Press Conference with Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee; Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
Press Conference with Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee; Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX);Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI); Melissa Bell and Marcus Jones, Parents of Mychal Bell; the Reverend Martin Luther King III; The Reverend Al Sharpton
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REP. CONYERS: Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your courtesy of waiting for us.
We've had a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus, with the leaders of the Jena 6 -- of the Jena movement. We've had a number of people that have been working in this, and we have the parents here.
We've been trying to put together an understanding of how we can present this to the American people to show that these kinds of indignities and injustices will not be tolerated, and we -- will be dealt with most effectively.
Our concerns are moving all parts of this country out of the circumstances of segregation, discrimination and injustice in our legal system, which has been obviously the focus of the problems that remain.
Our first responsibility is to get young Mychal Bell out of prison, and this will be explained shortly. And then we want to work on how we move the Department of Justice, the criminal justice system and people all over this country that want something to happen that will at least atone for the miscarriages of justice that have occurred in Jena, Louisiana.
I'm proud to present to you for brief remarks Reverend Al Sharpton, Reverend Martin Luther King III, and other members of Congress who have been with me.
Dr. Sharpton.
REV. SHARPTON: First, let me say that it is a strange and frightening irony that as we celebrate 50 years after Little Rock, that we are still dealing with the question of injustice in this country when it comes to matters of race. The good news is that because of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Fannie Lou Hamer and others, that people of color are in positions of power in the Congress, so that when we come for federal intervention in the South this time, we can come to people that understand what that intervention means.
Make no mistake about it. Mychal Bell is being held as a prisoner, in my judgment, of those reactionary forces that still use the criminal justice system based on the color of one's skin rather than the merit of the law. He is being held today even though his conviction is overturned. He's been given no bond or bail on a juvenile charge. It appears, on the surface, illegal to hold someone under those circumstances.
We've asked Mr. Conyers, as chair of the Judiciary Committee, and Ms. Kilpatrick, as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, to look into how the federal government can intervene immediately on that. Tomorrow at 4:00, Martin Luther King III, Dr. William Franklyn Richardson, who chairs our National Action Network, and I will meet with the governor of Louisiana on that same issue. Because nothing short of his immediate release is even worthy of further discussion.
Secondly we've asked the Judiciary Committee to formally hold hearings to look into this disparity of charging and incarcerating people based on color. We are very happy that members of the Congress, particularly Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Congressman William Jefferson, joined us in the march last week in Jena. We are particularly happy that other members of Congress has given their legal expertise. We're joined by the chair of the Black Legislative Caucus of Louisiana, Representative Juan LaFonta.
And we think it is important that people understand: Last Thursday was the beginning of a protracted movement toward democratizing the criminal justice system in this country. It was not a one-day event. We hope people continue to come to Jena until Mychal Bell is released and until this system is altered.
Every candidate running for president ought to visit Jena to show their respect for the fairness of a criminal justice process. I remember when I was 4 or 5 years old, John Kennedy called Martin's mother because his father was in jail illegally, and many decided their vote based on a phone call. We call on the candidates, go to Jena. Because if you can't understand Jena, you can't understand us, because Jena is everywhere in this country. We're in jail and charged based on who we are, not what we've done. And that's why we bring this to the halls of Congress today.
Before hearing from members of Congress and the parents, I'd like Martin Luther King III, who joined me in calling last Thursday's march and joined me in Jena several months ago, to have some remarks.
Thank you.
MR. KING: Thank you, Reverend Sharpton and Chairman Conyers and each and every member of Congress.
My father often said injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. And that is why we and many others have chosen to -- chose to go to Jena, but also have chosen to stay on this issue until justice is done. Justice and also reconciliation, because after this process of justice -- and that means justice for all sides -- there must be reconciliation to bring that community back together. This is not about tearing up a community. It's about certainly ensuring justice occurs, and also encouraging reconciliation.
It would be wonderful if in America in 2007, that there was some mandate that said that we would have the ability to embrace sensitivity, diversity and human relations training. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. And as a result, oftentimes justice is not truly available for people of color. And so we will continue to come, we will continue to go to Jena, certainly until Mychal Bell is free. But we also will be monitoring the cases of the other young men, for justice overall for the entire community.
