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Update on Airport Security; Major Decision on Affirmative Action; Americans Fighting Another Enemy

Aired July 01, 2007 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Getting up close and personal with a terrorist attack. A new photo taken at Glasgow International Airport, just moments after that fiery crash. We'll talk to the man who got this shot.
And another airport scare. As security remains tight at airports in the UK and the U.S. Meanwhile more arrests as investigators check suspect names in databases on both sides of the Atlantic.

Plus, security threats did not stop this show. Elton John, Duran Duran, Fergie and more shared the same stage for one big cause.

And a father's outrage after learning that his son could face 20 years in prison. You'll hear from the father about the school fight that left his son behind bars, and how it has divided an entire town.

Hello, I'm Susan Roesgen filling in for Rick Sanchez tonight. We have a lot of information to share with you, a lot of new information tonight. British police have widened their search for additional suspects after that terrorist attack in Scotland Saturday.

At least five people are now under arrest after this flaming SUV rammed into the Glasgow Airport. About an hour ago, we first reported the news that several, perhaps all of the suspects are either medical doctors or med students. And authorities say there is a definite link between the Glasgow attack and Friday's failed car bombings in London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER CLARKE, METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE: The links between the three attacks are becoming ever clearer. We're pursuing many lines of inquiry, and I'm confident, absolutely confident that in the coming days and weeks, we will be able to go gain a thorough understanding of the methods used by the terrorists in the way in which they planned their attacks and the network to which they belong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: Well, in London, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been in office less than a week, but the terrorism plots and the lingering possibility of follow-up attacks are giving his leadership an early challenge.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We will have to be constantly vigilant. We will have to be alert at all times. I think the message that's got to come out from Britain and from the British people is, as one, we will not yield, we will not be intimidated and we will not allow anyone to undermine our British way of life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: Also tonight, we have a poignant account of the immediate aftermath of that Glasgow attack. As you recall, two men rammed that flaming SUV into that airport terminal. Here's a witness, Thomas Conroy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS CONROY, WITNESS: I arrived about two minutes after the car had hit the front of the terminal. There was one man in the middle of the road surrounded by people. Anybody who came close to him, he was throwing punches at them.

As I looked over at the car, it was on fire at this stage. And then I think the other occupant of the car was spreading petrol on the car. And it just was completely engulfed in flames.

The police and the bystanders grabbed the man who was fighting in the middle of the road. And the police subdued him and put handcuffs on him. Meanwhile, there was about three explosions in quick succession from the car. The terminal itself had caught fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: And now for the latest live coverage. Paula Newton, our international security correspondent is standing by in London. But we'll start in Glasgow with CNN's Nic Robertson. Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Susan, the Britain's top terror investigator, Peter Clarke, came to Glasgow today to join the investigation here with the police. He said the police's investigation is going fast, that it is fast-moving, that there is a lot of information coming in. He said hour by hour they have new information.

Just a few hours ago here in Glasgow, the police performed a controlled detonation on a vehicle. That vehicle, it was a suspect vehicle discovered outside a hospital where one of the attackers is being treated for critical burns sustained in that attack on Saturday.

Also, the police here investigating a house just a few minutes' drive away from the airport here in a quiet residential village. Neighbors there say that just a few months ago, foreign-looking men moved into that house, were very quiet, kept to themselves.

Nobody really in the street knows who they were. The residents say they were very shocked to discover this link between the attack on the airport and their small village. The police focusing on that forensic team, spending all day inside that house today. The airport today becoming a little -- taking a small step to get back to normal. Still far from normal. The police did remove the burnt-out remains of the vehicle that attacked the airport. Meanwhile, there were huge queues of holiday makers lining up outside the airport today, waiting to get inside the terminal building, waiting to get away on their flights.

However the situation here still so abnormal, the luggage coming off the aircraft is quite literally being delivered and dropped off in car parks around the airport here, Susan.

ROESGEN: OK Nic, I want to bring in Paula Newton as well here. Paula, what can you tell us about these five suspects? Any new information that you've gotten on the suspects?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The new information that we have is two of the five suspects are indeed medical doctors and that right now, sources close to the investigation tell us that they are now trying to figure out whether or not this actually involves a network of medical professionals involved in this kind of plot.

