Farewell To A Diva...

I know I'm late but I've had a lot going on.  My blog could not continue if I did not pay my respects to one of the greatest singers of my lifetime.  I must say that Whitney Houston has accomplished too much for the media to only focus on the negative.   Her death is beyond shocking and I am still numb.  It just doesn't seem real.  I applaud her family for having a funeral that truly honored her but honored God as well.    For several hours the church as well as God was on display for the world to see.  God makes no mistakes and I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.   I was born a sinner and I am in no position to point a finger at anyone.  As painful as this loss is, I take comfort in knowing that she is resting with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.    

FEDERAL BENEFIT PAYMENT/ENTITLEMENT

I received the following in an email today.  Interesting and thought provoking. Let me start by saying that my knowledge of government dealings is not strong.  Once I research an issue then I am able to form my own opinion.  That being said I honestly do not know if the following is entirely true, however I am going to give my thoughts as if this was 100% true.


What blows my mind is how human beings have become so hardened to the needs of their peers.  I do feel that there are some politicians who sincerely care about those in need but I feel there are far too many who are only looking out for their own personal interests.  Everyone has something to say about "Obama Care" but no one seems to have a better idea.  The burden of the economy is falling on what's left of the middle class.  Sad thing is there were many people struggling before the economy got bad so I can only imagine what how they're doing now.  It's crazy that I'm paying into this system and it may not even be around when I need it! 


I could go on and on regarding this topic but I have a trip to pack for so I am going to pause here.  Lets discuss,what are your thoughts?

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Have you noticed, your Social Security check is now referred to as a "federal benefit payment"? I'll be part of the one percent, to forward this. Our government gets away with way too much in all areas of our lives, while they live lavishly on their grossly overpaid incomes! KEEP PASSING THIS AROUND UNTIL EVERY ONE HAS READ IT.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT. THE ONLY THING WRONG WITH THIS CALCULATION IS THEY FORGOT TO FIGURE IN THE PEOPLE WHO DIED BEFORE THEY COLLECTED THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY! WHERE DID THAT MONEY GO?

This was sent to me, I am forwarding it because it does touch a nerve in me.

Remember, not only did you contribute to Social Security but your employer did too. It totaled 15% of your income before taxes. If you averaged only $30K over your working life, that's close to $220,500. If you calculate the future value of $4,500 per year (yours & your employer's contribution) at a simple 5% (less than what the government pays on the money that it borrows), after 49 years of working you'd have $892,919.98. If you took out only 3% per year, you'd receive $26,787.60 per year and it would last better than 30 years (until you're 95 if you retire at age 65) and that's with no interest paid on that final amount on deposit! If you bought an annuity and it paid 4% per year, you'd have a lifetime income of $2,976.40 per month.

The folks in Washington have pulled off a bigger Ponzi scheme than Bernie Madhoff ever had. Entitlement my ass, I paid cash for my social security insurance! Just because they borrowed the money from the fund - which was promised never to happen - and never paid it back, doesn't make my benefits some kind of charity or handout!!

Congressional benefits ---- free healthcare, outrageous retirement packages, 67 paid holidays, three weeks paid vacation, unlimited paid sick days, now that's welfare, and they have the nerve to call my social security retirement entitlements?

We're "broke" and can't help our own Seniors, Veterans, Orphans, Homeless. In the last months we have provided aid to Haiti, Chile , and Turkey. And now Pakistan, home of bin Laden. Literally, BILLIONS of DOLLARS!

Our retired seniors living on a 'fixed income' receive no aid nor do they get any breaks while our government and religious organizations pour Hundreds of Billions of $$$$$$'s and Tons of Food to Foreign Countries!

They call Social Security and Medicare an entitlement even though most of us have been paying for it all our working lives and now when it's time for us to collect, the government is running out of money. Why did the government borrow from it in the first place? Imagine if the *GOVERNMENT* gave 'US' the same support they give to other countries.

Sad isn't it? 99% of people won't have the guts to forward this. I'm one of the 1%, I Just Did.

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I'm Black and I'm Beautiful!

Remembering Dr. King

I would be wrong if I didn't not pay  tribute and honor a man who literally changed history.  He allowed God to use him in an unforgettable way.  Dr. King's life's work had a profound impact on the life I am able to live today.  While things in sense have improved we still must remember there is still work to be done. With that being said let us continue working towards his dream.

With love to Dr. King and Family.

Giant Human Foot Print 200 Million Years Old In South Africa!

