Letters to the Editor | No clear justice in 'Jena 6' case

For the last 10 months, Mychal Bell has languished in his Jena, La. jail cell. The 17-year-old still remains held on a $90,000 bail, despite an appellate court’s recent decision to void his conviction on grounds that he was incorrectly tried as an adult. Collectively known as the “Jena 6,” Bell, Robert Bailey, Jesse Beard, Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis and Theo Shaw all face multiple charges after the beating of a white classmate last December.

Though the district attorney refused to prosecute three white teens who hung nooses outside the local high school, five of the black “Six” were initially charged with attempted murder for their involvement in the brawl. This past Thursday, Bell’s 22-year maximum sentence prompted over 10,000 demonstrators to descend on Jena and rally against unequal justice.

The saga stretches back to an assembly led by Jena High School principal Glen Joiner last September, during which ne black freshman raised his hand and jokingly asked permission to sit beneath a tree typically surrounded by white students. Joiner responded by telling students they could “sit wherever they wanted.”

The following morning, three nooses painted in school colors were found dangling from the “whites only” tree. No one had to guess at the message being sent. The three 15-year-olds responsible were swiftly expelled, but an appeal to the Jena Board of Education reduced the sentence to suspension. There followed a three month period of racially motivated violence.

On December 4th, 17-year-old Justin Barker was overheard mocking classmate Robert Bailey. Later that afternoon, Justin was jumped by Bailey and five accomplices. Though reports about the incident vary, the phrases “stomped him badly,” “stepped on his face,” “lifeless body,” “knocked out cold on the ground,” and “slammed his head on the concrete beam” all appeared in witness testimonies. The attackers were arrested, and Barker was rushed to the emergency room.

Reverends Jesse Jackson and the Al Sharpton have predictably taken the opportunity to launch a “new civil rights movement.” The news media has taken a similarly sensationalist view, with the Chicago Tribune characterizing “racial demons” rearing their ugly heads in an “explosion of violence.” Even rapper Mos Def is urging fans to take up the “fight against racial inequality.” Vassar’s own student organizations have sounded a rallying cry now emanating from several interested groups.

But where do these calls for justice leave Barker,?

This issue deserves a critical and bilateral look that few have been willing to give. Maybe it’s not so much about southern racism as juvenile gang mentalities and violent criminal behavior.

Three months prior to the beating, Bell, the first of the “Six” to be tried, was adjudicated for battery and criminal damage to property while on probation for yet another battery in 2005. Despite this, civil rights leaders eagerly cite Bell’s tall stack of football recruiting letters as indication of his “promising future.”

Should Bell serve the twenty-two years that his original conviction could have brought? No, but if past behavior is any indicator it’s unlikely that he would have avoided such a fate for long. Black students at Jena High had every right to feel anger at the noose hanging and subsequent Board of Ed. decision. However, the “Six” must be held accountable for their choice to channel this anger violently against a helpless victim.

The decisiveness with which civil rights leaders pushed race to the forefront of this public debate is stunning. Though truly egregious examples of racism still exist in America, Jackson and other sympathizers insist on chanting “Free the Jena Six” as if such an end would be just.

As the trial progresses throughout the coming weeks, I urge Vassar students to resist the seductive rhetoric and think that placing time, money and effort behind repeatedly violent criminals might be totally impetuous.

—Nick Inzucchi ’11