The Jena Six: The Families

Addressing Kelli, Dr. Phil asks, "How seriously hurt was your son?"

"Very seriously. It could have led to death, if one more kick," she replies.

"In your view, this was not just a schoolyard fight?"

"No, sir. He was knocked unconscious, and then repeatedly kicked in the head," she answers.

Dr. Phil turns to David. "Do you agree that his life hung in the balance?"

"Yes, I sure do."

Dr. Phil greets Justin, who has been advised by his attorney not to discuss the specifics of the case. "Are you doing alright now?" he asks.

"Yes, sir," Justin replies.

"Your head is OK? Your eye looked bad. So everything is good in that regard?"

"Yes."

Dr. Phil addresses Rev. Brian Moran. "Do you believe that there is uneven justice, right now, in Jena, Louisiana?" he asks.

"Yes, I do," he replies. "If this was an incident between six white students and one black student, it would not be the way it is now."

"In what way? You think they would not have such serious charges against them?" Dr. Phil inquires.

"I know that for a fact," Moran replies. "Things have happened in the past that support that."

"Are you concerned and compassionate with the Barkers that their son was attacked and beaten, whether it's black students, white students " whatever?" Dr. Phil asks. "Do you understand their feelings?"

"Yes. I do," Moran answers. "Nobody deserves to be beaten. Nobody deserves to be knocked unconscious."

Mychal Bell's attorney, Carol Powell Lexing, joins the show via satellite. "Do you believe that [Mychal] should be out of jail?"

"By all means," she replies. "Right now, Mychal is being held on charges that were thrown out by the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal, and there is really no basis why he should still be sitting in an adult facility."

"You understand that the Barkers here are very concerned that their son was injured, beaten in this situation. They think that there should be justice here. You don't disagree with that?"

"My role is to make sure that the injustice that's been going on with Mychal Bell is no longer tolerated," Carol replies. "We see down in Jena, Louisiana you have two systems of justice going on. My role is to make sure that that type of injustice will not be tolerated."

Dr. Phil asks for Kelli's thoughts. "The only response I can say is if it was not right, [Mychal] would be out on bail," she says.

 

Carol expresses displeasure with the way Mychal's case has been handled. "You have a situation where the DA has abused his authority as the District Attorney and charged those kids excessively when he knew that the law did not provide for Mychal Bell to be charged as an adult in the adult court. He should have been originally charged as a juvenile," she tells Dr. Phil.