I thought I would share the following video.  I have my own personal opinion regarding how old the earth really is but still found this interesting.  So what do you think? Real or Fake?

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Sister of Troy Davis dies | ajc.com

By Angel K. Brooks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Johnny Crawford, Jcrawford@ajc.com

Martina Davis Correia, older sister of Troy Davis, who was executed in September for killing a police officer, died Thursday, according to media reports. Correia, 44, had been fighting breast cancer.

She stood by her brother, who maintained his innocence in the death of off-duty Savannah police officer Mark Allen MacPhail in 1989. MacPhail was moonlighting on a security detail when he was shot three times.

After Davis' trial, a number of key witnesses recanted their testimony. Davis' case was known around the world and fueled the debate over eyewitness testimony.

Correia fought to clear her brother's name.

"She was the No. 1 messenger and was the one that really inspired people to get involved and work for him," Laura Moye, who heads Amnesty International's campaign to abolish the death penalty, told the Associated Press. "She is the person who really sparked the global campaign for Troy Davis."

Media witnesses reported that Davis, 42, addressed the MacPhail family from the gurney before his Sept. 21 execution and again proclaimed his innocence. He also asked his friends and supporters to keep searching for the truth.

“Martina Correia was a true hero and warrior for civil and human rights," NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous said in a statement Friday.

After Troy Davis' execution, his sister told the AP, "We're going to keep moving forward. That's what my brother would have wanted us to do, not be angry and wallow and those kinds of things."

Correia is survived by her 17-year-old son, Antone De'Juan Davis Correia; brother Lester Davis; and sisters Kimberly and Ebony Davis, the Savannah Morning News said.

This year, the Davis family also lost their mother, Virginia Davis, who died in April, the Associated Press reported.


SOURCE: http://www.ajc.com/news/sister-of-troy-davis-1248666.html

Ali mourns fearsome old foe Frazier as the ring loses a 'great champion' in Smokin' Joe

By Jeff Powell

Last updated at 10:39 PM on 8th November 2011


Link to Story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-2059197/Joe-Frazier-Muhammad-Ali-mourns-old-foe.html?ito=feeds-newsxml



Muhammad Ali has led the tributes to Joe Frazier following his death from liver cancer aged 67.

Ali, who had three memorable fights against Frazier in the 1970s, losing one and winning the other two, said: 'The world has lost a great champion. I will always remember Joe with respect and admiration. My sympathy goes out to his family and loved ones.'

Frazier became world champion in 1970 after Ali had been stripped of his titles for refusing to fight in Vietnam.

The moment Smokin Joe floored the Greatest: Joe Frazier beat Muhammad Ali in the bout dubbed 'The Fight of the Century' in New York in March 1971

Ali tried to reclaim his belts but Frazier won their much-hyped clash in 1971. It was Ali's first loss as a professional, but a defeat he avenged.

They met twice more, with Ali winning both, including the epic 'Thrilla in Manila' in 1975.

George Foreman, who won both his bouts with Frazier, said: 'He was a wonderful man and a wonderful friend. Muhammad Ali and George Foreman were big guys but when we went in the ring with Joe Frazier, we had to have respect. I hoped I never had to fight him. He wouldn't back down. If you hit him, he liked it.'

Tribute: An old photograph and flowers have been placed at a makeshift memorial at the former location of Joe Frazier's gym in Philadelphia

Joe Bugner, who lost to Frazier five months after being beaten by Ali in 1973, told BBC 5 Live: 'Joe Frazier was relentless. Here was a man about 5ft 10in, he weighed about a stone lighter than me, but he was so courageous and ferocious.'

Don King, who promoted the 'Thrilla in Manila', said: 'Smokin' Joe Frazier was the embodiment of what a great heavyweight champion and person should be. He was a gladiator. The courage he showed in Manila - answering every Ali onslaught with an equally withering response - will remain in the hearts and minds of boxing fans forever.'

Ring warrior: Frazier was best known for his trilogy of fights against Ali

Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson said: 'Frazier and Ali were the apex of pedigree fighting in which each man would not give an inch until they were dead. As a young fighter it was an honour to be compared to Frazier.'

Joe Frazier 1944-2011: One of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all

Report: Rapper Heavy D dead at 44

Report: Rapper Heavy D dead at 44

Meet My Family: Master Sgt. Eddie Carr

Under the wing of Air Force Master Sgt. Eddie Carr, the students who participate in the Air Force Junior ROTC at the Franklin K. Lane Campus in Brooklyn are learning confidence, discipline and how to become better citizens.

http://www.uft.org/videos/franklin-k-lane-campus-rotc-program

Ending the Deficit

I saw this posted on Facebook and while I'm not sure if this is true it definitely is interesting. So what do you think? Do you agree or disagree?

