In several Jena 6 posts, I advised anonymous commenters claiming to be from Jena to “put up or shut up.” One reader from Jena did, and that person is my source for the documents now posted by Joe Carter at Evangelical Outpost. (My reasons for getting help from Joe for this are here.) Please read the rest of this post, and examine all the documents before you comment here.

My source and I do not agree on every aspect of this case, although in some areas my source was correct and my opinion was changed by what I’ve read. In other areas, my opinions were affirmed. I’ll post more on that separately soon, but I’m going to keep my source’s post on top for at least a day or two. For now, since my source has so generously “put up” and worked to get these documents out there so the rest of us can have an informed opinion of the Jena 6 case, I’ll “shut up” and let you read my source’s post yourselves:
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I am from Jena, LA. Due to the sensitivities of this case, I have chosen to post this anonymously. Though I can’t say I don’t know anyone involved with this case (the town is only composed of 3500 people or so), I can say that I do not know anyone in this case well enough to distort my perspective about the situation.

Many of you reading this may live in a small town such as Jena. If not, you may live in a neighborhood or apartment complex that has tightly-knit neighbors. Like many small towns, Jena has its share of rumors and gossip. In fact, I’ve always thought it was very bad. When this case started to materialize, many rumors about the case were swirling around town. This case as a whole has so many instances and facets to it that rumors seemed to show up every day.

When I began my mission to defend my home town, I was confronted by several people (including this blog owner, Laura) who called on me to present proof of what I was saying. In this process, I began to understand that town gossip was not good enough for most people, as it shouldn’t be. I have pulled the eye witness statements and many related documents that Laura is now posting on this site. After carefully looking at all the incidents, I cannot say that I know everything; only God knows exactly what happened. But I feel I have a very firm understanding of both sides of the story.

As nearly everyone in Jena knows, the town has been unfairly characterized in the media. There are some racists in this community, like all communities in this area of the country. The town is mostly composed of good, hard-working citizens who judge based on the content of one’s character, not race. I myself felt Jena had a certain “backwoods” feel to it until this case surfaced. I have been forced to confront my own worries that I myself maybe racist, or that my town is racist. In my soul-searching, I have arrived with a new sense of pride for my hometown. People who most Americans would peg as racist rednecks have close friends who are black. Our town, along with the NATION, has made huge strides in the fight for equality. No, we are not there as a country yet, but we have made strides. To characterize Jena as a town stuck in the ‘60’s is very naïve to assume.

These eye witness statements are what were reported to the police. They were written down by people who actually witnessed several events that took place in Jena, mainly the Justin Barker beating. Once you read these statements, you will realize that the media has left things out (perhaps intentionally) to keep their story themed appropriately. I know specifically that CNN reporters have been in the courthouse several times and have read the eye witness statements, yet they fail to mention many key points mentioned in these eye witness statements. This is why I feel they are important to release. These statements were edited to exclude phone numbers, addresses, and names of individuals not mentioned yet. This is what I derived from reading these statements:

The Justin Barker Beating

1. According to multiple eye witnesses, the Jena 6 (and a few others) had threatened several other students before they targeted Barker.
2. Many eye witnesses allude to a list created by the Jena 6 of male white students they had planned on beating up.
3. According to multiple statements, one of the Jena 6 told another white student “You’re next!” after they beat Barker.
4. According to multiple statements, another black student who is not a Jena 6, walked over Barker’s head and, some say, stepped on it.
5. Only one eye witness statement points to Bryant Purvis (a Jena 6) as a perpetrator. Three students say he was with them when the fight broke out. One student says he was not near the fight. Based on the eye witness statements alone, it appears that Bryant Purvis was not an attacker. I’m unsure if other evidence exists of his possible guilt.
6. Mychal Bell is the only one who fills out a statement saying Justin Barker said the “n” word. Personally, I feel Bell’s honesty is in question. As you can see, he places himself at the scene within arm’s reach of Barker and claims he is trying to help him. He claims he sees several black guys kicking Barker repeatedly, yet reveals no names of the attackers. Also, if you’ll notice, an unidentified female black student was apparently very close to the events that happened that day. She says that Barker flipped Mychal Bell the middle finger, but she doesn’t mention anything about him saying a racial slur. As another black student, wouldn’t you think she would mention this in her detailed statement to the police if she heard Barker say the racial slur aimed at people of her own race?
7. Carwin Jones wrote in his statement “I didn’t hit him.”, yet 6 people directly state that he was kicking Justin Barker and was part of the attack. Several others report he was over or around Barker’s body at the time the crime was committed.
8. Eleven eye witness statements state that Robert Bailey either kicked or punched Justin Barker.
9. Multiple students implicate Bell as the initial attacker, “sucker” punching Barker in the back of the head after he walked past Bell. A coach who witnessed part of the fight from a distance claims he saw another black student (not one of the Jena 6) throw the initial sucker punch.

