong>Also, this is the Jena 6 Blogs 100th post. Thanks all those who stopped by over the past 11 months</strong>Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-77783900112067086522008-09-08T19:20:00.000-07:002008-09-08T19:32:46.105-07:00Michael Bell's Farther Accused of Assaulting His Son's LawyerMychael Bell never had a chance with a farther like this. It's a wonder that he does as well as he does. <br /><br />As I said in my last post <a href=http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/08/mychael-bell-denied-opportunity-to-play.html>where I discussed Marcus Bell deriding his son's lawyers and fund raisers</a>; this guy has problems. He's simply not a decent person; and acts very much like a maniac. He can bet there will be no marches or defense funds for him. <br /><br /><img src=http://cmsimg.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=DK&Date=99999999&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=70915030&Ref=V3&MaxW=318&Border=0/><br /><Font Size=1>This is a picture from earlier this year, with Marcus Bell pulling on another of his son's lawyers, as reported by TownTalk.com: "Marcus Jones (second from left), father of Mychal Bell, pulls Peggy Sullivan, one of Bell's attorneys, away from a press conference in Jena on Monday following a court hearing in which Bell pleaded guilty in the attack on a fellow student at Jena High School a year ago today."</Font><br /><br /><a href=http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/NEWS/399990249>TownTalk.com reported on August 29th that:</a><br /><br /><blockquote>The father of "Jena Six" member Mychal Bell has been accused of assaulting his son's attorney Wednesday morning after a hearing in Baton Rouge.<br /><br /><br />Marcus Jones is alleged to have confronted Carol Powell-Lexing in an elevator right after she finished in her "official capacity on behalf of his son" at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association building in Baton Rouge. The association on Wednesday morning denied Bell athletic eligibility to play football during his fifth year of high school.<br /><br />Reading from a report filed by Lexing, Baton Rouge Police Cpl. L'Jean Mckneely said via telephone that a "very upset" Jones began blaming Lexing for the hearing's outcome. Jones then spat in Lexing's face after pointing his finger and "yelling profanities," Mckneely said, quoting the report.<br /><br />Jones then pushed Lexing down, although a witness reported seeing only the spitting incident, Mckneely said.<br /><br />Lexing said Thursday that she visited a doctor's office after the altercation, but she did not elaborate on the type or extent of any injury.<br /><br />Jones said Thursday that he did blame Lexing and pointed at her during the argument, but he said he would never get into a physical fight with a woman.<br /><br />"I didn't touch her," Jones said. "She shoved me."<br /><br />The only witness in the elevator was Mychal Bell's mother, Melissa Bell, Jones said. Melissa Bell could not be reached by phone Thursday...<br /><br /></blockquote>Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-63988343710737464522008-09-07T10:50:00.000-07:002008-09-07T10:51:55.818-07:00Reed Walters Set To Appeal Recusal of Jena 6 JudgeI posted previously about <a href=http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/08/judge-mauffray-thrown-off-of-jena-6.html>Judge J.P. Mauffray being removed</a> from the cases of the Jena 6.<br /><br />Reed Walters, the Jena 6 prosecutor is set to appeal that ruling. From TheTownTalk.com: <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Appeal of 'Jena 6' recusal ruling set</span><br />August 14, 2008<br /><br />LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters is appealing the recusal of 28th Judicial District Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. in the "Jena Six" case.<br /><br />Walters has until Sept. 5 to submit the appeal to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, according to court documents signed Tuesday by 9th Judicial District Judge Thomas Yeager of Rapides Parish.<br /><br />Yeager ruled that Mauffray could not hear the cases against Robert Bailey Jr., Jesse Ray Beard, Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis and Theo Shaw. The five are accused of attacking a fellow Jena High School student in December 2006 at the school. Mychal Bell, the sixth defendant, has pleaded guilty to a juvenile charge.<br /><br />The Louisiana Supreme Court ordered that Yeager handle the Jena Six cases after Mauffray was recused.<br /><br />In his notice of appeal, Walters said the decision was not based on evidence presented at the hearing.