Jackson Free Press

The Philadelphia Coalition—the multi-racial group in Philadelphia, Miss., that called for the prosecution of Edgar Ray Killen for the 1964 Klan murders of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner—want further justice in the case. This weekend they are issuing the following statement, verbatim:

In 2005, a Neshoba County jury found Edgar Ray Killen guilty in the brutal deaths of civil rights activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner. That trial, and the community organizing that helped prompt it, were important steps toward justice and reconciliation. But we must still seek justice in the case. Recent reports suggest new avenues for investigation. We call now on local and state officials to seek the support of the United States Department of Justice in reopening an investigation into those who remain at large in the Neshoba case.

Other communities also witnessed such violence in the civil rights era. Each loss of life was a horrible crime. Each victim deserves justice. We call on all officials to zealously investigate and prosecute those cases and to seek any assistance necessary to prepare the cases for trial. We also strongly urge that the Mississippi congressional delegation aggressively support passage of the Emmett Till Bill, which awaits consideration by the Senate so that other communities can accomplish what we have.

In our own community, three brave young men were not murdered by a lone individual. While a vigilante group may have fired the gun, the State of Mississippi loaded and aimed the weapon. The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission monitored and intimidated civil rights activists to prevent black voter registration. The White Citizens' Councils enforced white supremacy through economic oppression. And decent people remained silent while evil was done in their name. These shameful actions have been little understood by Mississippi citizens. We must now seek the truth; telling the truth is the path for community redemption.

We call on the State of Mississippi, all of its citizens in every county, to begin an honest investigation into our history. After exhaustive scrutiny if it is determined that there is not sufficient evidence to prosecute these brutal crimes, officials should release all records related to racial crimes so the truth can finally be told. While it will be painful, we must understand the legacy of racism that continues to divide us, and which prevents all of us from participating fully in the promise of democracy.

We challenge our fellow citizens to join us in an honest appraisal of the past, creating a truth process to tell the story. Knowledge brings truth and the truth brings freedom. Today we have a cause for hope because our community came together to acknowledge the evil that occurred here and to assert that we will no longer accept it as a description of who we are. Our purpose for the future should be: to seek the truth, to insure justice for all, and to nurture reconciliation through education. And so we promise in our own community to see this journey through to the finish line.

The statement is available as a PDF on the Philadelphia Coalition's Web site.

Previous Comments

ID

99724

Comment

Wow, I love this part—and that it's coming out of my hometown. Mississippians are going to learn the whole truth, yet: In our own community, three brave young men were not murdered by a lone individual. While a vigilante group may have fired the gun, the State of Mississippi loaded and aimed the weapon. The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission monitored and intimidated civil rights activists to prevent black voter registration. The White Citizens’ Councils enforced white supremacy through economic oppression. And decent people remained silent while evil was done in their name. These shameful actions have been little understood by Mississippi citizens. We must now seek the truth; telling the truth is the path for community redemption. Go on, now.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-27T10:24:22-06:00

ID

99725

Comment

This isn't going to end well. It might last if everyone refrains from name-calling and refrains from taking revenge.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2008-03-27T10:42:50-06:00

ID

99726

Comment

I'm not following you, Iron. What isn't going to end well? And what name-calling? What revenge? Confused here.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-27T10:51:58-06:00

ID

99727

Comment

I mean, don't all "calls" like this end in someone talking about revenge? That's the real fear you face here. The other being how to convince people that this is a fact-finding trip and not a witchhunt.

Author

Ironghost

Date

2008-03-27T10:57:00-06:00

ID

99728

Comment

This is a call for long overdue justice, Iron. What does that have to do with revenge? And explain why it would be a witchhunt. I'm really not following. Would you be saying the same thing if they were just old murders, with murderers walking free around Philadelphia, and not all civil rights murders?

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-27T11:25:25-06:00

ID

99729

Comment

After exhaustive scrutiny if it is determined that there is not sufficient evidence to prosecute these brutal crimes, officials should release all records related to racial crimes so the truth can finally be told. While it will be painful, we must understand the legacy of racism that continues to divide us, and which prevents all of us from participating fully in the promise of democracy. I think that if nothing else is done, that should be done. We all need a better understanding of how we all ended up where we are now so we can figure out how to fix things for ourselves and future generations.

Author

LatashaWillis

Date

2008-03-27T11:42:37-06:00

ID

99730

Comment

Why should any more effort be put into solving an unsolved civil rights murder than any other unsolved murders? Somebody died in both, somebody got away with it in both, and families in both were devastated. Dosen't seem fair to victims and families other unsolved murders.

Author

BubbaT

Date

2008-03-27T14:18:16-06:00

ID

99731

Comment

Bubba, I don't see anyone arguing that "more" energy should be put into one than the other. Do you understand the problem here? These are cases in which there has long been strong evidence, and knowledge of who did it, and the state has refused to prosecute. If you're going to turn it into a false comparison, then you should name the specific cases you're talking about in which the same level of evidence exists that the state has refused to investigate/prosecute. Then at least the comparison would make a lick o' sense.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-27T14:22:01-06:00

ID

99732

Comment

And with due respect, and I doubt seriously that you're aware of it—what you just said was long used by the Citizen's Council, Council of Conservative Citizen and the Klan to argue against investigating/prosecuting old cases in which there was real evidence. That's not good company to keep, so at least think it through before posting a hackneyed excuse long used by bigots in our state to keep attention off what white people -- and the state -- did to our black citizens.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-27T14:23:45-06:00

ID

99733

Comment

I understand that most of the crimes from that era were not really investigated or prosecuted and they should have been and should be now but wanting the FBI to set up a special unit to investigate unsolved civil rights murders (which is what the Emmit Till bill calls for) is kinda putting more effort in to them don't you think? Do they have a special unit for other unsolved murders.

Author

BubbaT

Date

2008-03-27T14:31:37-06:00

ID

99734

Comment

Well, knowing what I know about a lot of these cases -- much evidence is there. It needs to be gathered, and witnesses located who have been ignored for years. You also have to understand that these are different times of crimes -- terrorism, crimes against humanity, crimes used to enforce discrimination and the status quo. They're not just murders. These clearly merit a federal approach (although it wouldn't be needed had the states where they occurred not been in conspiracy with the terrorists). Otherwise, I don't have a problem with any kind of special unit for unsolved murders -- especially ones where so much evidence is available that has been ignored due to nothing more than bad politics. There could be a jurisdictional question, though, which isn't the issue with civil-rights terrorism.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-27T14:37:36-06:00

ID

99735

Comment

The other reason for the unit is that most of the original investigation was federal because the states didn't give a damn or were so closely involved. The Klansmen terrorist groups overlapped in some of them, and the evidence needs to be coordinated (like in Southwest Mississippi and Louisiana). This needs to happen. Badly.

Author

DonnaLadd

Date

2008-03-27T14:39:32-06:00