Set for Washington, D.C.
Dick Gregory supports protest for Scott sisters
http://www.workers.org/2010/us/scott_sisters_0617/
By Monica Moorehead
Published Jun 10, 2010
An important demonstration is scheduled for June 21 in Washington,
D.C., to help bring national attention to the Scott sisters' case.
Gladys and Jamie Scott have been unjustly imprisoned since October
1994 for the "crime" of stealing $11 from a store in Scott County,
Mississippi.
The African-American sisters received life sentences following their
convictions, which once again reflect the ongoing, heinous legacy of
slavery in the U.S., especially in the South. Neither sister had a
prior criminal record nor did any violence occur in the December 1993
robbery. In fact, witnesses and even the alleged robbery victims
stated during the trial that the sisters were not involved in the
robbery. All their appeals proving their innocence have been denied,
including by the U.S. Supreme Court.
When the Scott sisters were sent to the Central Mississippi
Correctional Facility, they were both healthy women. However, over
the many years of being exposed to inhumane living conditions in the
prison as well as the total lack of healthy food, Jamie Scott has
developed stage 5 kidney failure, which requires dialysis. The next
stage is death. She has been rushed to the hospital numerous times as
a result of the terrible prison medical care.
Nancy Lockhart, a paralegal who is a supporter of the Scott sisters,
received a letter this May from Jamie Scott on life in prison where
she stated: "I have witnessed many inmates die at the hands of this
second-rate medical care. I do not want to be one of them."
The June 21 daylong protest is being organized by the Gray-Haired
Witnesses for Justice to put pressure on the federal government to
force Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour to release the Scott sisters
from prison immediately. A 10 a.m. fast will take place at the office
of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, followed by a press conference
in front of the White House at noon, with a formal appeal to
President Obama. Then at Lafayette Square Park from 1 p.m. until 9
p.m., there will be a program of speakers and cultural performances.
Dick Gregory, long-time civil rights activist and comedian, has given
public support to the June 21 action. In a June 3 press release,
Gregory stated, "This is one of the worst cases I have ever heard of
in my life. My jaw dropped when I read that these women have been in
prison for almost 16 years and aren't even charged with laying a hand
on anyone! This country should be embarrassed to have such a blatant
travesty of justice exist while wagging our finger at people abroad
for human rights abuses. What we have going on here is the epitome of
cruel and unusual punishment and is outrageous, even for Mississippi!"
The Gray-Haired Witnesses are calling on all people of good will to
join them on that day and demand justice for the Scott sisters and an
end to the "oversentencing, degradation and dehumanization of Black
women in this system and nation as a whole." A bus will be traveling
from Mississippi to Washington, D.C., for the protest. For more
information about the Scott sisters' case and support that is needed
for the June 21 demonstration, visit www.freethescottsisters.blogspot.com.
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