<br /><br />http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/NEWS/399990238Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-18045386695229624222008-09-03T06:42:00.001-07:002008-09-03T06:42:58.281-07:00Killer Cop of Mychael Bell's Cousin Enters PleaI got a heads up from <a href="http://blackcrosse.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/cop-in-baron-pikes-case-enters-not-guilty-plea-for-manslaughter/">The Black Cross</a> on this.<br /><br />If you're not familiar with the Tasering to death while handcuffed of Barron Pikes, <a href="http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/07/ten-day-ago-i-posted-about-mycheal.html">read here</a>.<br /><br />According to the <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-taser_nat_wittaug22,0,6850749.story">Chicago Tribune</a>, a couple of Thursdays ago <em>"A former Winnfield police officer pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of manslaughter and official malfeasance in the racially explosive case of a 21-year-old African-American man who died after being shocked with a Taser nine times while handcuffed and in police custody.<br /><br />Scott Nugent, 21, will remain free on $45,000 bond. He faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.<br /><br />Nugent, who is white, was fired from the police force four months after Baron Pikes' death."</em><br /><a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-taser_nat_wittaug22,0,6850749.story"></a>Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-44408035031101585262008-09-02T06:30:00.000-07:002008-09-02T07:05:21.301-07:00Post Jena March Noose Hanger Gets SentencedWhile in Alexandria after the Jena 6 march, myself and the group I'd helped organize to go down to the march from Nashville Tennessee where circled by two white males in a pick up truck who brandished nooses. I <a href=http://www.blackperspective.net/index.php/more-nooses-in-louisiana/>wrote about it here</a> later that week.<br /><br />In July, the adult offender <a href="http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/04/jena-6-march-noose-hanger-pleads-guilty.html">plead guilty</a>. 19 year old Jeremiah Munsen will do 4 months.<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>Man gets 4 months for threatening 'Jena 6' protesters with noose<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/15/jena.noose/">(CNN)</a> -- A Louisiana man was sentenced to four months Friday for using hangman's nooses to threaten and intimidate civil rights marchers near Jena, Louisiana, officials said Friday.<br /><br />Jeremiah Munsen, 19, pleaded guilty to federal hate crime charges for dangling nooses from the back of a pickup in September and driving past a group of protesters at a bus depot in Alexandria, Louisiana, about 35 miles south of Jena, where the marches took place.<br /><br />The protesters, who were awaiting buses to return to Tennessee, had taken part in demonstrations over the "Jena Six" case, in which a white student was said to have been beaten by six black classmates in 2006...<br /><br />Munsen, of Pineville, Louisiana, must also complete a year of supervised release and 125 hours of community service after his prison term.<br /><br />He pleaded guilty in April and admitted that "he and the other person had previously discussed the Ku Klux Klan and how they thought the Klan would have responded to the rally in Jena," the Department of Justice said in a statement Friday.<br /><br />"The defendant used a threatening and offensive tactic to intimidate peaceful civil rights marchers who were in Louisiana to rally against racial intolerance," said Grace Chung Becker, acting assistant attorney general.<br /><br />"Our civil rights laws protect the civil rights of all Americans, and they emphasize the reality that we are all members of one particular race: the human race," said Donald Washington, U.S. attorney for the western district of Louisiana.<br /><br />Munsen faced a maximum sentence of a year in prison.</blockquote>Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-87543697242479754012008-08-30T14:47:00.000-07:002008-08-30T15:00:36.960-07:00Mychael Bell Denied Opportunity To Play High School FootballIn my report on <a href=http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/07/mychael-bell-is-indeed-free-july-2008_24.html>my interview with Mychael Bell's attorney</a> Lewis Scott last month; I notified you that Bell had been attending public school since last January, and was awaiting to see if he'd be granted eligibility to play this fall during his senior year. <br /><br />Apparently not.<br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight:bold;">'Jena 6' defendant Mychal Bell won't play for Carroll High</span><br /><a href=http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080828/NEWS01/80828009>Gannett News Service</a> • August 28, 2008<br /><br />BATON ROUGE — Despite impassioned pleas from his parents, attorneys and Carroll High School officials, Mychal Bell was denied an extra season of athletic eligibility by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association on Wednesday.