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Warren Buffett, "I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.


Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.  In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.


*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*


1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office
and receives no pay when they are out of office.


2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All
funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security
system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system,
and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for
any other purpose.


3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans
do.


4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay
will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.


5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the
same health care system as the American people.


6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American
people.


7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.
The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen
made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor,
not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours
should serve their term's), then go home and back to work.


If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take
three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is
time.


THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!! If you agree with the above, pass it on.

Stephen Anderson, Ex NYPD Cop: We Planted Evidence, Framed Innocent People To Reach Quotas

First Posted: 10/13/11 05:55 PM ET Updated: 10/13/11 05:55 PM ET


A former New York City narcotics detective testified in court that planting drugs on innocent people was common practice, a quick and easy way to boost arrest numbers.


According to the New York Daily News, the practice is known among NYPD officers as “flaking,” and officers in Brooklyn and Queens narcotics squads were doing a whole lot of it.


Stephen Anderson, the former detective, was snared along with a group of other officers for “flaking” four men in Queens back in 2008. He is now cooperating with prosecutor’s and is spilling the beans on the crooked practice of framings and false arrests, often to reach arrest quotas.


"It was something I was seeing a lot of, whether it was from supervisors or undercovers and even investigators," Anderson testified in Brooklyn Supreme Court last week. "It's almost like you have no emotion with it, that they attach the bodies to it, they're going to be out of jail tomorrow anyway; nothing is going to happen to them anyway."


The Drug Policy Alliance, a group that promotes alternatives to the war on drugs, issued a statement calling the case against the officers indicative of larger, systematic failures.


“One of the consequences of the war on drugs is that police officers are pressured to make large numbers of arrests, and it’s easy for some of the less honest cops to plant evidence on innocent people,” said Gabriel Sayegh of the DPA. “The drug war inevitably leads to crooked policing — and quotas further incentivize such practices.”


This latest case isn’t the first time corrupt police practices and numbers fudging by the department has been exposed. A few years ago, an officer also in Brooklyn began secretly taping the activity around the department and uncovered a more sinister side to city policing.


Hundreds of hours of tape reveal how bosses threatened street cops if they don’t make enough stop-and-frisk arrests, “but also tell them not to take certain robbery reports in order to manipulate crime statistics,” according to the Voice. “The tapes also refer to command officers calling crime victims directly to intimidate them about their complaints.” (The popular public radio show, This American Life, did an in-depth feature on the padded stats in the Brooklyn precinct and the organized intimidation of the officer who was trying to blow the whistle.)


According to the DPA, the NYPD has recently come under fire recently for the arrests of more than 50,000 people last year for low-level marijuana offenses – 86% of whom are black and Latino – making marijuana possession the number one offense in the City. The group is also critical of the NYPD’s controversial stop-and-frisk practice.


The marijuana arrests, the group says, are the result of “illegal searches” by the NYPD, as part of stop-and-frisks.


The statement continued:

Marijuana was decriminalized in New York State in 1977 – and that law is still on the books. Smoking marijuana in public or having marijuana visible in public, however, remains a crime. Most people arrested for marijuana possession are not smoking in public, but simply have a small amount in their pocket, purse or bag. Often when police stop and question a person, they say “empty your pockets” or “open your bag.” Many people comply, even though they’re not legally required to do so. If a person pulls marijuana from their pocket or bag, it is then “open to public view.” The police then arrest the person.

 LINK TO STORY

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Where do I even begin with this story.  I don't even know what to say except that we all knew this was happening.  I honestly believe in these last days God will reveal a lot of things.  We are already seeing this in the church how prominent pastors are being exposed for their involvement in a number of scandals.  Were we so naive to think that God would only limit his judgement to the church? 1 Corinthians 4:5 says "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God."  Isaiah 29:15 says "Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, "Who sees us? Who will know?"

I believe cops like these give the good cops a bad rep.  I appreciate those that take their job seriously and sincerely want to serve and protect the people.  I, however, have no respect for the cops discussed in this story or any other cop guilty of this same offense.  I have always felt that cops were professional bullies.  They use intimidation  and fear tactics and their authority to have their way, often at the expense of the minority community.  I personally take delight when these acts are exposed simply because of what the victims endured all because of a lie.    



