Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Jamie Scott / Nancy Lockhart interview on WJZD Mississippi:
Mrs. Evelyn Rasco, Mother of the Scott Sisters, was a guest on the WBAI Wakeup Call Show on July 9th at 6:00 a.m. Please tune it in at the archives at http://archive.wbai.org/
LETTER FROM JAMIE SCOTT
My name is Jamie Scott and I have asked that this is posted on the different web sites that have been created for my sister and me. I do understand there are many people out there that don’t understand a lot about prison and what someone goes through in a situation such as this. Please don’t get me wrong; IF you commit a crime, then you should be punished.
In the state of Mississippi, the crime chart is just crazy. I have met so many women here that their husbands were beating the living mess out of them and these ladies have legal action against their husbands, but as soon as she tries to stop him from killing her and she takes his life, she comes to prison. But keep in mind; they still do not receive two life sentences. Men are here for brutal raping of children and women, but yet they don’t have double life.
When I entered prison at the tender age of 22, I felt like my world was coming apart and life was not worth living. There were no more secrets and I had to strip naked in front of everyone, including men, because they thought it was funny. I was made to spread my buttocks and the officer looked. If I had a gun, I would have ended my life right then. I was placed in a 12x12 cell to be under observation because of the amount of time I had to serve. They feel, if you have a long sentence, then you may try to kill yourself. I cried day in and day out asking the question so many ask, “Why God, why did you allow this unjust thing to happen?” I could not understand how this loving God that my Big Mom had told me about as a child could allow those sworn in to serve and protect to come in and completely lie. I was let out of solitary in April 1995 and went to a unit filled with 100 females.
One bad part about this entire situation is the women I have encountered. I met this woman who told me she was driving down the highway and her baby would not stop crying so, she stopped and threw her child over the bridge. Guess what, she left me here. She has gone home. So many have killed their own children, but none have received the amount of time my sister and I have received. I truly believe that I would have come out better IF I had committed a crime of murder. I have never been one to judge someone and that is why so many come to me and share their thoughts. I must admit sometimes, I get so angry when it involves a child. I get angry with the Mississippi judicial system because here my sister and I sit with double life and this person took an innocent child’s life.
In the midst of all the hurt I have endured, nothing could prepare me for the times I went on funeral detail. My sister and I had to go to the funerals of our grandfather, grandmother, father and sister, who died on my birthday, shackled like dogs. When I think of the word “strongest,” I think of my mother. She is 4 feet 9 inches tall and has the strength of Job in the Bible. There were six of us children, now there are five. None of us has ever seen an angry day from her. My mother would make sure we always had and never had to go egging. I know it is only God keeping her alive. It breaks my heart when I call her and she tells me she has no money for gas. She had to bury her long time friend and soul mate of 30 years, and then she buried her oldest daughter... Yet, at times, Gladys and I feel dead to her because we are not there.
Some might say we only care about money. Let me set those who think that straight. I don’t give a damn about money. I would sign anything say I would not sue or discuss this case with anyone to gain my freedom and be with my family. Will money bring back 14 years of heartache and pain? Will money bring back all of my dead family members?
Never speak to me about gaining money from all the hurt and pain we have had to endure here.
One thing I do not have is hate in my heart concerning anyone who played a role in Gladys and me being here. After reading our transcript over and over, I have come to realize that the Patrick men were really trying to help us but to also save themselves during trial. That is why they said they never wrote the statements and that the statements were written out for them. They were trying to tell the jury that these statements were written out before we were arrested. Then, they tried to tell them how they were threatened, but it did not work. I am not bitter or angry with them. If I were to see them now, I would hug them and tell them I love them. They were just young victims as well. They got played by the system, just as we did.
For all that don’t know, slavery in Mississippi has changed names. It is still very much active and alive in Mississippi. Its new name is called the LAW! So, if there is anyone out there that thinks this cannot happen to their child or family, think about Gladys and Jamie Scott. We were not criminals nor were we drug addicts. I worked everyday. I have a right to be bitter, angry, mad as hell at the United States of America, but I choose not to because I know a higher power and Gladys and I WILL walk the streets again.
