Revolution Online: September 21, 2007

New Outrage in the Jena 6 Case:
Mychal Bell Not Granted Bond

by Alice Woodward

On September 21, 17-year-old Mychal Bell, who has been in prison since December 4, 2006 and was the first of the Jena 6 to be convicted, was not granted bond by the court. He still remains in jail. This new outrage came the day after tens of thousands of people from all over the country converged on Jena, Louisiana to demand that the Jena 6 be freed. The lawyers could not comment further on the situation and at this time there is no information as far as to the next step of the legal battle.

Outside the LaSalle Parish courthouse people waited to hear the results of the court hearing. Community members, young and old, the media, and supporters of Jena 6, who had stayed in the area from the protest the day before, sat on the lawn and lined the blockade outside the courthouse eagerly anticipating the decision.

When Melissa Bell, Mychal's mother emerged from the courthouse tearful, surrounded by family, people shouted from the lawn: “Stay strong!” “We're with you 100 percent.” “We ain’t going nowhere.” “We're gonna be back until this is over.” People followed after her chanting “No Justice, No Peace!” with their fists in the air. King Downing, a National Coordinator from the ACLU, said, “I have the feeling that people will feel they need to get back to Jena”—referring to the tens of thousands of people who demonstrated the day before in Jena. He talked about how all these people will be returning to their homes across the country after demanding “Free The Jena Six! Drop all the Charges!” and then finding out that Mychal Bell will not be released. And he said, “We need to get ready to come back.”

This new development in the case underscores even more the fact that this struggle to free the Jena 6 must go forward and grow. Revolution newspaper has heard reports that in response to this latest outrage, people widely are calling for protests—from high school students wearing black in support of the Jena 6 starting this Monday, to informal street rallies and organized meetings.

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