A very puzzling and disturbing development on this. Again, to stress these people are in custody. They still have not been charged with anything. But this is the line of inquiry that police here are going on. And as you can imagine, investigators here are quite shocked to learn of this new angle.

The reason is that they're used to dealing with people that are intelligent, well educated, sophisticated in terms of the suspects and the convicted terrorists that we have in this country. But to put this whole new spin on it, that people who are here, obviously to heal and to cure and to help people would then be involved in these kinds of atrocities. They say they are following this line of investigation, but something they certainly never expected to find.

ROESGEN: Paula and Nic, we have been looking at video taken on the interstate there near the Glasgow Airport. Nic, we understand this video comes from the authorities who were arresting two people in a car, one of them a woman. Are you hearing anything more about this? Nic?

ROBERTSON: One woman, age 27, was arrested. Another man, age 26, was arrested on the main M-6 motionway, that's the main highway that links the south of England with Scotland, on the west side of the country.

That happened late Saturday evening. We have no further details from the police about who these people were. But that highway from London all the way up to Glasgow can be driven in speed in about five hours if there's no traffic.

Not clear where those people were coming from or going to. But very clearly part of the investigation, police have said. Part of the investigation, part of the group of suspects they believe are tied to either the London attempted bombing or that explosion here at the airport here, Susan.

ROESGEN: Thank you, Nic. One more question for Paula Newtown in London. We understand that Heathrow was briefly shut down today. A suspicious package, but nothing to it, right, Paula?

NEWTON: Nothing to it. They investigated and certainly closed it for a very short period of time. And they continue to say they will do that again if they find anything suspicious at all. But really I have to say, today has gone off without incident. And that's making people here feel a lot better.

ROESGEN: Good to hear a breather. All right, thank you both to Nic Robertson and Paula Newton.

Meanwhile, heightened security is the order of the day here at major U.S. airports. Government officials still maintain that there is no specific credible threat to us on U.S. soil. But they say the precautions are partly due to an expected spike in travel for the Fourth of July holiday coming up.

Names of the terrorist suspects in Britain are being run through U.S. databases to search for possible links to anyone in this country. So far, they say, nothing on that has turned up.

President Bush is making his first public comments now about the UK terror incidents. The president is hosting what's being called the lobster summit, because it's in Maine, lobster country, in Kennebunkport where Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived for a two-day meeting. CNN's Ed Henry is covering the meeting. Ed, the president finally spoke out about what's happening in Great Britain.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Susan. The very first comments on both situations. Frankly, the situation, attempted terror attacks, both in London and Glasgow. He essentially said that this is a reminder that the U.S. and its allies all need to remain vigilant.

He had warm words of praise for the new British prime minister, Gordon Brown. Mr. Bush made these comments as he was waiting with the first lady, Laura Bush, at Walker's Point, the Bush family compound. They were waiting for Russian President Vladimir Putin to arrive. And shortly before the black limo arrived, here's what Mr. Bush had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have a press conference tomorrow, Mark. But it just goes to show the war against these extremists goes on. You never know when they may try to strike. And appreciate the very strong response that the Gordon Brown government's given.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now, Mr. Putin eventually arrived with the man who greeted him at a nearby air base, former President Bush who will essentially be the host of these two days of talks.

The three presidents then posed together. Mr. Putin handed flowers to the present and former first ladies. Now the White House is hoping that this casual, more laid back atmosphere in Kennebunkport will help smooth over some tough relations, particularly over this controversial U.S. plan to build a missile defense shield in Europe.

In fact while they may tackle tough issues such as sanctions for Iran, it's clear the social time is going to be a priority. Shortly after arriving, Mr. Putin immediately was taken out for a boat ride with the current and former Presidents Bush. Clear, these three men hoping that a little spin on a speedboat may help calm some of these rough waters, Susan.

ROESGEN: All right, and a lot of lobster to boot. Thank you, Ed Henry, reporting live for us, covering that summit.

Despite the terrorism fears and security concerns, some 70,000 Londoners turned out for a memorial concert today. This marks what would have been Princess Diana's 46th birthday. Her sons, Princes William and Harry hosted this event. Prince William said the concert was all about the things his mother loved in life. Music legends from across the globe entertained the crowd while millions more watched on television. All the money raised from this concert will go to benefit Diana's favorite charities.