Gladys and I have completed the following classes while incarcerated: Active Parenting, Parent Education, The Mississippi Life Skills Project, Computer Literacy and numerous Bible study classes. I earned by GED and Gladys is still working on hers. I was a tutor helping the other offenders in Literacy class to learn how to read and write. Since 2004, Gladys and I have been tour speakers and guides for the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility (CMCF) tours. On the tour, different churches and schools come and bring their troubled teens and we talk with them and tell them what goes on in prison. I do that because I truly believe if I can help just one teenager from coming through here, someone would help my children. Gladys has been trough Adult and Adolescents, Survivors of Abuse, Inc., Conquering Chemical Dependency and numerous other classes. We both have gained all these certificates and are still working on more at this moment. There are many days that I have had to go to the kitchen here and bit into a bug or roach. There are many days when I have had to use the bathroom on myself because some silly guard told me to stay on my rack and would not let me go to the bathroom, or I had to use a drink bottle to urinate in. There are many days I wanted to save up my diabetic medication and take them all and just sleep and never wake up. People cannot understand my praise today. They see me wake up smiling each day and think it has bee a walk in the park. If only they knew the reason behind my praise. I have a right to praise God, and for those that say it is jailhouse religion, well it worked for me. If it were not for those twins called Grace and Mercy, I, Jamie Scott would not be here today. I am wiser and I am stronger this day. I knew one day God would send an angel to help my sister and me. Thank you for your time.
I give special thanks to Sister. She is not receiving one dime for this. She has read and investigated and found everything we have shared with her to be truthful. Everything Sister does for us comes out of her pocket because my mother has no money. I know it is not easy on Sister because she is not rich, but yet she is working for freedom on our behalf. I pray she will be blessed beyond her imagination. Thank you so much for your time in this. If you have any questions for my sister or me, you can write us at the addresses below.
Jamie Scott #19197
CMCF2/A-Bldg.
B Zone, Bed 196
P.O. Box 88550
Pearl, MS 39288-8550
Gladys Scott #19142
CMCF/B-Bldg.
P.O. Box 88550
Pearl, MS 39288-8550
NOTE: References to "Sister" are to Nancy Lockhart.
TWO DOUBLE-LIFE SENTENCES FOR $11.00!
Print-out from here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/30178263/Scott-Sisters-Press-Release
(PLEASE HELP US BY SENDING THIS TO MAJOR NEWS OUTLETS)
PRESS RELEASE
THE COMMITTEE TO FREE THE SCOTT SISTERS
CONTACT:
Mrs. Evelyn Rasco
P.O. Box 7100
Pensacola, Florida 32534
E-mail: rqueenbee2222@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.freethescottsisters.blogspot.com
Petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Free-Jamie-Gladys/index.html
Case Summary: http://freethescottsisters.blogspot.com/2009/08/case-summary_19.html
Legal Transcripts: http://www.scribd.com/Scott%20Sisters
MISSISSIPPI INJUSTICE: A DOUBLE-LIFE SENTENCE FOR $11.00!
Scott County, MS ---- In a trial fraught with legal malpractice, lack of evidence and witness coercion, Mississippi Judge Marcus Gordon sentenced sisters Gladys and Jamie Scott to double-life each in an armed robbery. No matter the veracity of testimony; the lack of physical evidence and the absence of any previous criminal activity of the accused; in a questionable crime, where no one was murdered or harmed and the amount alleged to have been taken as a whopping $11.00, one has to ask if this is Mississippi, the state in the United States of America ? And, how does a court abdicate the national principles of justice and fair judicial process ?
On December 24, 1993, the Scott County Sheriff’s Department arrested the Scott sisters for armed robbery even though three persons confessed to committing the crime. The Mississippi sheriff used coercion, threats, and harassment to compel these individuals to become state’s evidence against the Scott sisters. His motive ? A long-standing vendetta against the Father of the sisters. Later a local teen, without benefit of counsel would testify that he was pressured to sign a written statement that he did not read and was prepared by the sheriff. No weapon was ever recovered in this case.
During the course of the short trial only one witness was called and the sisters at the direction of questionable legal advice, never testified or spoke for themselves during the course of their trial.
Jamie, now 38 and Gladys, 34 are now entering their 16th year of incarceration. Jamie has lost function of both kidneys and is gravely ill, being provided inadequate medical treatment may very well see her sentence as a death sentence unless the Mississippi Prison Commission relents in its rigid negligent medical care decisions for her. Recently, Jamie Scott was diagnosed by an outside physician as being at Stage 5 (end stage) of this illness, the next stage being death. Should Jamie Scott die in prison for an alleged robbery of $11.00 almost 16 years ago?
A national campaign has been undertaken by their elderly Mother, Mrs. Evelyn Rasco, to gain justice for her daughters and their family. Nationwide support for Jamie and Gladys is building increasingly louder and active.
