A scheduled walkout yesterday in protest of the mishandling of the Louisiana teenagers known as the Jena Six failed to meet the expectations of participants.

The confusion during the event was evident, as a loosely organized group of people milled about and puzzled over the lack of enthusiasm and organization for the event.

Junior Vanessa Vassall expressed her disappointment with the walkout.

"My issue with this nonexistent event is that this is an issue I, and a lot of other people feel, strongly about," she said. "We have a cluster here, a cluster there. This protest could have unified us all in the UW community."

After waiting for about 20 minutes, it was evident to the dozen or so protestors who showed up that no large rally would be taking place.

"I came out here to show my support against the injustice in regard to the Jena Six," said senior Anttimo Bennett, ASUW director of communications. "I saw the story in The Daily and said 'I'll definitely be there.'"

Participant Dayna Zimmerman also expressed her disappointment with the turnout.

"Where are the megaphones?" she asked. "The whole point of a walkout, any demonstration, is to show support. If the students don't know about the event, how can we make an impact?"

The Jena Six controversy arose when five of six black students were initially charged with attempted second-degree murder of a white student who allegedly yelled racial slurs. Five of the six have had their charges reduced to aggravated battery. The sixth student's charges cannot be released due to his age.

The incident followed a recent history of racial tension in Jena, La.

Despite the lackluster protest, some students took it upon themselves to spread the word about the Jena Six.

Sophomore Matt Dundas distributed small pamphlets out to passersby. The flyer seducated readers about the plight of the Jena Six and provided context for the situation in Jena from the protestors' perspective.

Senior Rod Palmquist taped a banner to a table that read "Justice for the Jena Six" and passed out information regarding the situation.

Others, including Bennett and Vassall, resolved not to let the issue die.

"Hopefully we can get the Black Student Union to do something more formally," Bennett said.

He believes that the possibility of a future protest seems likely as the Jena Six story gains more exposure in mainstream media, despite yesterday's modest turnout.

Senior and protest organizer Ashley McClammy was not at the event and could not be reached for comment.

[Reach reporter Garrett Troy at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]