civil rights

La. Protests Hark Back to '50s, '60s

Friday September 21, 2007 3:16 AM

By MARY FOSTER

Associated Press Writer

JENA, La. (AP) - Drawn by a case tinged with one of the most hated symbols of Old South racism - a hangman's noose tied in an oak tree - thousands of protesters rallied Thursday against what they see as a double standard of prosecution for blacks and whites.

The plight of the so-called Jena Six became a flashpoint for one the biggest civil-rights demonstrations in years. Five of the black teens were initially charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white classmate.