Nancy Lockhart, the young woman who has acted as the spokesperson of the Free the Scott Sisters Campaign, and the Mother of Jamie and Gladys Scott are available for live and telephone interviews. They have been featured guests on the Warren Ballentine Show ( XM Radio The Power); Our Common Ground with Janice Graham ( USTalkNetwork); The Mark Thompson Show ( Sirius Radio The Left Side); The Rip Daniels Show, WJZD Mississippi; and their comments are featured in many newspapers across the country and throughout the blogosphere.
In June, 2009, Dr. Lenore J. Daniels, PhD of the Editorial Board of BlackCommentator.com wrote about the wrongfully conviction of Jamie and Gladys Scott in a featured editorial, titled, “Represent Our Resistance” and Mother Jones magazine's investigative reporter, James Ridgeway, did an exhaustive piece entitled, "Cruel and Unusual Health Care -- How Mississippi Prisoner Jamie Scott's Life Sentence Could Turn Into a Death Sentence."
Links to the Case Summary and archived Transcript of the trial are provided above.
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POCC MOI JR INTERVIEWS JAMIE SCOTT'S SON!
Once again, POCC Minister of Information JR serves as the voice of the people as he interviews Terrance Scott, son of Jamie Scott, who along with her sister, Gladys, has been unjustly held captive for 14+ years on an unheard of double life sentence!!
Please check out Bro. JR's interview at http://www.sfbayview.com/2009/jamie-scotts-son-18-fights-to-free-the-scott-sisters-in-mississippi" and GET INVOLVED!
“Talk about injustice. How do you wind up in prison serving two life terms for a robbery that netted 11 dollars? That question has haunted first time offenders Gladys and Jamie Scott for the past 15 years,” wrote Anthony Papa in the Huffington Post. And it haunts Jamie’s son too, who was only 2 when his mother and auntie were snatched away from him.
“Talk about injustice. How do you wind up in prison serving two life terms for a robbery that netted 11 dollars? That question has haunted first time offenders Gladys and Jamie Scott for the past 15 years,” wrote Anthony Papa in the Huffington Post. And it haunts Jamie’s son too, who was only 2 when his mother and auntie were snatched away from him.
Now 18, Terrance Scott tells Minister of Information JR in this gripping interview: “Seeing what they did to my mother, it put a rage inside me like, if you have anything to do with law enforcement, I don’t want to talk to you. … Sometimes I just look up at the stars at night and I just wonder what this world done become. Any time someone can lock you up for a double life sentence for nothing, what else can they do? What else can the crooked court system and the crooked justice system do?”
THE WRONGFUL CONVICTION
By: Jamie Scott
Fourteen years ago in a small town, Forest, MS, two young Black women, who are sisters, were given a double life sentence. This sentence was for a crime, in which they did not commit. The alleged crime was Armed Robbery of two Black men. No one was killed or harmed during this alleged robbery.
Three young Black men confessed to the robbery. They also implicated that Gladys and me, Jamie Scott, were involved and participated in this crime. On December 24, 1993, Scott county Sheriff’s Department arrested Gladys and me for armed robbery. This was the beginning of a real life nightmare for everyone in our family: our parents, our children, and especially us.
Our trial began on October 4, 1994. Gladys, nineteen, and I, Jamie, were twenty-two years old. The three young men called the “Patrick Men” because they were related. Through coercions, threats and promises they chose to turn states evidence against Gladys and me. These men were promised a lenient sentence, in return for their testimonies.
During our trial, the tale began to unravel. One of the Patrick men testified he didn’t write the statement used as evidence against Gladys and me. He testified that the police coerced and threatened him with a long sentence at Parchman State Prison, if he didn’t sign the written statement. The Scott county Police used fear, threats, and intimidation against the Patrick Men to sign a statement against us.
This man testified regarding the coerced statement on the witness stand; however, the jury found Gladys and me guilty. We received a double life sentence.
Prior to our trial, the two victims who had been robbed went to our parents with a bribe. They requested a large sum of money in exchange for there disappearance and unavailability to testify against us. However, our attorney advised our parents to cease all communications with the victims.
We contend our innocence. Our parents believe in our innocence and the Patrick Men know we are innocent.
In 1998, one of the Patrick Men wrote a sworn affidavit clearing Gladys and me. But, the courts never heard the affidavit. The most devastating and unfair thing about this is the police and investigators know we are innocent.
