God Bless Purvis, but I'm Movin' On...

Drumbeat to Villager of Electronic Village for the Broadcast on Blog Catalog

1 of Jena 6...just doesn't get IT

source

HOUSTON - A defendant in the racially-charged Jena 6 case in Louisiana has been arrested for assault after an altercation at the suburban Dallas high school he is now attending, potentially complicating his legal defense in Jena and dispiriting some of his supporters.

Bryant Purvis, 19, was arrested Wednesday in Carrollton, Texas, and charged with misdemeanor assault after an incident with another student at Hebron High School, Carrollton police said. Purvis was released in lieu of $1,000 bond on Thursday and suspended for three days from the school, where he enrolled as a senior after moving to the area to live with a relative.

Purvis' attorney, Darrell Hickman, characterized the assault as a "minor shoving incident" and said it involved a student whom Purvis believed had vandalized his car a few days before. A police affidavit accompanying an arrest warrant alleged that Purvis choked the student and pushed his head into a bench, injuring the victim's eye.


The new arrest could complicate ongoing plea bargain negotiations over the Jena case with LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters, Hickman said. Purvis is one of six black defendants Walters initially charged with attempted murder for beating a white student at Jena High School in December 2006, in a fight that capped months of racial tensions in the town.

The charges were reduced to aggravated second-degree battery after the Jena case drew criticism from national civil rights leaders, who contended that the justice system in the small town was biased against blacks. More than 20,000 demonstrators marched through Jena last September in support of the Jena 6 defendants and their case was one of several last year that launched what activists regarded as a new civil rights movement.

The first Jena defendant to face trial, Mychal Bell, pleaded guilty in December to a juvenile charge of second-degree battery and received a sentence of 18 months in juvenile detention. Purvis' case is set for trial in late March.

The Texas arrest "doesn't help his case in Jena, that's obvious," Hickman said. "From what [Purvis] told me, I can understand him losing his temper. We all lose our temper every now and then. But we're in the process of negotiations with Reed Walters. And what we've been asking for, probably Reed will be less inclined to give it to me now."

Purvis' arrest is the latest in a series public embarrassments for the Jena defendants, who last summer attracted the sympathies of more than 300,000 petition signers and donations of more than $500,000 to their legal defense fund.

Purvis and another Jena defendant, Carwin Jones, posed like rap stars at the Black Entertainment Television Hip Hop Awards in October, where they presented a music award and received an ovation from the audience. Jena defendant Robert Bailey Jr. posted pictures of himself on a Myspace page with a wad of $100 bills stuffed in his mouth. And questions arose over the accounting for some of the donated legal funds controlled by the Jena 6 families after they declined to say how they were spending the money.

Nevertheless, the Jena case remains important, said Mervyn Marcano, spokesman for Color of Change, an Internet-based civil rights group of nearly 400,000 members that raised more than $200,000 for the Jena defendants.

"It's sort of a pop culture touchstone of 2007 for a lot of black people," Marcano said, adding that he hoped that Purvis' latest arrest would not detract from the larger issues of equal justice raised by the Jena case.

"These kids are still juveniles, so I'm not surprised that they will get into scuffles and things of that nature," Marcano said. "These kids are not supposed to be angels. They are supposed to have equal access to fair treatment from the criminal justice system, and they will continue to be teenagers while we continue to fight for that.

source

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You know we all make mistakes, true. But after seeing these kids posing with money all over the place on Myspace, and partying like a rockstar on BET (aka Antichrist TV), it was a wrap for me. I was done, and while I wish them nothing but success in life (it could still happen)...I'm not goin to continue to get riled up over someone else's fight--when THEY do not take it serious. Save the comments that are contrary. I can't help but feel I've been made a fool of. Y'all let me know how the Jena 6 drama turns out-cuz I don't care anymore.


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Happy Sunday, Family!!

