David Bowie donates $10,000 to Jena 6 defense fund

Although the story of the Jena Six started over a year ago, it has only recently come to achieve national attention. Now, rock icon David Bowie has contributed $10,000 to a legal defense fund set up to help the Jena Six receive fair trials.

In August 2006, a black high school student asked for permission to sit under a tree (known as the "white tree") in downtown Jena, Louisiana. The next day, three nooses appeared on the tree, and the subsequent racial tension among Jena High School students escalated. Last November, six black Jena High students were charged with second-degree attempted murder of a white student who was beaten up at school. Only one of the Six has gone to trial: Mychal Bell was found guilty by an all-white jury, but the conviction was overturned last week because a state appeals court found that he should not have been tried as an adult.

Bell is still in jail and cannot meet the $90,000 bond, but hopefully, Bowie’s donation (and the others coming in from additional people) will shed more light on this case and will ensure a fair and rapid resolution.

Related links:
Donate at ColorOfChange.org
New York Times article on the Jena Six
Detailed interview about Jena Six case

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.