<br /><br />The LHSAA's five-member hardship committee unanimously voted not to grant Bell permission to play this season at Carroll High School in Monroe.<br /><br />Bell, one of the "Jena Six" defendants accused of beating a fellow Jena High School student in December 2006 and the only one to be tried so far, has been attending classes at Carroll since January as part of his plea agreement.<br /><br />After being arrested and charged as an adult for attempted second-degree murder in the attack on Justin Barker, Bell spent 10 months in prison awaiting trial. He was convicted of second-degree battery, only to have that conviction overturned on the grounds that he shouldn't have been tried as an adult.<br /><br />Bell took a plea agreement as a juvenile and was sentenced to 18 months as a ward of the state.<br /><br />Marcus Jones, Bell's father, pleaded for the hardship committee to give his son one more chance to play football.<br /><br />After the decision, Jones laid the blame at the feet of Bell's lawyers.<br /><br />"If it weren't for his attorney, Mychal would be able to play football," Jones said. "They coerced him into taking that plea agreement. If he wouldn't have taken that plea, he wouldn't be in the position he's in now."</blockquote><br /><br />What the hell is his dad talking about, this guy is nuts. If he hadn't taken the plea agreement he'd still be locked up, so how would he play football? This guy just dogs everybody who's helped his son. First he turns on Color of Change who raised most of the money for all the Jena 6's defense, now he's attacking the lawyers. <br /><br />Alan Bean, the first activist to take up the Jena 6 case in a major way and is the one who got it out to the national media initially; has told me that Marcus took a disliking to Color of Change president James Rukur back in the early summer of last year; for reasons that aren't apparent.<br /><br />Marcus Bell appears to have a problem with anyone who participates but doesn't jump for him. I don't think the guy is all there.Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-23015117537192700842008-08-28T06:18:00.000-07:002008-08-28T06:24:08.352-07:00After Removal Of Judge, Jena 6 Defendants Look To Remove ProsecutorI was one of the first to <a href=http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2007/09/reed-walters-conflict-of-interest-in.html>report to you Reed Walters conflict of interest</a> regarding being the school board lawyer that recommended the noose hangers receive lighter punishments, then being the prosecutor at the same time.<br /><br />Also, we made you aware that Judge Mauffray, Reed Walters personal buddy <a href=http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/08/judge-mauffray-thrown-off-of-jena-6.html>was thrown off the Jena 6 case</a> by a court last month. <br /><br />Now both come into play as Walters is target for removal. <br /> <br /><strong>With judge dismissed, Jena 6 backers now target prosecutor</strong><br />By Howard Witt | Tribune Correspondent <br />August 6, 2008 <br /><br /><blockquote>HOUSTON - Fresh from their successful effort to remove a local judge on the grounds that he was biased against them, the defendants in the racially charged Jena 6 case in Louisiana are now seeking the recusal of the local prosecutor for similar reasons.<br /><br />Attorneys for the five remaining black youths, whose prosecution for beating up a white classmate at Jena High School sparked a civil rights march through the Louisiana town last September, contend that LaSalle Parish District Atty. Reed Walters has a conflict of interest because of his dual role as local prosecutor and counsel for the local school board.<br /><br />Moreover, the lawyers assert in a motion to recuse Walters that his "bias became clear" when he declined to prosecute three white students who hung nooses from a tree in the high school courtyard in what was seen as a threat directed at black students. Many black residents of Jena regarded the act as a hate crime. The noose incident set off months of racial fights in the town, culminating in the beating incident.<br /><br />Walters has disputed allegations of bias. But he'll be denied a friendly local judge when the recusal motion comes up for a hearing. That's because Rapides Parish District Judge Thomas Yeager was picked to preside over the Jena cases, following Yeager's decision last week to recuse LaSalle Parish District Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr.