Rough Justice
On Thursday, September 20, a court will sentence Mychal Bell, one of the so-called "Jena 6," who has been convicted of aggravated second-degree battery (a judge threw out another conviction, on conspiracy, last week). Bell, who was originally charged with attempted second-degree murder for his part in an assault on a white student at Jena High School, in Jena, Louisiana, faces up to 15 years in prison. Many prominent civil rights organizations, including the NAACP and the Southern Poverty Law Center, have sent representatives to Jena. And thousands of protesters are expected to visit the small town, to hold a rally, on September 20. Our capable guest host, John Ydstie, will talk with Howard Witt, a senior correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, who broke the story in May. He'll walk us through this complex, confusing, and troubling case. Professor Charles Ogletree, of Harvard University, who is advising the lawyers representing the six accused students, will talk to us about the court proceedings in Jena. And Billy Wayne Fowler, a member of the La Salle Parish School Board, will tell us how this case has reverberated locally. Along with you! Tell us how you see the case... and whether you've been blogging or talking about it.
12:30 PM ET | 09-10-2007 | permalink