There were reports late last year of possible Hezbollah involvement in Iraq. But now more concrete evidence with exclusive details from CNN's Michael Ware.

Plus, a supremely split Supreme Court rules on affirmative action in schools, after deliberating for more than a year. We'll look at both sides of the issue with two guests.

And water covering entire neighborhoods. Houses, cars, ruined. More on the awful flooding in Kansas, ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: Parts of the Sunflower State are under water tonight. On the left side of your screen is Osawatomie, Kansas, where the city's police department has ordered residents to evacuate with mixed results.

Some people are just refusing to leave despite the real threat of storm water runoff that might top a levee that's nearby. Then on the right-hand side there is Osage County, one of a dozen counties the governor of Kansas has declared a flood area.

CNN's Reggie Aqui is in Coffeyville, Kansas, the same general area, to join us now with the latest. Reggie?

REGGIE AQUI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Susan, anyone who did not evacuate when they were told to evacuate made a big mistake. Here's why. Look behind me.

This is the result of the Verdigris River overflowing its banks. Right now it's ten feet above food stage level. There are trash cans that are just sitting in the middle of the street floating. Anyone who lives on that side of town should have gotten out of town by 7:00 p.m. last night. Otherwise, it's pretty much too late for them.

The town is saying they got everyone out that they needed but they didn't get them out the way they necessarily wanted to. And there's another problem. Take a look at this video that we have.

It shows you a refinery in town. We're told by the town that earlier in the day, the refinery had an oil spill, and in fact crude oil spilled out of that right into the waterway. And then of course, into the streets that are now flooded here in Coffeyville.

That is a major environmental and health concern here and we're told that officials are on site taking a look at that to make sure that no one is in any danger.

I will tell you, if you start looking at some video that we have on the ground here and take a look at just what a big impact this had, that they had to rescue 50 people earlier today because they did not evacuate.

All told, about 2,500 people had to evacuate as part of mandatory orders. We're told they don't know when they're going to go back to their homes. That 2,500 people, by the way, makes up a third of the population here.

I want to take you a little northeast of where I am, and south of Topeka, Kansas, to Miami County. It turns out that's a major commercial railroad hub.

Problem there? Same thing, they're under water. And we're told right now that could be a big problem for the Midwest, people who are waiting, who are -- for cargo to arrive via railroad. They could be disrupted for quite a while.

And then if you just want to look at some other shots here, the flooded river again, this is the Osawatomie area of Kansas, submerged. We're told that people had to be rescued by boats.

A lot of the streets are now rivers, at least temporarily. And Susan, we're not exactly sure when this is all going to wrap up because if you take a look at where I am right now, even though it's wet behind me, my hair is dry, my shirt is dry for now.

Earlier, more than an hour ago, at least, it was raining pretty hard. I'm looking up at the sky and I see dark clouds on the horizon. Susan, this is not over yet.

ROESGEN: All right Reggie, we'll find out when it is going to rain again. Thanks, Reggie. We're going to check in now with CNN's Karen Maginnis in the Severe Weather Center. Karen, what do you say? Is Reggie going to get drenched again? Are they all going to get more water?

(WEATHER REPORT) ROESGEN: Coming up, a fight at a Louisiana high school. And now six teenagers are facing long stints in prison. Is it justice or racism? The case of the six is coming up in 30 minutes.

But next, U.S. soldiers face a host of different enemies in Iraq. Can we add the militant group Hezbollah to that list? A CNN exclusive. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: And now this CNN exclusive. With the largest U.S. military operation since the invasion of Iraq in full swing, there appears to be emerging signs that America is fighting yet another enemy.

CNN'S Michael Ware now with exclusive details on how a manhunt for the people who ambushed and killed U.S. soldiers led the military down an unexpected path. Michael?

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Susan. What could be a worrying development for the Middle East is that the American military has now realized it's fighting even more enemies in Iraq than it ever knew.

We can reveal to you in this breaking story that the U.S. military says that it has captured a senior special operations officer here in Iraq from Lebanese Hezbollah.