What began as an implication and outright miscarriage of justice, has catapulted to destroyed an entire family. These accusations and subsequent convictions have totally destroyed mine and Gladys’ life. Causing a chain reaction which has led, Gladys, a nineteen year old, mother of a seven year old daughter and pregnant with another child, myself, Jamie, a twenty-two year old mother of three children; seven, three and one years of age, during the time of our arrest, conviction and sentencing for a crime we did not commit. Before being eligible for parole, we will have to serve a total of twenty years. We have exhausted all of our appeals in our fight for freedom. We now realize we are unable to receive justice within the Mississippi Judicial System. Our hopes and dreams of freedom lie with the American people. Who can become our voice and assist us with our plight for freedom. By voicing their opinions, speaking our against this atrocious miscarriage of justice, and a court system that has denied us our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We are compelled to plead and ask for a public outcry. Attention needs to be given to public officials and a county that refuses to let justice be served.
Our situation is complex, multidimensional, and heart-wrenching. We will never cease speaking out against the disservice done to us. However, we have discovered our voice carries very little weight, especially now, we are convicted as violent offenders serving a double life sentence.
Horror, frustration and humiliation of being subjected to life in prison for a crime, we did not commit, has made both of us feel hopeless and helpless at certain times; but we will continue to fight for our lives. This is a story that could happen to anyone.
My mother, Evelyn Rasco, decided to leave the state of Mississippi due to this “miscarriage of justice” inflicted upon Gladys and me. There is a great deal more to our story than what we are revealing presently. Events which have happened to us during fight for freedom.
Hopefully, someone will find this story worthy enough to be exposed and to show what has happened in a small town in Mississippi, during this time in America. Someone may decide to come forward and speak out against what has happened to my sister and me. We pray this will happen.
This is not a movie, it is a real-life situation, this happened to real people. An untruth has taken away our lives. A life that included our parents and children (now grandchildren). Unless someone decides to take a stand against the county, it’s officials and not allow intimidation and fear to discourage them from helping us with our fight for freedom; our children will be adults before we are free citizens.
The injustices that have occurred are pattern within this county and their police departments. This type of injustice and exploitation has been done to many African-Americans who have lived in this county for many years. They have been very successful in destroying many lives. This should not be happening in America today. This is a time we show Americans what really occurs in most small towns in the state of Mississippi. We are convinced that once this chain of events is exposed and unraveled, the events that occurred, the lives that have been destroyed, the pain and suffering the citizens of Scott County have endured; everyone will be utterly amazed, astonished and compelled to assist us in our plight for freedom. We pray, the people would insist upon an investigation into their misconduct and miscarriage of justice.
The officials in this community should be exposed and reprimanded for all they have done and continue to do to others and us. Once this has occurred, and revealed; perhaps, it will bring an end to this horrific story we have endured and experienced for the past fourteen years.
We need someone willing to take a stand for our families, to be our voice and us. Also, to assist, guide and lead our mother, because she is fearful. Our mother and children need us. Thank you for taking the time to read this.
May God Bless You,
Jamie Scott
(Willie Scott Jr., the oldest brother of Jamie and Gladys Scott, is risking his life in Iraq, for a country that took the lives of his sisters by locking them in prison for a crime they did not commit).
DR. LENORE DANIELS Says to "Represent Our Resistance"
Jamie and Gladys Scott: Wrongfully Convicted
June 4, 2009 Black Commentator
Represent Our Resistance
By Dr. Lenore J. Daniels, PhD
BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board
As the social order continues, it devises other ideals of social danger, among them women.
In the United States today, there are more than ninety thousand women in prisons. Of that number, over 80 percent are mothers, who have left more than 167,000 children behind, living in a tenuous freedom.
-Mumia Abu Jamal, Jailhouse Lawyers
In Chicago, James “Hawk” Rasco decides its time to return home, to his native soil - Mississippi. Now, he was returning to Scott County with his family. Rasco’s nephew ran a nightclub - in dry Scott County. The nephew, along with other Black nightclub owners, paid the sheriff in order to sell alcohol. The sheriff was Glenn Warren, otherwise known as the “High White Sheriff.”
Some things do change but only slightly. Years later, an FBI investigation landed Sheriff Warren in a courtroom and ultimately in prison. Rasco’s nephew ends up turning state’s evidence against “High White Sheriff.” James Rasco buys the nightclub after the nephew enters the witness protection program.
