Where did all the Jena 6 money go?
Booyah!
The Chicago Tribune’s Howard Witt penned an investigative piece published yesterday on the controversy surrounding the charitable funds raised for the Jena 6. I’m sure you’ll be shocked to learn that much of the money can’t be traced, while some of the defendants are literally rolling in race-hustling dough:
Just weeks after some 20,000 demonstrators protested what they decried as unequal justice aimed at six black teenagers in the Louisiana town of Jena, controversy is growing over the accounting and disbursing of at least $500,000 donated to pay for the teenagers’ legal defense.
Parents of the “Jena 6″ teens have refused to publicly account for how they are spending a large portion of the cash, estimated at up to $250,000, that resides in a bank account they control.
Michael Baisden, a nationally syndicated black radio host who is leading a major fundraising drive on behalf of the Jena 6, has declined to reveal how much he has collected. Attorneys for the first defendant to go to trial, Mychal Bell, say they have yet to receive any money from him.
Meanwhile, photos and videos are circulating across the Internet that raise questions about how the donated money is being spent. One photo shows Robert Bailey, one of the Jena 6 defendants, smiling and posing with $100 bills stuffed in his mouth. Another shows defendants Carwin Jones and Bryant Purvis modeling like rap stars at the Black Entertainment Television Hip-Hop music awards last month in Atlanta.
The teenagers’ parents have strongly denied that they have misused any of the donated money. Bailey’s mother, for example, insisted that the $100 bills shown in the photograph were cash her son had earned as a park maintenance worker.
But civil rights leaders who helped organize support for the youths say they are concerned about the perceptions that are spreading.
“There are definitely questions out there about the money,” said Alan Bean, director of a Texas-based group, Friends of Justice, who was the first civil rights activist to investigate the Jena 6 case. “I hate to even address this issue because it inevitably will raise questions as to all of the money that has been raised, and that is going to hurt the defendants.”
Watch this video montage of Bailey’s bling-bling photos from his MySpace page. Like I said, he’s literally rolling in dough on his bed:
This clip and others like it have been circulating on the Internet for more than a month.
Another group called “Color of Change” has disclosed on its website how it spent $212,000 raised for the Jena 6 defendants. But as Witt noted:
Exactly how much money has been collected for the Jena 6 defendants is impossible to know, because many donors did not go through Color of Change, the NAACP or other mainstream groups and instead contributed directly to the defendants’ families. Many Internet operators raised money by selling T-shirts or otherwise invoking the Jena 6 cause, but much of that money disappeared without a trace.
As I reported last week, shakedown leader Al Sharpton will be leading a Jena 6-inspired march around the Justice Department in Washington on Nov. 16.
The hustling continues…
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Maybe crime does pay after all…
bizaro world
Something about fools and their money does come to mind. Maybe next time they jump a white person, they should just kill him. Think how much money that would bring in! I’m unapologetically disgusted.
While I’m glad people are making sure that the money is being distributed properly, I think it’s only fair you include the last part of the article Ms. Malkin.
I am totally shocked I tell ya! shocked.
Oh by the way good news item for everyone who visit’s this site CBS News writer’s 500 of them will join their brethern on strike…….happy days are here again!!!
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/11/12/national/a151648S99.DTL
And the IRS is where?
I don’t see anything in your post that contributes any additional information that Michelle has not already stated. The funds are undisclosed as the post header says “Where did all the Jena 6 money go?” Inquiring minds want to know. Personally I don’t care what the parents of these hoodlums say, it needs to be controlled with transparency.
Louisiana….any other guesses
So the lawyers are doing OK. To say this a windfall for them is an understatement. A retainer of $2,500 is normal for charges such as these.
isn’t DarkKnight a Kos diarist, or that Darksyde?
They’ll all be bagging groceries in 3 or 4 years.
Come on, don’t hate the playa, hate the game Michelle. We ballaz, we just tryna represent, ya heard?
none dare say “hate crime”…
Anyone check William Jefferson’s freezer?
It should also be noted that David Bowie gave 10grand the party peeps.
gotta love it
Four years ago, I was held up at gunpoint by six black teenage men on bicycles in NJ. There were moments in the altercation when I was given the chance to take the main perp’s gun and break his windpipe, but I didn’t, and I walked away $33 lighter. The next day or so, shock set in and I couldn’t stop thinking: had I dropped that black teenager then and there, NJ would have made sure that my free life would be over.
