Key Figure In Jena 6 Case Back In Jail

Al Sharpton Calls 18-Month Sentence For Mychal Bell "Cruel And Unusual Punishment"

(AP)  A teenager at the center of a civil rights controversy is back in jail after a judge sentenced him on charges that were pending before the attack that put him in the national spotlight, his attorney said.

Mychal Bell, who along with five other black teenagers had been accused of beating a white classmate, went to juvenile court Thursday expecting another routine hearing, said Carol Powell Lexing, one of Bell's attorneys.

Instead, after a six-hour hearing, state District Judge J.P. Mauffrey Jr. sentenced him to 18 months on two counts of simple battery and two counts of criminal destruction of property, Lexing said.

He had been hit with those charges before the Dec. 4 attack on classmate Justin Barker.

"He's locked up again," Marcus Jones said of his 17-year-old son. "No bail has been set or nothing. He's a young man who's been thrown in jail again and again, and he just has to take it."

After the attack on Barker, Bell was originally charged with attempted murder, but the charges were reduced and he was convicted of battery. An appeals court threw that conviction out, saying Bell should not have been tried as an adult on that charge.

Racial tensions began rising in August 2006 in Jena after a black student sat under a tree known as a gathering spot for white students. Three white students later hung nooses from the tree. They were suspended but not prosecuted.

More than 20,000 demonstrators gathered recently in Jena to protest what they perceive as differences in how black and white suspects are treated. The case has drawn the attention of civil rights activists including the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

"We feel this was a cruel and unusual punishment," said Sharpton, who was instrumental in organizing the protest held on Sept. 20, the day Bell was originally supposed to be sentenced in the case.

Bell's parents were also ordered to pay all court costs and witness costs, Sharpton said.

"I don't know what we're going to do," Jones said. "I don't know how we're going to pay for any of this. I don't know how we're going to get through this."

Bell and the other five defendants have been charged in connection with the attack on Barker, which left him unconscious and bleeding with facial injuries. According to court testimony, he was repeatedly kicked by a group of students at the high school.

Barker was treated for three hours at an emergency room but was able to attend a school function that evening, authorities have said.

Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis and Theo Shaw were all initially charged - as adults - with attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit the same. A sixth defendant was charged in the case as a juvenile.

Bell, who was 16 at the time, was convicted in June of aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy to commit that crime. LaSalle Parish prosecutor Reed Walters reduced the charges just before the trial. Since then, both of those convictions were dismissed and tossed back to juvenile court, where they now are being tried.

Charges against Bailey, 18, Jones, 19, and Shaw, 18, have been reduced to aggravated second-degree battery. Purvis, 18, has not yet been arraigned.

[linfinster]

??
"He''s locked up again," Marcus Jones said of his 17-year-old son. "No bail has been set or nothing. He''s a young man who''s been thrown in jail again and again, and he just has to take it."

GIVE ME A BREAK!! He''s violent and a repeat offender! He should go to jail! DUH!

[xzavierbrown]

Key Figure In Jena 6 Case Back In Jail
Al Sharpton Calls 18-Month Sentence For Mychal Bell "Cruel And Unusual Punishment"

***********************

can I kick al shaprton''s arse into a bloody pulp and I would gladly take an 18 month sentence..

[Krazcarl]

I''m with linfinster on this one he''s a repeat offender trhing to make a bad boy image for himself and this is what happens.

[krotec54]

The judge violated the teenager''s probation because of an old drug charge that had never been tried.

Why did it take so long to process? Did Mychal Bell forgot about the charges?

[sick-tired]

Looks like they are going to try and get this child any way they can. His parent''s need to get their child out of that back woods place. Racisim is anywhere and everywhere, but more so in these litte backwards towns.

