The One Blog

setembro 19, 2007

Jena - Não ao RACISMO!

It's an American outrage that demonstrates the continuing shame of racism in
our country.  

Six black teenagers in a small Louisiana town are facing some of the most
overly aggressive prosecution we've seen - all over a schoolyard fight with
white students. The group has come to be known in the media as the Jena 6, in
reference to the small town where a series of racial incidents escalated after
three nooses were hung from a tree at a local high school.

Click here to add your name to the Justice for Jena petition now!

The events led to the arrest of the young
men - all being charged with serious criminal offenses that could lead to
decades in jail. But, the white students involved were not initially prosecuted;
they received a three-day in school suspension for hanging the nooses.

In a trial that lasted only two days, an
all-white jury convicted Mychal Bell, the first of the group to be tried. The
public defender presented no rebuttal or witnesses, and the jury deliberated for
less than two hours.

On Friday, the Louisiana Court of Appeals
took an important step towards justice for the Jena 6. They tossed out Bell's
conviction for aggravated battery, stating that he should not have been tried
and convicted as an adult. But, Mychal Bell remains in jail awaiting a new trial.
The legal fight is far from over for him and his co-defendants.

How the NAACP is Advocating For
Justice

The NAACP is mobilized to secure justice
and equity for these young men.