Press Releases
The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) Addresses Jena 6 and Other Cases Involving Racial Disparities
By NOBLE National Office
Sep 12, 2007 - 6:51:38 PM

The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) expresses its concern at the apparent disparities in pre-trial release conditions in Jena 6 and the West Virginia case involving Megan Williams (http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/12/martin/) and the perceived disparity in the handling of apparent hate crimes in Jenna, LA and at the University of Maryland.

NOBLE President Douglas Deleaver expressed his concern regarding the apparent disparity in the Jena 6 case as it relates to pre-trial release conditions where bonds were set at only $100,000 for persons charged with rape, sodomy and other despicable acts, in comparison to the Jena 6 case where a young man suffered a black eye when hit with a shoe and the pre-release bond was over $100,000 for three of the defendants.  

Executive Director Jessie Lee stated that, “I find it astounding that the University of Maryland could act quickly classify the hanging of a noose near a building housing Black student organizations a hate crime, where as the hanging of three nooses in Jena does not appear to warrant a hate crime classification. In the Maryland case the university community acted responsibly to denounce the act."  

We ask that persons attending the protest in Jena, to do so in an effective, safe and orderly manner. We do not want people to place themselves in situations that would warrant their arrest or defeat the purpose of the march.

Since 1976, NOBLE has been at the forefront of training law enforcement agencies and communities in addressing hate crimes, family violence, bias-based policing (racial profiling) and ensuring that the rights of the minority community are respected.

NOBLE has partnered with the NAACP, Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA), the National Crime Prevention Council and Allstate Insurance to present, The Law & You: Successfully dealing with law enforcement officials when they're enforcing the law; to thousands of young people throughout the United States.

Additionally, NOBLE has hosted community engagements, diversity training and town hall meetings to address the myriad problems faced by the minority community and young people every day.

NOBLE is currently developing a four-city tour to engage the community, with a focus on youth to address effective methods to reduce crimes in the Black and Brown communities.

The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives applauds the efforts of the Black media for bringing cases like Jena 6 to the forefront.

NOBLE was founded in 1976 during a three-day symposium to address crime in urban low income areas. The symposium was co-sponsored by the Police Foundation and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA). The Joint Center for Political Studies (JCPS) coordinated this unprecedented event in which sixty (60) top-ranking black law enforcement executives representing twenty-four (24) states and fifty-five (55) major cities gathered in the Washington, D.C. area to participate. They exchanged views about the critically high rate of crime in black urban communities and the socioeconomic conditions that lead to crime and violence. They raised questions about relevant issues such as fairness in the administration of justice, police community relations, the hiring and promotion of black police officers, and the unique problems of the black police executive.