Conyers wants hearings on Jena 6

House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) last week said he would like to hold hearings on the controversial case of six black teenagers in Jena, La., who were charged with attempted murder.

Conyers also said he is going to host a forum during the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference on Friday.

{mosads}“I want to hold a forum … and hearings at some point in the Judiciary Committee on this issue because in 2007, there should not even be allegations of unequal justice based on race or any other factors,” Conyers said during a rally on the Capitol grounds last week.

A date has not been set for Judiciary Committee hearings, and a spokesperson for the committee reiterated only that Conyers would like to hold hearings.

The forum, which will be held at the Washington Convention Center, will feature Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) — a former chairman of the CBC — as well as Harvard professor Charles Ogletree, a family member of one of the Jena students, and others.

The “Jena 6,” as the teenagers have become known, were charged with attempted murder for the beating of a white student in a brawl last December. The allegations followed a series of racially charged incidents in Jena, including the hanging of nooses in a tree by three white students in August of 2006.

One of the “Jena 6” students, 17-year old Mychal Bell, was convicted on reduced charges of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit it. His conviction was overturned by an appeals court Sept. 14, but he has been denied bail while the local district attorney appeals the ruling.

The alleged unequal treatment of the black defendants has angered many in the black community, including members of the CBC.
“The denial of bail for Mychal Bell is yet another outrage in a case that has been a travesty of justice,” said Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), a CBC vice chairwoman in response to the ruling. “This is another example of the institutional racism in our criminal justice system, and it is unacceptable.”

Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), who heads the CBC, pledged the support of the CBC to the families of the accused students.
“Every American should be deeply disturbed by the blatant racism and bias that governed this case and marred the lives of these six young men,” Kilpatrick said. “The Congressional Black Caucus will continue to stand and pledge our support to these young men and their families.”

Rep. Albert Wynn (D- Md.) also participated in the Capitol Hill rally. He said the rallies across the country showed that the minority community will not stand for injustice.

“The incident in Jena seemed like a return to the old days of blatant social injustice. Those of us from an earlier era are not willing to step backwards, and today’s generation of activists are saying enough is enough.”

The two leading contenders for the Democratic nomination for president have also weighed in.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) said, “Situations like this one remind us that we all have a responsibility to confront racial injustice and intolerance. I urge the civil rights divisions of the Department of Justice and the Department of Education to thoroughly review these cases and the surrounding events to find out whether they raise federal civil rights violations.”

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), a CBC member, said, “When a noose hangs from a schoolyard tree in the 21st century and young men are treated in a way that is not equal nor just, it is not just an offense to the people of Jena or to the African-American community, it is an offense to the ideals we hold as Americans.”