JENA SIX Defendant Mychal Bell Attempts Suicide:

Posted to the left is a photo of myself and Sis. Sadiyah X visiting Jena Six defendant, Mychal Bell, the day after his release from jail in 2007. I remember us warning him that every move that he made in the future would be scrutinized, because many wanted to ultimately prove that he and the other 5 defendants were not worth fighting for. The objective seemed to be to prove that the 50,000-plus people who traveled to Jena to support the Jena six made a "blank trip." As God, and Sis. Sadiyah, are witnesses we warned him about the pressures that go along with being a public figure and a poster child for injustice in America. A lot has happened since then. At the advice of his attorneys, Bell accepted a horrible plea deal, was placed in foster care (even though he's 18), was denied an opportunity to continue his football career among other things. It is reported that he was caught shoplifting recently and became so distraught about the media coverage that he attempted to take his own life. This greatly disturbed myself and many others who know him personally and believe in his potential to succeed. Mychal Bell has indeed made some mistakes. When we all agreed to support him, and the other 5 defendants, we never said that they were perfect. I am not here to be his judge, because he is not much different from myself at his age. Please keep Mike and his family in your prayers. According to his mother, his condition is more complicated than the media is reporting. Mychal Bell is just the famous version of what young Black males go through with the criminal justice system in America.