Ephesians 6:12-13 (NKJV)

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,^[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. source

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*UPDATE* JENA 6

Charges Reduced for Last Jena Six Member source

Charges were reduced Wednesday for Bryant Purvis, the last of six Jena, La., youths accused of attacking a white schoolmate in December, following several weeks of racial tension in the tiny, rural town.

Purvis, 18, now faces charges of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery, said his attorney Darrell Hickman. A trial date has been set for March 2008.

The charges carry a maximum possible sentence of 22 years, Hickman told BlackAmericaweb.com. Earlier charges that had included attempted second-degree murder carried a possible maximum sentence of 75 years imprisonment upon conviction.

JENA 6 UPDATE...

Judge recuses self from bid to open Jena trial
New judge will decide if racially-charged case should be open to public
source (image courtesy of Google Images; editing by Ivent)

NEW ORLEANS - A judge has disqualified himself from hearing a request from news media to open juvenile court proceedings for a black teenager charged with beating a white classmate in Jena, a case that has drawn thousands of protesters.

State District Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr.’s recusal paves the way for another judge to decide whether the case against 17-year-old Mychal Bell should be open to the public.

Another judge was not immediately appointed to hear the petition filed by The Associated Press and more than two dozen newspapers, television networks and network affiliates.

The news organizations are seeking permission to attend new hearings in Bell’s case, to review transcripts of previous hearings and other court records, and to lift a gag order against participants in the case.

Bell, 17, originally was charged with attempted murder for his alleged role in a December 2006 attack on Justin Barker at Jena High School. That charge was reduced before a jury convicted him in June of aggravated second-degree battery. Mauffray presided over the trial.

The charges against Bell and five others — the so-called “Jena Six” — sparked a huge civil-rights demonstration in Jena last month. Critics accused District Attorney Reed Walters of treating blacks more harshly than whites, because his office didn’t file charges against three white teens accused of hanging nooses in a tree at the high school shortly before the attack on Barker.
In September, a state appeals court vacated Bell’s conviction and ruled that he shouldn’t have been tried as an adult. Bell is due in juvenile court early next month — also before Mauffray — and has a tentative trial date of Dec. 6.

Judge named as defendant
In a one-page ruling, Mauffray indicated he recused himself because he was named as a defendant in the news media’s litigation. Mauffray is the only judge assigned to the Lasalle Parish court where Bell’s case is being heard. Dan Zimmerman, an attorney for the news organizations, said the judge would have been in a “difficult position” if he had to review his own decision.

Criminal cases involving juveniles in Louisiana are usually sealed, but lawyers for the news organizations argue that aggravated second-degree battery is one of the violent offenses that allows a juvenile court case to be opened to the public.

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I'm not sure if in fact is a good idea to open this court case to the public.

This was and is still an emotionally charged situation and I don't believe everyone will be mindful of court protocol, nor that court will be in process. There are those who cannot leave their emotions out in the parking lot, and I believe should this case be allowed to proceed in public, it will become a spectacle...however,I do hope I'm wrong.

While I believe transcripts should be made readily available (highly unlikely since this is in regards to a juvenile), I also believe it will be met with regret should this court allow the public to viw court proceedings. Again, I hope i'm wrong.

Awww H*#$@ NAW!!!!

HAS BLACK AMERICA BEEN HOODWINKED BY YOUTH OF JENA 6?!

At Crunktastical.blogspot.com (crunk's site here) there is a video featuring still pics of Jena 6's Robert Bailey in unflattering poses on his myspace page. I'm not trying to start anything...I'm just saying.

If a pic is worth a thousand words, how much is several pics uploaded at youtube worth?!


Judge for yourself:

Megan Williams, You Are An Inspiration!!

Victim of racial attack describes her ordeal
source

Listen as Megan describes how she was tied up, beaten, stabbed, called names and other horrific acts by 6 people in West Virginia. To my knowledge these losers are still locked up. They cut and pulled her hair out.

View her story here:

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It's not over yet!