</blockquote>Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-62026769447378079912008-08-18T06:57:00.001-07:002008-08-18T08:39:51.251-07:00Jesse Ray Beard To Use Jena Six Defense Money For SchoolHmmm, don't know how I feel about this yet. Check the story:<br /><br /><strong>Beard using Jena Six defense funds for school</strong><br />The Associated Press <br />Published: Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. <br />Last Modified: Saturday, August 16, 2008 at 11:31 a.m. <br /><br /><blockquote>JENA, La. - The youngest defendant in the Jena Six case is using his share of money donated for defense attorneys to attend a private boarding school with a focus on college preparation.<br /><br /><br />Attorney C. David Utter said that since Jesse Ray Beard's defense was donated, the money was available for his education at Canterbury School in New Milford, Conn.<br /><br />Beard is one of six black students who was accused of attacking a white student at Jena High School in 2006. He has been living with an attorney in New York, and was released from house arrest on unrelated juvenile charges earlier this month so he can attend the boarding school.<br /><br />The white student's lawyer says the defense fund money - from donors including rocker David Bowie, who gave $10,000 - could go for restitution, rather than Canterbury's tuition, which is almost $40,000 a year.<br /><br />Harry Lemoine Jr. represents Justin Barker and his parents in a lawsuit against the parents of all six Jena High School students accused of beating Barker and the four students who were legally adult at the time of the alleged attack.<br /><br />"I am following up on this," Lemoine said Thursday. He said he will look into legal uses of the money.<br /><br />Beard is among five of the six students awaiting trial. Mychal Bell pleaded guilty to a juvenile charge.<br /><br />The charges originally filed against the six youths brought international attention and more than 20,000 people to the rural LaSalle Parish town for the largest civil rights march in decades.<br /><br />In the summer's last months, Yeager let Beard live with attorney Alan Howard while taking English, working as an intern at Howard's firm and participating in a physical fitness routine.<br /><br />Beard "is an engaging young man, with none of the negative qualities attributed to him by certain media reports," Howard wrote to Yeager.<br /><br />He participated in a football camp led by Canterbury's coach, and applied to the school.<br /><br />"Jesse Ray impressed me as a respectful and clear-thinking young man," coach Tom Taylor wrote to Yeager.<br /><br />Utter said Beard also has a scholarship and more money is being raised for the rest of the cost. He is director of the Juvenile Justice Program of Louisiana and said that program held the money for Beard.</blockquote><br /><a href=http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20080816/APN/808160907>http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20080816/APN/808160907</a><br /><br /><strong>Some things that come to mind:</strong><br /><br />1. Doesn't he still need the money for legal defense seeing as apparently the right to a speedy trial has been stricken from the constitution, and he's still under the prosecution of an open case?<br /><br />2. How much of the defense funds is he using for school?<br /><br />3. How much defense money does he have?<br /><br />4. At least the money is going towards something productive, such as education, and I don't think in general people mind that? But still, why such an opulent school?Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com763tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-42741649038909022332008-08-05T09:27:00.000-07:002008-08-05T14:00:42.356-07:00Judge Mauffray Thrown Off of Jena 6 CaseFrom the <a href=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25969482/>Associated Press</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><br />NEW ORLEANS - The judge overseeing the criminal cases for the remaining Jena Six defendants was removed against his will Friday for making questionable remarks about the teenagers.<br /><br />Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. had acknowledged calling the teens "trouble makers" and "a violent bunch" but insisted he could be impartial. Judge Thomas M. Yeager, who was asked by defense attorneys to review the case, found there was an appearance of impropriety and recused Mauffray.<br /><br />"The right to a fair and impartial judge is of particular importance in the present cases," Yeager wrote.