"Jena 6" Teen Free On Bail

Mychal Bell's Family Posts Bail For The 17-Year-Old Who Once Faced Attempted Murder Charge

(CBS/AP)  A black teenager whose prosecution in the beating of a white classmate prompted a massive civil rights protest here walked out of a courthouse Thursday after a judge ordered him freed.

LaSalle Parish Sheriff Carl Smith told CBS News that a bond of $45,000 had been set for the young man's release. Previously, the courts had declined to grant bail in this case.

"We still have mountains to climb, but at least this is closer to an even playing field," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who helped organize last week's protest.

"He goes home because a lot of people left their home and stood up for him," Sharpton said.

Mychal Bell's release came hours after a prosecutor confirmed he will no longer seek an adult trial for the 17-year-old. Bell, one of the teenagers known as the Jena Six, still faces trial as a juvenile in the December beating.

District Attorney Reed Walters' decision to abandon adult charges means that Bell, who had faced a maximum of 15 years in prison on his aggravated second-degree battery conviction last month, instead could be held only until he turns 21 if he is found guilty in juvenile court.

The conviction in adult court was thrown out this month by the state 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, which said Bell should not have been tried as an adult on that particular charge.

Bell is among six black Jena High School students arrested in December after a fight that left white student Justin Barker unconscious. Four were 17 at the time, and legally adults under Louisiana law.

Those four and Bell, who was 16, all were initially charged with attempted murder -- a charge that is on the list for which juveniles over the age of 14 may be charged as adults -- but the charge has been dropped to aggravated second-degree battery. One has yet to be arraigned. The sixth case is sealed in juvenile court.

Bell, the only one of the six tried so far, was convicted of the battery charge. But the state 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal said he should not have been tried as an adult on that particular charge.

Walters had said he would appeal that decision. On Thursday, he said he still believes there was legal merit to that decision but he decided it was in the best interest of the victim and his family to let the juvenile court handle the case.

"They are on board with what I decided," Walters said of the Barkers.

Publicity surrounding the case led an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 protesters to converge on the town last week in one of the largest civil rights demonstrations in recent years. Walters said the demonstration had no influence on his decision.

Walters credited the prayers of people in this small central Louisiana town with averting a "disaster" when the thousands of demonstrators descended on the town.

"The only way - let me stress that - the only way that I believe that me or this community has been able to endure the trauma that has been thrust upon us is through the prayers of the Christian people who have sent them up in this community," Walters said.

"I firmly believe and am confident of the fact that had it not been for the direct intervention of the Lord Jesus Christ last Thursday, a disaster would have happened. You can quote me on that."

When the Rev. Donald Sibley, a black Jena pastor, called it a "shame" that Walters credited divine intervention for the protesters acting responsibly, the prosecutor said, "What I'm saying is, the Lord Jesus Christ put his influence on those people, and they responded accordingly."

After the news conference, Sibley told CNN that Walters had insulted the protesters by making a false separation between "his Christ and our Christ."

"I can't diminish Christ at all. But for him to use it in the sense that because his Christ, his Jesus, because he prayed, because of his police, that everything was peaceful and was decent and in order - that's not the truth," Sibley said.

Critics accuse local officials of prosecuting blacks more harshly than whites. They note that no charges were filed against three white teens suspended from the high school for allegedly hanging nooses in a tree on campus -- an incident that was followed by fights between blacks and whites, including the attack on Barker, often described as a schoolyard fight.

[talkingham]

These thugs beat the living u-no-what out of a kid and it''s the DA''s fault evidently for trying to get these future mudereres off the street before they kill someone next time. Media seemed to forget that it was 6 on one kid. Great job.

[antoniof123]

talkingham I have been following this case had the DA done his job to begin with by following up on the nooses and the shot gun this would not have happened. Though I do not agree with what the kids did and believe they need to punished I also believe that the other party should face punishment and the DA as well for not doing his job.

[ralmquist]

This is great. A group of people beat a person almost to death and they feel that they are the victims. Give me a break. All of those "victims" should go to jail for the rest of thier lives. And while I am at it, Jackson and Sharpton can kiss my ***.

