The ‘Jena Six’

Bell's father, Marcus Jones, said his son never tried to kill anyone and that the charges against him were ludicrous. More than anything, Jones wants Mychal to realize his dream of playing college football with one of the top schools that had been recruiting him. On the field, "he's like poetry in motion," Jones recalled last month in Jena, describing the last time he saw him play at Jena High. "I want his credibility back, his eligibility, like this never happened. That's the way it should be."

On the other side of the Jena color divide, the town's white leaders feel equally misrepresented. Billy Fowler, a white school board member, says most people in his hometown agree that the Jena Six were dealt with too harshly. But he bristles at the charges of racism. "They want to see our town as being the most racist town in the world. That's what's being painted of Jena. Obviously this is the Deep South. If we went back in time 50 years, maybe what they're saying would have been true. But today we have come a 1,000 miles from that." If the Jena Six supporters ultimately prevail, the town could go a lot further still.

© 2007