</blockquote><br /><br />As Jarret at <a href=http://www.jarrett-carter.com/2008/08/why-white-folks-cant-be-blatantly-racist-anymore/>Jarett-Carter.com</a> says:<br /><br /><blockquote>Mauffray’s removal comes not a moment too soon. While most of the attention is focused on his remarks, the matters of inappropriate charges being levied against the teenagers and the unlawful trial of Mychal Bell fly relatively under the radar. While these charges and decisions were ultimately overturned, it took thousands of black folks across the country rallying for justice to inspire movement; an accepted practice in 2008 by both sides, but one that should only be used in cases of emergency in 2008 and beyond.</blockquote><br /><br />This is exactly right, and I will add the infraction of Mauffray having been overturned for his illegally allowing Bell to tried as an adult. Then Mauffray first still wouldn't let Bell out of prision, then when he was forced to; Mauffray vindicatively revoked Bell's parole based on the same incident that he was tried on, which had been overturned. He does this 10 months after the incident, for which he had been the presiding judge all along; only after he could not get Bell any other way. His prejudice and personal animos are evident. <br /><br /><strong>This is all a great vindication of what we the Jena 6 protestors have said all along.</strong> This was a biased, narrow-minded, over-reaching prosecution; in which the defendants had little chance of a fair trial from day one. This proves, contrary to the naysayers, why our fight was right, and that it was productive: Bell's free, and racist/biased judge is off the case. That's our money and pressure that facilitated these things.Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-74687836172433525082008-07-30T11:09:00.000-07:002008-07-30T11:19:37.932-07:00Barron Pikes Tasered While Handcuffed - It Needs To StopI've been <a href=http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/07/ten-day-ago-i-posted-about-mycheal.html>posting here about Mychael Bell's Cousin, Barron Pikes being tazed to death</a> in Winnfield Louisiana; so I wanted to duplicate the text of a post that I did at BlackPerspective.net here:<br /><br />We have followed <a href="http://www.blackperspective.net/?s=taser+tased">some incidents of tazing</a> at BlackPerspective.net for awhile now.<br /><br /><img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40817000/jpg/_40817738_taser203.jpg" alt="Cop Tasering, courtesy of the BBC" /><br /><br />Now with the <a href="http://www.blackperspective.net/index.php/afrosphere-action-coalition/">Afrosphere Action Coalition</a> and other blog comrades, <strong>we’re making a concerted push to make sure the public is aware of the abusive, liberal and unnecessary use of tazering that is causing damage and death to people who are not even engaged in violence</strong> – from pregnant women, to suicidal bridge jumpers, to handcuffed nearly unconscious victims, <a href="http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=75649">to the wheelchair bound victims</a>. <br /><br />Extra-Judicial Electracution should not be the first resort everytime somebody doesn't jump as fast as a cop would like; it should only be the last resort short of needing to use a gun. <br /><br />We have had a number of recent incidents that have pushed this issue to the forefront:<br /><br /><a href="http://taseredwhileblack.blogspot.com/2008/07/police-use-pre-trial-electrocution-to.html">Tazering an unarmed sucidial man off a bridge</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.charlotte.com/109/story/732851.html">Man tazed to death after shoptlifting a grocery story gift cared because he was speaking too "loudly".</a><br /><br /><a href="http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/07/ten-day-ago-i-posted-about-mycheal.html">Louisisna man tasered to death while in handcuffs; 9 times</a><br /><br /><strong>Enoght Is Enough</strong><br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgetserver.com/syndication/subscriber/InsertWidget.js?appId=d791ba88-cd51-4cf4-9893-602f8bffec6b"></script><noscript>Get the <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/stop-the-electrocutions-and-executions-175px">Stop the Electrocutions and Executions! (175px)</a> widget and many other <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/">great free widgets</a> at <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com">Widgetbox</a>!