Funds Raised for Jena Six Defense Covering Legal Fees, but Monies Drying Up, Activists Say source



As thousands rallied in a Jena, Louisiana ballpark on Sept. 20 to support six black youths facing stiff charges for fighting a white school mate, realtor Robert Clark climbed atop his recreational vehicle with a public address system and went to work raising money.

“I was looking at all the slogans -- ‘Free Mychal Bell’ and ‘Free the Jena Six,’” Clark told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “I said we can raise enough to free Mychal Bell right now if everyone puts in $2.”

His goal was to raise about $10,000 to bail Bell out of jail. He ended up raising about $27,000, with the first contribution of 500 $1 bills coming from a Monroe, Louisiana motorcycle rider. A Louisiana doctor paid Bell’s bail. The money raised by Clark was handed over to Louis Scott, the lead attorney for Bell.

In the weeks since thousands flooded the tiny Louisiana town calling for equal justice, groups raising funds for the defense say the inward flow of money has tapered off.

The Color of Change, a California-based group that began accepting contributions for the Jena Six's defense early in the case, reported raising about $230,000 to help pay lawyers and court expenses. To date, $170,000 has been paid, said James Rucker, executive director of Color of Change. Lawyers representing five of the six youths have received money. The organization is awaiting invoices from a sixth attorney, Rucker said.

“The fund was building and building, then it peaked just after Sept. 20,” Rucker told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “After a week or so, it slowed down.”

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Family, we need to look into this. I'll research an address, email or something so that we may continue to send money for Jena 6. If we don't do something, no one else will.

Judiciary Committee Convenes in the Jena 6 case

Pointed Testimony, Emotional Exchanges Mark Congressional Hearing on Jena Six Case source
conyers, gavel image: google images

Jena, Louisiana is a town that has been crippled by racial tension, and it will not heal until there is justice for the Jena Six, the local NAACP president told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

The Rev. Bryan Moran and several other witnesses testifying before the panel called on the federal government to intervene to protect those hurt “by an unjust criminal justice system.”

“In Jena, two systems of justice exist. That is no longer acceptable,” Moran said.
The four-hour hearing, which Chairman John Conyers (pictured above, far right) called the first of its kind since he’s been in the House, was filled with emotional pleas and pointed criticism of the U.S. Justice Department. Though many questions were raised, the day ended without solution.
Representatives of the U.S. Department of Justice did disclose for the first time, however, that information is being gathered for a possible probe into the justice system in Jena and LaSalle Parish.

Conyers, a Michigan Democrat, convened the hearing after nearly 50,000 people rallied in the tiny Louisiana town on Sept. 20 in support of the six black youths who face jail time as a result of a school fight with a white classmate in Dec. 4.
The fight followed months of tension at Jena High School, touched off by an Aug. 31. 2006 incident where nooses were hung in a tree after blacks sat in a traditional gathering place for whites.

The whites who hung the nooses were suspended for school for nine days and given in-school suspension as well, according to testimony at the hearing. The black students were kicked out of school, and they were arrested on charges of attempted murder with bond set as high as $130,000.

Committee members and witnesses took issue with the handling of justice in Jena. J. Reed Walters, the LaSalle Parish district attorney, was invited to the hearing, but declined the invitation. He is the one who leveled the charges against the Jena Six.

“It is illegal under our Constitution to have one stand of justice for white citizens and another more harsh standard for African-Americans,” Conyers said. “Our committee is going to look at similar situations in Georgia, Texas, California, and across the country."

View 4 hrs of video of judiciary committee (look under Oct 16, 2007) at cspan.org: jena 6 proceedings with judiciary committee

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the fact that John Conyers has become so involved is comforting.

Being from Detroit, I know that Conyers is a man of conviction (as his wife, who looks like she'd cut you if you said something wrong . She's been known to cuss folks out, while the cameras rolling!), as

well as very vocal about racial relations. (Michigan is an extremely racist state)

This will be interesting.

Will Freedom Ring????

