In regular intervals, mainstream society alerts African Americans to the fact that they believe a black life has a lot less value in America than a white life. Even still, you’ll run across stories detailing miscarriages of justice so outrageous that even right-wing, law-and-order conservatives find impossible to justify or condone.
Such is the case with the Scott sisters of Jackson, Miss. First-time offenders, Jamie and Gladys Scott were sentenced to two life sentences for a robbery in which no one was hurt and only $11 total was stolen. They’ve been in jail for the past 15 years. Their case has garnered national attention as the NAACP brought the case to the nation’s capital during the One Nation March on Oct. 2.
“You simply cannot find another case like this in the country,” said Benjamin Jealous, president of the NAACP. “When we speak up, we speak up because the case is particularly outrageous. There is a judge in this case that gave a post-conviction bail, bail on appeal — years too late, decades too late — to the man who was convicted of killing the three Civil Rights workers [in 1964] — James Chaney, Andrew Goodwin and Michael Schwerner. Even when he gave the sentence for the three Civil Rights workers’ deaths, the judge only gave him 60 years — three, 20-year sentences. So you give one white man 60 years for killing three people. But you give two black women two life sentences [each] for committing a crime where no one was hurt and they got only $11. That just kind of defies the mind. Mississippi does not want to be known for this nonsense. That‘s why this is so important that the attorney general has moved this to the top of the list.”
It’s amazing that this case escaped the awesome legal detection system of the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU is usually on cases such as these like jackals on carcass remains; however, the Scott sisters missed their radar. As such, they’ve watched from behind bars as their five children have grown into adults and have mourned the loss of their father (all for a crime they deny participating in). They were implicated by three black men who received light sentences for cooperating with the state. The sisters were never offered a plea option and are rotting in prison with no end in sight.
If this case doesn’t scare the heck out of all the “ride-or-die” chicks out there, I don’t know what will.
But there’s hope. The attorney general of Mississippi has moved this case to the top of the list. The prosecutor and governor have opened the door to making something happen and possibly reducing the sentence. The governor said in a statement that “The attorney general filed a petition with the state parole board. The board will review the case and make a recommendation.”
Nevertheless, “The sisters’ case is a reminder that not all of us are treated equally in this country,” Jealous said. No kidding. –terry shropshire