Again to those in law enforcement who actually conduct their jobs with honesty and integrity...KUDOS to you!   Wish there were more like you out there.   

Remembering Jobs While Acknowledging Shuttlesworth

A friend of mine posted this and I had to share.  She articulated my thoughts in a way that I could not and I really like this about her and really look up to her.  A very wise woman.  Shout out to you diva!

"I hate to hear of the passing of Steve Jobs, as a pioneer of Apple, but an equally important man, probably more important as it relates to my life, but Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth also passed away today. He survived bombings and beatings at the hands of racists and opponents of the Civil Rights Movement. Thank you for all you endured, so that people like me, could purchase the products that Steve Jobs created. RIP to a true legend"- Kimberlee W.

The Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, civil rights leader, dies at age 89

At one end of the fire hose were officers deployed by Bull Connor, the notoriously racist police commissioner fond of telling his men to use sticks, dogs and whatever else was necessary to scatter peaceful black protesters. At the business end was the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, the Birmingham, Ala., preacher who -- as much or more than any of his contemporaries, the leaders of the civil rights movement -- had a penchant for putting himself in harm's way in the name of equality.

Bill Allen, The Associated Press archiveThe Rev. Ralph Abernathy, left, and the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth talk to reporters at the White House after a conference with President Kennedy on June 17, 1963.

View full size
   

Shuttlesworth, who survived bombings, beatings and that 1963 encounter with the fire hose that left him with chest injuries, died Wednesday at 89 at Princeton Baptist Medical Center in Birmingham, Ala., relatives and hospital officials said, half a century after his repeated refusals to back down to Connor and the Ku Klux Klan helped even the fight for civil rights in the South and beyond.

"When God made Bull Connor, one of the real negative forces in this country, He was sure to make Fred Shuttlesworth," said the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a fellow pioneer in the movement.

Shuttlesworth, a truck driver turned Baptist minister, never gained the kind of fame outside his native Alabama bestowed on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other luminaries. But without him, King might not have sent his forces to Birmingham when he did.

"Fred didn't invite us to come to Birmingham," said Andrew Young, the former Atlanta mayor and U.N. ambassador who served as an aide to King. "He told us we had to come."
Shuttlesworth became pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham in 1953 and soon began openly challenging segregation despite repeated arrests and attempts on his life.

View full sizeDave Martin, The Associated Press archiveThe Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was photographed in Montgomery, Ala., in June 2007.

  

On Christmas night 1956, 16 sticks of dynamite were detonated outside his bedroom as he slept at the Bethel Baptist parsonage, eleven months after a similar attack at King's home in Montgomery, Ala. No one was injured in either bombing, although shards of glass and wood pierced Shuttleworth's coat and hat left hanging on a hook.
  
The next day, Shuttlesworth led 250 people in a protest of segregation on buses. In 1957, he was beaten by a mob when he tried to enroll two of his children in an all-white school.

"My church was a beehive," Shuttlesworth, who stayed active in Birmingham even after moving to a church in Cincinnati in 1961, once said.

"I made the movement. I made the challenge. Birmingham was the citadel of segregation, and the people wanted to march."

Admirers from King to President Barack Obama hailed Shuttlesworth's courage and determination over the years, qualities commonly attributed to the champions of the movement. But it was Shuttlesworth's sheer fearlessness that persuaded King to take the struggle to Birmingham, Young said.

"He marched into the jaws of death every day in Birmingham before we got there," Young said.
Alabama's first black federal judge, U.W. Clemon, said Shuttlesworth flung himself at injustice well knowing he could be killed at any moment.

"He was the first black man I knew who was totally unafraid of white folks," said Clemon, who is now in private practice.
  
In galvanizing his followers for another one-sided confrontation with the authorities, Shuttlesworth would say, "We're telling ol' Bull Connor right here tonight that we're on the march and we're not going to stop marching until we get our rights."

Televised scenes of police dogs and fire hoses being turned on black marchers, including children, in the spring of 1963 helped the rest of the nation grasp the depth of racial animosity in the Deep South. That fact wasn't lost on Connor, who died a decade later.

In a May 1963 New York Times story, Connor responded to the news that Shuttlesworth had been injured by the spray of fire hoses by saying: "I'm sorry I missed it. ... I wish they'd carried him away in a hearse."
In Cincinnati, Shuttlesworth left Revelation Baptist Church and became pastor of the Greater New Light Baptist Church in 1966.

