Victim in Jena 6 case sues over beating
JENA, La. — The family of the victim in the “Jena Six” case has sued the adults accused of beating him, the families of the juveniles allegedly involved and the board of the school where the attack occurred.
Justin Barker and his parents, David and Kelli, also accuse a seventh, uncharged student of being part of the group that attacked Justin on Dec. 4, 2006, as he walked out of Jena High School’s gym headed to another class.
The lawsuit was filed Nov. 29 in state district court. It alleges that the LaSalle Parish School Board is liable because school employees were not adequately supervising students and failed to maintain discipline.
The charges against the students accused of attacking Barker led to a civil-rights demonstration in Jena in September by activists who alleged local authorities were prosecuting blacks more harshly than whites.
Barker is white; those accused of attacking him are black. One of the defendants, 17-year-old Mychal Bell, pleaded guilty Monday to a second-degree battery in return for an 18-month sentence, with credit for 10 months he already has served.
Barker spent several hours in the emergency room after the attack but was discharged and attended a school event the night after the attack.
The suit names the attackers as the Jena Six students — Mychal Bell, Jesse Beard, Theo Shaw, Bryant Purvis, Carwin Jones and Robert Bailey Jr. — as well as a seventh student, Malcolm Shaw, who has not been charged.
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