Plea agreement reached in Jena Six case
5 youths agree to no contest plea to misdemeanors and no jail time
Montgomery, Ala. – Five black youths accused of beating a white high school student in Jena, La., amid racial tension sparked by nooses hung on the high school campus, have pleaded no contest to misdemeanor simple battery charges as part of an agreement to resolve a case that sparked a massive civil rights protest on their behalf, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which represented one of the students. The youths – initially charged with attempted murder for the high school fight – entered their pleas today in the 28th Judicial District Court in The youths will face no jail time under the plea agreement but will be on unsupervised probation for seven days. They will each pay a $500 fine and court costs. A confidential agreement has been reached to pay restitution to the victim, Justin Barker, through the settlement of a civil suit filed on his behalf. The SPLC represented Beard and coordinated the overall defense strategy for the youths in a case that generated national attention and raised questions of racial prejudice in the justice system. “We have contended from the beginning that these young men were improperly charged,” said David Utter, the SPLC attorney representing Beard. “We’re grateful that this case has been resolved, however. This agreement brings resolution to our client, to Justin Barker and the town of The youths presented a statement in court that did not acknowledge guilt or involvement in the beating of Barker but did acknowledge that District Attorney Reed Walters could present evidence against them, and that a conviction was possible should evidence contrary to the prosecutor’s account not be believed. They, therefore, chose to plead no contest. “We recognize that the events of the past two and a half years have also caused Justin and his parents tremendous pain and suffering, much of which has gone unrecognized,” according to the prepared statement. “We hope our actions today help to resolve this matter for Justin, Mr. and Mrs. Barker, and all others affected, including the Town of The plea agreement came after a long bout of litigation by the attorneys to ensure the youths received fair and just treatment. During the case, the attorneys successfully removed Judge J.P. Mauffray Jr. from the case after he referred to the teens as “a violent bunch” and “trouble makers.” Mauffray has since retired. The case stems from an alleged attack on Barker by six black students at Shortly after the attack, sheriff’s deputies arrested the six black students and charged them with aggravated second-degree battery. Even though Barker was well enough to attend a school function hours later, Walters increased the charges to attempted second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit attempted second-degree murder. One of the young men – Mychal Bell – was transferred to adult court. Outrage over the harsh original charges against the youths, who became known as the Jena Six, resulted in a September 2007 protest where more than 20,000 people from around the country gathered in the streets of In addition to galvanizing demonstrators, grassroots civil rights organizations such as Color Of Change raised money for the youths’ defense, which led to an adequate defense of the charges. “This case was always more than just Jena – the disparity in the treatment of African-American youth in the South and our nation’s criminal and juvenile justice systems, and the importance of a level playing field in our judicial system” Utter said. ### The Southern
