[Col. Writ. 6/26/05] Copyright '05 Mumia Abu-Jamal
In the last few weeks, Americans have been given a dark history
lesson of the Civil Rights Movement with the prosecution and sentencing
of ex-Ku Klux Klan leader, now 80-year-old Edgar Ray Killen, who was
given three consecutive 20-year terms for his role in the killing of 3
civil rights workers in 1964.
The convictions which came 41 years to the day James Chaney, Michael
Schwerner and Andrew Goodman were beaten and shot to death in Neshoba
County, Mississippi, were for three counts of manslaughter.
The convictions and sentences in the infamous case, which sparked
nationwide support for the Movement, and the long-denied right of
millions of Blacks to vote, was seen as a judicial effort to 'right the
scales' after decades of injustices in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
Several relatives of the slain activists praised the verdicts, with
at least one, whitehaired widow, Rita Bender (who was married to
Schwerner) seemingly echoing the judge in her reported remark: "Every
human life has value."
I can't help but wonder -- does it?
Bender herself pointed out in broadcast interviews that if two of
these three men weren't 'white', there'd be no trial. Indeed, she has
also pointed to the scores of black bodies buried in the same earthen
dam which held, for 44 days, the shattered remains of her husband (and
his two friends), about which no trials were ever held, or even
seriously contemplated.
It seems *every* human life doesn't have the *same* value ...
Moreover, does anyone think if a Black man killed 3 whites -- say,
white supremacists (white Klansmen, even) -- that it would take 41 years
to try him -- *anywhere* in America?
And, (again, for the sake of argument) if this were to happen, would
this Black part-time preacher be convicted of manslaughter -- or murder?
Lost in the sauce here, is the true role of the Ku Klux Klan; not a
bunch of ' good ole boys' havin' theyself some fun; but a group born in
the ashes of the Civil War, a terrorist army of the old Democratic
Party, and, more often than not, an arm of the State.
Lost also, is the hidden hand of the Mississippi State Sovereignty
Commission, a government agency that used its powers to identify, track,
harass and disable activists and others who supported civil and voting
rights. It is beyond question that this agency, and other police
agencies, funneled data to the Klan. The Klan was thus an agency of
State power. If Edgar Ray Killen was guilty because he was a Klaxxon
(or leading member) what of those who fed him information to hurt people
-- to kill people?
When will *they* be tried? Forty years from now?
If the deceased were not one Black and two Jews (but 3 whites),
would the jury have convicted of manslaughter?
You know the answer.
When will the state try the baby-killing cops who killed, shot, and
bombed, 11 people -- men, women and children -- in Philadelphia,
*Pennsylvania*?
In 2026?
Edgar Ray Killen got convicted, yes; but, the State got off
scot-free. For over two score years, for two generations, Killen lived
in perfect freedom in Neshoba County, Mississippi. With no new
evidence, certainly no more than in 1964, the state tried him and
convicted him.
When will the State be tried?
What we are seeing is the passing of the Klan into irrelevance.
The wealthy and powerful no longer need to sublet their work to such
groups. They can do it directly, through the police. We need look no
further than the July 1995 "Good Ol' Boy Roundup" in southeastern
Tennessee, where ATF, and other police agencies, met, which specifically
excluded Blacks. The signs leading the event, read "Nigger check point"
(posted by local cops). It featured a Redneck of the Year contest.*
What was the difference between this meeting and a Klan rally?
They wore different uniforms.
Copyright 2005 Mumia Abu-Jamal
Technorati Tags: Politics Mumia Abu-Jamal
In the last few weeks, Americans have been given a dark history
lesson of the Civil Rights Movement with the prosecution and sentencing
of ex-Ku Klux Klan leader, now 80-year-old Edgar Ray Killen, who was
given three consecutive 20-year terms for his role in the killing of 3
civil rights workers in 1964.
The convictions which came 41 years to the day James Chaney, Michael
Schwerner and Andrew Goodman were beaten and shot to death in Neshoba
County, Mississippi, were for three counts of manslaughter.
The convictions and sentences in the infamous case, which sparked
nationwide support for the Movement, and the long-denied right of
millions of Blacks to vote, was seen as a judicial effort to 'right the
scales' after decades of injustices in Philadelphia, Mississippi.
Several relatives of the slain activists praised the verdicts, with
at least one, whitehaired widow, Rita Bender (who was married to
Schwerner) seemingly echoing the judge in her reported remark: "Every
human life has value."
I can't help but wonder -- does it?
Bender herself pointed out in broadcast interviews that if two of
these three men weren't 'white', there'd be no trial. Indeed, she has
also pointed to the scores of black bodies buried in the same earthen
dam which held, for 44 days, the shattered remains of her husband (and
his two friends), about which no trials were ever held, or even
seriously contemplated.
It seems *every* human life doesn't have the *same* value ...
Moreover, does anyone think if a Black man killed 3 whites -- say,
white supremacists (white Klansmen, even) -- that it would take 41 years
to try him -- *anywhere* in America?
And, (again, for the sake of argument) if this were to happen, would
this Black part-time preacher be convicted of manslaughter -- or murder?
Lost in the sauce here, is the true role of the Ku Klux Klan; not a
bunch of ' good ole boys' havin' theyself some fun; but a group born in
the ashes of the Civil War, a terrorist army of the old Democratic
Party, and, more often than not, an arm of the State.
Lost also, is the hidden hand of the Mississippi State Sovereignty
Commission, a government agency that used its powers to identify, track,
harass and disable activists and others who supported civil and voting
rights. It is beyond question that this agency, and other police
agencies, funneled data to the Klan. The Klan was thus an agency of
State power. If Edgar Ray Killen was guilty because he was a Klaxxon
(or leading member) what of those who fed him information to hurt people
-- to kill people?
When will *they* be tried? Forty years from now?
If the deceased were not one Black and two Jews (but 3 whites),
would the jury have convicted of manslaughter?
You know the answer.
When will the state try the baby-killing cops who killed, shot, and
bombed, 11 people -- men, women and children -- in Philadelphia,
*Pennsylvania*?
In 2026?
Edgar Ray Killen got convicted, yes; but, the State got off
scot-free. For over two score years, for two generations, Killen lived
in perfect freedom in Neshoba County, Mississippi. With no new
evidence, certainly no more than in 1964, the state tried him and
convicted him.
When will the State be tried?
What we are seeing is the passing of the Klan into irrelevance.
The wealthy and powerful no longer need to sublet their work to such
groups. They can do it directly, through the police. We need look no
further than the July 1995 "Good Ol' Boy Roundup" in southeastern
Tennessee, where ATF, and other police agencies, met, which specifically
excluded Blacks. The signs leading the event, read "Nigger check point"
(posted by local cops). It featured a Redneck of the Year contest.*
What was the difference between this meeting and a Klan rally?
They wore different uniforms.
Copyright 2005 Mumia Abu-Jamal
Technorati Tags: Politics Mumia Abu-Jamal
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