News

Afterword

On the 41st anniversary of the deaths of Goodman, Schwerner and Chaney, one man has been convicted. One thing to think about is the fact that the jury would not convict Edgar Ray Killen of murder. Although his role in the murders was obviously premeditated, they chose the verdict of manslaughter, which meant that he might not have known they would be killed—even as he was known to be the organizer and orchestrator of the murders. Also, a gravesite for the three men was already chosen; thus, how could this murder have been one of passion? Rita Bender and Ben Chaney gave us a reminder that this is only the beginning.

41 Years Ago and Still Waiting

Today marks 41 years since the murder of the three civil rights workers in Neshoba County. As jury deliberation continues all we can do is wait. As you know, yesterday after only 2 or so hours of deliberation Judge Gordon asked the jury what their current numbers were. Supposedly, his actions could be grounds for a mistrial. I don't know exactly what the rules are, but I don't believe he has the explicit power to inquire, at least not so soon after deliberation has begun. Hopefully 6 people will change their minds.

Mayor Harvey Johnson Returns to JSU Faculty

(JACKSON, Miss.) -- Mayor Harvey Johnson plans to return to his love of teaching next month as he joins the faculty of Jackson State University. Johnson, along with university officials, will make the announcement at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 21 in the College of Business.

Split Down the Middle

The case was turned over to the jury this afternoon at about 3:15. We sat in the media center while the jury deliberated and at approximately 5:30 Judge Gordon summoned the jury into the courtroom. As of today the votes are split 6 to 6. The jurors will reconvene at 8:30 a.m. tommorrow to continue deliberation.

Monkey Business

The morning began as Jim Hood stood to address the judge while in the process of putting on his suit coat. He was sternly reprimanded by the judge for his lack of etiquette.

Updates - Days 5 and 6

There was much—or little—activity in the courtroom on Friday and Saturday, depending on how you look at it. But we've either been in the courtroom, and thus no connection, or scrambling to get our bigger package ready to go to press. We will be posting details on our observations on here, hopefully by mid-day Monday, so keep an eye out.

Cochran and Lott AWOL on Lynching Resolution

[Originally posted June 14] In a highly publicized resolution last night, the United States Senate formally apologized for the body's failure over the years to pass a federal anti-lynching law that might have been used for intervene in lynchings that occurred in the past century. The entirely symbolic resolution, co-sponsored by 80 Senators, was passed last night by unanimous voice vote ("All in favor say 'Aye'"). A recorded vote was skipped to, presumably, avoid embarrassing the one Democratic and 19 Republican Senators who decided not to put their names on the resolution as a co-sponsor, including both Senators Trent Lott and Thad Cochran from Mississippi. Bloggers have noted that both Lott and Cochran voted against federal hate crimes legislation in 2002 as well.

Court is in Session or Recess?

The first day of testimonies ended up being less than predictable. One moment court is in session while the next moment the court is recessed for "some period of time."

Richard Kubow

Multi-talented musician-businessman Richard Kubow, is the owner of Richard's Music, a man who can play any instrument and sing any note. In 2003 a blaze set fire to his studio, which had been open since 1981, but Kubow got back on track. He and his staff teach many different music lessons to the public everyday in theMaywood Mart complex.

Opener: Killen Not on Trial for ‘Knowledge' of Crime

Well, the jury was finally chosen and opening arguments were heard. There are 12 members of the jury with an additional 5 alternates. The jury consists of 9 white women, 4 white men, 2 black women, and 2 black men. All are between the ages of 30-60.

Opening Statement/Audio Glitch

The trial's opening statements happened early this afternoon—but the judge forgot to turn the audio switch on, so only the people in the courtroom could hear it, and then only faintly. That means that the MPB and Court TV audiences didn't hear the statements, nor did the reporters in the media room. Tje "operator error" was, as the cameramen were calling it, because the judge had the switch turned toward the red light, which actually meant "off," which seems a bit backward, and I could frankly see why he'd make the mistake. Hopefully, tomorrow the tech stuff will be in better order. Meantime, I'm looking for a transcript of the opening statements.

Face to Face with Killen

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photo by Kate Medley: Edgar Ray Killen is helped into his car as his wife and supporters look on.

Low Turnout Paves Melton's Way

Read this story here.

Just In: Opening Arguments Start Wednesday

We just got word that jury selection is over (or nearly over), and opening arguments will start tomorrow (Wednesday). It is predicted that the trial will end by the end of next week, although that isn't certain, of course.

