(Photo: AP Images / Frank Franklin II)Charles Duplechain, right, of Zachary, La. holds hands with Rev. Thomas Clark, center, while praying Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007 in Jena, La. Thousands of chanting demonstrators filled the streets of this little Louisiana town Thursday in support of six black teenagers initially charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white classmate.
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More than 10,000 protesters filled the streets of the small town of Jena, La., on Thursday to protest what they consider unjust treatment of six black teenagers in the beating of a white schoolmate last year.
The Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson joined scores of students from historically black colleges and supporters from across the nation for a rally that Sharpton said could mark the beginning of the 21st century's civil rights movement.
College students said they wanted to make a stand for racial equality just as their parents did in the 1950s and '60s, according to The Associated Press. Thursday's rally, however, went without the hate-filled campaigns and fire hoses of their parents' time.
There was more a spirit of excitement as the protesters witnessed a large crowd of supporters clogging the small town of 3,000, wanting to be a part of history.
"It's been a very peaceful and happy crowd," said Sgt. Julie Lewis of the Louisiana State Police, according to AP.
Jena residents, the majority of them white, didn't oppose the rally but were resentful of the racist label stamped on their town, which had otherwise hardly been heard of.
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"We are not a racial town. We get along with each other, we get along fine. This is something that got out of proportion. It really has," said Jena resident Terry Adams, according to CNN.
Racial tensions were aggravated when three white teens hung nooses on a tree in August 2006 the day after a group of black students received permission from school administrators to sit under the tree. Some students felt the tree – which has been cut down – was just for white students.
As a result, the white students were briefly suspended from classes.
Three months later in December, Jena High School students, the so-called Jena Six, were accused of beating a white classmate, Justin Barker, unconscious and kicking him. Five of the black students were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy. The sixth was booked as a juvenile on sealed charges.
The charges against the white students in August and that of the Jena 6 were seen as a double standard of justice for blacks and whites.
"It's not equal," said Tina Jones, mother of Bryant Purvis, one of the Jena 6. "The black people get the harsher extent of the law, whereas white people get a slap on the wrist per se. So it is not equal here."
Jones said Purvis was not involved in the beating but watched from a railing, according to CNN. She said her son was accused by a white student.
Mychal Bell, 17, remains in jail even after his conviction in June of aggravated battery and conspiracy was tossed out last week by a state appeals court that said Bell could not be tried as an adult on that charge. He was 16 at the time of the attack. An appellate court on Thursday ordered a hearing to be held within three days on Bell's request for release.
Bell is the only student who has had a trial. Charges have been reduced for the other students who are free on bond. Bails for the Jena 6 were between $70,000 and $138,000.
Thursday's rally was planned to coincide with Bell's sentencing, but the protest went forward even after the charges were voided.
"There's a Jena in every state," the Rev. Jesse Jackson told the rally crowd on Thursday, according to CNN. Jackson said the charges against the black youths and bail amounts are "excessive."
Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter's House in Dallas decided to show support through a different means.
"While I am a firm believer that marching and protesting raises awareness, our parents and the previous generation took that route because for most, that was their only option, their only way to voice their displeasure, their only way to fight," he said in a statement. "Today, many of us have the financial resources to support the fight against injustices by exploring other options. It is equally important that we help the families fight this very expensive battle. Helping can be done in many ways."
Jakes, one of the nation’s most prominent black preachers, decided to make a $6,000 donation to the Jena 6 defense fund and will make additional financial contributions as he is led to do so, he said. The megachurch pastor also encouraged others to donate funds "so these young men will have the chance to stand up and defend themselves."
