Partisan witnesses

* The ten student witnesses who testified at Mychal Bell’s trial were all white. In fact, most of them were part ofa distinct minority within the high school’s white student population who attended all-white schools in the country surrounding Jena until High School. (More on this below)

* Justin Cooper was the only witness at trial to testify that Mychal Bell kicked Justin Barker as the victim layunconscious on the ground. Since Justin Cooper was one of the boys who admitted to hanging the nooses at Jena High School at the beginning of the school year, he can hardly be seen as an objective or credible witness. Defense Attorney Blane Williams was apparently unaware of Cooper’s connection to the noose incident.

* Jessica Hooter was one of four trial witnesses who identified Mychal as the person who threw the first punch at Justin Barker. Two days after the assault occurred, Jessica was unable to identify the initial attacker. But as she explained at trial, “After I thought about it more, I remembered more.” In his closing remarks, Blane Williams never mentioned that she had embellished her earlier testimony. Perhaps he forgot. Read more

"We can end illegal immigration. I promise you, we can end illegal immigration," the former New York mayor said at a community center _ the first of the day's two stops in this early voting state.

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