And sometimes things tragically remain the same. Enters Deputy Sheriff Marvin Williams - “Black!” Sheriff Williams is angry. He believes Rasco, the new owner of the nightclub, should continue business as usual. Show Me The Money! James Rasco refuses.
And Williams tells Rasco that he will get him! I will get you one way or the other, even through your daughters!
We have to remember that Frantz Fanon tells us there’s the violence of the perpetrators and there’s the violence of resisters. The violence of the former disrupts human potential while the later disrupts tyranny motivated by hate. Who was Marvin Williams really? In this narrative, what does he represent?
Time passes.
The Scott sisters, stop by a local store. It is December 23, 1993. Jamie (22) and Gladys (19) Scott, two young mothers, have run out of heating fuel. They drive to the local store in town. But when they exit the store, the car will not start up!
The women decide to leave the car and begin walking home when they hear voices. There are two Black men, cousins, in their 20s, known as the Duckworth men. Gladys recognizes one of them from the chicken plant where she and Jamie work. The Duckworth cousins offer to take the women home. Jamie, however, pays the men $10 dollars.
But the ride home was far from pleasant. According to Jamie, one of the men began touching her. The women exit the car and started walking home. Again, Jamie and Gladys here a commotion from behind them, but they don’t stop.
Jamie and Gladys finally arrive home. Soon, three young men, 2 brothers and a cousin, known as the Patrick Men, knock at their door. The Patrick Men, 14, 16, and 18 years old, tell the sisters that the two Duckworth men started a fight with them. That’s it.
It’s Christmas Eve. Morning.
There’s a knock at the Scott sisters’ door. It’s Sheriff Marvin Williams. He’s come to arrest Jamie and Gladys!
Sheriff Marvin Williams had a story to tell the court, the residents of Scott County, and the media...
But he has to work on it!
First, the sisters are charged with conspiracy to rob the Duckworth men of $9-11 dollars, but Sheriff Williams has a little talk with the Duckworth cousins and the Patrick Men. The “victims” (one with 3 convictions for DWI) point to the Scott sisters. The Patrick Men (one if not two of them with previous run-ins with the law), threatened by Sheriff Williams with time at Parchman prison, where they would “be made out of women” if they didn’t cooperate and single out the Scott sisters, agreed. It was the Scott sisters! Now, according to Sheriff Williams, the Scott sisters robbed the older men of $200 - at gun point! Armed robbery!
The Patrick Men confessed to the robbery, but why let truth get in the way of a good story!
A gun was never located, and the “stolen” wallet was recovered in streets, according to an affidavit by a trustee of the jail. The wallet “re-appeared” 2 days later with a photo ID of the “victim” and $60 dollars! This same trustee also claims that the “armed robbery” never happened. Only later, in affidavits, did the “victims” and the Patrick Men confessed to being coerced and threatened by Sheriff Marvin Williams.
But this is a narrative of violence, of vengeance and not of justice.
Family-hired lawyers advised Jamie and Gladys not to testify, and there were several potential witnesses to the character and innocence of the Scott sisters. But, only one will do or not! Five witnesses in court told conflicting stories, but all declared that Jamie and Gladys are innocent.
And the judge? Judge Marcus Gordon has a bit of a history, American history. In 1964, 3 civil rights workers, Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman were found dead. Edgar Ray Killens was found guilty for the murder of these 3 men - in 2005! Guess who was the judge? Killens, an old KKK organizer, was charged with 3 counts of manslaughter (not murder) and sentenced to 20 years in prison for each count.
But why bother about this history!
But Sheriff Williams has his revenge. The jury deliberates for 36 minutes and the verdict: Guilty! Jamie and Gladys both received double life sentences! And the sisters do not possess any criminal record!
Narratives of violence ensnarl people of color and effectively disrupt the lives as well as the well being of women and children.
Five children grew up without the care and attention of their mothers for the last 14 years. One sister gave birth in prison!
In those 14 years, James Rasco dies of a heart attack. Both Sheriffs Warren and Williams are also dead.
And these Black women? Their safety depends on their silence! They linger in fear.
How many Black women, Black mothers, innocent, linger behind bars in the United States? How many have stories that are invisible, absent from the discourse on incarceration and injustice?
Angela Davis writes, Mumia Abu Jamal recalls, that once communism was no longer “the quintessential enemy” in the U.S., it was replaced “by ideological constructions of crime, drugs, immigration, and welfare.” Of course, she writes, “the enemy within is far more dangerous than the enemy without, and a black enemy within is the most dangerous of all.”
Can you imagine Jamie and Gladys as white women framed by a Black or a white sheriff?