And when justice occurs, then we will move on to the other Jenas that exist around America, because, as Reverend Sharpton has stated, as Chairperson Conyers has stated, we know that Jenas exist all over America.
But we plan to do all that we can to make America become a better America. America, in my judgment, is not the America that we should be. We can and we must do better.
Thank you.
REP. CONYERS: Thank you.
Mychal Bell's parents, who have suffered unbelievably in the course of this experience, are here with us. We were pleased that they could join us and I'd like to present them to you right now.
REV. SHARPTON: This is Melissa Bell, the mother.
MS. BELL: Hi. I would like to say, as I called for Reverend Sharpton to come to Jena to assist me and Marcus with helping get our son out, I would like to do also to call on all of the others to come and assist us in getting Mychal free and to help us get him free. And I would appreciate it, and I appreciate Reverend Sharpton coming, and I will appreciate all of y'all coming, and I appreciate all these people standing behind me, supporting me, and I call on all of you to come to Jena and help us out.
Thank you.
REV. SHARPTON: Marcus Jones, the father.
MR. JONES: First of all, I want to thank you all. First of all, I want to thank the (Congress ?) for meeting with us today. As everybody all is aware, that my son Mychal Bell is being held illegally in jail right now. And I want to thank everybody, all the members of the -- (inaudible word) -- for taking time out of their schedule to listen and for to meet with me and Melissa today. Thank you.
REP. CONYERS: I'd like now to present Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, chairperson of the Congressional Black Caucus.
REP. KILPATRICK: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We 43 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, from 21 states, representing over 40 million Americans, stand with Chairman Conyers and thank Reverend Sharpton and Martin III for leading a movement.
We want justice. We want Mychal Bell released today. He's been held unconstitutionally. Appeals court has ruled and thrown the adult charges out, which never should have been brought forth. We want Mychal Bell released today.
We further want Governor Blanco, who is not seeking reelection, to pardon Mychal Bell today. There's no reason why this young man is in prison. He's been incarcerated for 10 months on a charge he never should have been charged with, and we as members of this caucus and this Congress stand for justice and equality for everyone. Every day we wake up in this chamber and say the Pledge of Allegiance, and it ends with "and liberty and justice for all."
We intend to work with the system, to work with Chairman Conyers. We want Mychal Bell released today. Atrocity has been done to this young man. Good student, good athlete in a town that, unfortunately, has a different agenda.
So I stand here as the chair of the caucus asking again Governor Blanco, pardon Mychal Bell today. And to the judiciary system in Jena, Lousiana -- one judge, one prosecutor -- shame on you.
REP. CONYERS: We have tried to take and entertain a few questions before we end.
Q Thank you very much. A lot of people are saying -- we keep getting this in the black press -- that although we welcome the fact that Congress is stepping up and everybody's putting a lot of attention on the Jena 6, but they're saying that Mychal Bell is one in a million. So what, exactly, are you going to do for the thousands of other black people that are claiming that they've been -- the same discrimination has been given to them? What are you going to do now for them, rather then -- (inaudible) -- one particular party when they're suffering the same way?
REP. CONYERS: Well, you know, justice for all begins with justice for one, and that's what we're trying to use this tragic occurrence as a way to examine any of the other Jenas that exist in America. We're not going to deal with all the cases right now, but we can start with one, and we can begin to reexamine the miscarriages of justice and the errors that have been made and the misunderstandings that have grown out of this case to teach the rest of the country -- the judges, the lawyers, the juries, the prosecutors -- that we are going to move forward in this country with this great struggle for justice. It's 300 years old now. We're not going to settle it in one case, but this case symbolizes what so many other problems exist in our justice system.
Q Chairman Conyers?
Q Ms. Bell, can you tell us about your son? Obviously, he knows about the marches, obviously your efforts here today.
Could you tell us his reaction to this? What is he saying to you? How does he -- what does he think about all of this?
MS. BELL: Well --
Q Could you to the mike, please?
