Fresno State Students Protest in Support of Jena Six

Thursday, September 20, 2007

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09/20/2007 (KFSN) -- An estimated 26,000 people converged on a Louisiana town Thursday to show their support for six teenagers in the middle of racial tension and community upheaval.

The so-called Jena Six are six black teens charged in the beating of a white classmate. The ordeal began a year ago when black students sat under a tree at the local high school.

The next day, nooses were hung from the tree. That incited a fire, racial slurs and several fights. No white students face charges, but six black students do and one defendant, Mychal Bell, is still in jail.

Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Activist, says, "We are not free until he is free. So, we will not stop marching until justice rolls down like water."

"Bell" is the only one of the defendants to be tried. He was convicted of aggravated second- degree battery, but his conviction was overturned. A state appeals court said Bell, who was 16 at the time, could not be tried as an adult.

Meanwhile, some Fresno State students are joining the Jena protests.

More than 40 students wore black and marched against what they say is racism and criminal injustice in Louisiana. A petition made its way around the crowd with a hope to press the district attorney in Jena to free Mychal bell.

Raniesha Bell, protester, says, "It hurts me because so many people in history have died and fought for the stuff we're dealing with right now."

Many Valley students were unaware of the controversy in Louisiana. Protesters spent a majority of their time explaining to Valley students the events that led to Thursday's rally.

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