[mbcsmith]

I still see LIB governor Blanco, on TV, in tears when she just DIDN''T KNOW WHAT TO DO after Katrina. Now that''s leadership.

[queen2stl]

WELL I THINK THAT FU..... GOT JUST WHAT HE NEEDED JUST TO SHOW YOU HOW MUCH BULL SH...... IS IN THIS WORLD THE USE OF THE N WORD IS NOT ALLOWED AND WHAT THEM BOYS DID WITH THE NOOSE ON THE TREE WAS WAY WRONG SO

[nolalou]

mbcsmith,

Blanco is incompetent and screwed up the "Road Home" program to help people rebuild, so criticize her all you want, but don''t call her a liberal! She ran as a conservative Democrat (not unusual in Louisiana) and has not supported most liberal issues. Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans endorsed her opponent in the last Governors race, that should tell you something.

[queen2stl]

AND RAIMQUIST WE ALL KNOW WHAT PART OF THE WORLD YOU ARE FROM JUST BY THE BULL SH... COMMENT THAT YOU MADE BUT YOUR TIME WILL COME AND YOU WILL MEET YOUR MAKER YOU WILL GET KNOW WHERE IN THIS WORLD WITH HATE I GUESS YOUR MOTHER DIDN''T LOVE YOU ENOUGH WHEN YOU WAS A KID BUT LIKE I SAID YOU DAY WILL COME WHEN YOU MEET YOUR MAKER I WILL PRAY FOR YOUR SORRY A.......

[littlenova3]

"Future Murderers"...Wow.

The comments on this board just stand to prove that we are all back in the dark ages, where a person is guilty before proven innocent.

The reports say it was 6 on one, but we don''t know the details of the altercation. How do we know his chicken buddies didn''t run away? And since when is a sneaker or a fist considered a loaded weapon that would deem an "attempted murder "conviction?

Do these kids deserved to be punished? ABSOLUTELY. But, it''s the degree and severity of the punishment that is in question.

[killwhity2]

They should have put JB in one of those nooses, wait there were three right....put his parents beside him since they raised him.

[h34dup]

It''s a shame all these people can get together to protest a bunch of black kids, half with prior criminal records, beating the *** out of a stupid redneck white kid, but when it comes time to take responsibility for their own shortcomings and rampant, violent crimes that could be considered hate crimes, like all the gang violence in cities up here on the East Coast (they cite "Not Snitching" as an excuse to let gang members shoot pregnant mothers and kids younger than those in this article).

I have nothing against responsible, hard working blacks, this whole mess is going to prove that people down south (especially Louisianna) are equally moronic, but Sharpton needs to quit pointing the finger at "the man" and start thinking of ways to strengthen his people from within.

[deedee234-2009]

As a black person I''m offended these are the next poster children we''ve elected as our new "Little Rock Nine." Minus provocation the weeks preceding (nooses), racial taunts being made at blacks, these young men beat another human being almost to death....kind of reminiscent of the lynches we once received. The punishment is certainly too severe, but they need to be punished because they "uped" the ante from taunts and nooses to physical harm.

[h34dup]

Follow up: The injustice in the south is definately still there, I am not denying that, or that it is wrong...the whites down there are giving whites across the country a bad name; but Sharpton''s grand-standing and all the blacks following him around acting like these kids are actually victims are doing the same in this case.

[marispotens]

The kid beaten had nothing to do with the nooses, most of the black kids that beat the white kid had criminal records. They are punks and deserve to go to jail. Black people have to stop blaming "whitey" for your problems, its their fault they went to jail and no one elses.

[mo005]

I think this is a bunch of ***. some kids hang a few nooses on a tree, and this makes the black kids mad.
So they go and beat a kid almost to death. Because they are poor little black kids al and jessie gotta stick their RACIST a s s '' s in the picture, and try to start a race riot. So then the judges and DA start getting scared and are gonna let this kid get away with it. Yes they should charge the kids with a hate crime that hung the nooses, but they should also throw the book at ALL involved in trying to kill this kid, Including the youngster. It just tears me up that if we do something its racist, If they do something its because we are racist. Its starting to be bullcrap to me. I have nothing against black people, I''m just sick of the wolf system. I am definitly sick of the biggest racists on earth, AL AND JESSIE, I hope they both burn in hell for making money off of racisum.