Evelyn Rasco has been fighting for her daughters’ release the last 14 years. Rasco lost her husband and an older daughter who died of congenital heart failure in 2001. This daughter left behind a 5 year old child. In these last 14 years, Rasco has tried to be the grandmother and the mother of 10 children (includes grandchildren of Jamie and Gladys) while sustaining the battle to free her two remaining daughters from prison.
Eleven of those 14 years, Rasco wrote letters to Operation Push / Rainbow Coalition. No response. She writes to Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. asking him to submit a letter to Push / Rainbow. The congressman submits this letter to Nancy Lockhart at Push / Rainbow. Lockhart, working on a Masters in Jurisprudence at Loyola University Chicago at the time, contacted Evelyn Rasco.
Lockhart discovers that Rasco not only wrote letters to Operation Push / Rainbow Coalition without ever receiving a response, but in 1998 and 1999, Jamie and Gladys Scott appealed to the Innocence Project in Mississippi and in New Orleans.
No response.
Lockhart contacted the Innocence Project to ask why the organization refuses to respond to the Scotts.
No response.
The ACLU refuses to respond to the case.
No longer with Operation Push / Rainbow Coalition, Nancy Lockhart has dedicated her full attention to the Scott sisters’ case. As a Volunteer Legal Analyst for the Committee to Free the Scott Sisters, Lockhart has worked on the Scott sisters’ case without financial resources for the last 4 years. For Lockhart, the case represents a wrongful conviction.
Rasco and Lockhart have both written to the U.S. department of Justice Civil Rights Division. And only recently did Rasco receive a response!
Here’s the response from Steven Harrell, Paralegal Specialist:
Criminal section - PHB
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20530
Dear Ms. Rasco:
This is in response to your letter post marked February 13, 2009, in which you allege that Jamie and Gladys Scott were wrongfully convicted of armed robbery in 1994. You further allege that, in order to obtain this conviction, local law enforcement officers intimidated a witness. We apologize for our delay in responding.
The Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division is responsible for enforcing federal criminal civil rights statutes. Much of our enforcement activity relates to the investigation and prosecution of deprivations of civil rights under color of law. These matters generally involve allegations of excessive physical force or sexual abuse by law enforcement officers.
Please note that federal criminal civil rights laws have a five year statute of limitations from the date of the incident. Since the incident in question occurred in 1994, we regret that we are unable to assist you. This is not a judgment on the truth or merit of your complaint, it is simply to inform you that, because the relevant statute of limitations has expired, this office can not prosecute this case.
Inasmuch as you feel that Jamie and Gladys Scott were wrongly convicted, you may wish to contact The Innocence Project, a national organization dedicated to the exoneration of the wrongly convicted. You may contact the Innocence Project by sending correspondence to info@innocenceproject.org
Sincerely,
Mark J. Kappelhoff
Section Chief
Criminal Section
Civil Rights Division
By:
(Signature)
Steven Harrell
Paralegal Specialists
Criminal section
“Now this is untrue, as Mrs. Rasco started writing the Civil Rights Division 14 years ago,” Lockhart says.
Mrs. Rasco initially started writing the Justice Department in 1994. She has not passed any statutory limits. The response that she has received is an untruth. She has written many times and the previous responses have been, “your information will be forwarded to the correct department.” She has written the Criminal Division of the Civil Rights Department as well.
Lockhart also contacted Attorney General, Eric Holder, and as of the writing of this article, Lockhart has not received a response.
She also sent a letter to President Barack Obama. No response.
In October 2008, Nancy Lockhart hears Rev. Al Sharpton’s voice on the radio. She calls in and tells him the Scott sisters’ story. Sharpton says, “That sounds like the Troy Davis.” Lockhart reminded him that situation with the Scott Sisters is different. Davis was on Death Row. “Let me give you to my assistant so we can get in touch with you,” Sharpton says. The “assistant” is someone from a consultant firm. Someone will contact her soon.
So Lockhart waits for a call from the National Action Network (NAN). Time passes, again, and Lockhart calls NAN. She is told to contact a Mrs. Davis, and she is told to call at 10 a.m. the next day. “I called every day for two weeks at 10 a.m.” Lockhart sent information to Mrs. Davis, but she never heard from Mrs. Davis again. A month passed. Months pass. Finally, in April 2009, Lockhart receives a call from NAN or rather the consultant firm, informing her that there is a chapter in Louisiana. Lockhart is given a couple of numbers call.
