Mississippi is still burning

[Lady Cop]

link to video (contains graphic images; discretion advised)

http://cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/crim...e.cnn.html

link to story
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/08/06/miss...ate.crime/


Jackson, Mississippi (CNN) -- A hit-and-run killing that took place after a group of white teens allegedly set out to kill a black man simply because of his color is now being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department, federal and Mississippi officials tell CNN.

The killing, which a Jackson, Mississippi, district attorney says is a racially motivated hate crime, sparked national attention after CNN obtained and aired exclusive surveillance video that shows the attack as it took place.

James Craig Anderson, 49, was first beaten by the group of teens as he stood in a hotel parking lot early on the morning of June 26, according to some of the teens who were interviewed by police.

After the beating, a group of the teens drove a large Ford pickup truck over Anderson, according to witnesses and officials. Anderson died from his injuries later the same day.


Deryl Dedmon Jr. could face two life sentences in connection with the killing. John Aaron Rice, left, has been charged with simple assault.
Federal investigators are in Jackson at the request of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith, who says he will be seeking indictments against some or all of the white teens in coming weeks.

"This was a racially motivated murder, committed because the victim was black. We want to prosecute and bring justice in this case to the fullest extent of the law," said Smith, explaining that he called Justice Department officials and asked for more investigators to come to Mississippi to help interview witnesses and pursue leads in the crime.

Under federal law, authorities can pursue further charges and punishment if it is determined that a crime was racially motivated. Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed to CNN that "the department has an ongoing investigation."

The group of teens that night was led by 18-year-old Deryl Dedmon Jr., of Brandon, Mississippi, according to police and officials in the DA's office.

Dedmon, who was arrested and charged with murder, is being held in Jackson. He could face two life sentences in connection with the killing.

Another teen, John Aaron Rice, was also charged with murder at first, until a judge reduced his charges because Rice was not believed to be driving the vehicle used to kill Anderson.

Smith and officials in the Hinds County District Attorney's office say they plan to indict both Dedmon and Rice for murder and a hate crime.

Attorneys for Dedmon and Rice did not return CNN's calls.

During a bond hearing, Dedmon's attorney told the court he saw nothing to back up the "racial allegations."

Neither teen has pleaded yet, and none of the other teens has been charged.

But Hinds and officials from the DA's office say they hope to bring indictments against not only Dedmon and Rice, but also other teens who were in their cars and part of the attack that early morning.

Dedmon led and instigated the attack, according to officials; he took part in and led the beating of Anderson, and Dedmon was also the driver of the Ford 250 truck that served as the murder weapon, according to officials.

Before the murder, as the teens were partying and drinking miles away from Jackson that night, in largely white Rankin County, Dedmon told friends they should leave, saying, "Let's go fuck with some niggers," according to law enforcement officials.

Then the gang of teens climbed into Dedmon's green truck and a white SUV Cherokee and drove 16 miles down Interstate 20 to the western edge of Jackson, a predominantly black area.

The teens would have seen Anderson immediately as they exited the highway, because the parking lot where he was standing is just beside the exit ramp.

"This is the first business that you get to coming off the highway and so that was the first person that was out here and vulnerable," said Smith.

On the videotape, obtained and reviewed by CNN, a truck is seen pulling into the parking lot and stopping where Anderson is standing, though he is just off camera and not visible.

Teens can then be seen going back and forth between their cars and Anderson.

Witnesses told law enforcement officials this is when the repeated beatings of Anderson took place. Dedmon pummeled Anderson repeatedly as he crumpled to the street, according to officials, though this is not visible in the videotape.

After the beating, some of the teens left and some got into the truck.

At this moment on the video, Anderson becomes visible, as he staggers into view and walks toward the headlights of the truck. The truck suddenly surges ahead, running over Anderson, then continues at high speed away from the scene.

Shortly after he allegedly drove the truck over Anderson, Dedmon allegedly boasted and laughed about the killing, according to the testimony of police detectives who interviewed the teens.

"I ran that nigger over," Dedmon allegedly said in a phone conversation to the teens in the other car. He repeated the racial language in subsequent conversations, according to the law enforcement officials.

"He was not remorseful. He was laughing, laughing about the killing," said district attorney Smith.

[BlueTiki]

I hope these white trash fuckers get bent over and violated by the biggest and baddest black muthafucka in the joint.

Several times daily.

[Duchess]

That's awful! It's terrible to be so cavalier about a life. I hope they die scared & alone.

[Lady Cop]

i want to know if they are eligible for the death penalty. it looks like the Feds are going to bring charges, so perhaps they will be.

[cannongal]

What the fuck were these 2 useless blobs of cellulite thinking? Are they trying to start a race war? Unbelievable disregard for human life.

[Lady Cop]

this case reminded me of the horrific 1998 case of James Byrd Jr. he was dragged and decapitated by a truckload of redneck skinhead kkk rejects. only 2 of the 3 are on death row.