</noscript><br /><br /><br />A Polish man going to Canada to live with his mother was tasered to death just because he didn’t speak English and was dazed and frustrated after spending almost an entire day in airport customs with no direction on where to go so he could be picked up by his mother. Instead of helping him, police killed him:<br /><iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/21818158#21818158" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTb_lbcZBIQngAA76jzbkF/SIG=12gd81q8t/EXP=1217512155/**http%3A//pulsetc.com/image/2006/0208/danger-police-in-area.jpg" alt="Danger Police In Area" />Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-17944382569177568982008-07-29T07:21:00.000-07:002008-07-29T13:53:57.638-07:00Officer To Be Indicted In Tazering Death of Barron Pikes (Jena 6 Cousin)Ten day ago I posted about <a href=http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/07/mycheal-bells-cousin-tazered-to-death.html>Mycheal Bell's Cousin being Tazered To Death In Louisiana</a>; in which I posted a piece by the Chicago Tribune's Howard Witt. <br /><br />Witt's follow up piece came out yesterday about the pending indictment hearing of the police officer who tazed Barron Pikes to death; which you can see below. <br /><br />But first I want to encourage any bloggers to participate in tomorrow's <a href=http://www.blackperspective.net/index.php/blog-on-wednesday-against-abusive-taser-use/>Day of Blogging Against Extra-Judicial Electrocution</a> and to post this widget on your website:<br /><br /><script type="text/javascript" src="http://widgetserver.com/syndication/subscriber/InsertWidget.js?appId=95c53386-938a-4e2e-9e62-7f88985930c6"></script><noscript>Get the <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/stop-the-electrocutions-and-executions-175px">Stop the Electrocutions and Executions! (175px)</a> widget and many other <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com/">great free widgets</a> at <a href="http://www.widgetbox.com">Widgetbox</a>!</noscript><br /><br /><strong>Indictment sought for police Taser death in Louisiana</strong><br />By Howard Witt | Tribune correspondent <br />4:53 PM CDT, July 28, 2008 <br /><br />HOUSTON - Seeking to defuse growing racial tensions in the small Louisiana town of Winnfield, the local district attorney announced Monday that he will seek an indictment against a white police officer for the death of a black man who was shocked nine times with a Taser device while handcuffed in police custody.<br /><br />Winn Parish District Atty. Chris Nevils said he would convene a grand jury Aug. 12 to consider possible charges against the officer, Scott Nugent, 21, who was fired from the Winnfield Police Department following the death of Baron "Scooter" Pikes.The grand jury will also examine the conduct of two other officers who were present during the incident, Nevils said.<br /><br />Pikes, 21, died Jan. 17 within 39 minutes of being arrested on a drug possession warrant. Winnfield police claimed Pikes told them he suffered from asthma and was high on crack cocaine and PCP, but the local coroner found that Pikes had been healthy and had no drugs in his system. He ruled the death a homicide.<br /><br />"Now is the time to take this case to the grand jury for a determination about whether charges should be brought," Nevils said in a statement. "I know there are strong feelings on both sides of this matter. But my obligation, and that of the grand jury, is to objectively sort through the facts and make a decision that is in the best interest of justice. That is what we intend to do."<br /><br />Nevils' decision came a little more than a week after the Tribune published the first full account of the case amid fears expressed by the victim's family and civil rights groups that the incident would be covered up in a town with a florid history of backroom dealings and political corruption.<br /><br /><a href=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-072808-taser-death-jul29,0,7557290.story>Read the rest of the article here.</a>Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-4431340582299367282008-07-28T06:28:00.000-07:002008-07-28T06:30:46.668-07:00Yobachi On Black Talk Radio To Discuss Jena Six Update"Have You Forgotten the Jena Six?"<br /><br /><embed src='http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mediaplayer.swf?displayheight=&file=http://www.blogtalkradio.com%2foneblackmansview%2fplay_list.xml?show_id=233087&autostart=false&shuffle=false&volume=80&corner=rounded&callback=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FlashPlayerCallback.aspx&width=180&height=152' width='180' height='152' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer' quality='high' wmode='transparent' menu='false'></embed><img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/CIMP/bT*xJmx*PTEyMTY5OTMwMDI3NTAmcHQ9MTIxNjk5MzAxNDIxOCZwPTEyMzIwMSZkPSZuPSZnPTE=.jpg" /><br /><br />If the player above doesn't work for you for some reason, you can <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/oneblackmansview/2008/07/25/Have-You-Forgotten-the-Jena-Six-A-Jena6-Update">go here </a>to hear it off of the source website.<br /><br />I was interviewed in this radio broadcast by Scotty of <a href="http://oneblackmansview.com/joomla/index.php">One Black Man's View</a>. He also intertwined some good audio clips from the Congressional hearing on nooses and from other things.