[nathan8804-2009]

Ok lets see? 41% of blacks are in prison. Blacks makeup only 12.8% of US population. While only 19% of the prison population is Hispanic. Hispanics makeup 14.4% of US population. It seems race is not the issue perhaps its the cultural upbring that is the problem. When 41% of your people are locked up for crimes against society maybe the problem is the people not others! Of course his dad can''t understand why his saint of a son just keeps getting locked up.

[phorkinspoon]

Let me see if I got this right, he was already on probation for prior juvenile convictions, two counts of simple battery and two counts of criminal destruction of property, come on get real this kid obviously has issues. His father isn%u2019t helping by stating %u201C"He''s locked up again," Marcus Jones said of his 17-year-old son. "No bail has been set or nothing. He''s a young man who''s been thrown in jail again and again, and he just has to take it." ,Really just has to take it, if he wasn%u2019t a criminal maybe he wouldn%u2019t be going back to jail again and again%u2026 The sooner this kid is locked up the better off everyone will be.

[oeangus]

Looks like they are going to try and get this child any way they can. His parent''''s need to get their child out of that back woods place. - Posted by sick-tired

Right... the kid was previously charged with 2 counts of battery and 2 counts of destruction of property, BEFORE the attack on the school student. Gosh golly the poor guy with the courts trying to prosecute him for these crimes, huh? And no, his parents apparently need to get off their butts and RAISE HIM PROPERLY.

[sick-tired]

Right... the kid was previously charged with 2 counts of battery and 2 counts of destruction of property, BEFORE the attack on the school student. Gosh golly the poor guy with the courts trying to prosecute him for these crimes, huh? And no, his parents apparently need to get off their butts and RAISE HIM PROPERLY.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by oeangus at 03:13 AM : Oct 12, 2007


You are right his parents do need to raise him properly, but the justice system is still not equal, when a non black child can continuosly get in trouble and get slapped with less time or better yet probation. Everyone should be accountable for what they do. It is just sad that the justice system does not punish people equally. And anyone who thinks other wise is in denial.

[tbweb]

Sometimes its best to let things die and move on. Putting Mychal Bell in Jail after recent events is pure arrogance! In the Public interest and in the interest of maintaining peace, order and letting tensions on all sides calm down, Mychal Bell should have been allowed to remain free. While locking Mychal Bell up for 18 months does not directly violate the "Double Jeopardy" Law where a person cannot be tried for the same crime twice, it still violates the spirit of the "Double Jeopardy" Law. A mistake was made trying him as an adult and it failed so now he should go free, its not his fault the Legal System did not get it right the first time, continuing to pursue Mychal Bell is cruel and unusual punishment! Some people don''t know how to leave certain things alone.

[ramos937]

If it was in any other court, I would say that he had been treated fairly. But, as it is, it smacks of racism. Now, we will see if Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton get involved.

[susanhelit]

I''m glad he was finally freed and not on the hook for adult charges - but that injustice does not mean he gets a free pass on other crimes.

You do the crime, you do the time.

[bobalu1000]

In other words he should have been serving time for 4 previous convictions but they''re''s no room b/c of these repeat offenders revolving door...let''s let the criminals serv their time at Al''s or Jesse''s or maybe even David Bowie''s house,

[gmond]

He was a loser before Al helped him, and he will still be a loser after Al forgets about him.

[tbweb]

Posted by ROADKING041 at 04:03 AM : Oct 12, 2007,,,

Some Whites who live in Jena openly admit they too should have similar Police records like Mychal Bell and other Blacks and openly admit when they get in fights the Police break it up and send them home. However when Blacks get in fights they are Booked, Jailed and Police records are created. There is no equal treatment or equal justice in Jena based on statements from Whites themselves who openly acknowledge Blacks are treated unfairly compared to Whites who commit similar offenses. So the net effect is that this is racist b.u.l.l.s.h.i.t. ...

