Mychal Bell Caught Shoplifting

On Christmas Eve, Mychal Bell was arrested for shoplifting at Pecanland Mall in Monroe, LA. According to officials, $370 worth of merchandise was found in a bag Bell and a co-conspirator used to shoplift with in the Dillard's department store. This is Mychal Bell's first crime as an adult. His previous crimes (approximately five, including three crimes of violence) were wiped off of his record because he was a juvenile.

According to his lawyer, Louis Scott, "preconceived notions on the part of Dillard's employees may have played a role in Bell's arrest".

Mr. Scott? Three hundred seventy dollars worth of merchandise exited the Dillard's department store unpaid by your client. Lets play mind reader and assume they were racially profiling him and say AGAIN Mychal Bell is not to blame for his actions. It's very difficult for me to understand how a defense for someone who has clearly been caught stealing merchandise from a store (visually identified by a store employee) is that there were "preconceived notions" involved. No matter WHAT was going through the store employee's head, they obviously caught Bell red-handed. They had a reason to have a "notion" that he was breaking the law. Bell is now in a town that's 70% African American, and excuses still abound that attempt to excuse Bell from every crime he has committed. Anyone who continues to exonnerate Bell from his crimes by blaming everyone but him is only harming him.

It is clear Mychal Bell needs a positive influence in his life to show him a different direction, but it's increasingly apparent that Bell will continue on a destructive path until something tragic happens to he or someone else. Who is to blame? It is partly the justice system. I think all parties can agree that Bell's judiciary process during the Jena 6 case was not productive for him, even though the final action (he being put in a children's home then foster family) could have helped some. I believe the people to blame are the ones who unequivocally backed Bell (and continue to do) despite his actions, stamping a seal of approval on his actions simply because of a possible injustice that occurred to him in one of the crimes he committed. What happened to the theory of tough love?

It's sad that the media refuses to continue tracking this story. Much can be learned from the Jena 6 case, but just as much can be learned from the resulting actions of the events that unfolded in Jena, LA in 2006 and 2007.