National Urban League Urges Fair Treatment of Jena Six

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Ricky Clemons/212-558-5371
rclemons@nul.org

New York, N.Y. – Sept. 17, 2007 – National Urban League President Marc H. Morial made the following statement about the so-called Jena Six case in Jena, La.:

Over a year ago, a black student at a public high school in Jena, La., reportedly asked permission from school officials to break the color barrier and sit under a tree in what was informally considered to be a “white-only” area on campus. Not too long after blacks began to feel comfortable sitting under the tree, three nooses in school colors appeared hanging from it.

The incident was dismissed as an adolescent prank by the school district’s superintendent, earning the white youths responsible a slap on the wrist – in-school suspension. He had overruled the school’s principal who had rightly wanted to expel the students for their racist antics. The incident set off a series of confrontations, escalating racial tensions in the mostly white town of 3,000 people.

A black student was allegedly attacked at a private party, resulting in misdemeanor charges against the white youths involved. That was followed by an alleged assault on school grounds of a white student, who received hospital treatment for his injuries and was discharged the same day, by a group of six black youths now known as the Jena Six. Yet, instead of being charged with misdemeanors, these six young men were charged with conspiracy and attempted second-degree murder, charges that, if convicted of, could have put them behind bars for life. That’s a far cry from the probation the white students received for a comparable act.

Fortunately, attempted murder charges have been dropped for a majority of the Jena Six. Mychal Bell, who was 16 at the time of the incident, was the first to stand trial and was tried as an adult. An all-white jury convicted him of aggravated battery and conspiracy, which could have put him behind bars for more than two decades. Last Friday, a state appeals court rightly threw out Bell’s conviction, concluding that he should have been tried as a juvenile, a decision we hope bodes well for the five other youths charged.

It’s not over yet, however. The district attorney for Jena, who brought these ridiculous charges in the first place, has requested that the state Supreme Court review the lower court’s decision.

So, the lives of Bell and five others still hang in a precarious balance all over a school-yard fight that probably could have been prevented, had school and local authorities done the right thing to begin with.

By giving the white students guilty of hanging nooses from a tree – a blatant throwback to a painful and shameful chapter of American history – a ridiculously lenient punishment, they planted the seeds of dissent that were destined to grow into racial strife.

There’s no doubt that the Jena Six should be punished for retaliating against a white classmate for allegedly taunting them. Inflicting violence upon others is by no means an acceptable way to resolve a conflict. But do the Jena Six deserve to serve decades in jail for what sounds like a schoolyard confrontation blown out of proportion? Absolutely not.

It would represent an egregious miscarriage of justice and a return to the by-gone era of Jim Crow justice. All the National Urban League is asking for is fairness not special treatment for Jena 6. These young black boys don’t deserve to have their lives ruined because they made a mistake fueled by hurt and outrage.

They should receive the same punishment given to whites under similar circumstances. No more and no less.”
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National Urban League (www.nul.org) Established in 1910, The Urban League is the nation’s oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream. Today, the National Urban League (www.nul.org), headquartered in New York City, spearheads the non-partisan efforts of its local affiliates. There are over 100 local affiliates of the National Urban League located in 36 states and the District of Columbia providing direct services like job training, home ownership and educational assistance to millions of people nationwide along with extensive advocacy and research.