Jena Six

Categories: News

  • The Jena Six is a term used to refer to six African-American high school students from Jena, Louisiana, arrested for their involvement in the beating of white classmate Justin Barker on December 4, 2006. Five of the individuals, who were over 17 at the time of the attack, were charged with attempted second degree murder. The perception that the charges against the six were racially motivated and disproportionate to the crime resulted in a massive rally which took place on September 20, 2007, in Jena, and at other locations across the United States.CNN: 'Jena 6' figure shoots himself (December 30, 2008)

    On December 24, 2008, Jena defendant Mychal Bell was arrested on shoplifting charges in Monroe, Louisiana. Less than a week later, Bell was hospitalized after reports said he accidentally shot himself in the shoulder while cleaning a gun. The injury was not thought to be life-threatening.CNN: 'Jena 6' figure shoots himself (December 30, 2008)

  • Build-up of Tensions

    The arrest of the Jena Six marked the culmination of a semester-wide increase in racial tensions at the predominantly white Jena High School. On August 31, 2006, a group of black students sat under a large oak tree on campus which was a frequent meeting place for white students. The next morning, three nooses were discovered hanging from the tree. Three white students were suspended for the incident. On November 30, 2006, the high school was set on fire and gutted for unknown reasons and over the next few days, various altercations between black and white students occurred.MTV.com: Jena Six: What Happened In Small Town In Louisiana?

  • The Attack and the Trial

    On December 4, white student Justin Barker was allegedly attacked by the six men who came to be known as the Jena Six. Barker was treated at a local hospital and released, but the six alleged attackers were arrested. One was a juvenile, but the five others who were over 17 at the time of the attack were charged with attempted second-degree murder. Later, the charges for all of the defendants were reduced. Mychal Bell was convicted of aggravated battery and faced 15 years in prison, although his conviction was later overturned as it was determined he should have been tried as a juvenile.MTV.com: Jena Six: What Happened In Small Town In Louisiana?

  • The Jena Six Rally

    On September 20, 2007, the date scheduled for Bell's initial sentencing, tens of thousands of marchers arrived in Jena to protest the charges and potential sentences involved in the case.MTV.com: Jena Six: What Happened In Small Town In Louisiana?

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