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Fighting Back In Klan Nation

When Mary Geraldine Briggs heard a horn blaring outside her small house, under shady oak trees on Highway 84 in Roxie, Miss., she would go get the shotgun and head to the door to protect her family. The horn was the signal from her husband, Rev. Clyde Bennie Briggs, that a carload of Klansmen was on his tail again. His wife was instructed to do anything she needed to do to protect herself and their six kids, and the one on the way. She was armed and ready.

Judge Keeps Seale in Jail

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate denied several motions from lawyers representing James Seale, the 71-year-old former Klansman held in federal custody for his alleged role in the abduction and murder of Charles Moore and Henry Dee in 1964. Wingate denied a motion to dismiss all charges against Seale and a motion to revoke a Jan. 29 order for Seale to remain incarcerated without bond in federal prison.

AG Gonzales to Old Klansmen: ‘We Are Still on Your Trail'

The U.S. Department of Justice held a press conference this morning in Washington to announce the formation of a cold-cases division to pursue old civil-rights murders, such as the case of Charles Moore and Henry Dee. Here are his verbatim remarks:

Take It to the Feds

Download the motion (PDF 1.44MB)

James Ford Seale Wants Charges Thrown Out

Read the JFP's full Dee-Moore-Seale package.

Unholstered: A Greenwood Family Fights For Its Rights

The bell rang for fifth period at Greenwood High School, and James Marshall walked to class. The 17-year-old wore his throwback Dave Wilcox jersey that his mom had bought him, a bright red 49ers uniform from 1964 with three-quarter sleeves that reached below his wrists. On the way, he spotted his friend Jarvis Williams, who was telling a group of boys about his tattoo.

Archive of the JFP's Coverage of the Dee-Moore Case

Following are links to the Jackson Free Press' full, and ongoing, package of stories about 1960s Klan activity in the Natchez-Meadville-Roxie, Miss., area, starting with the award-winning investigative story by Donna Ladd and a team of young Mississippians, working with David Ridgen, a documentary filmmaker from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., to chronicle Thomas' Moore's 2005 return to Mississippi to seek justice for his brother's murder.

Crime Plan Short on Specifics

Police Chief Shirlene Anderson gave the first few hints of a crime plan to the public this Monday following a City Council budget meeting. Anderson had stalled for months in response to calls by council members for her to present a crime plan, earlier telling the council that revealing the plan would give away too much information to criminals.

More Prosecutions Possible in Neshoba Slayings?

We are transferring a posting from BenG (from the Hungry Blues blog) here in order to have a more substantive conversation about it and not take away from the Dee-Moore discussion where it was originally posted:

James Ford Seale: A Trail of Documents Tells the Story

James Ford Seale was walking tall and chewing on a cigar as he appeared before a subcommittee of the Committee on Un-American Activities on Jan. 14, 1966, at 11:35 a.m. in the Caucus Room of the Cannon House Office Building in Washington, D.C.

The Forgotten Case of Dee and Moore: A Media Timeline

Some Jim Crow-era murders have drawn much more attention than others. At the top end of the scale was the high-profile case of the Klan murders of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner on June 21, 1964—which draws thousands of entries in the Nexis news database (a search will not return more than 3,000 at a time). Several conspirators were tried in federal court in the 1960s and actually served some time for their role. Then the case continued to simmer on the national radar, finally culminating in the arrest and prosecution of Edgar Ray Killen in June 2005.

Ballad of Charlie Moore and Henry Dee

We found Marla Moore's freshly penned lyrics in honor of Charles Moore and Henry Dee on her "Punk Rasta" myspace page this week and asked to publish them. The JFP spoke with Moore Tuesday about the song she had just written for two fallen Mississippians.

Remembering the Slain

See full JFP Dee-Moore archive here.

Due to the similar nature (M.O.) of the crime that Seale and his cronies are accused of committing (picking up young black men, torturing and killing them), my brother met a similar fate. (He possibly refused a ride and was run down and then shot as he was waiting for a bus in Provident, Tenn.) He was found by a cab driver with a wound through the head on New Providence Boulevard, with a bullet round next to his head.

We're Sorry for the Murders of Dee and Moore

See full JFP Dee-Moore archive here.

When Thomas Moore came back to Mississippi in July 2005 looking for justice for the 1964 murders of his brother, Charles, and his friend, Henry Dee, he didn't know if he'd find it.

[City Buzz] no. 16 Janurary 17 - January 24

U.S. District Judge L.T. Senter Jr. gave State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. a heavy blow last week, telling them that they have to cover a policy holder's hurricane wind damage unless they can absolutely prove that storm surge was the cause of destruction.

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