"Defiance and Defense" Jena, Louisiana 2007

"Defiance and Defense" Jena, Louisiana 2007

This photograph, taken at the 2007 Jena Six protest, offers a direct defense of one of the accused teenagers, Mychal Bell, transforming the abstract legal argument into a visceral, emotional plea. The sign is handwritten and colored for emphasis, contrasting sharply with the standardized protest literature seen elsewhere.

The text reads: "What was he suppose to do??? HELL NO! TAKE IT FREE OUR BROTHER.” The critical question, "What was he suppose to do???", frames the assault not as a premeditated crime but as a forced act of self-defense or reaction to the prolonged racial hostilities that preceded the fight, including the hanging of the nooses. The prominent, highlighted phrase, "Let him shoot!"—which is partially obscured—references a perceived violent threat or hostile context that suggests Bell was left with little option but to respond to a situation where his safety was at risk.

The protester holding the sign explicitly names the accused, "Mychal Bell," showing the direct, personal focus of the movement. Bell was the first of the Jena Six to be tried and was convicted by an all-white jury, making his case a major flashpoint of the national outrage over judicial disparity. By demanding, “FREE OUR BROTHER,” the sign humanizes the legal conflict, portraying Bell as a victim of systemic injustice and a member of their community in need of freedom, not a criminal to be condemned.