Bell 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 granted me an interview before.
Mychal bell suicide attempt
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/01/15/mychal.bell/index.html?eref=edition_us
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.
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.
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.
"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...
"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."
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..."
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.
But he said he "cried every day" after the arrest and "could never get back right."
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.
But witnessing his farther's foul, abbrassive, reckless, and dishonest behavior the last year and a half; I again say he didn't have much of chance to start with. 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.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Mychal Bell Shoots Himself After Shoplifting Arrest
I 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.
So here it is, from Thetowntalk.com
Mother says Bell still in hospital
By Barbara Leader • Louisiana Gannett News • December 30, 2008
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.
Melissa Bell said she did not know whether Mychal would be released from the hospital today and declined further comment.
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.
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.
Police reports said, “Once at E.A. Conway, Mychal stated that he shot himself because he was tired of all the media attention.”
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.
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.
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.
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...
So here it is, from Thetowntalk.com
Mother says Bell still in hospital
By Barbara Leader • Louisiana Gannett News • December 30, 2008
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.
Melissa Bell said she did not know whether Mychal would be released from the hospital today and declined further comment.
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.
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.
Police reports said, “Once at E.A. Conway, Mychal stated that he shot himself because he was tired of all the media attention.”
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.
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.
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.
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...
Sunday, September 28, 2008
You Know How We Stop Political Abuses Such As Seen In Jena...
....political power.
We must get our people registered, and then vote y'all.
As posted on BlackPerspective.net on September 19th:
Afrosphere Action Coalition
National Voter Registration Push
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.
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
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.
See here: http://proudblackvoter.blogspot.com/2008/09/state-by-state-voter-registration-links.html
and here: http://proudblackvoter.blogspot.com/2008/09/tennesseepennsylvania-you-have-til.html
For some information on voting deadlines.
Will you commit to use your medium, from here through October 15 (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?
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).
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?
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.
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.
Or, email me at lionrunner777 @ yahoo dot com
We must get our people registered, and then vote y'all.
As posted on BlackPerspective.net on September 19th:
Afrosphere Action Coalition
National Voter Registration Push
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.
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
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.
See here: http://proudblackvoter.blogspot.com/2008/09/state-by-state-voter-registration-links.html
and here: http://proudblackvoter.blogspot.com/2008/09/tennesseepennsylvania-you-have-til.html
For some information on voting deadlines.
Will you commit to use your medium, from here through October 15 (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?
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).
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?
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.
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.
Or, email me at lionrunner777 @ yahoo dot com
Friday, September 19, 2008
Remembering The Jena 6 March With Urban EpiCenter's Keith Caldwell
The 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.
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.
The Evonne I reference in the convo is Evonne Tisdale of Center for Community Change.
http://www.urbanepicenter.org/
http://www.blackperspective.net/
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.
The Evonne I reference in the convo is Evonne Tisdale of Center for Community Change.
http://www.urbanepicenter.org/
http://www.blackperspective.net/
Redux - The Jena 6 March In Rewind
You can see again my thoughts right after returning from the Jena 6 march last year.
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.
The Jena March for Justice: My Experience and Perspective
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.
View more »
Also, this is the Jena 6 Blogs 100th post. Thanks all those who stopped by over the past 11 months
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.
The Jena March for Justice: My Experience and Perspective
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.
View more »
Also, this is the Jena 6 Blogs 100th post. Thanks all those who stopped by over the past 11 months
Monday, September 8, 2008
Michael Bell's Farther Accused of Assaulting His Son's Lawyer
Mychael Bell never had a chance with a farther like this. It's a wonder that he does as well as he does.
As I said in my last post where I discussed Marcus Bell deriding his son's lawyers and fund raisers; 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.
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."
TownTalk.com reported on August 29th that:
As I said in my last post where I discussed Marcus Bell deriding his son's lawyers and fund raisers; 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.
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."
TownTalk.com reported on August 29th that:
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.
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.
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.
Jones then pushed Lexing down, although a witness reported seeing only the spitting incident, Mckneely said.
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.
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.
"I didn't touch her," Jones said. "She shoved me."
The only witness in the elevator was Mychal Bell's mother, Melissa Bell, Jones said. Melissa Bell could not be reached by phone Thursday...
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Reed Walters Set To Appeal Recusal of Jena 6 Judge
I posted previously about Judge J.P. Mauffray being removed from the cases of the Jena 6.
Reed Walters, the Jena 6 prosecutor is set to appeal that ruling. From TheTownTalk.com:
Appeal of 'Jena 6' recusal ruling set
August 14, 2008
LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters is appealing the recusal of 28th Judicial District Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. in the "Jena Six" case.
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.
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.
The Louisiana Supreme Court ordered that Yeager handle the Jena Six cases after Mauffray was recused.
In his notice of appeal, Walters said the decision was not based on evidence presented at the hearing.
http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/NEWS/399990238
Reed Walters, the Jena 6 prosecutor is set to appeal that ruling. From TheTownTalk.com:
Appeal of 'Jena 6' recusal ruling set
August 14, 2008
LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters is appealing the recusal of 28th Judicial District Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. in the "Jena Six" case.
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.
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.
The Louisiana Supreme Court ordered that Yeager handle the Jena Six cases after Mauffray was recused.
In his notice of appeal, Walters said the decision was not based on evidence presented at the hearing.
http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/NEWS/399990238
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