The story of the Jena Six began on September 1, 2006 -- a hot late summer day, in the southern town of Jena, Louisiana. Bryant Purvis, a Black high school student, asked permission to sit beneath the shade tree known as the “white tree,” in front of the town’s high school. It was unspoken law that this shady area was for whites only during school breaks. The vice principal said nothing was stopping anyone. So Black students sat underneath the tree, challenging the established authority of segregation and racism.

The next day, hanging from the tree, were three ropes, in school colors, each tied to make a noose. The events set in motion by those nooses led to a schoolyard fight. And that fight led to the conviction, on June 28, 2007, of a Black student at Jena High School for charges that can bring up to 22 years in prison. Mychal Bell, a 16-year-old sophomore football star at the time he was arrested, was convicted by an all-white jury, without a single witness being called on his behalf. The remaining five Black students still face serious charges stemming from the fight, their lawyers and parents estimate they will go to trial this fall.

In response to the noose incident, several Black students, among them star players on the football team, spontaneously staged a sit-in and protest, under the tree. The principal reacted by bringing in the white district attorney, Reed Walters, and 10 local police officers to an all-school assembly. Marcus Jones described the assembly:

“At any activity done in the auditorium—anything—Blacks sit on one side, whites on the other side, okay? The DA tells the principal to call the students in the auditorium. They get in there. The DA tells the Black students, he's looking directly at the Black students—remember, whites on one side, Blacks on the other side—he's looking directly at the Black students. He told them to keep their mouths shut about the boys hanging their nooses up. If he hears anything else about it, he can make their lives go away with the stroke of his pen.”

On a Friday night, Robert Bailey, a 17-year-old Black student and football player, was invited to a dance at the “Fair Barn,” a hall considered to be “white.” When he walked in, without warning he was punched in the face, knocked on the ground and attacked by a group of white youth. Only one of the white youth was arrested—he was ultimately given probation and asked to apologize.

The night after that, a 22-year-old white man, along with two friends, pulled a gun on Bailey and two of his friends at a local gas station. The Black youths wrestled the gun from him to prevent him from using it. They were arrested and charged with theft, and the white man went free. The following Monday students returned to school. It was then that a fight broke out that sent one white student to the hospital. He was treated, released, and seen at a social event that evening. In contrast to how the authorities handled the assault on Robert Bailey by white students – where one white student got probation and apologized – for this incident, six Black students face serious criminal charges and decades in jail.

Marcus Jones told me what happened: “The next day, when they get back to school, the Barker boy called one of them a ‘*bleep*.’ We have a statement from a white kid, saying that he was right there when he called him ‘*bleep* boy’ or something like that. They charged them with second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy to commit second-degree attempted murder. Alright, the boy was knocked unconscious. But by the time they called for the medic to get there, he was walking. They took him to the hospital. He don’t stay in there probably no more than an hour, tops. They released him, parents come to the hospital to get him, everything, took like a whole hour. Later on that evening, they held the ring ceremony, you know where they get their rings—he comes up there all fine and dandy. He had a little black eye, little bruise on his lip, you know, but he wasn’t nowhere close to no death. He laughed and talked with everyone up there, and everything.”

Justin Barker was allegedly knocked down, punched, and kicked by a number of Black students. In December of 2006 six Black students—Robert Bailey Junior, Theo Shaw, Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Mychal Bell, and a still unidentified minor, allegedly the attackers of Justin Barker—were arrested, charged with attempted second degree manslaughter, and expelled from school.

The outrageously high bail ranged from $70,000-$138,000, leaving most of them stuck in jail for months. Mychal was 16 years old at the time he was arrested, the judge removed him from the juvenile facilities and brought him to the Jena Parish jail to charge him as an adult.

What's the source?

Thank god I don't live anywhere the deep south. South Florida rules (completely different area as far as I'm concerned)...Florida sucks balls.

Thank god I don't live anywhere the deep south. South Florida rules (completely different area as far as I'm concerned)...Florida sucks balls.

Just tell the rednecks you've got a mighty tan. They're quite dense, they'll buy it.

Yeah right. Even down here...I look yellow. Or so I'm told.

I'll be down a week from today, Don A. I'll be up in Delray Beach but I'll probably drive down your neck of the woods for some Cuban food.

The White Tree


I can't believe this is real. How is this story not on every major news network? Of course, if it were false charges by a black stripper against some white college boys, the press would be all over it.

And if you don't think racism against blacks still greatly exists in this country, then you're an ignorant fool. And if you think racism against white people is more rampant than racism against blacks...well, may god help you because you're an idiot beyond words.

And if you don't think racism against blacks still greatly exists in this country, then you're an ignorant fool.

And if you think racism against white people is more rampant than racism against blacks...well, may god help you because you're an idiot beyond words.

And all the energy you use towards defending white people accused of racism, and attacking black people who are racist really worries me Vercetti. Honestly, you sound like a bitter old republican. You should stop regurgitating what your parents tell you and develop your own opinion some time.

In the media, it is buddy. When a black man is accused of a crime that he's innocent of for example, it's an outrage. There was a story of a white man tortured by white police for a crime a black man did a while ago. He was tortured in the South of all parts of the country to confess for the crime. It was hardly covered, just a minor segment in some TV show.

Look at the shit Carlos Mencia gets away with saying while Don Imus is destroyed for what he says. Not to say Imus wasn't wrong, but his backlash is far more severe. Actually, Mencia doesn't get backlash aside minor hate mail.

Don't assume what my parents taught me. I have a lot of energy for defending white people because I live and I look around and see that for the most part it's impossible for minorities to be called racist aside extreme cases. I could get expelled for saying "nigga" but I can be called a cracker or "white piece of bread" by whoever is so inclined to say so? Give me a fucking break.

The fact is the majority of minority racism is accepted because it's easy for anyone willing to punish to be called racist.

This is why cops automatically begin an investigation of a white on black crime as a fucking hate crime.

But do you wanna know what disgusts me even more? Double standards. It's not racism, it's having a little dignity. Don't even begin to tell me the media doesn't heavily cover white on black racism more then black on white racism. I can't name ten news stories where that was the case. Hell, I can't name ten where any other minority was accused of racism to white people. But I can name a shitload of stories about racist white people, some deserving of media coverage, and some just fucking bullshit.

(anything)

I don't blame people for being a little more lenient when white people are being discriminated against, and more outraged when black people are being discriminated against. Not to say it's right, but it's difficult to ignore the past, especially when it's still lingering.

Also, working in a gas station that's located on 12 Mile (right between 8 Mile and 16 Mile, 8 Mile being the ghetto, and 16 Mile, where I live, being the middle-class of Detroit), 7 days a week allows me to interact with many different people on a daily basis. And while a large number of white people have gone on ni**er-hating rants right in front of me, I have yet to see a black person even remotely hint at hating white people.