This is the guerrilla organization that fought the Israeli defense force to a standstill in last summer's war in Lebanon. The U.S. military says that this special operations officer from Hezbollah was sent here to Iraq by Iranian forces, to help build and guide paramilitary fighters in this country, to attack and kill American soldiers.

Indeed, when they arrested this man back in March, and he eventually confessed, the U.S. military intelligence sources claim it's now become clear that this Hezbollah figure played a crucial role in the attempted kidnapping of five American soldiers in January here in Iraq that ultimately led to those soldiers' executions.

Now, according to our intelligence sources and military sources, this Hezbollah leader and the Iraqi commanders he was working with have all admitted that they were part of a broad program being conducted by Iran's revolutionary guards corps here in Iraq to destabilize the American mission by killing American troops. Susan?

ROESGEN: Michael, can you tell us anything about how this Hezbollah officer was captured?

WARE: Yes, I can. After the attempted kidnap of the five American soldiers in January, the order came down from top American commanders to hunt down the men responsible, and to kill or capture them.

Now, just a few weeks ago, U.S. and Iraqi forces killed the man during a raid they described as the mastermind, who led the attempt to kidnap the soldiers.

Now, during the course of their investigation, they identified the top Iraqi militia leader who commands the feared special groups, who had authorized the attempt to kidnap the Americans.

Just like Hezbollah did with the Israeli soldiers, to spark last summer's war. When they grabbed him, they grabbed the Hezbollah commander. They didn't realize it, though, because for weeks he played the role of a deaf mute. When his cover was blown, he eventually confessed.

ROESGEN: Wow, what a story, Michael Ware with an exclusive CNN report for us today. Thank you, Michael.

A high school fight or attempted murder? That's the question at the heart of an explosive case in a small Louisiana town. Cries of racism in the case of the Jena six. An update is coming up.

But next, the Supreme Court strikes down high school affirmative action programs. You'll hear from people on both sides of a divisive issue. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: It is a landmark decision on affirmative action. This week, the Supreme Court ruled that race cannot be a factor in assigning children to public schools.

The court has struck down diversity plans in Seattle and Louisville, Kentucky. At the same time an affirmative action ban goes into effect tomorrow in University of Michigan, Michigan State and Wayne State University.

Joining us now is Ward Connerly, an outspoken opponent of affirmative action, who led the campaign against it in Michigan. He's chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute. And Renee Dunman, president of the American Association for Affirmative Action. Ward, why have you made it your mission to stamp out affirmative action?

WARD CONNERLY, AMERICAN CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE: Well Susan, I believe, as most people in this country believe, and certainly the majority of those on the Supreme Court, that our country should be blind to the issue of a person's skin color. I think that just as Chief Justice Roberts said it best when he said that the way to get rid of discrimination in race, or race discrimination, is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.

ROESGEN: Well, Renee, let's talk about that for a second. That has been the big rap on affirmative action, that these days affirmative action has really become reverse discrimination. Renee, what do you think about that?

RENEE DUNMAN, AM. ASSN. FOR AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: Well, first, I'd like to say there's no such animal as reverse discrimination. Either you've been discriminated against or not. To suggest that we should not consider race at all is sticking our heads in the sand. It was Justice Blackmun who said in Bakke that indeed, in order to get beyond racism, you must first take into account race. And that's what these particular plans did. We believe that those plans were effective, that they were moderate and they were a constitutional.

ROESGEN: Well, let me loft up something to both of you. If we remove the word "race" and replaced it with "opportunity," or "economic equality," then do we have an affirmative action plan that's OK? If we just take the word race out and we talk about a lot of our population, which is poor, a lot of the population that is economically disadvantaged, isn't that what we're really driving at here, not race, but economic social opportunity?

DUNMAN: Yes. We're looking for educational opportunity when you think about this. And certainly, however we cannot ignore that we have to overcome some of our histories, segregation, and the court did in that case recognize it as a compelling governmental interest and said that you can use careful race-conscious means to address these issues.

ROESGEN: Well, Ward, let me ask you about that. In the dissenting opinion here from the Supreme Court -- the dissenting opinion from Justice Stephen Breyer, was that, you know, this ruling will obstruct efforts by state and local governments to deal effectively with the growing re-segregation of public schools.