JASPER, Texas (CNN) -- Three white men, two with suspected links to the Aryan Nation, are being held in connection with the killing of a black man who was beaten, dragged by a truck and decapitated.

The FBI is investigating the possibility of civil rights law violations in the death of James Byrd Jr., 49, whose body was found on a rural logging road near this southeast Texas community Sunday morning, said FBI Special Agent Don Clark in Houston.

The three men now in custody have not been formally charged but soon will be, Jasper County Sheriff Billy Rowles said Monday.

The FBI and local authorities plan to hold a 10 a.m. news conference on Tuesday.

Investigators say Byrd was driven to a logging road, beaten unconscious and then tied to the back of a pickup truck and dragged down the logging road, a law enforcement source told CNN.


Rowles
A sheriff's deputy, tipped off by a phone call, found Byrd's "badly mangled" body. His head and an arm were found a short distance away, the source said.

The FBI was called into the case because of the apparent racial aspect of the killing. Charges of "conspiracy to deprive constitutional rights" are being reviewed, according to the sheriff.

Byrd's sister told CNN he was last seen walking home from a friend's anniversary party early Sunday morning.

"He has no car and tried to catch a ride home, but couldn't," Clara Taylor said. "So he took off walking."

She said her brother did not know the three men being held in his death.

"We don't know how he came into contact with them," Taylor said.

The three suspects were picked up on the basis of the phone call from the tipster, who described their pickup truck.

Based on information gathered by investigators and tattoos found on the men, it's believed two of them may be connected to the Aryan Nation, a white supremacist group.

Byrd was born in Jasper and never had "any problems like that," Taylor said, referring to possible racial problems. He was disabled and did not work, she said, declining to elaborate.

[thekid65]

I hope these white trash fuckers get bent over and violated by the biggest and baddest black muthafucka in the joint.

Several times daily.

They best not hope the warden of the prison they're gonna spend the rest of their lives in is not a black man..as you can guarantee what color skin their "celly" is gonna have.

[Maggot]

I wonder if they used twitter to organize it?

[Cracker]

Does race seem to be as big of an issue as it has always been, maybe bigger? The media sure makes it seem that way.

If this happened on June 26, why is it just now big news? Why not then? This is the first I've heard of it.

At work, this black dude asked me if I watched the news. Then he told me about this story but he didn't mention the riots in London. Or flash mobs. Just this. Like I know any white people living in Mississippi. I guess he wanted to see how I would react. I can't decide if that makes him an asshole or not.

[Duchess]

At work, this black dude asked me if I watched the news. Then he told me about this story but he didn't mention the riots in London. Or flash mobs. Just this. Like I know any white people living in Mississippi. I guess he wanted to see how I would react. I can't decide if that makes him an asshole or not.

Riots in London & flash mobs mean nothing to him...he can, however, relate to a black man being killed simply because of the color of his skin. This story meant something to him.

[Cracker]

I think CNN is trying to make a race war out of a few fucked up individuals. The bond hearing was Jul 7.

The feds have already been investigating, "Under federal law, authorities can pursue further charges and punishment if it is determined that a crime was racially motivated. Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed to CNN that "the department has an ongoing investigation."

I just question the timing.

The crime is fucking horrible. Death penalty case I hope. If it starts some damn riot somewhere because CNN put it in the headlines just now, CNN should have to pay the damages.

[Cracker]

http://www.facebook.com/CNNBlackinAmerica

[Lady Cop]

(CNN) -- A white Mississippi man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2011 murder of an African-American man, with the judge calling it an inexcusable, "despicable" crime.

Deryl Dedmon pleaded guilty to murder and a hate-crime charge before a judge in Jackson on Wednesday afternoon, admitting to the June killing of James Craig Anderson. Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill sentenced him to two concurrent life terms, saying, "This craven act isn't who we are."

"Whatever excuse you offer, forget that. There is no excuse," Weill said. He added, "The state of Mississippi condemns this despicable crime."

Dedmon, 19, told the judge that he was a "changed man" who had found religion since his arrest.

"I wish I could take it all back," he said, adding, "I was young and dumb, ignorant and full of hatred. I chose to go down the wrong path."

Dedmon is also expected to plead guilty to still-undisclosed federal charges Thursday, three sources with knowledge of the case told CNN -- the first indication that a federal case was pending in Anderson's death. Officials would disclose no details, but Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith said he expected other charges -- and other arrests.

"This is just the beginning," Smith said.

Anderson's killing prompted several large marches and prayer vigils in Jackson, a city of about 537,000 people. His sister, Barbara Anderson Young, said during Wednesday's hearing that her family was praying for "racial conciliation."

"These last months have been very difficult," Young said. "We cried. We wept. We reminisced about our beloved brother, Craig, a loss I cannot even explain. Craig was a big-hearted person who loved his fellow man."