[falcon_389]

This world is ridiculous! I don'' think their is an un-bias news source out there that doesn''t try to persuade its audience to one way of thinking or another. And shame on most people because they take these biased stories seriously and don''t consider doing futher research to see what the other side has to say. Everything is so one-sided now-a-days. People just need to be more aware that there are more perspectives out there than just their own. If that were to happen, Jena 6 wouldn''t even be a problem, because there would be no case. People are too self-centered and their vision and knowledge is too focused.

[whatithink-2009]

marispotens,

The kid who was beaten was a MAJOR instigator in the events leading up to the attack. One of the black kids was also attacked by a group of whites and hit over the head with a bottle. The one who was beaten up taunted the black kid right before. So, get your facts straight.

Also, it doesn''t seem very difficult for a black person to get a record in this town. Several of the black kids had a gun pulled on them by a white guy. They took the gun away and were charged with stealing the guy''s gun. Can you believe it?

[whatithink-2009]

falcon_389,

That''s the problem. The media makes it seem like someone hung up a noose and the black kids attacked someone. They''ve easily avoided the rest of the story - black kid getting attacked by a group of whites three days before, white guy pulling a gun on the black kids right before, white guy who was beaten up taunting the black guy who was attacked and using a racial slur.

People see what they want to see, not necessarily the truth.

[talkingham]

Well I guess taunting is punishable by near beating to death, 6 on 1. How can anyone of any race say the kid needed beating to near death. Have you seen the picture of his battered face? Probably thought it was just funny and desserved. Too bad Jesse and his crew didn''t care a bit about the victim of this near murder because he wasn''t black! Good thing he wasn''t a pit bull.

[hurt4ever1]

Why people keep saying "almost to death" when the boy was treated and released from the hospital the SAME DAY is beyond me but Justin is NOT an innocent little boy. According to Washington post, this boy brought a gun to school a few weeks after he got beat up and WAS NOT CHARGED by the police, although it is against the Louisiana law. EQUALITY is what people want, I am sure if one of those black boys would have brought a gun to school...yeah he would have never seen the light of day again.

[whatithink-2009]

talkingham,

What is your definition of being beaten nearly to death? Well, mine is not going to the hospital and staying there for just a little over two hours or going to a party the same night. Maybe yours is.

[hurt4ever1]

Talkingham, it sounds to me as if Justin Barker is the future murderer. Bringing a gun to school means ONLY ONE THING, and that is to kill someone. Sounds like a future Klebold or Harris situation.

[whatithink-2009]

hurt4ever,

None of them are innocent. They all should have been punished including the white guys who beat up one of the black guys and hit him over the head with a bottle. However, the punishment does not fit the crime. This is really a waste of tax payer''s money.

[whatithink-2009]

hurt4ever,

There is really something wrong with this town and if anything good comes out of this case is that it is being exposed for the world to see. Even the jury being composed of a friend of the alleged victim and a friend of DA reminds me of the Banana Republic trials in the South before the civil rights movement. Not much has changed in the South except the Republican party has been polluted.

[klingon69]

I have nothing against responsible, hard working blacks, this whole mess is going to prove that people down south (especially Louisianna) are equally moronic, but Sharpton needs to quit pointing the finger at "the man" and start thinking of ways to strengthen his people from within.
Posted by H34DUP at 04:52 PM : Sep 27, 2007

Speaking as one originally from Louisiana, I will take offense to your statement. Is there racism in that state? Yes. Is there racism in all states? yes. The main problem is the stereotyping of southerners as pus-gutted, beer-swilling, rednecks with a propensity for violence especially toward minorities.
However, this is not the truth. Yes there is problems with racism in the south, and in Louisiana, but I doubt much more than is found in any state, city, county or neighborhood.
And Sharpton will never stop pointing the finger, that is what keeps his face on the tv and in papers. That''s how he makes his money.

[whatithink-2009]

Klingon69,

The issue here is not about Sharpton and it is sad that people are trying to turn it into such. It''s a way to avoid the issue. On one hand we say that racism is alive and well. On the other hand nobody should bring it up. Crazy!

