If the New York Times had its way, no one would know about the Jena 6. It’s not the kind of story they like to cover. “Give us Rosa Parks,” the editors say, “we aren’t comfortable with Mychal Bell.”

Rosa Parks is doing just fine these days. Although the literal Rosa has gone to her reward, her respectable, upwardly mobile sisters are reaping the benefits of the civil rights movement. They don’t live in a perfect world; but things are a whole lot better for America’s black middle class. You don’t find Rosa Parks in jail these days, nor do you find many of her sons. Rosa’s boys get pulled over a lot more than their white counterparts; but a quick flash of middle class credentials and they are back on the road.

Mychal Bell is another story. Mychal grew up poor. He grew up without a father in the home. He grew up angry, and his success on the football field did little to quench the flames. As Reed Walters never tires of reminding the media, Mychal Bell has issues.

He may also be entirely innocent of the charges filed against him.

But the Times isn’t satisfied with a maybe, so they aren’t satisfied with Mychal—they want Rosa.

Mr. Walters tells us that Justin Barker, the victim of the December 4^th assault, should be the center of media attention. “As he passed through the gymnasium door to the outside, he was blindsided and knocked unconscious by a vicious blow to the head thrown by Mychal Bell.”

Mr. Walters doesn’t tell us that several white students insist that Mychal didn’t throw the punch that separated Justin Barker from his senses. Even more significant, a football coach who insists he witnessed the attack from close range, says Mychal didn’t throw the punch.

When Mychal Bell’s attorneys emerged from the LaSalle Parish courtroom last Friday they had no comment. Since this was now a juvenile case, they explained, they couldn’t discuss the details with the media.

Mr. Walters feels no similar compunction. The knockout punch was “thrown by Mychal Bell.”

The mere accusation is enough to make white progressives run for the exits.

This afternoon, Mychal Bell will walk free—on Al Sharpton’s arm no less. At a press conference a few hours ago, Reed Walters was asked if this fight is stressing him.

“I’m not going to say that I haven’t been stressed by this,” Walters replied. “But let me say this. The only way that I believe that me or this community has been able to endure the trauma that has been thrust upon us is through the prayers of the Christian people who have sent them up in this community. I firmly believe that had it not been for the direct intervention of the Lord Jesus Christ last Thursday, a disaster would have happened.”

Then, asked why the protestors had been so peaceful on September 20^th, Walters explained that “the Lord Jesus Christ” put his influence on those people and they responded accordingly.

How will America respond to the freeing of Mychal Bell? There is a growing tendency to view Mr. Bell as a thug. As such, the reasoning seems to go, he has no right to due process. This soap opera ain’t over folks—we haven’t even gotten to the first commercial