Jena Six Case to Be Subject of Hearing Before House Judiciary Committee Tuesday Morning
credit-BlackAmericaWeb.com

The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing on the Jena Six case Tuesday morning, less than a week after a youth at the center of the controversy was locked up again.

Mychal Bell, the only one of the six youths who had been convicted in connection with a Dec. 4 fight with a white classmate, was ordered to a juvenile facility on Thursday.

The most recent sentence, handed down by LaSalle Parish Judge J.P. Mauffrey Jr., was not directly related to the December 2006 incident. The judge said Bell had violated terms of his probation from earlier convictions on juvenile charges of simple battery and criminal destruction. He must now spend 18 months in a juvenile detention facility.

An appeals court ruled in September that the lower court erred by handling Bell’s charges for the 2006 incident in adult court and his conviction was overturned. He still is awaiting trial on juvenile charges related to the fight with Justin Barker at Jena High School.

Bell’s parents and civil rights leaders were outraged by the latest sentence. Attempts by Bell’s family and civil rights leaders so far to get another judge on the case have been unsuccessful. The same judge who handled the adult case is also handling the juvenile case in the small town.

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Stand Still and See the Salvation of the Lord!!

Free at last, Free at last-Thank God Almighty-Mychal's Free at last!!

As I stated a couple of days ago-when God closes a door-no man can open it, and when God opens a door, no man can close it. I also said this was the time to have faith...believe without having to see.
It is because of the faith of many, Mychal Bell has walked out a free man. Father in heaven-THANK YOU, for you faithfulness in Jesus' name amen!

What's funny is-as national radio talk show host effective predicted the number of protesters who went to Jena 6 would be greatly decreased when reported by mainstream media. If you look below I emboldened the number of protesters they said attened-15,000-how insulting. Nevertheless, we know the truth.

I MUST give credit to Al Sharpton. I thought he was a loud mouth buffoon, but he is in fact tenacious, outspoken, fair and right! Thank you Al Sharpton, and Michael Baisden.

WELCOME HOME, MYCHAL and God bless you!

see story below:

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Mychal Bell of 'Jena 6' released on bail
source: cnn.com
(CNN) -- Mychal Bell, a black teenager accused of beating a white classmate and who was the last of the "Jena 6" behind bars, was released from custody Thursday after a juvenile court judge set his bail at $45,000.

Bell's release followed an announcement from LaSalle Parish District Attorney Reed Walters, who said he would not appeal a higher court's decision moving Bell's case to juvenile court.
Wearing a blue striped golf shirt and jeans, Bell walked out of the LaSalle Parish courthouse a week after an estimated 15,000-plus demonstrators marched through Jena -- a town of about 3,000 -- to protest local authorities' handling of the teens' case.

"We do not condone violence of any kind, but we ask that people be given a fair and even chance at the bar of justice," the Rev. Al Sharpton said outside the courthouse.
"
Tonight, Mychal can go home, but Mychal is not out of the juvenile process. He goes home because a lot of people left their home and stood up for him," he said.
"Let America know -- we are not fighting for the right to fight in school. We're not fighting for the right for kids to beat each other. We're fighting to say that there must be one level of justice for everybody. And you cannot have adult attempted murder for some, and a fine for others, and call that equal protection under the law. Two wrongs don't make one civil right."
Don't Miss
In Depth: The 'Jena 6'
Thousands 'march for justice' in Jena
U.S. attorney: Nooses, beating at Jena High not related
FBI investigates supremacist anti-'Jena 6' Web site

Demonstrators at last week's march were protesting how authorities handled the cases of Bell and five other teens accused of beating fellow student Justin Barker.
Many said they were angry that the students, dubbed the Jena 6, were being treated more harshly than three white students who hung nooses from an oak tree on Jena High School property.

The white students were suspended from school but did not face criminal charges. The protesters said they should have been charged with a hate crime.

