Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Thousands March for 'Jena 6'

Protesters flood town to blast treatment of black students

By Max Brallier,  Newser User

Posted Sep 21, 2007 4:20 AM CDT
Email

(Newser) – As many as 20,000 demonstrators flooded the streets of the tiny Louisiana town of Jena yesterday to protest the treatment of the "Jena 6"— the black high school students charged with felonies after the beating last year of a white student. An appeals court at midday ordered a hearing within 72 hours to determine if the lone teen still behind bars can be released.

Despite the recent events, many Jena residents say that there is no racial divide in their town.  "We get along fine. This is something that got out of proportion," said one. The beating at Jena High School occurred three months after white students hung nooses from a tree on school grounds. The white students were briefly suspended.
 

Protesters hold hands while praying outside of the LaSalle Parish Courthouse Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007 in Jena, La. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Protesters hold hands while praying outside of the LaSalle Parish Courthouse Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007 in Jena, La. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)   (Associated Press)
Calvin Brown from Dallas, Texas, holds flags and raises his fist in front of the LaSalle Parish Courthouse during a rally after the march in support of the so-called Jena Six in Jena, La., Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Calvin Brown from Dallas, Texas, holds flags and raises his fist in front of the LaSalle Parish Courthouse during a rally after the march in support of the so-called Jena Six in Jena, La., Thursday, Sept....   (Associated Press)
Radio personality Michael Baisden second from left with Rev. Al Sharpton, and Melissa Bell, mother of Mychal Bell wall behind two Louisiana State Troopers that are holding hands during a march in support of the Jena 6 in Jena, La., Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Radio personality Michael Baisden second from left with Rev. Al Sharpton, and Melissa Bell, mother of Mychal Bell wall behind two Louisiana State Troopers that are holding hands during a march in support...   (Associated Press)
Alyse Stukey, right, of Virginia Beach, Va., stands at the site where an oak tree once stood that is at the center of a civil rights issue during a rally at Jena High School, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007, in Jena, La. Thousands of chanting demonstrators filled the streets of the...
Alyse Stukey, right, of Virginia Beach, Va., stands at the site where an oak tree once stood that is at the center of a civil rights issue during a rally at Jena High School, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2007,...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

Thousands March on Jena
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

US • Politics

 
Jesse Jackson • Al Sharpton • Jena 6

More Newser Stories

Dear Mel: Get Help

Meet Al Sharpton, Obama Booster, White House Insider

Civil Rights Leaders Talk Jobs With Obama

MSNBC Host to Jesse Jackson: 'Hi, Al Sharpton'

Fox: Jackson Used N-Word in Off-Air Obama Comments
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne