Jena: The Power of the People

By Jamilah Hoffman, 9/23/07

Some would say that the people have no power, that we”re hopelessly screwed.  They would say that to act out is an exercise in futility because we can’t change things so why even bother.  I would say that those people, who continue to espouse such views, that they must have living under a rock on Thursday, September 20th, when tens of thousands of people marched on Jena, Louisiana in support of the Jena Six.

For more background on the Jena 6, read “The Story of the Jena 6” by Alice Woodward, Revolution #102

In a matter of weeks, busses and caravans were organized from all over the country and people, primarily students from HBCUs, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, demonstrated in ways not seen since the heyday of the civil rights movement.

What happened in Jena showed us that it is possible for the sentiment of the people, mass dissatisfaction, to be manifest in very visible ways.  And for that action to be felt and heard around the country, if not the world.

On September 20th, Mychal Bell was to be sentenced.  However, the week before his sentencing, his adult charges were dropped and a higher court ruled that Bell should have been tried as a juvenile.  While some would have like to seen the steam let out of the “Free the Jena 6” movement, students and other concerned people decided to come to Jena anyway and let their voices be heard.

 

What You Didn“t See on TV

Walking off the bus, I was surrounded by so many people, it was crazy.  I felt such a unity with all these people that I have never met and was so thrilled to be a part of something that was truly important.  As I”ve written before, if Dr. King was right and an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, then all focus should”ve be on Jena. 

To be honest, I have no idea what any speaker said.  I couldn’t hear them, but I did manage to walk around and talk with people, take pictures and absorb everything I could.  I mean, there were so many people, I missed whole groupings and marches.

At the end of the day, we had to wait for our bus and it came to a point when we realized that we were waiting a long time.  Hours later, we were told that our buses were waiting to be escorted in by the police. Um, ok?  It seems that  the police decided that our buses would be better situated outside of town, and away from the protest.

We also found out that the various checkpoints set up along the way did more than just harass protestors coming in to Jean. People actually had their licenses taken and their cars towed only to be dropped off by tow-truck drivers at a gas station in an even smaller town than Jena.  They couldn’t leave Louisiana until the impound lot opened the next day, on Friday.

Playing With People‘s Lives

I don’t think most people are aware that the people raised enough money to bail Mychal Bell out of jail on Thursday, but the bail amount was then subsequently raised. And because it is now a juvenile case, a gag order has been placed so no one can talk about what”s going on.  I don’t think it has been made clear by the media that a sixteen year old boy was sent to an adult correctional facility and has been there for 10 months now.  He is shackled.  He has missed school.  He is living his life behind bars for responding to the racism that still permeates in this society.  He stood up for himself, for others, and the state is wanting to lock him up and throw away the key.

The people are outraged.  And rightfully so. The issue now is what are we going to do about it.  I know there have been a week of actions called for around the country and we all should express solidarity with the Jena 6. We should also recognize that there is power when people stand up, and stand together.  We should also recognize that they will come after us when we do.  As the Call says: The point is this: history is full of examples where people who had right on their side fought against tremendous odds and were victorious. And it is also full of examples of people passively hoping to wait it out, only to get swallowed up by a horror beyond what they ever imagined.

If we had ignored this case, if we had said that this is what always happens to Black people and it’s never going to change, Mychal Bell would have been sentenced already with the original charges.  All the legal maneuvering that has occurred has been because of the power of the people.  The fact that presidential hopefuls and Bush himself have made comments shows us that when people manifest their collective power, we will be heard.

I am not saying that the fight is over.  It isn’t.  I’m just saying that we must not back down.  Whether it’s the case of the Jena 6, or in driving out the Bush regime, the struggle must continue.  I believe that the line in the World Can’t Wait Call is true, That which you will not resist and mobilize to stop, you will learn – or be forced – to accept. I won’t accept nooses being hung in a tree as a prank.  And I won’t accept the unfair treatment under the law that the Jena 6 are facing.  That is why it was so important for tens of thousands to protest in Jena and for continued resistance. All Power to the People!