MS. BELL: Yes, I tell Mychal about everything, and he knows about everything that's going on. And he appreciates everybody that's coming out to support him. And he knows about it, and he appreciate(s) it, and so do I, and so do his father and the rest of our family.
Q What is saying to you about this?
MS. BELL: He's kind of excited about -- you know, he's just ready to get out. That's mostly what it's all about -- him getting free. And until he's free again, that's all he's concentrating on right now, is him getting free.
MR. : That's right.
Q Chairman Conyers --
REV. SHARPTON: Wait a minute. Can I say something to what he's saying, though? We also reported to the chairman that Mychal has, by some strange coincidence, been placed in isolation the day after the march and had some harassing statements made by some of the correction officers. And we've asked that the actual facilities be investigated and be warned that he is not to be harassed in jail.
He talked to his grandfather this morning, and we understand he is in isolation. This never happened until the march. So we asked that that be looked into.
Clearly, we are here to get him out. But the remaining hours he's in, he should not be subject to any harassment, and we reported that to the chairman this morning.
Q Do you all consider Mychal Bell to be a political prisoner at this point?
REP. CONYERS: Well, we haven't gone into definitions. We know he's a prisoner. We know it's an unjust imprisonment. We know that is wrong. And on behalf of all the Mychal Bells in the United States, we're going to try to do something to change it.
Q Chairman Conyers --
REP. CONYERS: That's why I am so proud to be the chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
Q Chairman Conyers, what did you ask that the Justice Department do? Are you asking them to step in here?
REP. CONYERS: We have -- we're in discussion with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in terms of what we're going to do with his immediate situation of incarceration. What we're going to be seeking from the Department of Justice will come out in the hearings that we will be holding in the Judiciary Committee, likely during the first week of October.
In the meantime, the Congressional Black Caucus annual event at the convention center is going to have a panel which will have many people on it that will be discussing that. In addition, we are putting together a panel of scholars and legal jurists and professors to examine the nature of this problem that has created a Jena in the first place.
Q Mr. Chairman, can you talk about -- (off mike) -- FBI, what you'll be asking them, anybody else you'll be calling to the hearing, and what you'll be asking them?
REP. CONYERS: This is as far as we are permitted to go at this point. I want to thank everybody for this opportunity and I will give Sheila Jackson Lee the last word.
REP. JACKSON LEE: I just want to emphasize what we said in the meeting. We already have -- we have great legal help, and the lawyer for the family is here. And we want to acknowledge that and thank them.
But the most important point is that Mychal Bell is in jail. And I want to answer the question, whether or not he is a political prisoner. What I will say to you is that he is a hostage held beyond judicial will. The court ruled that he should have been tried as a juvenile, and therefore it is the responsibility of the judicial system to respond to that ruling. And I believe the response is the release of Mychal Bell.
But the most important response is the safety and security of Mychal Bell while he is yet incarcerated, so that when he comes out, he comes out as best he can, as the Mychal Bell that his parents knew. We want Mychal Bell to be secure and safe, along with his other Jena Five, who are out. We want them and this matter to be resolved, and we want it now.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
REP. CONYERS: Thank you and thank you all.
(Cross talk.)
Q Reverend Sharpton, your reaction, please, to Bill O'Reilly's characterization of dining at Sylvia's?
REV. SHARPTON: I read Mr. O'Reilly's statement. I find it very surprising that one would be surprised about black -- it was surprising to me. Bill O'Reilly and I have gone to dinner once before in a soul food restaurant. I don't know the context of which it was said. He was talking to a black reporter, Juan Williams. And I would not understand, if he was saying it offensively, why Juan Williams didn't react, unless Juan Williams was saying that he takes offensive talk.
There was nothing he said to me at the dinner offensive. But for people to be surprised that blacks behave in a certain way plays into something that I think is not helpful. I am going to be doing Mr. O'Reilly's show to talk about Jena and I'm going to ask him what he meant. And I expect he will tell me frankly what he meant, and I will tell him frankly what I think about it at that time. Thank you.
Q Thank you.
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