[whatithink-2009]

I would just like to point out that nobody received more wrath than Martin Luther King during his days. Even when it was even more clear the terrorist acts perpetuated on one group of Americans against another, what did you get - MLK is a communist. Demonization is a really problem. It seeks to avoid the problem and kill the messenger so the message will not be heard.

[klingon69]

Klingon69,

The issue here is not about Sharpton and it is sad that people are trying to turn it into such. It''''s a way to avoid the issue. On one hand we say that racism is alive and well. On the other hand nobody should bring it up. Crazy!
Posted by whatithink at 05:25 PM : Sep 27, 2007

Sharpton is not now, nor has he ever been about prejudice and racism. If he was, then he would represent anyone (regardless of color) that was discriminated against. That unfortunately is not the case, he shows his face only when it is a white on black thing. His batting averages isn''t that great either. Let''s see, Twanna Braley, Duke Lacrosse Team, the racial charged incidents that caused murders of non-blacks in New York. No, Sharpton will never be a beacon of equality and justice.

[whatithink-2009]

Klingon69,

I don''t know what to tell you. If you think this town does not have systemic issues related to race. I don''t know what to tell you. If you think the justice system was fair in how they dealt with all of the problems, I don''t know what to tell you. If you think "whites only" trees are normal, I don''t know what to tell you.

I will, however, not get stuck on a discussion about Sharpton when you have terrorism happening in a town and nobody seems to care. This has nothing to do with Sharpton but it is too difficult to turn the mirror where the mirror needs to be turned.

[whatithink-2009]

Wonderful news!

It''s a shame that this town never heard of expulsions or suspensions and had to go to such length in this case when the white guys who attacked the black guy with a bottle (one of the Jena 6) got a slap on the wrist.

[whatthe7700]

Wow, I must have missed something in all of the stories. Have nooses never been used for hanging a white person? I agree that what they did was stupid and maybe something was left out of the stories that I read that had to do with implying that they were for black people. Was the beaten whit kid one of the three that hung the nooses? I didn''t read that either. If the colors were reversed, would there have been the same ammount of white people at the rally? Why does everyone (no matter of color) need to rally and speak out over everything? That is what keeps racism, and hate alive today! Mind your own business, spend time with family and love thy neighbor. Give it a try.

[magoo2u1]

"There is really something wrong with this town and if anything good comes out of this case is that it is being exposed for the world to see. Even the jury being composed of a friend of the alleged victim and a friend of DA reminds me of the Banana Republic trials in the South before the civil rights movement. Not much has changed in the South except the Republican party has been polluted."
So , you''ve been to Jena ? I''ll bet that in a town of 2000 it is hard to produce a jury not related to someone in the government of the town. It''s bigots like yourself that blow things out of proportion. I don''t care if someone hanged a full sized water bed from a tree. Beating and kicking an unconsious teenager is wrong. HE isn''t accused of putting the nooses in the tree. and if he was, being beaten while unconsious is not the penalty.

[pwrslm]

So, where are the Al Sharptons and the tens of thousands of demonstrators for the white kid in Joplin, MO being tried as an adult?

Simply put, all it takes to sway the courts is for Sharpton or Jackson to become involved and march with 30 thousand protestors, what use are the courts.

It leaves Justice out the back door. They should never have considered changing the venue back to juvenile courts. It diminishes the legal system completely.

[whatithink-2009]

"So , you''''ve been to Jena ? I''''ll bet that in a town of 2000 it is hard to produce a jury not related to someone in the government of the town. Posted by magoo2u1"

If you can''t find an IMPARTIAL jury then there are certain things like CHANGE OF VENUE. Get a clue.

[whatithink-2009]

pwrslm,

Where you asking where people were for the poor guys who are innocent of rape and rottening in jail when all of the stops were pulled out for the rich Duke case?

[nggr]

main, its erry black boys civil right to beet up a white bwoy.
all they did is beat a white bwoy half to deaf.
its racist to send dem bwoys ta jails fo dat

[coffee_guy1]

How do you get a "impartial" jury of your peers? I never understood that.