[jolie_gal]

Roadking,

I''m intrigued, pleasue clearly define the "all other ethnic groups" you mentioned in your post. Because I''m a not black, neither white. Do I belong in that "other ethnic group"? Because if I do, please don''t speak for me. And in most of my encounter with the Africans or African Americans, my opinion of them has been "warm-hearted, family-oriented, respectful and humorous". Naturally I''ve encountered the jerks and jackass, but I do not associate their jackass-ness with their colors. Because if I do, I should have also felt tensed to be around white people as well. There are plenty of white jackass too. But no, I see them as jackass. PERIOD. And maybe, the difference between you and I, I did not grow up in the United States. I did not have any prejudice against white or black growing up. So when I met some of them, I tend to judge them based on their actions individually, instead of as a repsentation of a collective group. In fact, I live in a country where the US government advised their citizens to act respectfully toward the local customs, dress decently, etc. And in my two-year of living here, the obnoxious and disrespectful ones are mostly white-skinned. According to your way of thinking, I should have developed a distaste toward white Americans in general. But I don''t. I still believe there are many more polite and respectful white Americans than those whom I see here.

[rohink-2009]

I think the 1 student beaten and kicked by 6 students was cruel and unusual punishment.

````````````````
"I don''t know what we''re going to do," Jones said. "I don''t know how we''re going to pay for any of this. I don''t know how we''re going to get through this."

````````Maybe the honorable Reverend Jesse Jackson or the Reverend Al Sharpton can help.

[usayesterday]

This case completely aside...

...having Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton as advocates would be no different than having David Duke as an advocate.

None of the above have done ANYTHING to promote racial harmony. Only, they have done everything to keep racial tension and divisiveness alive. It fuels their agenda, it fuels their livelihoods. Because without racial tension and strife, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, David Duke (and others like them all) would have no stage in our society.

[jraf766]

They should be locked up period! These people need to get rid of that chip on the shoulder thing. Look at Rodney King riots, the guys who beat up the Reginald Denny doing his job and those guys got away it.

Whatever happen to there grandpa or grandma in the old days no longer exist today. They need to get over it.

They will pay the ultimate price, when they are in jail, some one in there will pop there cherry.

Al and Jesse are the racist ones and promote it!

[jraf766]

They should be locked up period! These people need to get rid of that chip on the shoulder thing. Look at Rodney King riots, the guys who beat up the Reginald Denny doing his job and those guys got away it.

Whatever happen to there grandpa or grandma in the old days no longer exist today. They need to get over it.

They will pay the ultimate price, when they are in jail, some one in there will pop there cherry.

Al and Jesse are the racist ones and promote it!

Forget Sharpton and Jackson, racist or not, black or white. Forget how his parents are going to pay.We should focus on the fact that this kid repeatedly beats up other kids. Now focus on whether he should be punished and/or prevented from doing more of the same.
If your answer is yes then society proceeds, if it is no, thats where our problem lies.

[georgew1956]

back when i was in school we were all afraid of the prncipal now just call jesse or al and it will be taken care of. those two are just like parents spoiling bad kids.

[hwy71so]

I know, lets all stage a march on Jena. Poor Mychel is being so mistreated...

[dowjones20k]

Now the courts have spoken ... obviously this little thug has no parental supervision ... his parents are just shocked that he is back in jail for FOUR Counts CRIMINAL activity .. BEFORE he beat the *** out of this other kid .. You gotta be kidding me?

So is this little thug being singled out?

NAhhhhh .. here we have a judge who is trying to get this boys attention, as well as his parents .. and force him to understand that if he continues his criminal ways .. he will be BEHIND BARS WHERE HE and any other little JR THUG BELONGS whether he''s balck, white, green or yellow ...

Already Sharpton is crying foul ... saying the sentance is racially motivated .. PLEASE ..

What about the crimes this boy committed?

The media are the ones who facilitate racism .. running down and blabbering and sensationalizing without all the facts .. just like the Columbia incident .. I bet now that the university turned over the security footage through a court order .. we will find out who placed the noose .. and be ready to find out it is someone nobody expects ...