Isn't that the danger here? Re-segregation after we've tried to come so far since the civil rights eras of the '50s?

CONNERLY: Susan, I was born in Leesville, Louisiana, in 1939. I've lived under segregation. The fact that a certain neighborhood may have more black people or more white people than another group is not segregation. Segregation is by the government. And we're not living in a segregated era now by any stretch of the imagination.

I think that the most beneficial part of these court decisions is that they force those who are uttering this, frankly, mindless blather about diversity and opportunity to share the burden, and to, in fact, satisfy the burden...

ROESGEN: Hey, wait a minute. Mindless blather about diversity...

CONNERLY: Yes, I think so.

ROESGEN: Why is that mindless in a country where so many people are disadvantaged, so many minorities are disadvantaged? Renee, jump in here.

CONNERLY: But there is a difference here.

(CROSSTALK)

CONNERLY: You didn't let me finish my point. There is a difference between...

DUNMAN: As a beneficiary of affirmative action -- in fact, a proud beneficiary of affirmative action, I can't imagine removing the ladder that I used to climb to educational attainment and employment attainment opportunities, to then look down at a crowd of qualified individuals and say, let me pull this ladder up and say, you have no right to use this same ladder.

ROESGEN: Well, Ward -- what I want to ask you, Ward, as a black man yourself, have you never been helped by affirmative action?

CONNERLY: Susan, I think I have been helped by affirmative, I think the nation has been helped by affirmative action. But you're playing games with words here. The court didn't strike down affirmative action. The court struck down race preferences in discrimination. You need to be very careful about the language you use. And the court was very clear about that.

Even Sandra Day O'Connor was very clear that she was talking about race preferences, not affirmative action, which comes in many forms.

ROESGEN: Renee, race preferences, isn't that a form of affirmative action, Renee?

DUNMAN: I find it funny that Mr. Connerly would say be careful with the language, because that is part of my unsettling opinion about his views is that he does trickery on the language in order to be successful on the ballots, in that there is a racial divide that he plays on when it's casting fear. It's like this Robin Hood theory that he pitches to white males, to make them believe that in order to have...

CONNERLY: Well, that's baloney.

DUNMAN: ... in order to have successful affirmative action...

CONNERLY: That's just absolute baloney, Renee, and you know it.

DUNMAN: ... that indeed you have to take from one to give to another.

CONNERLY: There is nothing trickery when saying that everybody should be treated as an equal in this country. That's what the court says. That's what every one of our initiatives says. The way that Renee tries to get around this is by using terms like opportunity, and avoiding the fact that civil rights belong to everybody. Not just to black people.

ROESGEN: Well, I think we can say, should and could and would in this country, certainly, we should be color-blind, we should have economic opportunity for all, but the point is, really, both Ward and Renee, that we don't have it. And the question is, how do we get there?

And, Renee, you're saying that we should continue with affirmative action policies, certainly in the schools. Ward, you're saying no, we don't need it anymore, right?

(CROSSTALK)

CONNERLY: I'm saying that the Constitution -- as the court said it, the Constitution should be blind to the color of my skin.

ROESGEN: But it isn't. In reality, life is not blind.

CONNERLY: Well, but it should be. It should be.

ROESGEN: Well, it should be.

CONNERLY: And by not practicing that, Susan, we allow these programs to do what I say, and that is, engage in this mindless blather, using terms that are amorphous, that are not precise about their meaning. That's what the court really handed down on Thursday and said, you can't keep doing that anymore.

DUNMAN: Actually, the court did say that you can use race- conscious methods to achieve diversity. And some examples they gave is in selecting new sites for schools, that you could consider the composition of neighborhoods, as well as drawing attendance zones and allocating resources and funds and targeting recruitment for faculty and students.

So indeed, there is recognition for diversity, and they also endorsed the importance of diversity and inclusion in our nation's classrooms.

ROESGEN: Ward, do you agree with that point of the ruling? Do you agree with that?

CONNERLY: That's what Justice Kennedy said, Susan. One justice said that. The majority of the justices said that the Constitution is color-blind. And that you can use race-neutral measures, you can use race-conscious measures in the words of Justice Kennedy, as long as you don't discriminate against people by using "crude racial classifications."

