Jena Six Case
Rallies in support of the Jena Six were held in Jena and elsewhere in the United States on September 20, 2007 the date when Mychal Bell was scheduled for sentencing.
AP
The Rev. Al Sharpton speaks to a standing-room only congregation at Trout Creek Baptist Church in Jena, La., Sunday, Aug. 5, 2007. Sharpton criticized officials in this racially tense Louisiana town, saying the attempted murder charges leveled against six black teens show "one rule for white kids and one for black kids." Seated with Sharpton are Marcus Jones, left, and Melissa Bell, parents of Mychal Bell. Behind Sharpton are several of the other accused students. (AP Photo/Richard Alan Hannon)
AP
A man holds a newspaper before the start of a civil rights march on September 19, 2007 in Jena, Louisiana.
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A girl here listens to Rev. Al Sharpton speak before a civil rights march on September 20, 2007 in Jena, Louisiana. Thousands of protesters have gathered for a march on the Louisiana town of Jena in protest of the criminal trial of six black teens charged in an alleged attack on a white classmate. The fight was sparked between the youths after several nooses were hung from a tree at a high school.
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Radio host Michael Baisden(2nd L), Rev. Al Sharpton (2nd R) and Melissa Bell (R), mother of Mychal Bell, march towards Jena High school during f a civil rights march on September 20, 2007 in Jena, Louisiana.
AP
An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 demonstrators attended the rally that day, severely overtaxing the facilities of the small town of 3,000 residents. Because of the congestion on the roads leading to Jena, many protesters left their vehicles and walked into town on foot.
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JENA, LA - SEPTEMBER 20: Bryant Purvis, one of the 'Jena Six' listens to the Rev. Al Sharpton before the start of a civil rights march on September 20, 2007 in Jena, Louisiana. Thousands of protesters have gathered for a march on the Louisiana town of Jena in protest of the criminal trial of six black teens charged in an alleged attack on a white classmate. The fight was sparked between the youths after several nooses were hung from a tree at a high school. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Protesters march towards Jena High School on September 20, 2007 in Jena, Louisiana.
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JENA, LA - SEPTEMBER 20: A protester holds two paintings ouside of Jena High School during a civil rights march on September 20, 2007 in Jena, Louisiana. Thousands of protesters have gathered for a march on the Louisiana town of Jena in protest of the criminal trial of six black teens charged in an alleged attack on a white classmate. The fight was sparked between the youths after several nooses were hung from a tree at a high school. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
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JENA, LA - SEPTEMBER 20: Brandon Citizen, a student at Prarie View A&M University holds a sign to support the 'Jena Six' during a civil rights march September 20, 2007 in Jena, Louisiana. Thousands of protesters have gathered for a march on the Louisiana town of Jena in protest of the criminal trial of six black teens charged in an alleged attack on a white classmate. The fight was sparked between the youths after several nooses were hung from a tree at a high school. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
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Last year, on September 20, 2007, the small town of Jena, which sits 220 miles north of New Orleans, became the setting for one of the largest civil rights demonstrations since the Million Man March.
Although the estimates of exactly how many marched in the town of 3,000, police estimate 20,000 college students, religious leaders, civil rights activists, their allies, and national and international media made their way to Jena to protest "selective justice."
From Howard Witt, Special Correspondent to The Chicago Tribune:
JENA, La. - There is no single leader. There is no agreed schedule. Organizers aren't even certain where everyone is supposed to gather, let alone use the restroom. The only thing that is known for sure is that thousands of protesters are boarding buses at churches, colleges and community centers across the country this week, headed for this tiny dot on the map of central Louisiana.
