The Jena 6 Case: What the News Never Told You

The Jena 6 case is perhaps the most well-known racial case of our time. The events that took place in the little town of Jena, Louisiana, have raised many questions across the country regarding race, the news media, fair treatment in the justice system, and lack of accountability for one's actions. I was born and raised in Jena, and I've watched closely as the events unfolded. You see, Jena is in the Bible Belt, which traditionally emphasizes the church, hard work, and "doing things the right way." Another reputation the Bible Belt has is of difficult race relations.

Many will make quick assumptions about my ability to be biased regarding this case, being from Jena, but keep in mind that we all have our biases and ways in which we are interconnected, including in the Jena 6 case. To make an assumption about my prejudices based on my area of origin would be similar to me making assumptions of someone based on their ethnicity or gender. Besides, who would understand the complexities of the case more than someone who actually lived there?

If you'd like to skip on to the common misconceptions related to this case, simply go to Page 4 of this article. Much of it is quite startling to someone who isn't properly informed about the case.

My Sources

I invite you to read the actual eye witness statements related to this case before you proceed with this article. To read them, click on my first supporting link or simply Google "Jena 6 Documents". I refer to these numerous times in my article. Eye witness statements allow you to paint a more accurate picture of the events than news articles, which sometimes slant to one side of the story (as in this case). Included in these statements are four of the Jena 6. Though Robert Bailey does not have a witness statement for the Justin Barker Beating, he does have one statement located under the "Convenience Store Incident" where he describes what happens in the Gotta Go Incident and the Fair Barn Incident. You will need Adobe Reader installed to read these statements.

My second supporting link is the Alexandria Town Talk's main page for the Jena 6. There are dozens of articles on their page related to the Jena 6. This is the closest larger city to Jena and they closely kept track of the events that happened in Jena from Day 1. Because of this, they were much less biased in reporting than CNN and other larger media outlets.

Before I get into much detail, I'd like to give you a direct account of what happened. I'll break it down by event:

1) August 30, 2006 - School Assembly Mentioning Tree

A black student asks, according to some in a joking fashion, if he can sit under the tree in the middle of the square, the area where students go for recess. The Assistant Principal told him he could. The student, along with two of his friends, sat under the tree part of the next recess.

2) August 31, 2006 - Nooses Found

The next morning, a student discovered two nooses hanging from the tree in the middle of the square. A teacher was made aware of the situation and the nooses were immediately taken down. According to accounts, several students were playing with the nooses, including one male black student, who some claim was putting his head in the noose and laughing. The nooses were taken down before 7:15, so only a handful of students saw them. School went on as usual. The culprits were found and expulsion was recommended by the principal, but the school board disagreed. In the following weeks, an FBI investigation occurred and found that, as potentially disturbing as the crime was, the crime did not qualify as a hate crime. The noose hangers were punished: they were suspended for 3 days, attended a month's worth of Saturday detentions, was examined by a social worker, and underwent counseling.

3) September 6, 2006 - Tension at Jena High School

The media was covering the noose incident and tensions had gotten worse at Jena High School. A physical altercation occurred between a white girl and black girl. A white student was sent to the emergency room for stitches to the back of his head after he was hit from behind while walking to class. Police officers stayed at the school most of the day to prevent further violence in the school. The DA, Reed Walters, showed up. The students were told at an assembly that violence would not be tolerated. The quote "I can end your lives with the stroke of a pen" was used by Walters. Many assembly-goers say this was chopped up and Walters continued by saying .."so you come see me before you do something stupid".

4) September 8, 2006 - Lock-Down Mode

Jena High school went into lock-down mode after it was rumored that a student had brought a gun to school. Parents frantically checked their children out of school.

5) September 18, 2006 - Pleading to the School Board

Many African American parents pleaded to the school board to have the noose hangers expelled, but the school board was convinced that the noose hanging was a prank, and remained firm with their decision.

6) December 1, 2006 - The Fair Barn Incident

A female white teen had a party at the Fair Barn, a public facility that can be rented for special occasions. The party was invitation-only and included mostly white participants, but some black. Accounts differ of what happened, but an altercation occurred when 3 black teens (including Jena 6 member Robert Bailey) tried to come in the party uninvited and a white adult instigated a fight that included anywhere from 5 to 10 individuals. The instigator, 22-year-old Justin Sloan, was arrested for simple battery. He pled guilty.

7) December 2, 2006 - The Gotta Go Incident

Three black teens walked out of a convenient store while a white teen was getting out of his truck. One of the black teens included Robert Bailey, a Jena 6. According to Bailey's own statement, they approached the white teen "beginning to fight". The white teen pulled out a shotgun. It was wrestled away and the black teens took off running. The gun was later found in Bailey's backyard. The 3 black students were charged with theft of a firearm. There were two witnesses to corroborate the events.