Anderson died after he was beaten and run over by a truck driven by Dedmon, according to police. Dedmon was part of a group of seven white youths from largely white Rankin County who decided to "go fuck with some niggers," after a night of partying and drinking, law enforcement officials have said, quoting some of the suspects in the case.

Smith has said the evidence indicated the suspects, who ranged in age from 17 to 19, "went out with the intention to harm and, in this case, kill a black man." According to investigators, they drove 16 miles in two vehicles from Rankin County to Jackson, where after exiting the highway, they found Anderson alone in a parking lot about 4 a.m. on June 26.

The white men allegedly beat Anderson repeatedly, yelling racial epithets. After the beating, Dedmon drove his Ford F-250 truck over him, leaving him to die, according to what some of the teens cooperating with police have told authorities.

Anderson's death drew national attention after CNN first reported it and aired exclusive surveillance video of the killing, captured by a parking lot security camera in a Jackson suburb.

Dedmon, of Brandon, Mississippi, would face the death penalty if convicted of murder. A second man, John Aaron Rice, was initially charged with murder, but a judge reduced the charges to simple assault because Rice was not believed to be driving the vehicle used to kill Anderson.

For months, lawyers have been working behind the scenes in Jackson, where Dedmon is being held, fighting over a change of venue in a possible trial. Law enforcement officials said the two sides are also discussing a possible plea arrangement, which might also draw in the other white men who were present during the attack but have never been arrested.

Smith had hoped to have a trial in Jackson, where the crime occurred and which is largely black. But defense attorneys wanted to move the trial to an area with a larger white population, the law enforcement officials said.

Murder suspect carried 'backpack of hatred'

Authorities believe Dedmon led and instigated the attack. On a sweltering Mississippi night in June, a gang of youths climbed into Dedmon's green truck and a white SUV and drove to the western edge of Jackson. They would have seen Anderson immediately as they exited the highway, officials said. He was standing in a hotel parking lot just beyond the exit ramp.

On the videotape obtained exclusively by CNN, the group pulls into the parking lot and stops where Anderson is standing, although he is just off camera and not visible.

The young men can then be seen going back and forth between their cars and Anderson. Witnesses told authorities this is when Anderson's beating took place, as the white youths yelled racial epithets including "white power."

Authorities allege Dedmon and many of the other teens pummeled Anderson repeatedly as he crumpled to the ground, although this is not visible on the tape. After the beating, some of the white youths left, and others got into the green Ford truck.

At this moment, Anderson becomes visible on the tape as he staggers into view and walked toward the truck.

"Defendant Dedmon drove the F-250 out of the parking lot and turned right onto Ellis Avenue," the lawsuit says. "Just as Dedmon turned right, his headlights shone directly on Anderson, who, having been severely beaten, was stumbling in a grassy area near the motel's entrance. Dedmon accelerated, drove onto and over the street curb, and struck Anderson with the front of the F-250."

Shortly afterward, Dedmon allegedly boasted and laughed about the killing, according to statements some of the teens made to detectives. "I ran that nigger over," he allegedly said in a phone conversation to the youths in the other car.

"He was not remorseful," Smith said. "He was laughing, laughing about the killing."

During a bail hearing last year, Dedmon's attorney told the court he saw nothing to back up the "racial allegations."

Anderson's has sent a letter asking state and federal officials not to seek the death penalty against Dedmon or any other youths who might be charged in the case. The letter states that the family is opposed to the death penalty partly for religious convictions of faith.

The U.S. Department of Justice had been looking into the death as a possible federal hate crime and assisting local prosecutors. Federal investigators also have been digging for months into other possible crimes in the area committed by Dedmon and others that might show a pattern of racial violence.

The Anderson family has also filed a wrongful death suit against all seven of the white youths who were present at the beating of Anderson. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a nationally recognized organization in Montgomery, Alabama, that opposes racism and intolerance, joined in the lawsuit to help the case, joining forces with the family's attorney, Winston J. Thompson III.

"James Anderson lost his life for no other reason than the color of his skin," said Morris Dees, chief trial counsel for the law center . "Those responsible must be held accountable for their callous and deadly actions. We are filing this lawsuit today to ensure his family gets a measure of justice."

Anderson, a line worker at a Nissan plant, sang in his church choir, Thompson said. He is survived by his partner of 17 years.

"He was just a pillar of the community," Thompson said. "He paid his taxes on time; he went to work, came home -- he was just an average, ordinary citizen, good guy, wonderful gardener."

"Anyone who knew James could see that he was a caring man with a beautiful smile," said Anderson's sister, Barbara Anderson Young. "He was such a compassionate person. We must take an honest look at the racial climate that motivated some young people to hurt such a wonderful person."

[Midwest Spy]

More fucking animals.

As I've stated in here many times, FEED them to the animals NOW.