Journey to Jena – Part 2

The courthouse was the designated location for the main speakers for that morning.  Rev Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, Michael Baisden and others were to speak sometime that morning.  I hung around there for a minute, and then I heard a crowd chanting and walking away from the courthouse.  My impatience led me to follow that crowd.  We walked toward Jena High School chanting, “No Justice, No Peace”.  A brotha on the megaphone would say, “We’re gonna keep on coming,” and we’d keep chanting, “No Justice, No Peace”.  Since I had never been in a march before, it felt weird to chant.  I started saying the words softly to myself as I held my voice recorder in the air and made my way to the guy on the megaphone.  Once I got close to him and could hear him better, I started to chant loudly myself.  CNN and local TV station cameras were all around him.  We made our way to the Jena High School sign, which was located at a corner.  While turning the corner, everyone took a picture near the sign. 

 About a hundred yards from the sign, I noticed two things that drew similar reactions.  The first thing that I noticed was that on the left side of the street, there were about 5 police officers on horseback.  All I could think about was how we black folks have been abused by such police officers in the 1960s.  I just stared at them and pressed on.  The second thing that I noticed was that on the right side of the street, a local radio station had set up a booth.  I was upset at that station because instead of playing some uplifting music or speeches, they were playing booty-shaking music.  The DJ was asking people to represent as he shouted out the cities and states that they were from.  He yelled out, “New York”, and New Yorkers would shout, “Atlanta,” and Atlanta people would scream.  We were marching and chanting (cameras watching), then all of a sudden this loud music and irritating DJ drowned out that portion of the march.  I was sooo pissed off!  I thought they were turning this monumental event into a profit-seeking venture.  Not only that particular radio station, but there were many vendors taking advantage of the situation as well.  “Free The Jena 6” t-shirts were selling like crazy.  Even white people in Jena were selling Jena 6 t-shirts.  I must admit that I bought one from some black folks in Alexandria. Read more