Locals Raise Voices for "Jena 6"

A racially charged case against six black high school students from a small town in Louisiana struck a nerve 900 miles away in Chicago. Last weekend, about 50 people gathered downtown for a march and rally on behalf of the young men known as the "Jena Six."

In September 2006, several black students sat under a shade tree popular with white students at a Louisiana high school. The next day several nooses hung from the tree and, from there, a series of conflicts erupted in the 3,000-person town of Jena.

After allegedly beating up a white student who reportedly taunted them, six black students were arrested in December and charged with attempted murder. The white student suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from a hospital the same day.

Several black students are still in jail, unable to make bond. All six face possible sentences of 15 to 100 years. Civil rights leaders, including Jesse Jackson Sr. and Al Sharpton, have come to the defense of the young men, and the NAACP says the teens are facing "overly aggressive prosecution and extended incarceration."

"We are trying to take a stand for these kids," said Tanisha Wilkerson, who first heard about the case on Democracy Now and helped organize the Chicago rally. "Why the hell are they being charged for attempted murder?"

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