Dont foeget, it only 30 years ago that this country moved forward and started to treat all the same .. you cant disregard the past and make like it never happened as all the academia and elitits would like ...

Blow hards

Go SOX !!!

[mcvet]

These crackers aren''t ever going to learn. They can''t accept the fact that you can not lock people up on trumped up charges and get away with it. I''ll give you odds that if this had been a white cracker who was before that judge he would NOT have gotten 18 months for simple battery... I''ll bet you it would have been more like 18 days. They are an embarrassment to America and our way of life. Sieg Heil Grand Wizard.

[gkc99]

shut this moron up forever!

To clarify--hang Xavier from the old oak tree.

[theusa1st]

"He''s locked up again," Marcus Jones said of his 17-year-old son. "No bail has been set or nothing. He''s a young man who''s been thrown in jail again and again, and he just has to take it."

Well maybe if the big loser would obey the law he wouldn''t be in jail. Maybe if his father brought him up better he wouldn''t be in jail. More of the criminal being the victim B.S.

[wtvjr]

are we all that ignorant in this world that we can not see past color of a persons skin and just look at the point that this is a human being, a child. I am a white 37 year old mother of 6 and live in an all white neighborhood. The Jena 6 are being treated unfairly. Put yourself in their shoes would you as a child have sit back and just took it. Your answer would be NO.... and from experience, my cousin at the age of 18 was attacked by 2 boys. He had cuts, bruises, and black eyes. Were the boys arrested NO. Chalked up to just another FIGHT, that is what boys do. By no means am I condemning what the Jena 6 did but I can understand how it is that is came to this point. Jail time is not the answer for these children. The Jena 6 should be in counseling with anger management and community service. And the kids who hung the nooses need to be punished as well they need community service and counseling too. They need to be made to understand why hanging nooses offended so many people. they obviously have no idea what our African American have had to go through in this country. May GOD help us through this. Let''s not forget all people are created EQUAL...

[newguy888]

I don''t think black people should be held accountable for anything they do.

I think accountability for your actions should strictly be based on the number of pigment cells in your skin.

[wtvjr]

Are we all that ignorant in this world that we can not see past color of a persons skin and just look at the point that this is a human being, a child. I am a white 37 year old mother of 6 and live in an all white neighborhood. The Jena 6 are being treated unfairly. Put yourself in their shoes would you as a child have sit back and just took it. Your answer would be NO.... And from experience, my cousin at the age of 18 was attacked by 2 boys. He had cuts, bruises, and black eyes. Were the boys arrested NO. Chalked up to just another FIGHT, that is what boys do. By no means am I condemning what the Jena 6 did but I can understand how it is that is came to this point. Jail time is not the answer for these children. The Jena 6 should be in counseling with anger management and community service. And the kids who hung the nooses need to be punished as well they need community service and counseling too. They need to be made to understand why hanging nooses offended so many people. they obviously have no idea what our African Americans have had to go through in this country. May GOD help us through this. Let''s not forget all people are created EQUAL...

[reubenshow]

WHERE ARE THE MEGAPASTORS AND MEGACHURCHES
READ THE NEW BOOK "SNAKES IN THE PULPIT"

WWW.SNAKESINTHEPULPIT.COM
WWW.REUBENARMSTRONGSHOW.COM

[mypatch]

What''s wrong with our children today? Why is there no fear of authority? Who carries this blame? We all do.
These children are acting up due to poor supervision and no fear of the true responsibility of there own actions. All those families should be responsible for the actions of their children. These blacks have got to stop crying foul and make something good of their children. Whites are not to blame for all their woes. But it''s always their fault. This should be a lesson to everyone.
It''s evident this young man didn''t care if the town was biased. He proceeded to take the law into his own hands anyway. What''s that tell you? The punishment isn''t severe enough to stop the violence.