For about three months in 2004, he was president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which he had helped found alongside King. The troubled organization's board had suspended Shuttlesworth without giving a reason after he tried to fire a longtime official. He resigned, saying board members tried to micromanage the organization.

He was 84 when he retired as the pastor of Greater New Light in 2006. "The best thing we can do is be a servant of God," he said in his final sermon. "It does good to stand up and serve others."

Shuttlesworth moved back to Birmingham in February 2008 for rehabilitation after a mild stroke. That summer, the city once known as "Bombingham" honored him with a four-day tribute and named its airport after him. His statue also stands outside the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

That November, he watched from a hospital bed as Obama was elected the nation's first African-American president. The year before, Obama had pushed Shuttlesworth's wheelchair across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma during a commemoration of the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march -- a moment Obama recalled Wednesday in lauding Shuttlesworth as a "testament to the strength of the human spirit" and saying America owes him a "debt of gratitude."

Birmingham Mayor William Bell ordered city flags lowered to half-staff until after Shuttleworth's funeral, and Gov. Robert Bentley issued a similar decree statewide, honoring a man whose activism landed him behind bars dozens of times.

"I went to jail 30 or 40 times, not for fighting or stealing or drugs," Shuttlesworth told grade school students in 1997. "I went to jail for a good thing, trying to make a difference."

Jay Reeves of The Associated Press wrote this report. Errin Haines in Atlanta, Kendal Weaver in Montgomery, Ala., and Lisa Cornwell in Cincinnati contributed.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/10/the_rev_fred_shuttlesworth_civ.html 

We Need More Teachers Like This: OG Puts A Young Blood & Crip In Check After Trying To Fight In The Classroom!

SOURCE

This is what I like to see.  Its bad enough that teachers have to deal with issues that parents are not handling, but to see a teacher that can handle their students is refreshing.  When I was growing up I had teachers that dealt with the issues in their classrooms.  I know that teachers are overwhelmed with a variety of problems beyond their control so in situations like this they often call security and send these students to the office.  The end result detention and more likely suspension.  Where's the life lesson in that?  Sure its a form of discipline but this teacher hear set these students straight and gave them something valuable to walk away with.  It is up to these young men as to how they will handle this going forward.  Again its easy to throw the book at our youth but much more is needed.   It was refreshing to see a man set these kids straight.  He told them how it was going to be and gave them the option to leave if they had a problem with it.  I applaud this teacher and hope to see more like him.

South Carolina man says new photo ID law will prevent him from voting

Posted on 06.8.11
By David Edwards
Categories: Activism, Featured


Larry Butler told SC Progressive Network that South Carolina’s new voter photo ID law will prevent him from voting. The state won’t issue him a driver’s license because he can’t produce the necessary documentation. Butler does not have a birth certificate because he was not born in a hospital and the elementary school he attended burnt down many years ago so the required records are not available.


Opponents argue that voter photo ID laws unfairly target minorities and the poor who are less likely to have photo identification.


Watch this video from SC Progressive Network, uploaded June 7, 2011.

 

SOURCE 

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My Thoughts:

Situations like this are not uncommon and I feel will become more prevalent as we get closer to the general election.  Various states have or are either in the process of changing their voter registration laws to make it more difficult for people to vote.  One has to ask why?  It can't possibly be because of fraud, there's been all kinds of fraud for years and I don't believe for one second that they are all that concerned about it.  As promised I will keep it real and state what I honestly feel whether its right or wrong.  

Never before have we had a black president and never before have we had a black president running for re-election.  His election to the highest office in this country has shown America and the rest of the world that racism and ignorance is still alive and stronger than ever.  Yes things have changed but people of color cannot be so naive to think that his election alone would change things for the better in terms of race relations or the perception of people of color.  We still have to continue to do our part to implement the change we so desperately want.  President Obama can't do it alone, especially when you have Congress working against him.   So as it stands we have an all out declaration of war where the objective is to keep President Obama from being re-elected by any means necessary.  To hell with our economy, healthcare, or education.   To hell with social services for the needy.  To hell with the struggling middle and lower class.   That is why it is important for each and everyone us to pay attention and stay informed with what's going on in Washington as well as our local governments.  When its time to go to the polls we will know the issues and know what and who we are voting for.  Even more important is that we all go out and vote.  It is becoming more important than ever that we all show up to the polls.  At times it feels our votes don't matter but it goes deeper than that for me.  I know what my people went through just for someone like me to have the right to vote.  In my opinion it is a slap in their faces for me not to vote considering the struggles and hardships they endured considering some of them still never earned the right to vote.

