State leaders demanding full pardon for Scott sisters
By Alice Thomas-Tisdale
Jackson Advocate Publisher
Attorney Chokwe Lumumba held a press conference last week to respond to former governor Haley Barbour’s lopsided exiting pardons. He said although many of the pardons were deserving, including one his former clients, not enough was done to right the wrong of Mississippi giving a full pardon to Jamie and Gladys Scott, who served 16 years for a $11 robbery they deny responsibility for.
“It is not a requirement for a pardon to admit guilt,” noted Lumumba. “To not pardon the Scott sisters is an act of injustice. They will continue to have to look over their shoulders, afraid that their freedoms will be snatched from them at the first infraction,” he said. “They are terrified. They do not want to go back to prison.” The cost of supervision, which is absorbed by Mississippi taxpayers, is also a reason to allow the Scott sisters to pursue a life of normalcy.
Lumumba plans to appeal to Governor Phil Bryant to reexamine the issue. But there is no wait and see attitude among human rights activists. The Full Pardon Campaign Committee for the Scott Sisters is taking action by hosting the National Day of Justice Conference in Jackson, April 2-4, 2012.
Among the planned events is The Rally for Justice, which will involve national as well as state and local leaders. For details, call 601-353-4455.
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