[mbcsmith]

Posted by willandshell at 08:16 AM : Oct 12, 2007

Yes, we are all created equally. After that, we are all (or should be) resonsible for our actions. This kid is a thug. Would your tone be different if he beat the hejj out of one of your kids?

[trenticus-2009]

Snoop Dogg will pick up trash and perform other park maintenance as part of his sentence for carrying an illegal weapon in an airport last year, authorities said Thursday.

SEE??? Even black celebrities are doing it to themselves.... I haven''t heard of a white celebrity busted for illegal weapons, no less at an AIRPORT! Hey AL Sharpton? Maybe you can fight to get Snoop out of community service! Take responsibility for your actions.

[bbirdsr71]

Someone!!! Call the dynamic due-o ambulance chasers Al and Jessy NOW! Rally up the troops! A black male going back to jail for attempted murder on a white man. This can''t be happening!!!! Save us Al, save us Jessy

[barbaraf4]

"He''s locked up again," Marcus Jones said of his 17-year-old son. "No bail has been set or nothing. He''s a young man who''s been thrown in jail again and again, and he just has to take it."

The solution for this situation is to put him behind bars for life. He is a career criminal, and he will never contribute anything worthwhile to society.

Mr. Marcus Jones, your thug son should make you re-think your contraceptive plan. Retroactive birth control..how unique! We could get rid of Al and Jesse at the same time!

[notblue]

Rev. AL says the poor boys punishment is "cruel and unusual"! I guess six boys beating and stomping one into unconsciousness must not be as Al never mentions that being cruel and unusual. What a hipocrate!

[wolfboi1970]

WELL IVE BEEN SAYING ALL ALONG THAT ITS HORRIBLE THAT PEOPLE WANT HIM TO GET OFF SCOTT FREE FOR BEATING A MAN UNCONCIOUS JUST BECAUSE PROCECUTORS DIDNT CHARGE OTHERS IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT CRIME.... BUT I ALSO SAID THAT FEAR NOT, HE IS A TYPICAL IGNORANT BLACK MAN THAT WILL CONTINUE BREAKING LAWS AND BE LOCKED UP OVER AND OVER AGAIN ANYWAYS...ONE GOOD THING IS YOU CAN COUNT ON THEM BEING ANIMALS THAT BREAK THE LAWS CONSISTANTLY...ITS NOT THE LAWS OF THE JUNGLE IN CIVILIZED SOCIETY BOIZ... HA HA HA HA HA HA 1 DOWN 5 TO GO!!! COME ON KARMA GO GET EM!!!! HA HA HA HA BYE BYE BELL BOY... THANK YOU GOD!!!

[cryonbrian]

After all the Americans wake up from hating each other....The illegal aliens will be in control of the country! LOL


Idiot Americans!

[cheddarboy82]

yeah, you get in trouble when you beat someone up all bloody. It''s not cause he is black that he is going to jail, it''s called breaking the law. It''s sad people think he should get off with nothing.

[klingon69]

Putting Mychal Bell in Jail after recent events is pure arrogance! In the Public interest and in the interest of maintaining peace, order and letting tensions on all sides calm down, Mychal Bell should have been allowed to remain free. While locking Mychal Bell up for 18 months does not directly violate the "Double Jeopardy" Law where a person cannot be tried for the same crime twice, it still violates the spirit of the "Double Jeopardy" Law. A mistake was made trying him as an adult and it failed so now he should go free, its not his fault the Legal System did not get it right the first time, continuing to pursue Mychal Bell is cruel and unusual punishment! Some people don''''t know how to leave certain things alone.
Posted by tbweb at 03:47 AM : Oct 12, 2007

His lockup is for probation violation, on charges previous to the incident of the attack on Barker.

