Tuesday, August 28, 2007

An Important Event That Needs YOUR Attention


I cannot make this trip, but I pray that you can:

On September 20th, Mychal Bell--the first of the Jena 6 to be convicted--is scheduled for sentencing. If the District Attorney has his way, Mychal will face 22 years in prison. It's a horrifying moment for Mychal, his parents, and the rest of the Jena 6 families. It's also a perfect time for those who can to come to Jena, in person, and stand with them. We know it's a serious time and financial commitment, but we wanted to give you the opportunity to join the hundreds of people who have already emailed us to say that they will come. If you can join us, please click on the link below to RSVP:

http://colorofchange.org/jena/rsvp.html

Our presence in Jena--in large numbers--will help focus media attention on the situation in Jena, escalate pressure on Louisiana public officials, and most importantly, show the families of the Jena 6, especially Mychal Bell and his parents, that we will stand with them in the face of this injustice.

On July 31st, with only a few days to prepare, 300 people from across the country rallied at the Jena Courthouse. We delivered a petition signed by 43,000 ColorOfChange.org members to the District Attorney demanding that he drop the charges against the Jena 6. It was a powerful day that made it clear that the Jena 6 and their families won't have to fight on their own. Since then, more than 100,000 people have taken action and contacted the Governor, media attention to the case has grown, and we have an even bigger opportunity to make a profound impact.

As we plan for this event, we want to get a sense of how many people can commit to coming to Jena. Below are some details about getting there, so you can figure out if you'll be able to join us.

Details

If you're flying to Louisiana, the closest airports to Jena are Alexandria (45 minute drive) and Monroe (my hometown...and EXPENSIVE AIRFARE--1.5 hour drive). You can also fly to Lafayette (2.25 hour drive), Shreveport (2.75 hour drive), Baton Rouge (3 hour drive), New Orleans (4.25 hour drive), or Houston (about a 5 hour drive). The closest hotels are in Pineville and Alexandria. As they fill up, we'd recommend staying at hotels near the airports above.

If travelling from out of town, you'll want to get to Louisiana the night before, as things will start early in the morning, probably by 8am or 9am. Organizers will meet you when you arrive at a central location in Jena and get you situated for the day. We will be providing maps, organizers' cell phone numbers, and other information closer to the day-of; you will be able to reach someone in case you have any problems, need directions, or have questions along the way.

RSVP

Once you're confident you can come, please rsvp at the following:

http://colorofchange.org/jena/rsvp.html

If you have questions, you can send them to jena@colorofchange.org.

If you can't come, don't worry. We'll be sending emails soon with more ways to take action between now and the 20th. Whatever your participation, we thank you for your ongoing commitment to justice for the Jena 6. It continues to be our privilege to be part of such a powerful community of support for these young men.

Thanks and Peace,

-- James Rucker
Executive Director, ColorOfChange.org
August 28th, 2007

7 comments:

Dave J. said...

Good to see you involved Ced!

Unknown said...

Thanks, man! How are you?

CapCity said...

I been kinda quiet 'bout the whole Jena 6 thang cuz it makes my stomach ache & blood boil that this is one of MANY such incidents....i'm thankful that at least this ONE is getting some attention....*huge SIGH!!!!*



But on a lighter note - Rich is doin' FreeStyle Friday & I thought of U!

Anonymous said...

Thanks of the education brother. I'm going to take advantage of the links and expand my mind. Feelin' your other page too.

Unknown said...

Cappadappa, you know me...so you know that my blood boiled the moment I heard about this insanity back home. You're right to say that so many of these stories go unnoticed and often buried by mass media. Word of mouth always been a strong information source in the villages of our folk spread across the planet. My mission is to start dialogue, continue dialogue, or point a finger to the nearest villager who can tell us all something that we wouldn't learn through public media.

SG, I appreciate the love you spread from blog to blog--wise words, strengthening quotes from Scripture, and bare-knuckles responses to the ills you see around you. Thanks for your input, bruh!

Stay tuned: The City of Brotherly Love is my next setting...so read a newspaper, loved ones! Something funky's going down in Philly, jack...and I'm not talking about music!

Rich Fitzgerald said...

Thanks for keeping the heads in the know. I will definitely send up a prayer for true justice to be served.

Jacqueline said...

SO glad you posted this! God willing, I will be making that trip from the DC area! I'm believing this will be the beginning of something BIG!
Blessings