Twentieth anniversary of Tawana Brawley,
Welcome to Al Sharpton’s America. That Pig in a Sweatsuit has come a long way, baby.
Oh, you didn’t know? It all went into a college fund for the poor kids who were victimized by the justice system.
What school are they going to? I’m guessin’ the same one Tookie went to.
David Bowie’s a flapdoodle. He deserves to lose his money.
As for Sharpton and Jackson, I hope that DC gets an ice storm on the 16th and the whole bunch of them slide all the way around DOJ. Heck, as slick as they are, they wouldn’t even need the ice storm.
Hey Brian…
Can you get a concealed weapon permit? I never go out without my 9mm Sig and I live in South Carolina.
I don’t know if any caught a news report on some students expelled for some rap cd they put together adorned with images that depicted them with guns (B B guns, but) and the gangsta image.
Anyways, the parents are all suing the school district for a million bucks each family.
I somewhat agreed that the district response was knee jerk and harsh – there is always a better way, like Saturday school and trash pick up or something like that – but suing for a million? Come on.
However, one, I’ll say, african american parent of one of the students NOT suing went on the record as praising the school as she was not aware of the CD and was grateful the school pursued it.
That is one brave and evidently exceptional parent I thought. Kids do stupid things, but man, what a parental role model this woman is.
First Katrina money now this. What a bunch of hustlers.
Who cares, are these guys public officials? Its their money, and they can do what they want with it. End of story. They don’t have to account to anyone, especially those who were beating the drum to keep them locked up.
BrianNY:
If you were somehow able to become Bruce Leeroy and whip all six of the teenagers by yourself, it would be an open and shut case of self defense. You would have been treated like a hero, and likely would have recieved some movie offers as an action hero. Your cynicism seems a tad forced.
If the Jena $ is being misappropriated, prosecute the responsible parties. If these photos were actually taken after the juvies were released from jail, and pretty disgusted by the lack of humility.
Hmmmm, I’m still trying to figure out where the Katrina money went, were talkin large coin, and the only thing I have noticed is the Mayor wearing 5-10 thousand dollar suits.
edit: sorry hungover.
received
I’m pretty disgusted by the lack of humility.
You asked a question, I will give an answer. I think that it is of VITAL importance that in the same breath that Michelle Malkin mention that $250K is unaccounted for, that she also mention THAT SAME ARTICLE which states that the money is under private control of a one of the parents (which she does state) AND (according to the article) those funds are currently being transferred out to an outside fund to be overseen by an outside trustee.
If all of that money is accounted for, than this becomes a non-issue… just a young man with some personal MySpace photos, I guess.
Now, if some of that money is not accounted for, this becomes a far bigger and more important story.
Anyone else having trouble getting into HOT AIR?
Tattle tale, tattle tale! AP and Bryan broke Hot Air HeHe LOL
LOL
They wanted to go out and party tonight?
Used to be we would call in and claim the flu. Now you just kill the electronics???
I tattled too
Who do you people think you are? Not a single one of you contributed money to this campaign, and yet you’re here being critical as if you did. This was money raised privately for a private purpose. It will be used privately. They don’t have to tell you anything. How hard is that to understand. Michelle didn’t contribute a dime, and God bless her, but her only motive on this story is to poke holes through it at every opportunity.
Isn’t this a job “no American worker wants?” It sounds like a great paying job. Where do I apply? For that kind of cash reward, and as an American, I’m willing to relocate out of California!
#19 rinitytim said:
Absolutely not. I live in an area of NJ where only drug dealers and federal agents are allowed to conceal. I do have relatives who live by Ft. Jackson in Columbia, and I do envy you Carolinians.
#23 Buck said:
I don’t get your point. I will say that there were too many variables to the event to type out here. Basically, I was given multiple chances to do harm to the lead kid with the gun. I stress that I live in an area where race hustlers play a major role in the outcome of black and white altercations. I know that if I had followed through in defending myself, my life would have been void of the fantasy and guarantees which you imagine in your reply. There’s a higher chance that my life would have been put on major hold.
Thanks for your concern
?
I’m not sure if the racist BS is coming from the KOS kids to make this site look bad, but the racist crap needs to stop.
