The Jena Six Saga Continues

The Jena Six Saga Continues, Mychal Bell Ordered To Jail

The Jena Six saga continues with the latest order from the judge for Mychal Bell to return to prison on previous charges. He was ordered to spend 18 months in a juvenile facility after a judge ruled that he had violated his probation for earlier juvenile convictions. Bell, who was freed two weeks ago after his adult criminal conviction for beating a white classmate was overturned, will serve his sentence at the Renaissance Home For Youth in Alexandria, Louisiana. This decision has come at the end of a two-day juvenile court hearing that was closed to the public. His attorneys have said that they will appeal the judge's decision. Bell, 17, was freed on $45,000 bail on September 27, after an appeals court threw out his conviction on battery and conspiracy charges in adult court and sent the case to juvenile court. Bell had been placed on probation until he turned 18.

So, here we go again.... Bell should have known that he was, in essence, "walking on a chalk line" and should have been very careful, despite the fact that the district attorney was racist in his actions towards the teenagers. Bell's problem is part of a larger assault on our children in our society today. Earlier this week Asa Coon, 14, shot himself to death after shooting four people at Success Tech in Cleveland and another Pennsylvania teen was discovered to have had an arsenal of weapons, intended for a showdown at his school. The recent shooting at Delaware State University of two people by a student, as well as the recent murder of the University of Memphis football player Taylor Bradford, the bloody massacre at the Virginia Tech University by Seung Hui Cho, who also committed suicide are a stark reminder that there is a common thread that links most of these cases. The perpetrators were crying out for help and the system failed them, their parents failed them, the schools failed them and they failed themselves.

Mychal Bell is still here and can make a significant contribution to the country, if he turns his life around. I am hopeful that he would have realized how significant the march on Jena was and that thousands of African Americans, whites, Hispanics and many others felt his pain and realized that the legal system in Louisiana, as in other states, is very flawed and the district attorney was racist in his actions. However, the ball is in his court to show society that he can turn his life around and use his life for a greater purpose. I am reminded of Rodney King, who was repeatedly beaten by a group of Los Angeles Police Department officers, which sparked an outrage of racism all over the country, especially in South Central Los Angeles and South East Los Angeles, where there were demonstrations shouting "no justice, no peace!" The painful truth is that King did nothing to build on this event in his life, but instead was in and out of the legal system for a while. Let us not forget Genarlow Wilson in Georgia who was charged for engaging in consensual oral sex. He has been languishing in jail after his case was overturned by Attorney General Thurbert Baker, who has said that he is focused on fighting crime, corruption and consumer fraud. I hope he is well aware of his actions towards this young man and is reminded that he was voted into office and can be voted out if he chooses to run in the next elections.

Judge J. P. Mauffrey, agreed with prosecutors that Bell had violated the probation he was given for four previous juvenile offenses, including two simple battery charges. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton, who has championed Bell's case, has denounced the latest decision as "revenge" by the judge and has called on Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco to intervene. I am not a legal scholar by any means, but as an outsider and an ordinary citizen, it is clear that Bell is being given a harsher treatment. One only has to look at the recent celebrity cases including Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie and many others, who were given a slap on the wrist for drunk driving. One also has to look at the case with members of the Duke University lacrosse team who were wrongfully accused of rape and dragged through the mud by an overzealous prosecutor, Mike Nifong, who has since been kicked out of office in disgrace. His actions will, undoubtedly, cost the state of North Carolina millions, as well as Duke University. These men, for what it is worth, had the financial means to fight their cases. Bell, on the other hand, is the stark opposite.

Bell's parents were also ordered to pay all court costs and witness costs. The parents have said that they do not have the funds to pay the courts. I feel their pain and I do not know the circumstances surrounding these older charges, but I do know that once you get in trouble of any kind, while on probation, you will have to serve the original sentence, which is a real shame for this kid. Bell and five other defendants were charged with an attack on a white student, which left him unconscious and bleeding with facial injuries. According to court testimony, he was repeatedly kicked by a group of students at Jena High School. The student was treated for three hours at an emergency room, but was able to attend a school function that evening, according to authorities. It then leads one to wonder, how hurt was he?

We have to take better care of our kids. We have to listen to our children when they are crying out for help. We have to find a way to change the system because Asa Coon was clearly crying out for help. His behavior was common knowledge in the school and legal system. The same is true for the Virginia Tech shooter. While Bell did not do the display the same behavior, clearly, this young man needed some help with anger management. We cannot continue to sit by and do nothing for these children and young people. We have to step up to the plate and help them help themselves. The children are the future and we must teach them right in order for them to be successful adults. For this case and all others that have not been aired, I echo the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and that in some not-too-distant tomorrow the radiant starts of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty."