Mychal Bell's conviction overturned in Jena 6 case
Yet another update on the Jena 6: Today a state appeals court threw out the aggravated battery conviction of Mychal Bell, one of the half-dozen black teens facing unusually serious charges for the beating of a white schoolmate amid escalating racial tensions in a small Louisiana town. The Associated Press reports:
Mychal Bell, 17, should not have been tried as an adult, the state 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal said in tossing his conviction on aggravated battery, for which he was to have been sentenced Thursday. He could have gotten 15 years in prison.His conspiracy conviction in the December beating of student Justin Barker was already thrown out by another court.Bell was only 16 at the time of the beating. It occurred after a series of troubling incidents that started when black teens sat under a schoolyard tree that had traditionally been reserved for white students. In response, a group of white students hung three nooses from the tree, an act for which they were punished with a brief expulsion.Bell's attorney told the AP that he wasn't sure whether his client would get out of jail immediately or face new charges. Four other teens involved in the beating still face adult charges because they were 17 years old at the time of the fight.
Labels: jena six, race and racism
Important Update: 3rd Circuit rejects Mychal Bell's conviction; Rally on 20th still goes on.
On Friday, a judge in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals found it improper that Mychal was tried in adult court, nullifying his conviction. However, the District Attorney has announced that he will appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court, and if that fails, he is expected to try Mychal again in juvenile court and do the same for the remaining 5 young men.
The pressure we've mounted is working. The prospect of more than 10,000 people coming to Jena has created a crisis for the state. Now is the time to maintain momentum. We must keep up the pressure--if the spotlight on what's happening in Jena fades, there will be nothing to force Walters to slow down or stop his attempt to ruin these young men's lives.
Yet another update on the Jena 6: Today a state appeals court threw out the aggravated battery conviction of Mychal Bell, one of the half-dozen black teens facing unusually serious charges for the beating of a white schoolmate amid escalating racial tensions in a small Louisiana town. The Associated Press reports:
Mychal Bell, 17, should not have been tried as an adult, the state 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal said in tossing his conviction on aggravated battery, for which he was to have been sentenced Thursday. He could have gotten 15 years in prison.His conspiracy conviction in the December beating of student Justin Barker was already thrown out by another court.Bell was only 16 at the time of the beating. It occurred after a series of troubling incidents that started when black teens sat under a schoolyard tree that had traditionally been reserved for white students. In response, a group of white students hung three nooses from the tree, an act for which they were punished with a brief expulsion.Bell's attorney told the AP that he wasn't sure whether his client would get out of jail immediately or face new charges. Four other teens involved in the beating still face adult charges because they were 17 years old at the time of the fight.
Labels: jena six, race and racism
Important Update: 3rd Circuit rejects Mychal Bell's conviction; Rally on 20th still goes on.
On Friday, a judge in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals found it improper that Mychal was tried in adult court, nullifying his conviction. However, the District Attorney has announced that he will appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court, and if that fails, he is expected to try Mychal again in juvenile court and do the same for the remaining 5 young men.
The pressure we've mounted is working. The prospect of more than 10,000 people coming to Jena has created a crisis for the state. Now is the time to maintain momentum. We must keep up the pressure--if the spotlight on what's happening in Jena fades, there will be nothing to force Walters to slow down or stop his attempt to ruin these young men's lives.
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