Mychal Bell of the Jena Six, Sent Back to Jail for Prior Charge
Teen Gets 18 Months to Recognize that Violence is Unacceptable
In the event you somehow missed the national media coverage over the past few months. Bell and five other teens - The Jena Six- were arrested as a result of a fight stemming from nooses hung on a tree known as a hangout for whites only. Bell was originally charged as an adult with attempted murder. The white kids were not prosecuted. The case drew over 30,000 demonstrators to the tiny town of Jena, LA to protest the unjust treatment. The public outcry resulted in Bell's conviction being thrown out and sent to juvenile court.
The quick response this week on the heels of Bell's recent release from adult prison is likely a power move to send a message that officials will not allow the demands of outsiders to control what goes on in Jena. However, even though the timing could be a direct response to Bell's release and encompass a element of revenge for being forced to send the teen back to juvenile court, the process is not out of the ordinary. If someone on probation or parole commits a crime, they violated the terms of their release. As for the punishment, since the facts of the case are not public knowledge, it would be reckless for people to assume that the sentence itself was in retaliation.
Although the courts - especially the juvenile court system - need to find alternatives to jail, Mychal Bell must suffer the consequences for his wrong choices. I am not privy his prior convictions, so I can't comment on whether the recent sentence is harsh. I do know that Mychal Bell and the rest of the youth around the world watching this case unfold, need to know that it is incorrect, unlawful and unacceptable to use violence as a solution to any problem. Given the crime pandemic in the Black community, it is important young people see first-hand that there consequences for bad acts and no one should get a pass. It is negligent to say anything otherwise.
Don't get me wrong. I went to Jena on Sept. 20, 2007. I signed petitions, blogged about it, created email campaigns, and advocated on behalf of the Jena 6. The charges against the teenagers were harsh and unjust. I will continue to protest the criminalization of youth, especially people of color. I will fight against the mass incarceration fueled by the senseless war on drugs. But, I will never condone violence.
While national attention is focused on the extreme bias in the Jena Six case, we need to challenge the unjust criminal justice system. It is also the ideal time to put our youth on notice that the black community will not accept criminal behavior.
In the case of Mychal Bell, the punishment for the altercation related to the nooses did not fit the crime. However, he did commit a crime and I hope that over the next 18 months, Bell realizes that crime does not pay.
Published by Edrea Davis
Edrea is a communications consultant with Jazzmyne PR and author of SnitchCraft, an urban tale about a nightclub owner set up by a dishonest snitch. The novel fuses hip-hop with civil rights to shed light on... View profile
- The Jena Six - Racism in Small Town Life LouisianaThis has been an ongoing story, in the media, in the town of Jena, in almost every state, at least 10 people have heard of the infamous "Jena Six".
Chicago Marches to Free the Jena 6On July 9, 2007 (Sunday), protestors from or visiting Chicago traveled to the NBC 5 building at 11:30 am for a rally supporting the freeing of the Jena 6 (six African American s...
Michael Baisden Provides National Support for the Jena 6On September 20, 2007 best selling author and radio personality Michael Baisden will be broadcasting his program live from Jena, Louisiana. People from across the country will p...
Televangelist Bishop TD Jakes Speaks Out About the Jena 6Today, as thousands march for justice in the small town of Jena, Louisiana Bishop TD Jakes issues a statement about the case
The Willie Lynch Syndrome Thrives in Jena!The tragedy of Jena is that we're trying to use 20th methods to slay a 21st century monster!
- Jena 6: Six Black Men Face Up to 100 Years Prison Time
- America is Watching the Jena Six in Louisiana
- Oprah and the Jena Six: Will the Talk Show Goddess Find the Truth in Jena, Louisiana?