SurveyUSA's Senator Poll Results

On the heels of its 50-state governor poll, SurveyUSA -- in a poll not yet approved for consumption by the C-L (just kidding...:wink:) -- has released its 50-state Senator poll today. Results? Lott has a 65% approval rating (the same number that New York gives Sen. Hillary Clinton) and Cochran a 63% approval rating. Interestingly, eight of the ten least popular Senators are Republicans, including Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

Killen Trial — Tuesday News Round-up

Today, the Los Angeles Times has a good news piece co-written by Jenny Jarvie (who was one of the reporters who saw the Klan wizard at Killen's house Sunday night). Jenny (who is British) seems to be trying very hard to tell a balanced story, including about new generations of Mississippi. Kudos to her.

Thoughts on a Monday—in Philadelphia, Miss.

There was an eerie sense of expectation surrounding downtown Philadelphia, Miss., on this soon-to-be infamous afternoon. It was quiet...almost too quiet, underneath the blanket of sweltering humidity.

One-third of Jury Pool Black Today

Emily Wagster Pettus reports today:

Sovereignty Commission Blog

Delta woman Susan Klopfer has started a Mississippi Sovereignty Commission blog to highlight relevant parts of the Sovereignty Files (which are searchable online here. It is very important to understand that murders of Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner (and others) were not just the work of a few Klansmen. The state-funded Sovereignty Commission was set up as a spy agency to keep segregation in place and keep out "agitators" (civil-rights supporters).

Mississippians Wary of Civil-Rights Trial

A JFP blogger posted this link in our media forum to an AP story about Philadelphia and the people's attitudes toward the trial. I decided to move it to the Neshoba Blog. It begins:

Barnett Confession Alleges Role of Burrage

Horace Doyle Barnett's Nov. 20, 1964, confession to the FBI

I was just provided this confession from 1964 by one of the alleged conspiractors in the murders. I have not verified its authenticity. It is pasted verbatim.

The Trial Begins ... Officially

We left Jackson early (7 a.m.!) to get to Philadelphia for the official opening of the trial — although there is not a lot of activity to cover today. There was a bit of excitement when Killen was wheeled into the courthouse — alongside J.J. Harper! Some reporters were asking his attorney why he was with a Klansman, and then Minna (Skau of Politken in Denmark, our friend from the day before) whipped out the business card Mr. Harper had given her the day before to show his Klan connection.

‘A Wider Examination'?

Journalist Oliver Staley is writing good stories in the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, trying to address larger questions along the way. He walked up to me today on the court square and told me that one of my old columns for the Progressive Populist (about Charles Pickering) inspired him to look into the investigative reports in the Sovereignty Files that fed information, including the station wagon's license plate number, to the local law enforcement and the Klan. He had a copy of my column printed out.

The Scene of the Crime ... and a Klansman

After leaving Mt. Zion, I took the women reporters to Road 515, also known as Rock Cut Road, to show them where the three men were taken and killed.

Calm Before the Storm

Today, I heard that the Killen trial media was gathering in the afternoon and headed over to Neshoba County to see what was up. The town seemed very calm, other than the mass of cars around the media center, which is in the old Magnolia restaurant on Walnut Street a block from the courthouse. It's a loft-like building with low-hanging loft lights and a really rustic, yet hip interior with exposed brick. It's too bad this place closed; it was probably hard to compete with the casino restaurants.

JFP Archive of Chaney, Goodman & Schwerner Coverage

Click here to read the Jackson Free Press' coverage of the Chaney, Goodman & Schwerner case and the arrest and trial of Edgar Ray Killen to date.

JFP Interview: Myrlie Evers-Williams

Myrlie Evers-Williams, 72, and I talked long distance last Saturday at noon, separated by distance but connected by more than the telephone—both Mississippians, both widows, albeit by excruciatingly different circumstances, both left to raise small children without our beloved husbands, both survivors by the grace of God and with the love and support of family and friends.

Rape: The Forgotten Crime?

When The Clarion-Ledger recently published Jackson crime figures for 2004, numbers showed drops in most categories, including burglary, assault, robbery and larceny. The years 2002, 2003 and 2004 also saw reports of rape slide from 182, to 179, to 165, respectively. A more recent report, however, showed that both arson and rape saw a rise during the first few months of 2005, compared to last year.

Anne Friday

As I admired the various portraits of jazz, blues and rock 'n' roll artists that hang on the walls of Hal & Mal's, I was greeted by Anne Friday, 34, of Jackson. Then this amazing woman took the time to sit down and share with me a few experiences in her life that have made her who she is today.

Sun Herald: Mayor's races across state to be decided

The Sun Herald reports:

Ellington