8) December 4, 2006 - The Justin Barker Beating

Justin Barker, an individual unrelated to the noose hangings, was involved in a verbal altercation with Mychal Bell. As Barker left the cafeteria, he was punched from behind by Mychal Bell and lost consciousness as his head hit the ground. Accounts differ, but approximately 9 black students total were listed in approximately 30 eye witness statements as being an attacker of Barker. According to accounts, he was kicked in his head and stomped while he lay on the ground. Someone hollered "teacher" as two coaches came to break up the fight. Everyone scattered. After several students were interviewed, 6 black male students were arrested: Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey, Theo Shaw, Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, and Jessie Ray Beard. They were initially charged with attempted second degree murder. The six teens' charges were dropped to aggravated battery. In order for battery to be considered aggravated, a lethal weapon has to be used. The perpetrators' tennis shoes were considered as the lethal weapon.

There are many other legal questions that come to question and other incidents that have occurred since, but those are not mentioned in this timeline. I will now break down the common media perceptions of this case and point to light many things that were never mentioned by the mainstream media.

Misconception #1: The Jena 6 attacked Justin Barker because he was a noose hanger and/or because of the atmosphere the nooses created.

To date, none of the Jena 6 have cited attacking Justin Barker because of the noose incident, which occurred 2 and a half months before Barker was attacked. Barker was not related to the noose incident. Some Jena 6 supporters try to tie him to the noose hangers, but no connection exists.

If you read the eye witness statements, it becomes blatantly obvious what their intentions were that day. They gathered around or threatened at least 3 or 4 other male white students that day before and after the Justin Barker Beating. This is mentioned in approximately 10 of the eye witness statements given to the police and linked above. One male white student was pushed hard and threatened by one of the Jena 6¹. The next class period, the student told his teacher he was going to the rest room and left school out of fear (this is mentioned in two eye witness statements)¹.

Misconception #2: The noose hangings were inextricably linked to the 3 black students who sat underneath the tree in the middle of the square.

Though only the noose hangers know the true reason why they did what they did, they hung TWO nooses, while there are THREE black students who sat under the tree. This fact is often left out because of the questions it may raise. In addition to this, the tree in which the nooses were found has been used repeatedly over decades of Jena High School sports events to "taunt" the other team they will be playing in football the following weekend. Many claim the noose hangers were hanging the nooses to taunt the football team they were playing the next weekend. Malicious or not, no one but the noose hangers know their intentions.

Misconception #3: The Jena 6 have never been in trouble with the law.

Mychal Bell's past was revealed shortly after the protest, which includes 4 other arrests². On July 10, 2008, Jesse Ray Beard was removed from house arrest, a punishment stemming from, according to Beard's attorney David Utter, three adjudications (convictions). This includes a simply battery, simple criminal damage to property, and simple assault adjudication².

Since the Justin Barker beating...

Carwin Jones was arrested on May 10, 2008 and charged with simple battery for allegedly punching someone in the back of the head². On January 24, 2008, Jones was arrested for remaining after being forbidden². Bryant Purvis was arrested on February 7, 2008 for allegedly grabbing a fellow student by the neck and slamming his head against a bench in his new high school in Texas².

Misconception #4: Jena, LA does not allow black citizens to vote.

This is completely false! Black citizens can vote on parish, state, and Federal issues as long as they reside in LaSalle Parish. Most black citizens reside outside the city limits, which means they can't vote on any city-related elections. Approximately 8500 of the 13,000 residents of LaSalle Parish reside outside the city limits.

Misconception #5: D.A. Reed Walters showed up with armed police officers to the school to quell a protest and gave his pen speech.

Reed Walters did give his "pen speech", but it was at an assembly attended by all Jena High School students. Some black students say several of them sat underneath the tree in the square in protest, but it never disrupted school and police officers did not show up to quell the protest.

Misconception #6: Justin Barker called Mychal Bell "nigger" during their verbal altercation.

The only eye witness statement that points to Barker saying a racial slur is Mychal Bell's¹. Most of Bell's statement has been contradicted by his admission of his part in the beating. Additionally, an anonymous female black student describes in detail¹ the altercation between Barker and Bell, yet she mentions nothing about Barker saying a racial slur.

Misconception #7: Mychal Bell was wrongfully accused of being the person who sucker-punched Barker.

Mychal Bell writes a detailed account in his statement¹ about how he saw several male black students kicking and stomping Barker, and says he even extends a hand trying to help the unconscious Barker, yet he plead guilty to the crime later on. Some witnesses claim they heard someone say "There's that white mother f***er." right before Barker was beat. One witness statement points the finger at Bell. Additionally, he was interviewed by CNN on August 25, 2008 and his quote from the interview is "I hit him, you know, whatever"...."You know, I walked on, I went on about my business, whatever."...."You know. Ain't anything else about it." ² In addition to contradicting his own police statement, it is striking how unapologetic he is about starting the beating.

Misconception #8: A black student had a beer bottle cracked over his head and was beat by a group of white guys at the Fair Barn Incident.

If you read Robert Bailey's own statement¹, he only mentions TWO PEOPLE who hit him during the incident. He says "a bunch of white boys" attacked his two friends that were with him. This would not be classified as a beating, and doesn't remotely resemble the Justin Barker Beating. Regarding the beer bottle being cracked over Bailey's head: His statement to the police about that evening doesn't mention him being hit with a beer bottle, nor is there a hospital record or visit to back his claim. Bailey only mentioned this several months after the incident, when this case had gained momentum in the press.