Bell's attorney Lewis Scott said the teen was moved from jail to a juvenile facility earlier Thursday.
Walters said his decision not to appeal was based on what he believed was best for the victim in the case.

"While I believe that a review would have merit ... I believe it is in the best interest of the victim and his family not to delay this matter any further and move it to its conclusion," Walters told reporters. Watch the Rev. Al Sharpton discuss the teen's release »

He said last week's march, which included Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, did not influence his decision.
Bell, now 17, was the only one of the Jena 6 behind bars. His bond previously was set at $90,000.

A district judge earlier this month tossed out Bell's conviction for conspiracy to commit second-degree battery, saying the matter should have been handled in juvenile court. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal in Lake Charles, Louisiana, did the same with Bell's battery conviction in mid-September.

Prosecutors originally charged all six black students accused of being involved in beating Barker with second-degree attempted murder and conspiracy. Walters reduced charges against at least four of them -- Bell, Robert Bailey Jr., Carwin Jones and Theo Shaw -- to battery and conspiracy.

Bryant Purvis awaits arraignment. Charges against Jesse Ray Beard, who was 14 at the time of the alleged crime, are unavailable because he's a juvenile.
Wednesday, Gov. Kathleen Blanco announced that Louisiana State Police officers will protect the families of the Jena 6 and investigate any threats they have received. A white supremacist Web site posted the names and addresses of the six black teens after last week's march, calling on followers to "let them know justice is coming."
Thursday, the FBI said it had been made aware of allegations of threats.

"Threats are taken seriously, and as these investigations are ongoing we cannot comment further," said Sheila Thorne of the FBI's office in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The December 4 attack on Barker came after months of racial tension, including at least two instances of fighting in the town, sparked originally when three white teens hung the nooses.
Walters has said there was no direct link between the hanging of the nooses and the schoolyard attack, and defended the prosecutions ahead of last Thursday's peaceful march. Blanco defended the prosecutor Wednesday, saying, "He has a solid record and is highly respected among his peers."

Walters also addressed the stress and notoriety the town has been subjected to, saying the only way he and other residents "have been able to endure the trauma that has been thrust upon us is through the prayers of the Christian people who have sent them up in this community."
He also suggested that some kind of "disaster" was averted when thousands of marchers came to Jena last week.

"I firmly believe and am confident of the fact that had it not been for the direct intervention of the Lord Jesus Christ last Thursday, a disaster would have happened," Walters said.
"The Lord Jesus Christ put his influence on those people, and they responded accordingly," he said, without explaining exactly what he meant.

Soon after the district attorney spoke, a local reverend took issue with his comments.
"Obviously, we are serving two different gods here," the Rev. Donald Sidley said. "My Bible says that we should do -- we should be loving, love your neighbor as yourself.
"For him to try and separate the community like he is and then using Christ Jesus to influence the people that Jesus is working on their side, well, that's -- that's absurd. ... God is god of the human race,"said Sidley, of the New Evergreen Church.
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Fam, you betta recognize the power that comes with the name of Jesus!

Ivent

Oh Jesse...why won't they leave you alone???

Y'all need to leave ol' Jesse alone!

Obama's comin' to a hood near U!

JESSE JACKSON DENIES SAYING OBAMA IS ‘ACTING WHITE’: Activist clarifies statement regarding senator’s stance on Jena 6.
(September 21, 2007)

*A South Carolina newspaper quoted Jesse Jackson as saying Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was "acting like he's white" for not speaking out more forcefully about the Jena 6 situation in Louisiana.

However, Jackson released a statement Wednesday saying his words were “taken out of context.” Columbia’s State newspaper claims the civil rights activist made the comment after speaking at historically black Benedict College on Tuesday. According to the article, Jackson called the incident in Jena "a defining moment, just like Selma was a defining moment," and said Obama's failure to seize the opportunity to speak out against what he describes as a disparate approach to prosecuting whites and blacks demonstrates his weaknesses as a candidate.
“If I were a candidate, I’d be all over Jena,” Jackson said in his remarks after the speech, according to the published account.

