'Jena 6'Draw Protesters Nationwide
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University of South Carolina Scholar Commons September 2007 9-21-2007 The aiD ly Gamecock, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2007 University of South Carolina, Office oftude S nt Media Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/gamecock_2007_sep Recommended Citation University of South Carolina, Office of Student Media, "The aiD ly Gamecock, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2007" (2007). September. 5. https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/gamecock_2007_sep/5 This Newspaper is brought to you by the 2007 at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in September by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Mix Local News.............A2 TODAY Saturday Opinion................ A4 What’s going on in the world of Puzzles..................A7 celebrity gossip? What to check out Comics...................A7 Horoscopes.............A7 See page B1 some new, “Hot” music? See page 6 Classifi ed...............A8 84 69 90 70 dailygamecock.com THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2007 VOL. 101, NO. 21 ● SINCE 1908 ‘Jena 6’ draw protesters nationwide shut down for the day, and Journey the school was closed. “The entire town shut down,” said Jena business toJena owner Sandra, 25. Sandra didn’t want her last name printed because her husband JENA, La. – Tens of works in law enforcement. thousands of protesters from “We didn’t know what to across the nation invaded the expect or what the protesters small Southern town of Jena, had in mind,” she said. La., Thursday, calling for the Surrounding the LaSalle release of teen Mychal Ball Parish Courthouse were from prison and for a judge chanting demonstrators to drop charges against fi ve who listened and leaned on other students. the words of speakers Rev. Demonstrations led Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse by NAACP leaders, Black Jackson, among others. Panthers and Jackson led the crowd in others took chants of support for the place across the “Jena Six” families. town, in the “Have respect for Mychal, LaSalle Parish his family and his lawyers,” Courthouse, Jackson said. Jena High The controversy in the School and on town started after a black BRAD street corners high school student one MAXWELL in between. day sat under a tree that Second-year Protesters normally only white students print came from as sat under. The next day, journalism far as Chicago, nooses hung from the tree, student Miami and Los Frank Franklin II / The Associated Press and intense racial tension Angeles, as well as USC. fi lled the town. Thousands of chanting demonstrators march up fi rst street Thursday, in Jena, La while more protesters fi lled the town. Ball and the other At the high school students, who are all black, Thursday, demonstrators “We have become passive would have been just as “I want to set an example protest groups at 60. face charges of attempted stood where the oak tree once and not done anything capable of doing this to a for my children,” Rahim Leann Murphy, CEO murder for beating up a grew and called for “justice” against the wrongs,” she said. white kid or Mexican kid.” said. of the Central Louisiana white student. for the students. They also “We need to stand up for the Rahim’s daughter is a Tresslyn Neff, 28, of Baton chapter of the American Red Sadiah Rahim, 44, a said African-Americans right.” second-year USC student. Rouge, La., got to Jena at Cross, said the state police U.S. postal worker from should claim their identity as Rahim said she didn’t Rahim’s daughter was proud 3 a.m. Thursday and had projected 10,000 to 60,000 Manning, said she came to Africans fi rst. think the teens’ sentence was her mother went to Jena but seen thousands of people by people to come to the town Jena to stand up for what’s Elizabeth Smith, 18, of a matter of racial tension. had a hard time talking about 9 a.m. with a population just under right and that it is more than Houston Anti-Racist Action, “It was blatantly wrong,” the issue with her friends, Neff said she stopped 3,000. a racial issue. she said. “I think (the judge) the mother said. counting busloads of arriving Most Jena businesses were JENA ● A2 Web site educates on alcohol MyStudentBody.com serves students’ health needs online Melanie Griffi n THE DAILY GAMECOCK Students can go through alcohol education courses online instead of meeting in person, thanks to the Web Sharon Steinmann / The Associated Press site MyStudentBody.com. A woman watches protesters from a shop in Jena, La. The site was created a few years ago, but USC started working with it this fall through the student life Jena residents dismayed