On Dec. 29, 2008, Mychal Bell made an attempt to commit suicide. Bell is one of the six young men from the well-known Jena 6 case.
This trial involved six black high school football players from Jena, La. The young men were charged with the assault of a fellow white student.
Jena 6 gained the attention of the nation including, many civil rights activists. Although, the case faded away, these students remained in the public’s eye.
The media has a strange way of pushing people to their breaking point.
The media is utilized for many reasons, sometimes even for slandering an individual’s name. Sadly, this is exactly what happened to Bell. He was slandered and mentioned extensively in the media to a point where he felt like taking his own life.
Unfortunately, Bell let the media get the best of him. After the Jena 6 case, Bell appeared on award shows and he was also shown on YouTube flashing money in a video.
People began to make speculations that the money was given to Bell and others by supporters and the NAACP during the trial.
Some even believed they became famous for committing a crime, which did not make the young men look good.
The list goes on and on. Bell was recently convicted on a suspicion of shoplifting and simple battery. He is accused of stealing clothes worth over $300 from a department store in Louisiana.
Bell said the Jena 6 trial put so much pressure on him to be perfect, that he just couldn’t take it anymore, so he got a gun and tried to commit suicide.
If you are shoplifting which could possibly lead to going to jail, that is no reason to kill yourself.
It seems that Bell could be facing some psychological difficulties because of the Jena 6 trial.
Bell eventually confessed to the shoplifting. It’s clear that he was afraid of being in the public’s eye and being portrayed as the bad guy.
Fortunately, Bell has a chance to realize that no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes.
Taking your life over some clothes is not right.
Earlena Boswell for the Editorial Board.