Posted on 09/14/2007 8:57:27 PM PDT by Ready4Freddy
NEW ORLEANS - A state appeals court on Friday threw out the only remaining conviction against one of the black teenagers accused in the beating of a white schoolmate in the racially tense north Louisiana town of Jena.
Mychal Bell, 17, should not have been tried as an adult, the state 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal said in tossing his conviction on aggravated battery, for which he was to have been sentenced Thursday. He could have gotten 15 years in prison.
His conspiracy conviction in the December beating of student Justin Barker was already thrown out by another court.
Bell, who was 16 at the time of the beating, and four others were originally charged with attempted second-degree murder. Those charges brought widespread criticism that blacks were being treated more harshly than whites after racial confrontations and fights at Jena High School.
Bell's attorney Louis Scott said he didn't know whether his client, whose bond was set at $90,000, would get out of jail immediately.
"We don't know what approach the prosecution is going to take — whether they will re-charge him, where he would have to be subjected to bail all over again or not," Scott said.
Civil rights leaders, including the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, had been planning a rally in support of the teens for the day Bell was to have been sentenced.
"Although there will not be a court hearing, we still intend to have a major rally for the Jena Six and now hopefully Mychal Bell will join us," Sharpton said in an e-mailed statement.
Said Jackson: "The pressure must continue until all six boys are set free and sent to school, not to jail."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Probably should have seen this coming, looks like the DA fooked up.
Worst thing that could have happened to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.
It appears that racism is alive and well in LA.
To have a place where only whites can go is disgusting. Those white boys deserved their whooping.
JMO.:-)
This is just putting off the time little Mychal Bell, 17, until he starts doing hard time. He has beaten 2 raps so far (sorry for the pun), but he’ll be an adult as he escalates his violence, and he won’t be able to beat that “you can’t try me as an adult” rap forever.
I predict a final exit off death row. You can see it coming...
He has beaten 2 raps so far (sorry for the pun)...
Shoot it.........shoot it now!........
Oh, Im sorry. We have to wait until it kills again, right?
The lesson for these punks is.....cry racism loudly enough and you can even get away almost killing a cracker.God help any crackers who should come across these punks in the future at 2 AM.
An affirmative action pass for a thug who attempted to lynch a kid because of his race. Racism alive and well in LA. Integrated public high schools can be very dangerous places.
It was 6 boys against one boy. I’m not sure where you get the idea that anyone deserves that.
I think some community service is the least amount of time they could do.
There are plenty of places where Whites can't go safely. You alright with that?
Interesting how quiet Jackson and Sharpton are about the three college students murdered execution-style and the fourth raped and almost killed by illegal aliens in New Jersey.
But of course THIS won’t be tried as a hate crime..which it obviously was under the law.. but we don’t get the same considerations as minorities and gays.
I posted this in another thread:
According to an article in USA Today the US Attorney, Donald Washington, investigated the events in Jena but did not find evidence to support a criminal case in the noose hangings.
He also found that black students sat under the very tree where the nooses were hung and that the incidents were not related according to the evidence.
Here’s Donald Washington’s bio. I do believe that he’s honestly looking into this issue.
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/law/usattorney/index.html
The kid that was beat up was not one of the kids who hung the nooses. So no he didn’t deserve to get jumped by six boys and knocked unconscious. The little darling had four prior convictions and was on probation. The previous conviction was for assault I believe.
No, I’m not o.k. with that.
Try FOUR prior convictions.
The kid who was beat up had a few bruises. He went to a party or game that night.
To be charged with attempted murder for that? Thats so over the top.
I guarantee you this kid will get into trouble again, given his past history. He is almost 18, he won’t be able to wiggle his way out it the next time.
He was knocked unconscious and they continued to beat him up. Mychal Bell had four prior convictions and was on probation. At least one of those convictions was for an assault.
He is loving beating the rap right now, but he’ll be in the slammer real, real soon. This will be his future, in and out of prison, until he winds up on death row. I’m telling you, you can see it coming.
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