What happened more than a year ago in a tiny town in Louisiana is getting a lot of media attention... and in the minds of some, has reinvigorated the civil rights movement in this country.

Demonstrators took to the streets in cities across the country in support of the "Jena 6."   And there was even a protest this morning on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

Jena, Louisiana has a population of 3000.  Last year, the controversy there started when a black student sat under an oak tree where white students typically sit.  The next day, three nooses were hanging from tree.  That was a powerful and repugnant symbol in the Deep South and elsewhere.

But what happened next really outraged a lot of people.  The racial tension in Jena triggered a fight between black and white kids at the high school.  Afterward, six black teenagers were arrested for beating a white student.  They were later charged with attempted murder.  One 17-year-old was even convicted as an adult, although the case was overturned on appeal.

Civil rights activists have complained.  They ask, "Why were the black kids charged with murder while the white kids who put up the nooses did not have to face charges?"

The protest gained steam through e-mail messages, websites, African-American radio shows, and other non-traditional outlets.

To see pictures of the Hollywood rally and an interview with Rev. Eric Lee, one of the organizers, click on the link below.

Download rev. eric lee.wmv

By the way, one of the protesters at this morning's rally was a man named Rodney Allen Rippy.  You may remember him as the child actor who starred in a famous Jack-in-the-Box commercial back in the 1970's.