The race hustlers can be held to account without the racist overtones.
Michelle, did I say somthing wrong? sorry if I did but I didn’t think it was to bad of a question, and I didn’t spell the bad word out completely
I think the site has a blocker on to catch obscene words
As doe hot air we lost Michelles site earlier today. Has something to do with the server
I just e-mailed you. I can tolerate a “damned” or an “asshat” here or there, but I have terms of use that I ask all registered commenters to comply with as closely as possible. Substituting an exclamation point for a letter is not going to work for me.
Any word on Hotair Michelle ?
I had problems posting the word F.A.R.C.
Which is the acronmyn for the Columbian Communist guerillas so go figure heh
Thank you, I got your e-mail and sorry for my comment.
BrianNY:
I don’t mean to make light of a terrible situation, but I feel the need to challenge your thoughts.
I guess I’m confused about the whole “life put on hold” “free life would be over” stuff. I’d like to just see some e.g. of an unarmed white person taking down an armed black criminal and receiving some type of negative response legal or otherwise. It just seems unjustly cynical on your part, to assume that “race hustlers” would have made you the “villain” in your scenario.
I didn’t see any race hustlers coming to the defense of the DC snipers, or the dude in Atlanta who shot his way out of a courtroom, and those are just 2 examples.
I’m sure your loved ones are glad you made it out of the situation okay, and your instincts proved to be correct, since you are alive. Hopefully the piece of trash thug got hit by a car on the way home.
It’s legitimate to follow the money, as the donations were solicited specifically for legal defense use. The moment the punks offered the appearance that givers had been scammed, the money trail became newsworthy.
We’ll see how it shakes out… meanwhile, the sharks are tearing the flesh off the bones.
Re: puhiawa #9
Puhiawa, I’d like the name of the attorney who would be willing to defend an attempted murder charge, or any other felony, for $2500.
Travis at 10:27 PM
Just some guy one the internet.
No, I paid nothing but attention. I’m being critical as if something stinks. Didn’t realize that free speech was pay-to-play. Thanks for the civics lesson, James Madison.
Yeah, private.
Are you thinking about what you write?
Oh. You didn’t realize. Then now you know, and its a good thing you enjoy being schooled, since clearly you have so much more to go. Now off to bed with you, young’n.
What I’m really thinking about is how a gorilla has access to a computer from inside a cage. I’ll be speaking with your keeper in the morning, koko.
I’ll give Travis this: he is right, about me not having contributed to these morons casuse. Let them BATHE in Jena$$ for all I care. As far as Im concerned, this was money given to them by clowns too stupid to realize they were being suckered. That $250K should hold them over until, like someone above said, they are bagging groceries in a couple years…
travis @12:15 AM
Welcome to America, sport. People here get to express themselves on all range of issues, whether they paid for the privelege or not. I was pretty sure that the James Madison allusion would go sailing over your pointy, little head.
Are you the publicist for the Jena 6?
I agree, fluffy. Me out here in the open, and you in your cage.
So travis, where did all the money go?
I have no idea. But why are you worried? What, are you concerned for the young mans future?
It appears that yet another group of scammers from Louisiana is hitting up gullible Americans by playing on their sympathies, then laughing all the way to the bank. The MSM is all too willing to play along.
The shameless gall irks me.
gah I completely forgot to post about this when I first heard it.
Firedoghate — tried to do some interference on behalf of ColorOfChange showing canceled checks.
As usual, Firedoglake only did the damage control.
Firehate is smart in crafting lies, but their lies always seem to blow up in their faces. Definition of insanity?
Anyone who gave a dime to these ripoff artists should have known better. If it’s something that Al Sharpton is involved with, then you know someone (not neccesarily the right one) is going to get taken.
“Where did all the Jena 6 money go?”
Hillary got it.
I think Travis has a good point on this one. This seems like a little bit of a reach.
Are we seriously criticizing what a bunch of teenagers(remember, they are teenagers) are doing with a bunch of money they probably don’t deserve?
People gave them the money. They simply gave it to them as people will tend to do. Personally, I think that most people don’t deserve the money given to them. But once it’s theirs, it’s theirs. They can do whatever the hell they want to do with it. If you gave them money and are upset with what they did with it, or expected them to do differently than what they did, than you might have a gripe. But if you gave them nothing and criticized them for the past couple of months, I really don’t see how you have a leg to stand on.