But Lockhart has to call NAN again. The numbers are useless. “One was a fax number and the other was a disconnected number,” recalls Lockhart. The consultant tells Lockhart that there are other chapters. Which is closest to Mississippi - Savannah, Georgia or Atlanta, Georgia, Mrs. Davis asks?
Do I need to say that, in the end, Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network are missing in action!
But are we? You do not have to remain silent!
Lockhart: The Case of the Scott Sisters was featured along with other important information regarding the Mississippi wrongfully convicted on the May 22, 2009, on One Black Man’s View radio program! Just scroll down to Event Description, highlight the first item for May 22, 2009 and click the second button on the left to play and listen. So please visit http://blacktalkradio.ning.com/events/one-black-mans-view-5222009?rsvpCo... and please visit http://www.blogtalkradio.com/justiceforall/2009/04/16/Scott-Sisters-Sent... and share so that others can understand fully what this case is about!
Next, Nancy Lockhart has provided a sample letter to be sent to Attorney General Eric Holder:
Attorney General Eric Holder
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
The Honorable Attorney General Holder:
I am writing to request that you investigate the case of Jamie and Gladys Scott. The Scott Sisters were given double life sentences each in October of 1994 for armed robbery in the state of Mississippi. No one was injured or murdered. One witness states that about 11 dollars was netted in the armed robbery. All witnesses and victims of this crime have testified that the Scott Sisters were not involved in the robbery. Witnesses testified that they were coerced and threatened to lie on the Scott Sisters.
A 14 year old witness testified that he signed a statement which was prepared for him before he entered Deputy Sheriff Marvin Williams’ Office. This statement was signed by the 14 year old without an attorney present. He was told that he would be released from the local jail the next morning if he signed it. He was not released.
This is an egregious wrongful conviction and the Scott Sisters have suffered now 14 years 8 months of double life sentences.
Jamie and Gladys Scott are housed in Pearl, Mississippi. Their ID numbers are Jamie Scott #19197 and Gladys Scott # 19142.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
Finally, to discuss strategies to organize the release of Jamie and Gladys Scott, to sign the petition, and to donate to the Committee to Free the Scott Sisters, please contact: Mrs. Evelyn Rasco, P.O. Box 7100, Pensacola, Florida 32534, rqueenbee2222@yahoo.com
BlackCommentator.com Editorial Board member, Lenore Jean Daniels, PhD, has been a writer, for over thirty years of commentary, resistance criticism and cultural theory, and short stories with a Marxist sensibility to the impact of cultural narrative violence and its antithesis, resistance narratives. With entrenched dedication to justice and equality, she has served as a coordinator of student and community resistance projects that encourage the Black Feminist idea of an equalitarian community and facilitator of student-teacher communities behind the walls of academia for the last twenty years. Dr. Daniels holds a PhD in Modern American Literatures, with a specialty in Cultural Theory (race, gender, class narratives) from Loyola University, Chicago.
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E-mail Contact: rqueenbee2222@yahoo.com
Website: www.freethescottsisters.blogspot.com
We are calling for everyone reading this e-mail to take a moment and send a letter to Oprah Winfrey on behalf of the Scott Sisters. Why? Because we are pulling out all of the stops in our attempts to bring this incredible case of extreme Mississippi injustice to the attention of the nation and world, it is just that compelling! Please read on and we are certain that you will agree that taking a moment to make contact is at least worth the effort!
Oprah Winfrey Show
PO Box 909715, Chicago, Illinois 60690-9715
110 N Carpenter St., Chicago, Illinois 60607-2146
O Magazine
300 W 57th Street, Floor 36,
New York, New York 10019-3741
Dear Ms. Winfrey,
I am writing to you on behalf of Jamie and Gladys Scott. Their mother contacted you a while ago and now I would also like to add my voice to hers. Being an avid fan of yours for years and knowing that you have addressed injustice on your show, I feel it imperative that you please take a look at the case of the Scott Sisters.
In 1994, Jamie and Gladys Scott were wrongfully convicted in the state of Mississippi. A corrupt sheriff used coercion, threats, and harassment of witnesses to convict the Scott Sisters of armed robbery. This case is absolutely astounding, with transcripts stating that 11 dollars was stolen, at most. It's important to note that no one was murdered or even injured in the alleged robbery! An example of coercion came to light when one of the state's witnesses, a 14 year old, testified that he did not have an attorney present and did not even read the statement that he signed, which was prepared by the sheriff. It is also documented that one was told that if he did not cooperate that he would no longer be held in jail but be sent to prison where he would be raped. Jamie and Gladys Scott were convicted and sentenced to double-life, that's a Double Life Sentence Each! This may be one of the most unique cases of criminal injustice that you have ever investigated.
