Jena Six move on, away from memories

JENA, Louisiana - One wants to be a lawyer; one, a soldier; another, a sports agent. Some don't care to talk about their future or that part of their past, five years ago, when they faced up to 40 years in prison in the beating of a white classmate, an episode that sparked the biggest civil rights demonstration the nation had seen in years.

The "Jena Six" are ready to move on.

So is the young man who was beaten.

So is the town of Jena.

"This is a nice little town, it's really like Mayberry," said mayor Murphy McMillin. "We were never portrayed accurately during all that. But now we're past it and focused on the future."

It was on Aug 30, 2006, that a black student asked if he could sit under a tree on campus or if it was for white students only. The next morning there were three nooses hanging in the tree.

The tension culminated on Dec 4, when Justin Barker was beaten. Six of his black classmates were arrested. Three days later, five of them were charged with attempted murder.

Reed Walters, the LaSalle Parish District Attorney since 1991, said he believes the incident drew the town closer together, including the march. Thousands of chanting demonstrators filled the streets that September day, led by figures such as the Reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. At the time, Jena was left to fend off accusations of racism in the justice system - no one was charged for hanging the nooses, and protesters derided the attempted murder charges as excessive. The charges were later reduced.

"The world had been told that Jena was such an evil place," Walters said. "I think during that march, people saw that was not true."

Members of the Jena Six are determined to move away - and learn - from their controversial pasts. They say they want to be something one day: a sports agent, a lawyer, or a military man. Those interviewed said they don't run into problems when they return to Jena to visit family.

"I've tried to wash those memories out of the back of my head," said Jessie Ray Beard, who was 14 when he was arrested in the beating. "I have other things to concentrate on."

Beard has since gone on to Hofstra University in New York, where he earned an academic scholarship, is pursuing legal studies and business and plays on the lacrosse team.

Robert Bailey Jr, who graduated from high school in Georgia, plays wide receiver at Grambling State University in Louisiana and is a member of the ROTC. After he graduates in 2013, he hopes to pursue a military career.

"Because of what happened, I grew up. I learned things too, like doing things the right way," Bailey said.

The victim, Justin Barker, is the only one who still lives in Jena. These days Baker, now 22, works on an oil rig in Texas and helps his father cut timber when he's home.

"I'm just trying to get on with my life," Barker said. "I have put all that behind me."

Associated Press