So my final thoughts and hopes are that we educate care ourselves so that we can't be taken advantaged of and we take our knowledge to the polls and vote!  

Lets discuss... 

  

He was 14 yrs. 6mos. and 5 days old --- and the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20th Century

  

George Junius Stinney, Jr.,


[b. 1929 - d. 1944]


In a South Carolina prison sixty-six years ago, guards walked a 14-year-old boy, bible tucked under his arm, to the electric chair. At 5' 1" and 95 pounds, the straps didn’t fit, and an electrode was too big for his leg.


The switch was pulled and the adult sized death mask fell from George Stinney’s face. Tears streamed from his eyes. Witnesses recoiled in horror as they watched the youngest person executed in the United States in the past century die.


Now, a community activist is fighting to clear Stinney’s name, saying the young boy couldn’t have killed two girls. George Frierson, a school board member and textile inspector, believes Stinney’s confession was coerced, and that his execution was just another injustice blacks suffered in Southern courtrooms in the first half of the 1900s.


In a couple of cases like Stinney’s, petitions are being made before parole boards and courts are being asked to overturn decisions made when society’s thumb was weighing the scales of justice against blacks. These requests are buoyed for the first time in generations by money, college degrees and sometimes clout.


“I hope we see more cases like this because it help brings a sense of closure. It’s symbolic,” said Howard University law professor Frank Wu. “It’s not just important for the individuals and their families. It’s important for the entire community. Not just for African Americans, but for whites and for our democracy as a whole. What these cases show is that it is possible to achieve justice.”


Some have already achieved justice. Earlier this year, syndicated radio host Tom Joyner successfully won a posthumous pardon for two great uncles who were executed in South Carolina.


A few years ago Lena Baker, a black Georgia maid sent to the electric chair for killing a white man, received a pardon after her family pointed out she likely killed the man because he was holding her against her will.


In the Stinney case, supporters want the state to admit that officials executed the wrong person in June 1944.


Stinney was accused of killing two white girls, 11 year old Betty June Binnicker and 8 year old
Mary Emma Thames, by beating them with a railroad spike then dragging their bodies to a ditch near Acolu, about five miles from Manning in central South Carolina. The girls were found a day after they disappeared following a massive manhunt. Stinney was arrested a few hours later, white men in suits taking him away. Because of the risk of a lynching, Stinney was kept at a jail 50 miles away in Columbia.


Stinney’s father, who had helped look for the girls, was fired immediately and ordered to leave his home and the sawmill where he worked. His family was told to leave town prior to the trial to avoid further retribution. An atmosphere of lynch mob hysteria hung over the courthouse. Without family visits, the 14 year old had to endure the trial and death alone.


Frierson hasn’t been able to get the case out of his head since, carrying around a thick binder of old newspaper stories and documents, including an account from an execution witness.


The sheriff at the time said Stinney admitted to the killings, but there is only his word — no written record of the confession has been found. A lawyer helping Frierson with the case figures threats of mob violence and not being able to see his parents rattled the seventh- grader.


Attorney Steve McKenzie said he has even heard one account that says detectives offered the boy ice cream once they were done.


“You’ve got to know he was going to say whatever they wanted him to say,” McKenzie said.


The court appointed Stinney an attorney — a tax commissioner preparing for a Statehouse run. In all, the trial — from jury selection to a sentence of death — lasted one day. Records indicate 1,000 people crammed the courthouse. Blacks weren’t allowed inside.


The defense called no witnesses and never filed an appeal. No one challenged the sheriff’s recollection of the confession.


“As an attorney, it just kind of haunted me, just the way the judicial system worked to this boy’s disadvantage or disfavor. It did not protect him,” said McKenzie, who is preparing court papers to ask a judge to reopen the case.


Stinney’s official court record contains less than two dozen pages, several of them arrest warrants. There is no transcript of the trial.


The lack of records, while not unusual, makes it harder for people trying to get these old convictions overturned, Wu said.


But these old cases also can have a common thread.


“Some of these cases are so egregious, so extreme that when you look at it, the prosecution really has no case either,” Wu said. “It’s apparent from what you can see that someone was railroaded.”


And sometimes, police under pressure by frightened citizens jumped to conclusions rather than conducting a thorough investigation, Wu said.


Bluffton Today - 'Crusaders look to right Jim Crow justice wrongs' by Jeffrey Collins
Photo: South Carolina Department of Archives and History