Misconception #9: Reed Walters spoke only to the black students when making his "pen speech".

Some have claimed that Reed Walters was only addressing the black students when making his pen speech, but his speech was given at an assembly addressing the entire school. Many say that he was looking at the black students when he made his famous statement, but many say he was focusing on 3 white female students who were being loud and obnoxious towards the front of the row.

Misconception #10: Justin Barker brought a gun to school the day of the beating.

Justin Barker brought a gun to school several months after he was beaten by the Jena 6. He was arrested and expelled from school. The gun was a shotgun left in his truck. The vast majority of people in LaSalle Parish hunt frequently, including Barker².

Misconception #11: A white adult whipped out a gun when he spotted 3 black teens exiting a convenient store (the Gotta Go Incident).

Even according to Robert Bailey's statement he made¹, him and his two friends approached the white teen "beginning to fight". Since 3 were approaching 1, it's a likely scenario that the white teen would pull out a gun to defend himself. Additionally, many pro-Jena 6 articles mentioned the white teen being a "white adult", but keep in mind he was only eighteen years old......months older than Robert Bailey. Two independent witnesses corroborate the story with the white teen¹.

Misconception #12: Tennis shoes being considered a lethal weapon is ludicrous!

It does sound strange, but if you'll read what the law books say on a lethal weapon, it perfectly fits in the range in a case such as this one. When the victim is unconscious and has a concussion (which Barker did), a tennis shoe on an able body can severely injure or kill someone. When reading the eye witness statements for this case, look for the document that says State of LA vs. Munoz¹. In this case, tennis shoes were successfully considered a lethal weapon when charging a defendant with aggravated battery. This is the precedent in which Reed Walters used for the case. Also, a beating in Staten Island where 3 white males attacked a black male around the time of the Jena 6 march, the defendants were arrested and charged with aggravated battery, with tennis shoes being considered the lethal weapon.

Al Sharpton bitterly defended the Jena 6 and spoke of how ludicrous it was that tennis shoes be considered a lethal weapon. Yet, AT THE SAME TIME, Sharpton was in Staten Island³ defending the black victim of a similar crime, with tennis shoes being considered a lethal weapon. For some reason, he didn't seem to have an issue with it when the victim was black.

Misconception #13: The tree at the middle of the school square was a "whites only tree".

I can personally say that this was not true when I went to school there, approximately a decade ago. In fact, I recall black students hanging out around the tree as much as white students were. I've spoken to students who currently go to school there and they say no one has ever called it the white tree. I find it very difficult to believe that, in ten years, this tree turned into a restricted area for black students. But I cannot present tangible evidence to back this claim. There may have been a handful of black students that may have joked about it or something.

Misconception #14: The Jena 6 were arrested for being involved in a "high school fight".

Do you call one person being sucker punched, knocked to the ground unconscious, and kicked/stomped by 6 - 9 other individuals a fight? I won't delve any further into this one.

Misconception #15: Mychal Bell was convicted by an all-white jury.

Yes, he was. Several black Jena citizens were called for jury duty but never showed up. Typical procedures were followed for jury duty². Many Jena 6 supporters speak of how atrocious this is, but keep in mind that they convicted him and he is now admitting that he is guilty. So they correctly convicted him.

Misconception #16: Bryant Purvis was one of the attackers of Justin Barker.

Bryant Purvis only has one eye witness statement that directly says he was involved with the beating. Several say they saw him over Barker's body. Three students say they saw him somewhere else¹. I question his guilt, but his recent arrest in Texas certainly doesn't help his case any.

Misconception #17: The town of Jena did not want Jena 6 supporters to protest in Jena, but welcomed the white supremacists.

To the contrary, the Town of Jena forced the same requirements on the white supremacy protesters as the Jena 6 protesters. The difference was, the white supremacists were not willing to follow the protesting guidelines instituted by the town. The white supremacists sued the Town of Jena and their protesting guidelines were overturned by a U.S. District Judge. Jena's policies were changed three months after the protest ².

Summary: The truth is, the Jena 6 case was not handled correctly by Jena 6 supporters. The focus should have been on the core of the problem: a possible imbalance in the judicial system in Jena. There should have been an investigation into Reed Walters' past prosecutions to determine racial bias in them. If he has been doing this, they should move to getting him disbarred. One at a time, we can disbar district attorneys who prosecute based on race. This essentially eliminates the problem. That would be a cause I (as well as many non-black Americans) would happily stand behind!

Instead of focusing on the core of the problem, the Jena 6 supporters marched through Jena chanting "Free the Jena 6!", calling for the immediate release of 6 individuals who were clearly guilty of a violent crime exacted on a helpless victim in our school system. This unfair request, along with the recent misadventures of many of the Jena 6, have made a mockery of the Jena 6 case and canceled out the potential to create something constructive out of the ordeal.

The media's biased reporting of the incident (particularly CNN) sparked such outrage that few Jena 6 supporters will ever believe the truth behind what happened. Nevertheless, I have explained many of the misperceptions of the case and hope that you now have a fair assessment of the occurrences that happened in Jena, LA between August and December of 2006.