<br /><br />Below are links that I reference in the interview from <a href="http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/">The Jena 6 Blog</a> and else where:<br /><br />My interview with Mychael Bell's lawyer: <a href="http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/07/mychael-bell-is-indeed-free-july-2008_24.html">Mychael Bell Is Indeed Free – July 2008 Jena 6 Update</a><br /><br /><a href="http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/07/mycheal-bells-cousin-tazered-to-death.html">Mycheal Bell's Cousin Tazered To Death In Louisiana</a><br /><br /><a href="http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/05/another-delay-for-jena-six-judge.html">Another Delay For the Jena Six - Judge Mauffray Hearing </a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.blackperspective.net/index.php/black-teens-six-times-more-likely-to-be-sentenced-to-jail-than-white-teens/">Black Teens SIX Times More Likely to be Sentenced to Jail than White Teens</a><br /><br />Here's a link to the <a href="http://blacktalkradio.ning.com/">Black Talk Radio network's site</a>.Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-62263098769007911232008-07-24T13:01:00.000-07:002009-02-16T18:44:26.187-08:00Mychal Bell Is Indeed Free – July 2008 Jena 6 Update...actually, he’s been free for a long time.<br /><br /><strong>Before I get to this piece, you might want to see <a href= http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/07/jena-6-blog-will-appear-on-black-talk.html >the notice in my previous post</a> regarding my appearance on internet radio this evening to discuss the Jena 6, including the contents of this article. Edited to add: <a href=http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/2008/07/yobachi-on-black-talk-radio-to-discuss.html>Here is that broadcast</a></strong><br /><br />Bell's lawyer, Lewis Scott, did me the pleasure of speaking with me yesterday afternoon.<br /><br />Mychael Bell has been living in foster care with a family in Monroe Louisiana since January, and attending Carrol high school. From when I first heard the term "foster care" months back I thought and had it described to me as a half-way house or a group home; but Scott explains that Bell is "under the supervision of <a href=http://doa.louisiana.gov/OPB/pub/FY02/ExecBudSupDoc/08-corr/08-403.pdf>Office of Youth Development</a>", which is a division of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.<br /><br />Scott detailed the different levels of custody that a convicted juvenile of Bell's status could be subject to from detention center incarceration down to release, and says that the foster system supevision is where Bell was appointed; describing him as having a curfew and other legal restrictions equivelent to what you would expect a teenagers limitations to be in a good home. <br /><br />Scott reports that Bell's mother has regular visitation, and that his grandmother may be moving to the same Monroe neighborhood as his foster home soon. <br /><br /><b>School</b><br /><br />As stated previously he's been attending regular public school since January, even going to the prom this spring. The once star running back for Jena High who'd receive numerous recruitment letters from universities around the country before the December 2006 beating of Justine Barker at Jena high, is receiving interest again from some schools within the state of Louisisana. <br /><br />Better than his football fortunes though, he finished this past semester with a 3.1 GPA. He's already classified as a Senior, and if he were to take a full load in the fall, he can graduate in December. His natural graduation date would have been this May.<br /><br />Speaking of fall plans, and returning to football, Bell is hoping to play at Carroll high; but still must receive clearance from the school system. Scott told me that there's "still an issue for eligibility" relating to the number of consecutive semesters in school. But he doesn't handle that type of issue, so he was not able to specifically recite the school system policy on that. <br /><br />While some are not interested in having Bell around, and some Jena 6 supporters not interested in what he does athletically, just academically; Carroll High's Coach Jackie Carroll is <a href=http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080610/UPDATES02/80609035/1006/SPORTS>pretty damn excited about the prospect</a>.<br /><br /><b>Why we're just finding out</b><br /><br />Now, as to why no one in the media or in the activist really knew Bell's status all these months; well, because that's how his attorney Lewis Scott intended it. He says he felt bad when he was often asked about it since he wasn’t revealing the information; because he felt it more important that Bell have the opportunity to become re-acclimated to normal life without the media in his face. He says he wanted to correct the misinformation out there but that, "the lawyer's duty is to the client and not the public. I felt a little hurt when people were asking."