Jena 6: Slap in the face as Bell sent back to jail

Mychal Bell, one of the six young heroic Black men that resisted racism in the small town of Jena, La.

Mychal Bell, one of the six young heroic Black men that resisted racism in the small town of Jena, La.—located in a parish where arch-racist David Duke received the highest percentage of votes when running for president—has been remanded back to jail.

The young men are now collectively known around the world as the Jena Six.

Bell, who spent ten months in jail after a fight with a white student and had been convicted of attempted murder although the white student received only a few lacerations, had his probation revoked for an old drug charge. The drug charge had never been tried.

His father said: “He’s locked up again. 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.”

This is obviously an attempt to demonize the young man, who went to the juvenile court thinking that he would have a hearing, but instead had his probation revoked. This latest occurrence is a slap in the face. After more than 60,000 people marched on Jena and tens of thousands marched around the country, awakening the anger and frustration and a spirit of resistance in the Black masses, this can be seen as little else than an attempt to quell oppressed people.

The mass marches beat back the conviction on attempted murder charges and the court had to throw it out and admit that Bell should not have been tried as an adult. The case, however, is far from over. Bell still faces a conviction for battery and the five other young men still face trumped up charges; two of them still must fight charges of attempted murder.

All the charges must be dropped. Though the House Judiciary Committee is slated to hear testimony from Rev. Al Sharpton on October 16, the fight must be kept up. The case of the Jena Six is a symptom of national oppression and the plight of Black people across the country.