Justin Barker’s Medical Report

1. As you can see, his injuries may not have been life threatening or lifelong (as far as we know), but it is clear that he was injured rather severely. When he attended the ring ceremony that evening, he was helped up the stairs, took his ring, and went home. There was no partying. There are rumors that he is expecting to undergo surgery for one of his ears. There is another rumor saying his parents are filing a lawsuit against the hospital for the quick discharge. I have no verifiable proof of either, though.

The Gotta Go Incident

1. Though the statements filled out by Robert Bailey and Theo Shaw aren’t identical, they seem similar. Their story is what has been largely reported by the media and racial activists.
2. As you can see, two other eye witnesses clearly had a different perspective about the events that evening. Two say that Bailey, Shaw, and the other student were the aggressors and the white student pulled the gun to defend himself. I personally lean towards their side of the story. Bailey & Shaw’s story say the shotgun owner pulled up to the store and brandished his weapon. For someone to brandish their weapon, it wouldn’t be very intelligent to brandish it while the target is feet away from him. Bailey & Shaw would have HAD to be within reaching distance of the weapon to wrestle it away from the gun owner. So I feel that, since the gun owner and female witness say they were attacking him in close proximity, it is most likely what happened. My opinion is based on logic, not fact.

The Fair Barn Incident

1. According to the records at the courthouse, the only eye witness statement available for this incident is Robert Bailey’s. My theory is that, since the instigator of the fight plead guilty to assault, that statements were not given by the other parties because they were not necessary. I’m not familiar enough with police procedure to assume this, though. So Robert Bailey’s version of the story is the only one that is represented in these statements. Keep in mind that there are normally two sides to every story.
2. If you’ll notice, claims that Bailey was “beaten” just like Justin Barker seem farfetched. Bailey himself contends that he was attacked by one white adult, then another jumped in and the fight was broken up. Then several white guys jumped he and two of his friends. The label I would attach to this scenario is a “brawl”, not a “beating”.
3. It has been widely circulated by the media, including repeatedly by CNN, that Robert Bailey had a beer bottle cracked over his head during the Fair Barn incident, but notice that he mentions nothing about this in his eye witness statement. It appears very suspicious to me that he left such a crucial detail out of his statement. He was also never admitted to the hospital that night.

If you are looking for the truth about what happened in the Justin Barker beating, look no further than the eye witness statements (shown here) and the court transcripts. It is evident that some Jena 6 supporters are so keen on furthering their cause, they attempt to discredit anything that they disagree with. I agree there are valid racism issues in this country. I believe that punishment for crimes should always be equal. If these students are punished more severely for the color of their skin, an investigation should be conducted and corrective action will be necessary for the culprits responsible. To tell the world that the Jena 6 should be set free and all charges be dropped will not solve the problem, but only foment an ideology that violence in our school system is okay.

If you wish to fight for racial equality, take up the fight. I feel it is a valid issue worth addressing. But another serious issue looms in the wake of these events: Will we let this kind of violence go unpunished in our school system?

For nearly three months, this blog has been nearly all Jena 6, all the time. Not because I really wanted it to be – although it’s traffic bait, it’s not really worthwhile for a lot of reasons – but because from the first time I heard of this story, I was outraged at the injustice that was being reported. I finally have what I’ve wanted all along – the documentation from the case. What it primarily proves will not surprise anyone – that the media sucks. If for no other reason than that they’ve had access to this information for some time. Beyond that, there’s something for everyone – the people who are truly entrenched will cherry pick to “prove” their positions. The people who are reasonable may well change their minds – and I’m talking about people on both sides of this story. As for me, my opinion has been changed in some areas, and affirmed in others.