It’s a crazy world we live in when kids are getting criticized for their spending habits and televangelists are milking the congregation clean while driving around in Rolls Royce’s and private jets. You can find their videos on YouTube too.
They will not be “bagging groceries” in 3 or 4 years. Having already shown they do not feel they should be held responsible for anything, they may actually be in jail for something else by then. And the supporters will have already moved on to the next cause.
mpchops,
Uh, the point is that they got handed all this money for… what? For assaulting some white kid. That’s it. That’s their entire contribution to the world.
I’m really not sure what you mean by most people not deserving the money they get – are you saying most people are overpaid? What a great country if so. But whatever you mean by it – do most people get given money -as a direct result- of assaulting some kid in a 6-1 beatdown? You don’t think that merits any kind of criticism? Do you not think this might serve as a bad incentive, and that that incentive should be nipped in the bud as soon as possible, and this kind of protest is precisely what is needed to do that?
Qwinn
“Where has all the money gone,long time passing?
Where has all the money gone,long time ago?
Where has all the money gone?
Gone to crack pipes everyone
When will they ever learn?
When will they ever learn?”
More proud graduates of the MC Hammer School of Economics.
Travis, my point was saying that the remianing $250K that was not handed out by Color of Change, should be the hands of the Jena 6 families (which was the donor’s intent I would tend to believe). As I said in my post, once that money is accounted for, then it becomes their business. But if that money is NOT accounted for, it becomes a bigger story because that means that someone has money that shouldn’t have it. I am reminded of major incidents in which fake charities have been set up, only to see the creators of that charities take the money and run.
As I said, kudos to Color of Change for being open about what they did with the money.
‘Too much’ money in the hands of someone who has never dreamed of that much, is often lethal within a year or two.
‘Lottery’ winners often regret the changes that money brings to their lives.
I’d like to know which park pays that kind of cash to a student worker! These thugs can’t help but continue to be what they were before the publicity, and what they still are – thugs.
Louisiana … The Other LA
Typical. No shame.
Just like the billions of dollars sent to rebuild New Orleans it appears systematic of some of the citizens of Louisiana to lie, cheat, and steal from the good hearted people of this nation. This is why we only give to Military related charities anymore.
These little sociopaths have shown themselves for what they are and the race baiters standing behind them continue to do what they can to divide the citizens of this country. After all there are millions to be made off the back of the working class by those who like to stir the pot.
I’m sick to my stomach.
What about the white kid that was beaten up????
#59 and #67: Nail – Head.
From the hubster (different variation on “husband”)
“Amazing how anybody can try to defend this behavior…either the giving of the money to 6 pieces of human scum or their spending the loot on living a gangsta lifestyle rather than paying for their defense for which it was intended. Although, expressing surprise that they’re probably wasting the money is kind of like donating to John Edwards and being honestly shocked that the money was blown on his hairdresser.”
I hope the donators see that their funds were distributed in the wrong manor.
I hope these
kidsdopes squander their cash and comprimise their legal strength.I hope Al & Jessie realize what chumps they are.
For this latest light shed upon Louisiana corruption and race baiting, Keith Olbermann names Michelle Malkin his world’s worst person yet again in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
In the meantime, the kid makes and saves that many Franklins from working in park maintenance? Do they really believe that the public is dumber than they themselves are?
IRS
Now I know NEVER to give any of these groups money.
Minority apologetics, anyone?
Not all minorities think and act like this…
Hey everybody, I’m being discriminated against here just because I’m a young, hetrosexual, white, Southern Baptist Christian, gun-owning, male.
You can send your donations to me at….
Their new name…..
Jena six figures.
I have no problem with this. If people are stupid enough to “donate” money to their “legal defense”, then they deserve to see it go the the “victim”. Would you rather see it go to a 300 dollar a minute attorney?
These teenagers, as well as their parents are vile human beings.
O-tay Buckwheats(no offense),I dont recall much money going to the Duke boys defense fund.I believe it was paid by the parents.I dont remember a civil rights march for them either.
What? A gang of thugs go to all the trouble of kicking some kid unconscious and they’re only getting paid half a mill for doing it? How are they supposed to make ends meet?
