UC Berkeley: Hundreds Rally in Support of "Jena Six"

Mychal Bell, 17, was convicted of battery, a ruling that was twice overturned, yet remains in jail despite a court decision last week saying he should never have been tried as an adult.

The fight stemmed from a September 2006 incident in which nooses were found hanging from a tree where some black students had sat the day before.

The rally began by outlining the Jena Six story and involved an array of UC Berkeley student groups, students and community members speaking against what they called injustices in the Jena Six case and racism in the country.

Many pointed to low numbers of black, American Indian and other minorities as evidence of racism manifested in a lack of diversity on campus.

“We need to investigate what our societies look like. I go to class and can’t even find one black person,” said Senior Snehal Shingavi, a member of the International Socialist Organization.

City Councilmember Kriss Worthington spoke to the crowd, pointing to what he called the systematic exclusion of minorities in major establishments.