ROESGEN: OK.

DUNMAN: Well, race does matter.

ROESGEN: All right, Renee. I think we're finding that it certainly does indeed matter. Doesn't matter which side you fall on. Divided we still stand in this country. Thank you both, Ward Connerly and Renee Dunman, for joining us.

CONNERLY: You're welcome.

DUNMAN: Thank you.

ROESGEN: Well, was it a schoolyard fight or was it a case of attempted murder?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KELLI BARKER, VICTIM'S MOTHER: He was getting kicked and stomped.

ROESGEN: Why?

K. BARKER: I don't know. You tell me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: The parents of a beating victim speak exclusively to CNN. We've got both sides of the Jena Six story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: It's a case of teenage sex that led to prison. But now it's going to a higher court. The Georgia Supreme Court will decide whether to grant a bond hearing for this man, Genarlow Wilson. He's serving 10 years in prison for having consensual sex with another teenager when he was a teenager himself. He has already served more than two years of that sentence.

Under Georgia State law, at the time of Wilson's conviction, 10 years was mandatory for sex with a minor. But state lawmakers changed the law to make the crime a misdemeanor if both parties are minors after Wilson's conviction.

Another case we're following closely is in a small town in Louisiana. Six black teenagers could face years in prison for a school fight. And the first of those teenagers was convicted this week by an all-white jury without a single witness in his defense.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN (voice-over): Marcus Jones is outraged and frightened. His son, 17-year-old Mychal Bell, has been found guilty of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. Charges that could send him to prison for more than 20 years. And it all stems from a high school fight.

Back in September, black students sat under this tree in the school courtyard, where traditionally only white students sit. The next day, three white students hung nooses from the tree, and were suspended.

What the nooses meant divided the town.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think a couple boys made a mistake. I think it's all being blown out of proportion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was very offended. Because that's a racial slur against us.

ROESGEN: From there, things got worse. In November, someone set fire to the school, destroying one of its main buildings, though police don't know if there's a connection to the nooses. Then in December, a school fight. A white student, Justin Barker, was knocked unconscious and kicked as he lay on the ground. Six black teenagers were accused of beating him.

(on camera): This is a copy of the school handbook here at Jena High School. It says the punishment for a school fight is three days' suspension.

(voice-over): But in this case, the six black teenagers were charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Carwyn Jones, Bryant Purvis, Robert Bailey Jr., Theodore Shaw, and a fifth teenager whose name hasn't been released because he's only 16, are charged with attempted murder.

Now, the sixth teenager, Mychal Bell, has been found guilty of the lesser felony charge of aggravated battery. But all of the teenagers say they're innocent. And one of them told us he didn't even see what happened.

ROBERT BAILEY, DEFENDANT: You know, like, when a fight breaks out, everybody -- all the kids just run to see a fight. That's just how it was. And everybody was in one part. You really couldn't see nothing. So when I'm running to see what's going on, I got down there to the fight, it was over. The coaches and students were breaking up the fight.

ROESGEN: The students' parents say whatever happened, the only reason their sons were arrested is because they are black.

TINA JONES, PARENT: I had never seen nothing like this before in my life, you know. It's mind blowing. You know, it's heart-breaking.

ROESGEN: Two of the students have been locked up in jail since December, because their parents can't afford the $90,000 bail.

THEODORE MCCOY, PARENT: No previous record of anything. And he's been taking it pretty hard at times, because we visit every Sunday. Sometimes he's OK, the next minute he's taking it very hard.

ROESGEN: The parents believe their sons just can't get a fair trial, when they're the minority in a town that's 85 percent white. Even some white residents agree.

KRISTY BOYETTE, RESIDENT: These are kids. They are kids. You're ruining these kids' lives.

ROESGEN: District Attorney Reed Walters released a statement after the incident, saying he had never charged anyone based on who they are. But he also addressed the six black students directly, saying: "You will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I will see to it you never again menace the students at any school in this parish."

Since the arrests last December, Jena has seen protests denouncing the criminal charges against the six black students as racially motivated. But there is another side to this story that has gone unreported.

