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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)
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Fast Facts
- Jena Six members arrested in December 2006
- The black teenagers were charged with the beating of a white classmate at Jena High School in Jena, Louisiana
- The Jena Six: Bryant Purvis, Mychal Bell, Robert Bailey, Jr., Carwin Jones, Theo Shaw and Jesse Rae Beard
- Five of the teens were charged with second-degree murder
- Case sparked massive demonstrations by those who felt the charges were racially motivatedCNN: 'Jena 6' figure shoots himself (December 30, 2008)
- Charges against the Six were eventually reduced; Bell was convicted of aggravated batteryMTV.com: Jena Six: What Happened In Small Town In Louisiana?
- Bell's conviction was later overturnedMTV.com: Jena Six: What Happened In Small Town In Louisiana?
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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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MSNBC: Police: 'Jena Six' teen shoots self
msnbc.msn.com (December 30, 2008) -
Wikipedia: Jena Six
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CNN: 'Jena 6' figure shoots himself
cnn.com (December 30, 2008) -
ColorOfChange: Jena Six Petition
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FreeTheJena6: Justice in Jena!
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MTV.com: Jena Six: What Sparked Protesters To Descend...
mtv.com (September 19, 2007) -
YouTube Video: Jena Six: A Photo Story (June 27, 2007) (Time: 3:13)
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MSNBC: Police: 'Jena Six' teen shoots self
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Jena Six on Twitter Powered by Twitter
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Pentacon Six TL + Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120/2.8 = сказка! http://www.flickr.com/photos/iammna/4090021192/sizes/l/ #photo
@iammna | November 09, 2009 03:59 PM -
Jena 6: The Jena Six are a group of six black teenagers convicted in the beating of Justin Barker, a white stud.. http://bit.ly/2JKaEe
@aurel17 | November 09, 2009 06:04 AM -
RT @RitaJKing: 'Jena Six' teen gets second chance with the family of the lawyer who represented him: http://bit.ly/3hyKA2 #splc
@RyanAdrianKing | November 05, 2009 08:00 PM -
'Jena Six' teen gets second chance with the family of the lawyer who represented him: http://bit.ly/3hyKA2 #splc
@RitaJKing | November 05, 2009 05:34 PM
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Jena Six on Amazon | View All
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Dick Gregory- Jena 6 and Beyond: Second Annual Unify Or Die Conference DVD - $20.00
Dick Gregory gives a good insight on how Jena 6 and Micheal Vick's cases where acts of racism against Black People.
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Jena 6 case highlights injustice: Louisiana investigation found a juvenile justice system in trouble.(VIEWPOINT): An article from: National Catholic Reporter - $9.95
This digital document is an article from National Catholic Reporter, published by Thomson Gale on October 5, 2007. The length of the article is 910 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is deliv...
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Questions and Answers About Jena Six | View All | Ask a Question
View All Jena Six Questions (173) | Ask a QuestionIs this the same Alfred Brock of Winnfield, LA, who publicly protested the Jena 6 students Sept 2007? (1 Answer)It would be only a crazy coincidence if it wasn't. The January 2009 story features a 64 year old Alfred Brock from Winnfield LA, and the September 2007 story features ... read moreIn Lost Season 4, Was it random the "Oceanic Six" escaped by helicopter and rescued by Penny? or did Hurley's strange luck factoring in? (1 Answer)Not all of the primary characters escaped the Island! I have an answer for you, but it does involve a *SPOILER* concept - the idea that they were never supposed ... read moreWho loved Six million Dollar Man: Day of the Robot? (1 Answer)Oh my, you have Lee Majors and slow motions, who could not love it! Thanks for the memories, I used to watch the Six Million Dollar Man every week! read moreSix degrees of separation: Brian san to Barack Obama (11 Answers)Well no one's tried the Kevin Pollack route yet, so I figure I better step up! And who can resist threading it all through Kevin Bacon?? I can't! 1. brian ... read more
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