Jackson later told the newspaper he did not remember making the "acting like he's white" comment about the black Presidential candidate. But State reporter Roddie Burris stands by his story. He told FOX News that the comment came during a 45-minute, one-on-one interview with Jackson Tuesday after his hour-long speech at Benedict College. Click here to read The State article (http://www.thestate.com/local/v-print/story/177514.html).

Responding to the controversy, Jackson said in his statement: "I reaffirm my commitment to vote for Sen. Barack Obama. I think Jena is another defining moment of the issue of race and the criminal justice system. This issue requires direct and bold leadership. I commend Sen. Obama for speaking out and demanding fairness on this defining issue. Any attempt to dilute my support for Sen. Obama will not succeed."
The Illinois senator, in a statement late Wednesday reacting to Jackson's comment, said "outrage over an injustice" such as in the Jena case "isn't a matter of black and white. It's a matter of right and wrong."

Obama cited earlier statements in which he "demanded fairness" and said they "were carefully thought out with input and support" from one of his national campaign chairmen — Jesse Jackson Jr., a Chicago congressman and son of the elder Jackson.

The Democratic candidate also spoke out about the Jena 6 case in a statement last Friday, after a state appeals court threw out the only remaining conviction against Mychal Bell, one of the black teenagers accused in the December attack on a white schoolmate. Obama said he hoped the decision would lead the prosecutor "to reconsider the excessive charges brought against all the teenagers in this case. And I hope that the judicial process will move deliberately to ensure that all of the defendants will receive a fair trial and equal justice under the law.

On Sept. 10, the senator said: "When nooses are being hung in high schools in the 21st century, it's a tragedy. It shows that we still have a lot of work to do as a nation to heal our racial tensions. This isn't just Jena's problem; it's America's problem."

source: eurweb.com, obama image: www.phatcow.com

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Did Jesse Jackson, Jr say those words? WHO CARES! The issue is the absence of Barack in Jena, LA.

So I'm going to keep it real with you, and put it down for you: There is NO WAY Obama is going to alienate those who are providing major funding to his campaign. He has major players include Ms. Oprah "you-better-do-what-I-say-or-I'll-be-blackball-U" Winfrey.

While he did have permission to release a statement to appease a few angry people, there was NO WAY he was going to show his face-in-the-place (Jena, LA) with that many angry black people (what would his $$ backers think?!) I'm not saying he had to show up in all black, looking like a black panther, but he could've shown up in his Brooks Brother, Armani or whomever's suit he's rocking and give a few words of support. No one asked him to disparage the town of Jena, simply show up-everyone knows Obama's busy trying to be elected president! It would not have been held against him if he stayed in Jena for a short time.

Due to his not showing up--he's lost about 34,262,614,798,833,316,672,221 cool points-and counting!

He could've had the black votes on lock!

Now-although he did not show his face-in-the-place (Jena, LA) and protest the wrongdoing of that town- you BETTA believe he'll be showing-his-face-in-the-place (your hood, town or city) at a CHURCH, COMMUNITY CENTER, SCHOOL AUDITORIUM, town hall meeting - for your vote. JUST WATCH. *sigh*

Peeps-if you're not good enough to march with, if you're not good enough to fight with, your votes shouldn't be good enough either, right? I'm just saying.

Why don't everyone send HIM a press release (like he did with Jena 6) wishing him the best on his election--i wonder how would that sit with Barack?

Villagers, as the song says "everybody plays the fooooool...sometimes." The operative word is SOMETIMES! It's one thing to be a fool unaware, but it's another to be played a fool with your permission.

I don't know the man from a can of paint. I hold no ill-will towards him, I simply feel he lost out on a great opportunity to be a part of American history. There was no mention of Jena, LA on his website either: http://www.barackobama.com/ *sigh*

Family all I have to say is: YOU BETTA RECOGNIZE!

Ivent