The Truth Behind the Jena Six

Posted by Michael Thompson on 10.04.2007

Much has been made recently about the Jena Six, but what really happened in the small southern town that has captivated the nation's attention? Is this an example of rampant bigotry or unreported facts that misrepresent the reality of the situation?

Last week, this writer's column regarding the candidacy of Texas Congressman Ron Paul for the Republican Party's nomination and his fight against the "Axis of Good" generated a lot of responses. Overwhelmingly, they were positive.

Honestly, most people you meet have little knowledge of who Dr. Ron Paul is and what he stands for, because they haven't been constantly told and reminded who he is by FOX News, CNN or any other news outlet. This is changing as the knowledge of Paul candidacy and the principles he stands for, most notably liberty and truth, our indelibly etched into the ethos of United States citizens. Liberty, freedom and peace still matter to most United States citizens, and the only candidate who is articulating this message is Dr. Paul. As stated in the previous column, he is the one-man who can actuate President George Washington's admonishing Farewell Address, which advised the U.S. to stay out of "entangling alliances."

Truth, one of the hallmarks of the Paul campaign, is a word that is sorely missing from the lexicon of most Americans today. Veracity and honor have long ago left this nation, in terms of how news is disseminated and how major stories are portrayed to the gullible public, which have been conditioned to believe what they are told without questioning or fact checking the sources.

One recent example of this is the strange news story coming out of Jena, Louisiana., where six African-Americans have been canonized and lionized, treated as victims of a repressive District Attorney, bent on resurrecting Jim Crow-style Southern justice, for –get this – beating up a white student.

Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and a supporting cast of thousands stormed the small southern city back in September in attempts to bring light to an intolerable justice. That injustice, you ask? Was it the fact that six African-American students beat up a white student, sending him to the hospital, and giving him recurring headaches that plagued him three-months after the beating last December?

Nope. It was a reincarnation of the 1960s style Civil Rights marches, and an attempt to bring to light a real or imagined 21st century racial injustice right in the heart of Dixie.

Let's go back over this history of this little racial debacle and examine the reality of the situation and how we got to the Civil Rights march that took place two weeks ago.

Way back on August 30, 2006, an all-male back-to-school assembly was held at Jena High School, where an assistant principal went over the rules for the upcoming school year and then held a Q and A period. One particular African-American student asked a question that Craig Franklin, a reporter with the Jena Times, has reported was a clear joke that elicited laughter from both whites and blacks: Could blacks sit under the same tree that whites did in the school's courtyard? The principal stated anyone could sit anywhere, after the laughter had died down.

Unfortunately, the next day, events were set in motion, that has gone unresolved. On August 31, students arriving to campus early found nooses on the tree that the African-American student had joked about. They were quickly removed and most students never saw them.

Quickly, the administration of the school ascertained the identity of the three white students who had hung the nooses, and were also able to determine that they had no racial motivation for what the school labeled a "prank."

More so, the Jena Times reports that the three students who hung the nooses had no idea of the nature of the noose in relation to African-American and were horrified to find out its connection to lynching, as they had many black friends and were worried how they would perceive the act.

The paper also reports that the tree in question was never designated as a white's only tree, but had been planted in 1986 and was only recently tall enough to grant shelter to students of all races during lunch.

From roughly September 9 to November 30th, no racial violence was reported. Tranquility reigned. Sadly, that night, the main building of the Jena High School was deliberately set fire and gutted. No suspect has been named in the case.

December 4th, the first day of classes after the fire, found white student Justin Barker attacked by black football player Mychal Bell. He was hit from behind and fell to the ground. Soon after, eight to ten blacks joined in the fun of assaulting the white student, where after the beating commenced, he was quickly taken to the hospital.

LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters charged six of the African-American attackers with attempted murder. Just before the trials, he reduced the charges to aggravated second-degree battery and conspiracy. This was more equitable, but in reality, when you have a fight between one and six-to-10 people, what those 10 people are trying to accomplish can't be considered fair.

A jury of five women and one man found Mr. Bell guilty. He was to be sentenced on September 20. One important factoid for you: national pundits have pointed that an all-white jury found Bell guilty. That is true, but they fail to mention that none of the blacks that were called for jury duty showed up, nor did many whites who dodged jury duty that day.

Thus the christening of the glorious "Jena 6," as Bell and five other defendants were anointed the new vanguard battling vicious white racism that threatens to undue the Civil Rights movement and bring about a restoration of intolerant white justice.

A simple problem arises though, that clouds the fabricated Jena Six story in its entirety and threatens to shower those credulous souls who believe the nonsense that the mainstream media, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton spew: The Jena Six aren't heroes.

They beat up a white student, which in this day and age ostensibly means adulation, praise and a $10,000 check from David Bowie for your defense.

Unlike in the epic 2003 movie, "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King," Jena High School did not have "White Tree." Instead, it had relative peace for three months after a misguided noose incident, until 10 African-Americans decided to assault a white student.

Truth, in the end, wins out. Yes, this country has racial problems. What do you expect from a multiracial country? But, in Jena, it wasn't 10 whites who beat up a defenseless black. It was the other way around. And yet, somehow, Justin Barker is forgotten. And the Jena Six are the victims.

When you tell a lie loud enough and long enough, people will eventually believe it to represent truth. In the case of the Jena Six, forget everything you've heard, seen or read and independently search the facts out discussed in this column.

Michael J. Thompson is a recent graduate of Auburn University. He lives and works in Atlanta, Ga.