[klingon69]

Some Whites who live in Jena openly admit they too should have similar Police records like Mychal Bell and other Blacks and openly admit when they get in fights the Police break it up and send them home. However when Blacks get in fights they are Booked, Jailed and Police records are created. There is no equal treatment or equal justice in Jena based on statements from Whites themselves who openly acknowledge Blacks are treated unfairly compared to Whites who commit similar offenses. So the net effect is that this is racist b.u.l.l.s.h.i.t. ...
Posted by tbweb at 04:17 AM : Oct 12, 2007

Could it be that maybe when the whites get into fights it''s one-on-one? Bell has already proven due to the attack on Barker that when the blacks fight, it''s 5-6 on one.

[tankersmash]

Putting Mychal Bell in Jail after recent events is pure arrogance! In the Public interest and in the interest of maintaining peace, order and letting tensions on all sides calm down,

Posted by tbweb at 03:47 AM : Oct 12, 2007


Yeah sure...kind of like this thug and his efforts to "calm things down" that got this whole thing started. Shut up moron. This thug belongs in jail.

[klingon69]

Posted by willandshell at 08:13 AM : Oct 12, 2007
First, this has nothing to do with the Jena 6, BTW maybe the harsh sentence over the 6 incident was becasue this "child" is a repeat offender. The fact is that Bell was a repeat offender. He had been in and out of trouble with the law.
As for the community service, what good is picking up trash, or helping at the local Salvation Army going to teach thisd criminasl? Not very much. Counselling? It has gone long past counseling. Racist inceident notwithstanding, matters not his color, this is a repeat criminal, his crimes shall only increase, should we wait until he rapes or kills an innocent before we say punish him?

[pghlady3]

excuse me, he is only getting 18 months on two counts of simple battery and two counts of criminal destruction of property. If he were in another state, he would be getting double that. And he DID do it there are lots of witnesses.

[greeneyes222]

Good. He did the crime, let him do the time.

As for the "everybody else did it" defense I''m reading here, grow up. That''s not an excuse.

[battyellison]

IN THIS COUNTRY TODAY BLACKS GET MANY PRIVLAGES, THEY GET WELFARE CHECKS, FREE HOUSING, FREE FOOD, FREE MEDICAL, UNITED NEGRO FUNDS FOR SCHOOL (WHERES THE UNITED WHITE FUNDING?), THEY GET JOBS THEY ARE NOT QUALIFIED FOR JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE BLACK, THEY HAVE BLING, THEY HAVE CARS, THEY HAVE MORE GOLD THAN 3RD WORLD COUNTRIES, BIG SCREEN TVS, CELL PHONES, BOOM BOXES, COMPUTERS, ECT.... YET THE WHITE MAN IS STILL KEEPING THEM DOWN....

Spoken like a true racist take a look at who gets the welfare checks....That''s the white mans excuse when there are more whites on welfare than blacks

[hello252]

First off, he is a child...you would not want your child to be trialed as an adult. Second off, how would you feel if someone made prejudice comments toward you...you would want to kick someone azz. They should have kicked his azz. I think it is unfair for these kids to have to go to jail. I am from Louisiana and as far as I know Jena, Louisiana is the most prejudice city in Louisiana. If you speed through the little town, the cops will pull you over and harass the hell out of you...this only happens if you''re black! If the guys where white and they jumped a black guy for making racial remarks...then it would have been okay. First the judge did not to release Mychal Bell, but he had no choice because he knows that that sh*t is wrong. Because he feels like he has to do something about the *** beating that white boy...What does he do? Lock him up for some old sh*t. It is 2007 and racism still exists!

[peggysuecs]

I''m sorry, but isn''t hanging a noose considered a terroristic threat in a public school? I cannot, for the life of me, understand why it is that the ones who start the problem get away very little punishment compared to the one who takes action. We had an incidnet in CS,TX. Student was bullied by other students, bullied student asks for help getting a gun, bullied student goes to jail, etc. However, the big bad bullies got a slap on the wrist. Don''t even know if they got suspended from school. Where is the justice?

[wolfboi1970]

2 WRONGS DONT MAKE A RIGHT