K. BARKER: He was getting kicked and stomped. ROESGEN (on camera): Why?

K. BARKER: I don't know. You tell me.

ROESGEN (voice-over): For the first time, the parents of Justin Barker, the victim, agreed to be interviewed exclusively by CNN.

K. BARKER: Several lacerations on both sides, both ears was kind of really damaged. And both eyes, his right eye was the worst. It had blood clots in it.

ROESGEN: Kelly and David Barker say Justin has no idea why he was attacked. But his injuries have cost $12,000 in medical bills, and his parents do believe it was a case of attempted murder.

K. BARKER: I wish to goodness it wouldn't have happened. I mean, they have parents, and me and David are parents of Justin. And I hate it for them parents. I mean, I can only imagine. But I also have to think about my child and my family.

ROESGEN: The trial for Theodore Shaw will be next, in a town where fear and suspicion on both sides have made Jena an uncomfortable place to call home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: Mychal Bell will be sentenced at the end of July. CNN plans to be there. His parents and his public defender have promised an appeal. But we're not leaving this story just yet. Coming up in the NEWSROOM...

(VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: You've just seen the anger and disgust as Mychal Bell's father stormed out of the courtroom after the conviction. Coming up, Marcus Jones, what he has to say about this trial, coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: Now a closer look on the story we had just before the commercial break. Six black teenagers in a small Louisiana town facing years in prison because of a school fight. These six high schoolers are accused of beating up a white classmate. The first punch knocked him out. He testified in court he didn't even see who hit him.

This week, however, 17-year-old Mychal Bell, a football star at Jena High School, was convicted of felony battery which carries a sentence of more than 20 years. And all six students say they are innocent.

The fight followed racial tension at the school after white students hung nooses from this tree, which is in the school courtyard. Now the parents of the so-called Jena Six, the black teenagers, are outraged. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

T. JONES: I've never seen nothing like this before in my life, you know. It's mind blowing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: Well, after the verdict this week, I talked to Mychal Bell's father, Marcus Jones, about this case, and also talked to civil rights attorney Avery Friedman. Here's what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: Marcus, what do you think was wrong with the way your son was defended in court this week?

MARCUS JONES, FATHER OF MYCHAL BELL: The attorney that he had was very poor in defending my son. He didn't file for a change of venue. He had a gag order put on me and his mother where we couldn't be present in the trial while the trial was going on. He let them pick an all-white jury, instead of him requesting the judge to get more black jurors on there. I mean, he just done just a pitiful job. He didn't even put up no defense for my son. When they were in the state...

ROESGEN: Marcus...

M. JONES: Yes, go ahead.

ROESGEN: We know that it's a public defender, because you've said that you couldn't afford a private lawyer.

M. JONES: Yes.

ROESGEN: And the competency of the public defender is something that we can talk about later. But just before the trial, the D.A. dropped the charge against Mychal from attempted murder to aggravated battery. Did he expect your son to plead guilty to that lesser charge?

M. JONES: Yes, he did.

ROESGEN: Did he ask your son to plead to that? Was there any kind of plea deal proposed?

M. JONES: Yes. He was trying to get my son to take the plea deal. But my son didn't take it.

ROESGEN: Why not?

M. JONES: Because it wasn't right.

ROESGEN: Let's bring in Avery Friedman here. Avery, do you see any grounds for an appeal in this case when you have the father here saying, look, we think our public defender did not do what he should have done? An all-white jury, no change of venue, no witnesses called in the defense of Mychal Bell? Is there grounds here for an appeal?

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, you just -- Susan, you just identified all the issues for the court of appeals. The fact is, that every criminal -- everyone charged with a crime is entitled to effective assistance of counsel. And the various issues that you've identified, the failure to have the judge enforce subpoenas, which were issued to jurors -- potential jurors who were black, were never enforced.

The best he could say is, well, I was disappointed that they didn't show up. Secondly, the prosecutor in this case, Susan, called 40 witnesses. And counsel for Mychal basically said, well, we don't think they proved the case. We're not going to call anybody.

So there are a number of very powerful issues. Maybe the most of which would have been the deep examination before the selection of what went on in September. The things that you talked about in your report, about the racial tension existing in the city, and there's very little evidence of that.

