Democracy Now! 9-20 Louisiana Prosecutor Breaks Public Silence to Defend Case Against Jena Six

TODAY'S DEMOCRACY NOW!:

With Amy Goodman
* As Civil Rights Activists Converge from Across the Nation, Louisiana Prosecutor Breaks Public Silence to Defend Case Against Jena Six *

Tens of thousands of protesters are expected to gather today in the tiny town of Jena, Louisiana for a rally to support six African American students ­- known as the Jena Six -- who were initially charged with attempted murder for allegedly beating a white student in a schoolyard fight. On Wednesday, the Reverend Al Sharpton spoke after meeting with the jailed Jena Six member Mychal Bell. District Attorney Reed Walters also broke his public silence to defend his prosecution of the Jena Six.

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http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/20/138247

* Fifty Years Since Little Rock Nine, New HBO Documentary Tells the Story of a Defining Civil Rights Struggle *

Celebrations are being prepared in Little Rock, Arkansas for the 50th
anniversary of one of the pivotal events of the civil rights era. In
September 1957,three years after the Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling, a group of African American students attempted to desegregate the all-white Central High School in Little Rock. They were escorted into the school by armed National Guard after local authorities vowed to block their entry. We speak with one of the Little Rock Nine, Minnijean Brown-Trickey, and the filmmakers Craig and Brent Renaud, creators of the new HBO documentary ³Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later.²

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http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/20/139201

* Report from Jena: Thousands Gather in Louisiana to Rally for Jena Six *

Independent journalist Rick Rowley joins us from Jena, Louisiana for a live report on the protests in support of the Jena Six. We get reaction from Little Rock Nine member Minnijean Brown-Trickey.

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http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/20/139206

* Latino, African American Voices Highlighted in New Documentaries on World War II Soldiers *

The new PBS documentary ³The War² sparked controversy because it originally excluded the voices of any Latino or Native American veterans. Under pressure, director Ken Burns agreed to add 28 minutes of footage including interviews with two Latino veterans and one Native American. We speak to the filmmakers of two companion documentaries highlighting Latino and African American voices: Julie Cohen of ³New York Goes to War² and Sam Toperoff of
³New York War Stories.²

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http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/20/139218

* Headlines for September 20, 2007 *

- Iraqi PM Pledges to Hold Blackwater Accountable for Killings
- Senate GOPers Block Measure to Restore Habeus Corpus
- Senate Rejects Longer Rests for Returning U.S. Troops
- White House Backs Israel on Cutting Off Gaza
- Anti-Syrian Lawmaker Killed in Beirut
- Burmese Activists Rally Against Military Government
- Parents of Slain Peace Activist Rachel Corrie Denied Caterpillar Suit
- Rep. King: ³Too Many Mosques² in U.S.

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http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/09/20/138236