[whatithink-2009]

Whatthe7700,

People rally in the streets when they have no power otherwise. Don''t get confused for a moment that those WITH power just allow things to happen. They don''t need to rally in the streets. They can use the law or change the law to suit their needs. Those who do not have that power must use peaceful protests. Our country supports peaceful protests through the constitution, through our support of places like Burma, China, Iraq, etc. If you take away the rights of the weak to stand up for injustices, you have taken away a portion of what makes a nation a democracy.

Also, you have missed a huge portion of the story.

[nggr]

i means. when i jumps on a white bwoys haid i dont expects dem to die.
an if im 17 then i''s a minor.
all they did was beat a white boy half to death!

[whatithink-2009]

coffee_guy1,

Funny!

[ladyephesus1]

Youre ignorant!! sit down, whoever you are nggr.

And yes, im a black woman!

[whatithink-2009]

ladyephesus1,

He doesn''t deserve one nanosecond of your time.

[pwrslm]

Where you asking where people were for the poor guys who are innocent of rape and rottening in jail when all of the stops were pulled out for the rich Duke case?

Posted by whatithink

Absolutely. Then again, the "boys" you are talkin about are adults in college.

The boy in Joplin was 13 at the time, he took a Mac 9 to school and shot up the ceiling. He is developmentally handicapped as well.

They said the juvenile system wasnt equiped to deal with the boy, so they are trying him as an adult. Never killed anyone, never assaulted anyone. Just wanted to scare them.

Why arent Jackson and Sharpton in Joplin? Because they are racist bigots. If the kid were black, they would have camped out front of the courts with 30 thousand other blacks.

Its time for America to say enough, the Jacksons and Sharptons only generate racial animosity, its not about justice.

[nggr]

i means, hangin nooses from a tree is = to beatin a white boy half to death.
do de maff!
its jest separate an unequal.
i saw a white boy tie his shoe one time and it looked like a noose, so i kicked him in da haid wiff 3 of ma friends.
we gots a fair trial after that.

[reporter14]

A picture is worth a thousand words.
www.poconocommunitynews.com

[coffee_guy1]

"They should never have considered changing the venue back to juvenile courts. It diminishes the legal system completely."

So you''re for trying kids as adults? I''ve never understood that either. Whats on trial isn''t a crime but the accused. The fact that a crime is done by adults, doesn''t make all those accused of it adults too. Does it?

[coffee_guy1]

I think you''re just being tough for the camera.

[whatithink-2009]

pwrslm,

I don''t know how you got from one topic to the next. Seems to me what happened in Joplin is wrong and you should be mad at the one''s who made the decision. Also, unless Jackson and Sharpton are the only saviors that you see in America, you should be placing your frustrations on others who should be helping in this case...namely the Gov. or Mayor in Missouri. I can''t believe that you think only those two are able to help.

[nggr]

i means, all they did was blind side a WHITE BOY, then proceed to KICK HIM UNTIL HE WAS A BLOODY MESS.
why would you expect to be charged with a crime for BEATING A WHITE BOY HALF TO DEATH??
its racist!
i beat white boys up all the time, i always get a fair trial!
THIS IS WHAT CIVIL RIGHTS AND EQUALITY IS ALL ABOUT!!!

[ladyephesus1]

I think all of this racism *** is all a joke.
I agree ..racism is blown out of proportion.
Only when someone black does something wrong is when
they come out of the woodwork. Retaliation, assault, murder, none of that justifies a stupid noose out of a tree. Im trying to figure out who got hurt when the nooses were hung?? I didnt!! As far as im concerned, if you know who you are, then why be bothered with such nonsense. I would have walked pass the tree and laughed. Yes, thats how ignorant this whole thing is.
Just because some kids felt it was funny, doesnt mean that someone had to be half killed to fix the *** problem. we need more programs to teach these black kids how to handle these kinds of pranks and slurs, all of it. Crime is not the answer. Then momma is in church talking about jesus christ in court and church. give me a break!! Well, what would jesus do, huh?? ;P

[whatithink-2009]

ladyephesus1,

huh? It was not as simple as someone hung a noose and then the black guys attacked someone. Here is a good synopsis of the story. This town has a systemic race problem. There was violence and gang attacks by both white gangs and black gangs.

www.digtriad.com/news/national_world/article.aspx?storyid=89266&catid=175