Scores of Cherokee County residents Thursday joined thousands of other people across the nation in wearing black clothing in support of the "Jena Six"- a group of six African American teenagers who were charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white classmate in their hometown of Jena, La.

The case has been heavily covered in areas such as Web sites, blogs, radio, TV and other forms of media. Rev. Al Sharpton and thousands of others crammed the streets of the rural Louisiana town last week to have their voices heard.

Though not able to make it down to the rally, many Gaffney residents could be seen wearing black as a means of voicing their opinion on the case.

"I wore my shirt though I did not know all of the details of the case," Travis Irby, a Limestone College student, said. "But from the details that I did know about the 'Jena Six,' it was enough for me to show what I felt and where I stood on the subject."

The six Jena High School students - Robert Bailey Jr., Mychal Bell, Carwin Jones, Bryant Purvis, Theo Shaw and an unidentified minor - were initially charged after allegedly knocking their classmate Justin Barker unconscious after the then 17-year-old allegedly "bragged" how Bailey had been beaten up by a white man the prior weekend.

According to doctors, Barker sustained a concussion and a swollen eye as a result of the beating.

LaSalle, La. Parish district attorney Reed Walters charged five out of the six as adults, initially charging them with aggravated assault before increasing it to attempted second-degree murder. By boosting the charges, it provoked protests and petitions claiming the crimes were disproportional to the charges.

"Everything should be equal," Calvin Davis, a Limestone College student said. "The law was built to be fair, and if not used as such it is wrong."

The altercation was one of a series of incidents between black and white students, which before the fight allegedly included three white students hanging nooses from a tree on school grounds, a fire in which both sides blamed the other for causing the blaze and several interracial fights.

"It was wrong for them to go after things the way they did as I believe things do not have to be solved by getting into an altercation," Davis said. "But sometimes people get to the point where they have had enough and I guess that is how they felt."

The only one of the "Jena Six" to be tried so far is Bell, who was convicted of aggravated second degree battery that could have put him in prison for up to 15 years. However, his conviction was overturned last week after a state appeals court ruled Bell should not have been tried as an adult.

At the moment, Bell is awaiting action by LaSalle Parish district attorney, Reed Walters, who has said he will appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court on the matter. The teen is currently awaiting a retrial.

Cherokee County found itself in the midst of a media firestorm due to racial issues connected with an incident a few years ago.

Five white Spartanburg County teens plead guilty to second degree lynching and assault and battery charges in July 2005 after assaulting Isiah Clyburn, a black Gaffney High student.

According to an incident report at the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department, the five youths - Luke Grice, Justin Ashley Phillips, Kenneth Eugene Miller Jr., Cristopher Scott Cates and Jerry Cristopher Toney - allegedly yelled a racial slur at Clyburn. The five were accused of turning around and attacking Clyburn.

All five are currently in jail.

Even though racism is not as prevalent as it once was, most still believe it exists and is here to stay.

"Yeah, it is still around," Derrick Perry, a Limestone College student said. "You rarely see it, but you know it is still around."

"There will always be segregation of some type everywhere, especially here in the South," Davis said. "Whether in the cafeteria or at a game, it is very easy to see. But how people act on segregation and racism is another thing, with actions depending heavily on how they were raised and personal choices."