Operation LEAD : Movement News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 19, 2007 Mawuli Mel Davis, Esq. -or- Dr. Kwame Kalimara The Davis Bozeman Law Firm, P.C. NAPO mdavis@davisbozemanlaw.com dr_kalimara@ya hoo.com (404) 244-2004 (404) 552-2442 Georgians Stand in Solidarity with Activists Nationally Demanding Real Justice In Jena, Louisiana Atlanta, Georgia- Activists, organizers, students, and community members throughout Georgia are called to participate in a Public Demonstration and Press Conference in solidarity with the "Jena 6" at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, September 20, 2007, in front of Rush Memorial UCC Church at 150 James P. Brawley Drive located on the campus of Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. Speakers include Professor Kathleen Cleaver, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Senator Vincent Fort, Reverend Timothy McDonald, John Evans, and Reverend Derrick Rice. We are encouraging all participants to wear black to demonstrate solidarity with those demonstrating around the country. The ongoing legal battle of six African American teenagers against trumped up charges in Jena, Louisiana makes it even clearer that racism and its systemic aggression against Black Americans continues to grow in this country. In Georgia, over two thousand people rallied in Douglas County to demand justice for Genarlow Wilson. On September 20th, we will put tens of thousands more in the streets in Jena, to demand justice for Mychal Bell and the Jena 6. This time the demand for justice will resonate throughout the land. In addition to the over thirty organizations and churches that have endorsed this effort, students and community members throughout the state will join in solidarity with a national coalition for justice called for by Detroit City Councilman Kwame Kenyatta and activist radio personality, Bob Law. This national coalition not only stands in solidarity with the Jena 6 but also with The Katrina International Tribunal and the many others fighting for justice in Louisiana While the conviction of Mychal Bell, one of the six Black youngsters in Jena, has been thrown out by the Third District Court of Appeals, the struggle for justice is far from over. Our concern is that the racist double standard remains in tact allowing whites to commit acts of aggression against Blacks with impunity, while Black youngsters face unjust prosecutions and harsher prison sentences. We will stand in solidarity on September 20th, the day Mychal Bell was scheduled to be sentenced for a bogus second degree battery conviction, with not only the tens of thousands that will march in Jena, but with those gathering around the country including St Louis, Kansas City, New York, Detroit, Philadelphia, Newark, and more. We stand in solidarity with activists nationally calling on the mayor of each American city, as well as everyone with a national voice and influence, to publicly denounce the judicial farce taking place in Jena, Louisiana. We encourage city councils nationwide to follow the lead of Atlanta, Georgia, Cambridge, Maryland and Detroit, Michigan and pass resolutions in the interest of justice, calling for the dismissal of all charges against the Jena 6 and not just another trial in juvenile court. Additionally, we call on the corporations in Louisiana that are the recipients of millions of Black consumer dollars, to denounce the injustice and blatant racism in Jena, Louisiana, in New Orleans generally, and in the Ninth Ward in particular. Some communities have already begun to say, "No justice, No profit!" Across the country we say, "Enough is Enough!" We draw the line against racism and injustice here and now. We will continue to strengthen this coalition of organizations across the country, fighting to challenge racism, whenever and wherever it raises its ugly head. Supporting organizations include: First Afrikan Presbyterian Church, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM), The Avarita L. Hanson Chapter of the Black Law Students Association, New Afrikan People's Organization (NAPO), Let Us Make Man, The Davis Bozeman Law Firm, Sankofa Society of Georgia State University, International Action Center, Foreverfamily, AfriSalsa Cultural Organization, N'COBRA Youth Commission, Operation LEAD, African American Ministers in Action, Sankofa UCC Church, The Law Office of Chris Leopold, N'COBRA at CAU, AYA Educational Institute, African Community Centers, Minister Kenyatta Bush, Youth Pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church & Chair, Henry County Democratic Party, Youth Task Force, Campaign for Juvenile Justice, Grassroots Link, Armstrong & Associates, Law Offices of Robert Daniel, LLC, The Secret Firm, P.C., Georgia Alliance of African American Attorneys (GAAAA).