- The Jena Six Saga Continues
- Marcus Jones Sounds Off About Mychal Bell's Plea Bargain
- Jena 6 Update and Mychal Bell's Plea Bargain
- Juvenile and Adult Courts: A Comparative Analysis
9 Comments
Post a CommentThe law in Jena is that a 22 year old can beat up a minor and not serve jail time. If you are white, that is. In CA men that break arms and noses of their partners do not go to jail~they are ordered to take Anger Management courses. From what I read, Bell had good grades and was a star football player on the high school team. When he serves his time for a child's mistake, he will most likely end up serving a lifetime of crime. Criminals usually do not get hired. That is if the guards allow him to survive jail.
Rape a 12 year old? Judge will give you credit for "time served" because you are short and he fears for your safety in jail. 18 year old girl locked in a car? 4 police fire 27 times to make sure you are good and dead. And look out if the cops raid the wrong apt. with a search warrent, you can get the death penalty or be dead yourself. How do you know that one of Bell's charges did not come from participating in a fight to protect himself when attacked by someone?
Have you ever seen the photos of the disgusting things "our" troops have done to Iraqi citizens? Society teaches children that it is correct, lawful and acceptable to use violence to solve problems. Homeless man killed in LB by cops for taking an aluminum can out of a trash bin; man's arm broke by cops for refusing to put a cigarette butt in the trash; protest war? Get pepper sprayed, manhandled by cops and dragged off to jail. Drop cake on the floor; security guard can break your wrist while arresting you (Palmdale high school)
To the best of my knowledge, Bell has yet to be found guilty of actually being involved with the Barker incident. Have you ever been subjected to a button pusher? They push, and push, and push, kind of like the character Farah Fawcett played in "Burning Bed". It is easy to sit in judgement on people and expect perfection~no lost tempers, no fighting back~but I wonder how one expects teens to behave better than adults. Do not like someone? Bomb them out of existance.
Sadly, I have to look at what is in the best interest of the young man. I know the fix is on. It was just luck that made the world look at this case. There are thousands of injustices across the country that are not the subject of a protest. Those people will do the long sentence given to them. Back to my grandmother, she said it might not be right, but we must work twice as hard. Have you read the story from the attorney that was stopped on the way to Jena? Right or wrong, we have to teach our young people how to react to injustice so they will stay alive and free. It's most likely that Mychal Bell was overcharge in his prior charge that had him on probation, but that is the system at work and, just like our ancestors, we can't only teach what is right, we must teach them how to act and stay alive regardless of right or wrong!
So how did you feel they should've handled the situation? Turned the other cheek like they'd been doing since September when they had guns pointed at them and were constantly threatened? If that's the case, everybody who jumps someone should be sent to juvi. I refuse to believe that if it was six White guys jumping one White guy, he'd be in juvi right now.
Shamontiel...I am also in it to win it on the injustice issue. However, we can not send a message that you resolve a problem with violence. The bottom line, whether it's just or unjust, a Black kid will do time for an act of violence. That young man needs to be ready for the real world. I'd rather see him learn his lesson as a juvenile. Noose or not, he was on probation. In the real world, Baisden, Sharpton et al, will not be there to rescue him. You can not solve problems with violence.
Do you not find it at all coincidental that the same judge who tried Bell the first time was the same one to try him again? Do you not find it coincidental that his own parents could not be given answers as to why he was not freed that day of the Jena 6 rally when the money was given to the court? After a gun was aimed in Bailey's face and he took it to cops, the cops charged him with stealing a weapon. Now, judging from the plans of the police, does it not seem possible that Bell's charges could be just as unfair? I am a card carrying Jena 6 conspiracy theorist on this one, and I flat out think it was retalliation.
Edrea, if Robert Bailey Jr. was bust upside the head with a bottle, jumped at the party that Barker was a member of and started, and the police came and told Bailey to get back to his side of town; Reed Walters threatened students who spoke out against the nooses that he would end their lives with the stroke of a pen; the noose hangers were only given three days suspension; a gun was aimed at Bailey's face; the librarian said she had no idea what a noose is for and did not think it was a hate crime; and the school policy specifically states that someone who instigates a fight will be suspended for 3 days although Barker was not for his hate speech, what would you have preferred the Jena 6 (one was not fighting--Bryant Purvis) to do?