I’m going to go through, and close comments on all other Jena 6 posts, and direct readers to a new post – when it’s finished – with the links to the documents. I’m also sharing these documents with Joe Carter at Evangelical Outpost. Joe has his own opinion of this story, and I don’t know how or whether the new information will change that. I do think that Joe is in a much better position than I am to get this new information out, so that people can form their own opinions.

How did I get these documents? A source in Jena who wishes to remain anonymous provided them. I’ve verified that this person is legit, and although we are not in total agreement, I believe my source has more than earned the right to speak – not just in comments, but in a blog post. So when the documents are posted, I’ll be posting what my source has written, verbatim. I’ll keep it on top for a while, then post my own thoughts on the matter. Right now we are going through and editing the originals to protect the privacy of minors who have not already had their names publicized. (We’ve actually been working on that since last week.)

So sit tight a bit longer, and you’ll finally get to see – among other things – what the people who witnessed the Justin Barker beating actually said about it, what the police reports say about the Gotta Go and Fair Barn incidents, and exactly what Justin Barker’s injuries were.  A lot of people are going to be very surprised.

Just on CNN – Mychal Bell’s bail was denied.

The big “Jena 6″ protest is over, Sharpton and Jackson got their glory, at the expense of people who did the work, including Mychal Bell’s lawyers. The media played it like a faith-based event, even using the word “pilgrimage” repeatedly. Mid-day, the news reported that Mychal Bell will have another bond-hearing. That had absolutely nothing to do with the protest, Al Sharpton, or Jesse Jackson. It was just fortuitous timing. Nobody paid attention to the dog that didn’t bark:

It had many of the signs of the early civil rights protests — militant slogans, upraised clenched fists and multitudes of police — but none of the hate and fear-drenched campaigns in Selma, Little Rock and Montgomery.

Could that possibly be, because in spite of the fact that there is still injustice, it’s no longer public policy and that takes the heat and the urgency out of it? Why yes, it could. A lot of change has taken place in the last 40 years. Not enough, as evidenced by the morons who put nooses on the back of their pickup truck and drove around the protesters trying to start trouble.

police in nearby Alexandria said they arrested two whites after officers noticed a pair of nooses dangling from the rear of the driver’s pickup truck.

The driver, identified as 18-year-old Jeremiah Munsen of Colfax, was charged with inciting a riot, driving while intoxicated and contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, authorities said. A city attorney will decide whether charges against the 16-year-old passenger from Dry Prong are warranted, said Alexandria Police Sgt. Clifford Gatlin.

“I wish we had a charge in Louisiana for aggravated ignorance, because this is a classic case,” Gatlin said.

Lot of that going around… but less than there used to be, and I’m hopeful for the future. In this case, CNN reports that Munsen was arrested for inciting a riot.

I originally started blogging about the Jena 6 because I was outraged at the 2nd degree attempted murder charges. I thought then they should receive “at most” time served, although my opinion has changed since then. I think it’s wrong – and I think it was deliberate – they were kept in adult court, even after the charges were lowered. I’ve posted my concerns about the jury – not that it was composed of white people, but at their possible connections to the prosecution. I was unimpressed with Justin Barker’s testimony, and his injuries. I spent time studying other cases that were relevant. I’ve been infuriated by DOJ attorney Donald Washington (who lied again on CNN last night) and frustrated by those who invoke the Gospel of Washington. In short, I’ve spent far too much time on this case. And I’ll be spending even more, because I’m now in possession of documents and details that the media has chosen not to cover; more on that on Monday.

Over time my opinion of what punishment is appropriate for the Jena 6 has changed, and I’ve gone from “at most” time served in that original post to just wanting to see fair trials in the juvenile system and letting the chips fall where they may. But there are no easy answers in this case, and those who make a poster boy of Mychal Bell as the symbol of racial injustice should find another symbol. To put him on a pedestal is yet another type of aggravated ignorance. The point isn’t the person, the point is whether the original charges were appropriate and fair. Although I have a great deal of sympathy for Alan Bean, I think he’s dangerously naive to call the Jena 6 “fine young men.”

Part of the reason I’ve taken all this so personally is my own family’s racial history. And to follow up on that post, although we were able to get L into an experimental cancer treatment program at Duke University last spring, the treatment didn’t work for her and she died on Tuesday. I haven’t been able to write about it before now. I can barely think about it. Please keep her family – her blood relatives and my family, her adopted family – in your prayers.