Revolution #101, September 16, 2007
Groundswell of Support for the Jena 6
Over the past week, protests and rallies in support of the Jena 6 have taken place on several campuses. And across the South and beyond, students and others are organizing to be on the buses to Jena to demand: Free the Jena 6!
On September 5 students at North Carolina Central University in Durham held a rally in front of the town courthouse. University of Michigan students are holding a program on campus on the Jena 6, Wednesday, September 12. At Louisiana Southern University of Baton Rouge, students have declared a “Jena 6 Week” beginning Monday, September 10. September 10 there will be a Jena 6 awareness program at 7 p.m. in Stewart Hall auditorium; September 11 a Candle Light Vigil for the Jena 6, 7 p.m. at the Smith Brown Student Union Patio; and September 13 a protest march at 7 p.m., beginning at the back of campus and marching to the student union. In Chicago there was a march and rally for the Jena 6 on Sunday, September 9. A Free the Jena 6 march has also been called in Washington, DC for September 20.
Buses for Jena are being organized from cities, towns and campuses throughout the South. The Atlanta University Center Louisiana Club of Morehouse College is organizing students at several colleges and universities to get on the bus and head to Jena for September 20. The president of the organization, Jeremy Cormier, told Revolution that they are inviting students from other colleges to join them and get on the bus. He said about the 20th, “The masses of people that will be out there will actually show how our legal system is really still racist. We won't stop at the rally. We will keep on pushing to show what really goes on. We won't stop until we feel Mr. Bell has gotten what he deserves, and that's his freedom.” (See link below for details.)
Los Angeles filmmaker Tyrone Nitty Buckner is creating a documentary film about students and youth traveling to Jena from Atlanta, and organizing a bus. He told Revolution about his project: “I own an advertising firm here in Beverly Hills, California, and I basically got my company here to put up some funds to organize here for a film. And myself and others are sponsoring kids to get on the bus. Most of the buses are paid seating. I've heard of only one volunteer bus, everywhere else I haven't heard of people going for free, including the youth. What I did was organize where the youth can at least go for free, my company and other companies that would sponsor the youth to go free.” For information or to get on that bus from Atlanta (youth 14-24), contact: backonthebusfilm@yahoo.com or call 678-887-7134 or 310-709-0256
Radio host Michael Baisden is asking people to wear black in solidarity with the Jena 6 and is scheduled to do his show live from Jena on September 20. His web site has extensive information on busses to Jena from Atlanta, Smyrna, GA; Birmingham, Montgomery, AL; Jacksonville, FL; Tallahassee, FL; Orlando, FL; Tuscaloosa, AL; Chattanooga, Nashville, Memphis, TN; Morehouse and Spelman Colleges; Fort Worth/Dallas; Charlotte, Durham, NC; Detroit, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Philadelphia; Indiana/Chicago (Hammond, IN / Halsted St., Chicago); Maryland/Virgina/Washington, DC Area (Glenn Dale, MD); Baton Rouge, LA… and the list is growing. Travel details are at http://www.minglecity.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=145
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