NYC-Feature Story

Standing Up for the Jena 6
Rallying for justice sparked the activist in me

By Melanie Castell

As I approached Brooklyn Borough Hall with some friends from my school, I was filled with anxiety and excitement. I saw different media outlets, all there to capture this momentous event. I soon found myself surrounded by a massive crowd of protesters holding picket signs and chanting, “No justice! No peace!”

Examining my surroundings on that warm day last September, I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by seeing people—black, white, Hispanic, young and old—joining together in support of justice for the “Jena 6.” That’s the nickname for six African-American high school boys whose arrest and trial have brought national attention to their hometown of Jena, Louisiana.

Downtown Brooklyn is a long way from Jena. In September 2006, a few African-American students at Jena HS sat under a tree on school grounds where white students usually hung out. The following day, students found three nooses hanging from the branches of the tree.

Unequal Treatment

Several months later, six African-American male students beat up a white classmate, Justin Barker. Barker wasn’t responsible for the nooses, but parents of the Jena 6 said they heard that Barker was making racially-charged slurs, according to CNN.com. Justin Barker’s parents claim he didn’t do anything to provoke the beating.

The three white students who hung the nooses were suspended, but no criminal charges were filed against them. The local district attorney, J. Reed Walters, explained that the three students did not appear to violate any laws, according to a New York Times article.

But the six African-American students (the Jena 6) responsible for beating up Barker were initially charged with attempted murder. Charges against three of the six were later reduced to aggravated battery.

One of the Jena 6, Mychal Bell, was first tried and convicted of aggravated battery in an adult court by an all-white jury and faced a sentence of up to 22 years in prison. His conviction was later thrown out by an appeals court, which ruled that Bell should be tried as a juvenile instead of an adult.

He pleaded guilty to second-degree battery in December and was sentenced to 18 months in juvenile custody, possibly a group home or halfway house. He also must pay $935 and court costs to Barker’s family. Because Bell has already served some prison time, he could be released by June.

There’s no doubt Bell should pay for his actions, but teens fighting is not uncommon. Nor is it uncommon for people to get injured. Justin Barker was treated and released that same day for his injuries, according to CNN.com, which suggests that his injuries were not severe or life threatening.

Light Skin, Light Punishment?

Like Bell, the white students responsible for the nooses should have been punished legally. Their actions should be looked at as a hate crime, especially since Louisiana has a hate crime statute (a law making bias-motivated violence or intimidation a crime). The white students’ light punishment didn’t reflect their harsh actions. It only reflected their light skin color.

Activists say the problem in Jena and elsewhere is that people of color are receiving harsher punishment in the legal system than whites. What happened in Jena reflects this issue.

When activists across the country heard about Bell’s arrest and conviction, they started organizing a march to protest the treatment of the six black teenagers. Led by civil rights leaders Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton, thousands of protesters from around the country came to Jena on September 20th, 2007, to show support for the Jena 6. Many cities across the U.S, including Detroit, Chicago and New York City, hosted marches the same day to show their support.

Part of Something Bigger

During the week before the New York City march, student announcers at my school used the morning announcements to invite people to participate in the rally. They spoke about wearing all black the day of the rally and said that going would show our support for the Jena 6.

At the time, my peers and I didn’t know that other cities would be hosting marches and rallies on the same day. When I learned later that the civil rights protests were nationwide and that I was part of something on such a large scale, it made the rally more special to me.

I felt angry and hurt when I heard what had happened to the six boys in Jena. Many of my peers and I believed attending the rally was a great way to show how passionate we as teens felt about obtaining equal justice for all people, regardless of color. We also wanted to make a statement that young people do feel strongly about the events that are impacting our society. What better way to show we care about what happened in Jena than to go to the rally?

That’s why I spent part of a beautiful September day chanting “No justice, no peace!” along with my peers from Benjamin Banneker HS and other New Yorkers. I also heard New York State Assemblyman Karim Camara and other speakers talk of the importance of coming together and fighting for what we believe is right. And I believe that coming together on that day made an impact, because it allowed people to see that we are not taking social injustices lightly. If we continue to unite around other issues of social justice, I think we will see some progressive change.

A Modern Civil Rights Movement

After the rally, I read about the September 20th march in Jena in national newspapers. I read that people from Georgia and Mississippi said they attended the march because they wanted to play a role in the modern day civil rights movement. I thought the march did embody the spirit of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, because so many people once again were rallying against racial inequality. Just like the people during that era, we protesters were fighting for justice.

What happened to the Jena 6 could have happened anywhere. It was only right that we made our presence known at the rally. Leaving the rally, I felt like I’d helped fight against injustice and inequality in another region of the country. That’s something that I’ll take with me as I get older.

Supporting the Jena 6 was a new and exciting experience for me and I would love to support other causes in the future. It might be fighting to cure an illness or supporting the fight against other social injustices. Whether it’s through a rally or a simple donation, supporting issues that strike close to my heart is something I look forward to continuing to do.