At the time of their unjust conviction these young women were 22 and 19 years old with five children between them. They have been incarcerated for 14+ years away from their devastated children and family. The Scott Sisters had no prior criminal record before this case. The emotional strain this burden has placed upon their family is immeasurable. Their children, grandchildren, and mother have been forced to wade in the waters of financial-hardship. Their father, though a strong man, passed away a few years back, following the illegal incarceration of his two beautiful daughters. Jamie and Gladys Scott's brother is currently fighting the war in Iraq.
I appreciate any time that you and your staff could take to look into this travesty of justice. These women have steadfastly maintained their innocence and the alleged crime they were charged with, even if guilty, would not warrant the horrific sentencing given to them. Please visit www.freethescottsisters.blogspot.com for any information at all that you will need regarding this case and PLEASE stand up for justice.
Sincerely,
In 1994, Jamie and Gladys Scott were wrongfully convicted in the state of Mississippi. A corrupt sheriff used coercion, threats, and harassment of witnesses to convict the Scott Sisters of armed robbery. This case is absolutely astounding, with transcripts stating that 11 dollars was stolen, at most. It's important to note that no one was murdered or even injured in the alleged robbery! An example of coercion came to light when one of the state's witnesses, a 14 year old, testified that he did not have an attorney present and did not even read the statement that he signed, which was prepared by the sheriff. It is also documented that one was told that if he did not cooperate that he would no longer be held in jail but be sent to prison where he would be raped. Jamie and Gladys Scott were convicted and sentenced to double-life, that's a Double Life Sentence Each! This may be one of the most unique cases of criminal injustice that you have ever investigated.
At the time of their unjust conviction these young women were 22 and 19 years old with five children between them. They have been incarcerated for 14+ years away from their devastated children and family. The Scott Sisters had no prior criminal record before this case. The emotional strain this burden has placed upon their family is immeasurable. Their children, grandchildren, and mother have been forced to wade in the waters of financial-hardship. Their father, though a strong man, passed away a few years back, following the illegal incarceration of his two beautiful daughters. Jamie and Gladys Scott's brother is currently fighting the war in Iraq.
I appreciate any time that you and your staff could take to look into this travesty of justice. These women have steadfastly maintained their innocence and the alleged crime they were charged with, even if guilty, would not warrant the horrific sentencing given to them. Please visit www.freethescottsisters.blogspot.com for any information at all that you will need regarding this case and PLEASE stand up for justice.
Sincerely,
(Your name and address)
Also, Oprah's last year is coming up and she should also be pressured to do a show on this case from her online contact form at https://www.oprah.com/plugform.jsp?plugId=220. Thank you very much in advance for mailing a letter of your own and filling in her online contact form, please become involved and let us know if you have done so!!
WRITE GOV. HALEY BARBOUR
Please Call The Governor's Office For The Scott Sisters
Please call the Governor’s office and ask to speak with Governor Haley Barbour. Please relay the message below.
1-877-405-0733 or 601-359-3150
Hello Governor Barbour I am calling in support of The Committee To Free The Scott Sisters.
My name is:________________
I would like to bring to your attention the case of Jamie and Gladys Scott.
The Scott Sisters have served 14 years 5 months of a double life term where no one was murdered or injured. State’s witnesses have testified to their innocence.
Their MDOC numbers are 19197 and 19142. Please free the Scott Sisters.
Thank you for your attention to this matter Governor Barbour.
If you choose to mail a letter to the governor via US mail the address is:
Governor Haley Barbour
P.O. Box 139
Jackson, Mississippi 39205
Thank you for your assistance in The Campaign ~To Contact The Governor Of Mississippi!
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MRS. EVELYN RASCOP.O. BOX 7100PENSACOLA, FLORIDA 32534
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FREE THE SCOTT SISTERS T-SHIRTS are available and may be purchased at http://www.radicaljack.com/scsit.html. Please order your shirts, wear them and assist us in spreading the word.
MRS. EVELYN RASCO
P.O. BOX 7100
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA 32534
Email Mrs. Rasco
FREE THE SCOTT SISTERS T-SHIRTS are available and may be purchased at http://www.radicaljack.com/scsit.html. Please order your shirts, wear them and assist us in spreading the word.