<br /><br />Scott continues, "he wasn't a kid really ready for all that" [the media exposure]. " He’s hoping to see Bell become more “outgoing” and “assertive” when talking to people. He feels that he’s not progressed in that regard to the degree that Scott would have liked to have seen at this point. I asked Mr. Scott is that due to his inherent personality, or to the trauma of the events of the last year and a half, and he replied “both”.<br /><br />Scott relates that even in Jena, the racial stuff was not normally omnipresent, and not stuff Bell normally dealt with before the familiar litany of events that started with the tree controversy in 2006. Further Scott relates that Bell’s status as a star athlete made him somewhat of a town hero, along with “when you have a coach that doesn’t put up with it [racism], you’re kind of insulated from all that”.<br /><br />“There is nothing in his life that would equip him to deal” with the media and so forth; so therefore Scott felt it was best to keep him out of that spot light and give him space to adjust. <br /><br />Bell, though not incarcerated in neither on parole is not clearly of sentence either. As state previously, he’s custody status is one of being under the supervision of the Office of Youth development. Scott hopes to have clear within the next month. <br /><br />Also, in regards to his plea bargin, Bell is not required to testifying against other Jena 6 members. <br /><br /><b>Victory</b><br /><br />This pleasant outcome for a young man who just over a year ago was looking at charges amounting to 100 years; is certainly about his life, and not we the activist and protesters.<br /><br />Nevertheless, there is a lesson here for both <a href=http://www.blackperspective.net/index.php/determined-activism-versus-naysaysers-theres-always-a-critic/>naysayers who said</a> we couldn’t help him in the first place, and even for the ones who thought we could; but because he wasn’t freed the next day thought that we ended up wasting our time. <br /><br />A simple equation for you: Prosecutor wanted 100 years. When that didn’t fly, he still tried for 22. We said free now. <br /><br />He got out 4 months after the march. 22 years * 12 months = 264 months. 4/264 = 0.015<br /><br />That is, 4 months is 1.5% the time of 22 years. That means we got 98.5 percent of what we wanted. That’s not only a win, that’s a land slide of epic proportions; an overwhelming thrashing; and elephant stepping on an ant. Even if you want to count in these next 6 months of him being under corrections supervision, it’s still an epic land slide of 96.3%.<br /><br />I, my blogs, and the <a href=http://www.blackperspective.net/index.php/afrosphere-action-coalition/>Afrosphere Action Coalition</a> remain committed to seeing a just resolution in the cases of the other 5 Jena 6 members – and I <a href=http://thejena6blog.blogspot.com/search?q=proud+to+defend+the+jena>am proud to have stood up</a> for them and what was right, whether they be model citizens or not.<br /><br /><a href=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7253600219767288651&q=picha+dis&total=179&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0>We will fight, and we will (already have) win. </a> [great march pictorial put to music]Yobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1133445213403685266.post-664454327824911252008-07-24T12:42:00.000-07:002008-07-24T12:52:43.288-07:00The Jena 6 Blog Will Appear on The Black Talk Radio NetworkI will be on appearing on the <a href=http://blacktalkradio.ning.com/>Black Talk Radio</a> network's internet radio program tonight via blog talk radio; by invite of One Black Mans Veiw.<br /><br />We will be discussin up dates on the Jena Six and related issues, including my recent posting of the NAACP's financial disclosure on the issue, and yesterday's interview with Mychael Bell's attorney Lewis Scott. <br /><br /><a href=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/oneblackmansview/2008/07/25/Have-You-Forgotten-the-Jena-Six-A-Jena6-Update>Click here</a> to listen to the show. You can also call in and join the discussion. <br /><br /><strong>It starts at 8 easter, 7 central</strong> this evening, Wednesday July 24.<br /><br />Show Info:<br /><br />Time: July 24, 2008 from 8pm to 9:30pm<br />Location: One Black's Man View<br />Website or Map: http://www.blogtalkradio.co...<br />Contact Info: 1-(646) 478-5242<br />Event Type: Live, Internet, Broadcast<br />Organized By: One Black ManYobachihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16151249328042613857noreply@blogger.com4