ROESGEN: Well, let's talk about the victim for a second, Avery. The mother of the victim told me that if the students who attacked your son hadn't been pulled off of him, they would have killed him. So do you think attempted murder charges, criminal charges are warranted?

FRIEDMAN: Well, the mother wasn't there. It sounds like an overcharge. Let me make this clear. Justin Barker was seriously injured, and the people that did this have to be accountable. But in America, we play by the rules. And the rules were not complied with here.

And naturally, the issue in the court of appeals, Justin is entitled to his day in court. But the fact is, that you can't get convictions by not playing fair.

ROESGEN: Marcus, what does your son Mychal say about what has happened? Did you get a chance to talk to him after the conviction?

M. JONES: He just -- I mean, he's just so hurt and disappointed about it, you know. He's just really disappointed in it. And basically, you know, I mean, just the confidence that he had in Blaine Williams (ph). I mean, just devastating, you know.

ROESGEN: His public defender. Well, we will stay on this case, Marcus. Thank you both, Marcus Jones, the father of Mychal Bell, the young man who was just convicted, and Avery Friedman, civil rights attorney in Cleveland.

We're going to stay on this case and follow it through. Thank you both for joining us tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: And we want to point out that here at CNN, we did try to reach the La Salle Parish district attorney, Reed Walters. He has repeatedly refused to comment on this case. Also tried to reach out to the public defender, Blaine Williams. He did not comment either. Neither of them returned our phone calls.

Well, he's used to chewing up the competition. But now just days away from one of the biggest events of the year, competitive eating champion -- this competitive eating champion may not be able to cut the mustard.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROESGEN: You might not have known this, but one of the biggest events in competitive eating takes place in just a few days. But the sport's biggest star might be sidelined.

Jeanne Moos has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Most of us eat hot dogs. This guy inhales them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kobayashi has pulled into the lead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And Kobayashi takes it again!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The once and future king!

MOOS: But now, the king of competitive eating may be dethroned by injury.

RICHARD SHEA, INTL. FED. OF COMPETITIVE EATING: He has jaw arthritis.

MOOS: That would be arthritis of the jaw, or as the champ put it on his blog, my jaw surrendered. This while training for the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July contest that he has won six times in a row.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see the human struggle apparent in every compression of the jaw!

MOOS: A few too many compressions, apparently.

(on camera): Like carpal tunnel of competitive eating.

SHEA: It would be like the day like before the Super Bowl, Tom Brady having a rotator cuff issue.

MOOS (voice-over): Back when Kobayashi first won, he was a young, skinny guy. By last year he was so buff, that he had sick-pack abs, even full of wieners. His record, 53 3/4 hot dogs in 12 minutes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our dog couldn't eat that fast, we got a Dalmatian, and it's like, if you laid 50 hot dogs, he couldn't even eat that fast.

MOOS: But now Kobayashi he says arthritis of the jaw makes it hard for him to even open his mouth.

(on camera): Supposedly he cannot fit anything bigger than a finger in his mouth. Did he say anything like that?

SHEA: You know, he was saying two fingers.

MOOS (voice-over): The president of the International Federation of Competitive Eating spoke on the phone with the champ and described him as bummed and crestfallen. Who could gain from Kobayashi's loss?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is trying to re-write history!

MOOS: California's Joey Chestnut almost beat the champ last year. And in a qualifying contest, Joey ate more dogs that Kobayashi. Has he heard of the champ's injury?

JOEY CHESTNUT, COMPETITIVE EATER: My first thought was, oh my God, he's playing games, trying to get me off my training.

MOOS: Kobayashi says he is still coming to the July 4th competition, though he doesn't know if he will be able to eat. Joey has set his gut-wrenching wiener goal...

(on camera): So you're shooting for 61, 62 HDBs.

CHESTNUT: Yes.

MOOS (voice-over): That's "hot dogs and buns."

(on camera): I'd just like to say HDBs.

(voice-over): Joey Chestnut did win last year's weigh-in staredown with a fake kiss.

(LAUGHTER)

MOOS: Eating this many dogs, you'd think a champ's downfall would be colitis, jaw-thritis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Joey Chestnut moving now, twitching like the colons of the caffeinated.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROESGEN: I'm Susan Roesgen.

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