That’s a keeper, AJ, heh.
Nope docflash you didn’t. That’s because in the eye of some people, black people can do no wrong. They are just a product of their environment. We need to understand them. We need to show them a better life. It’s the liberal way; throwing money at a problem. And that goes for both black and white liberals.
Apparently, jumping a white kid is a pretty lucrative business these days. Whodathunkit.
Thug culture perception becomes reality?
You know, MM, simply raising this question will brand you with the ‘R’ word.
Thug culture becomes reality.
30 pcs,
Reginal Denny was unavailable for comment.
What happened to those guys?
Who cares its not my money?
docflash said:
O-tay Buckwheats(no offense),I dont recall much money going to the Duke boys defense fund.I believe it was paid by the parents.I dont remember a civil rights march for them either.
No one stopped anyone from donating money to the Duke guys r for marching for them. How much did you donate? Did you try to get a march together? I do not recall hearing about one…
That’s a good question as I have no idea. Annals of obscurity these things tend to fall…
Wow: The rewards for crime sure have changed since I was in high school!
Qwinn,
They didn’t get the money for assaulting a white kid. I wish everyone would stop saying this. It’s completely untrue and it confuses why they did get the money. They got the money because they were a very public face of the inequality of the justice system. They got the money because not only were they a very public face of the inequality of the justice system, but because there were those out there crying for their blood. The (verbal) attacks on them were so vicious, it made them out to be sympathetic. Obviously their actions toward the kid should not be glossed over, but the unequal results of those actions were overwhelming.
And Qwinn, do you really REALLY think that black youths are going to think to themselves: “Hey, if I beat up a white kid and get charged with attempted murder(with the murder “weapon” being my tennis shoes), I’ll be rich!” That is completely ridiculous. If that’s really the reason why you’re criticizing them, than I think you’re job is accomplished. It’s not going to happen.
Personally, I think you’re criticizing them because you don’t think they deserve it and you’d be angry with anything they did, since they did not get the punishment you most desired.
I said I feel that most people don’t deserve the money they get. I wasn’t talking about what some people get paid(although that’s probably true too). I was talking about the money people have donated to them because maybe they got trapped in a well(”baby Jessica” has over a million dollars). Basically, if you get on TV with a sob story, people will probably donate money. The problem is that it’s usually always money, and people won’t always use the money for productive means. Again, that’s their prerogative. It’s their money and they can do what they want with it. But I still don’t think they deserve it. I know this may sound cruel and heartless and people keep wanting to bring up New Orleans, but what about the WTC fund. Why exactly did those people deserve the money donated to them more than the hundreds of families that lose a father or mother each year in Philadelphia?
Ignorant is a better description.
Re-publishing #
1-800-GET-A-CLUE
mpChops, I know that your response to addressed to Qwinn but I couldn’t sit idly by while you spin this case into something it is not.
Would they have received the money if they hadn’t been sent to jail for assaulting a white kid?
Black people receiving payment for inequality of the justice system? That’s a new one.
mpChops said: “I know this may sound cruel and heartless and people keep wanting to bring up New Orleans, but what about the WTC fund.”
I don’t recall if MM covered it (she probably did), but Ann Coulter sure caught a rasher of shinola for calling attention to misuse of WTC funds I think…
Sorry I haven’t commented on this thread yet. I’ve been busy working at my park maintenance job. It may not seem like much, going on job title alone–but I make $5,349 per hour cleaning out the porta-potty and re-raking the baseball diamond. I also get overtime after working 16 hours each week.
30pcs,
Still not as profitable as shooting brown-skins, and Blackwater is striving to keep it that way.
But seriously, only in America can a group play the victim card and look so ridiculous. Yeah, we should watch out for the rash of gang beatings to come because of this. Everyone gets paid when a white person’s the victim! Just ask those guys sitting in prison. The ones that are 4 times more likely to be convicted when the victim is white than when the victim is black. Those guys.
Max,
I wasn’t necessarily talking about the use of such funds. Again, if you’re going to give it to them, the people should be able to use it for whatever they want. I’m not quite sure why it was given to them in the first place though. It’s almost like “Here’s some money to heal your pain”.
Yea. And a pretty embarrassing one when that white guy gets jumped while holding a shotgun. What a puss.