department. “It’s to raise awareness of by negative news coverage the health and harm concerns associated with alcohol,” said Larrell Wilkinson, alcohol oak tree. director at USC. “We Brad Maxwell THE DAILY GAMECOCK She said it was an hope that all students, but isolated incident and especially undergraduates, that many of the events will see this as a resource and JENA, La. – Residents reported as related had take advantage of it.” of this tiny Louisiana nothing to do with each Students can access the town were overwhelmed other. program through the school Thursday by massive “From what I Alcohol and Drug Programs protests that caused most understand, the boy Web site: http://www.sa.sc. of the town’s 66 businesses wasn’t doing anything edu/adp, and register using a and its school to close, and wrong,” Sharp said. “And school e-mail address. most weren’t happy about the principal approached After users register, the site it. him thinking (Barker) was guides them through a self- Pam Sharp, 43, had Special to THE DAILY GAMECOCK dead. Where is Justin’s administered risk assessment a front-row seat to the justice?” and pre- and post-knowledge The Web site offers students free alcohol courses as well as drug, nutrition and stress. mayhem as she watched Sitting with her was a quizzes. Finishing the online from her front lawn. friend, 43-year-old Allie workshops earns a student She said the protesters to complete.” and in moderation.” cooler to them.” Sharp, whose daughter a printable certificate. The made a mess of the town For Brandon McCollum, “I think they should have My Student Body is one goes to the now-infamous program can be customized and not understanding a second-year business contained places where attempt of several designed school. for fi rst-year students, Greeks what actually happened or management student, students can drink and to help promote alcohol and “My daughter said the and athletes. Modules on the town’s dynamics. completing an online alcohol feel safe,” said 26-year-old drug prevention at USC. black boys that came to the drugs, nutrition and stress “They say we’re blind education program was first-year business student Others such as substance-free tree fi rst were laughing,” are also offered. because we grew up in a mandatory before he could be Liz Baker. “Nobody pays events such as those presented Allie Sharp said. She said “We wanted to provide a racist town,” Sharp said. initiated into his fraternity. attention to the reading by Carolina Productions and the nooses were painted very comprehensive package,” “That’s just not true.” “It was more of a because it’s something we’ve Carolina After Dark, are also in school colors and had Wilkinson said. “Since it’s Sharp said the victim requirement,” he said. “It all heard a thousand times held to educate students on nothing to do with hate. free, it’s available to any of the attack who spurred didn’t really change anything. before. Students are going proper alcohol use. Protesters have gotten student or anybody who has the protest, Justin Barker, I think the school’s policies to drink anyway, especially it wrong, said 26-year-old an Internet connection. The had nothing to do with are too strict and that alcohol underage kids because it’s Comments on this story? E-mail online seminars are very easy the nooses hung on the PROTEST ● A2 is safe if it’s used responsibly illegal and so that makes it [email protected] PAGE A2 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2007 GIVE PEACE A CHANCE Local fl ock keeps Sabbath through our programs Day Adventist Church.” Seventh-day Adventist church draws for drugs and alcohol and Being a minority, large congregation from Columbia area tobacco, to try and get off Dawson faces other that kind of stuff.” problems. The nutrition classes are “Jokingly, I do wish there important in the Seventh- were more SDA ladies here Earnhardt said many Katie Jones day Adventist faith because at USC,” Dawson said. STAFF WRITER people wrongly believe they focus on the body as Others have had a that they go to church on well as the mental and different experience, such Saturday to try and work Pastor John Earnhardt spiritual realms. as Robert Rolf, a fi rst-year their way into heaven. was raised Methodist by “We also take the chemistry student. “That’s not true at bootleggers with “beer in principles in the Bible “I am strong in my all. We go to church on his baby bottle,” but has where it talks about faith and have not had any Saturday because Jesus come a long way religiously unclean and clean foods,” trouble maintaining my said the seventh day was since then. Earnhardt said. “We do belief in God in college,” the Sabbath. We keep the During his childhood, he not eat pork or any food in Rolf said.