Friday, October 15, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
10/12 "So Utterly Inhumane" - NYT Article
October 12, 2010 - New York Times
‘So Utterly Inhumane’
By BOB HERBERT
You have to believe that somebody really had it in for the Scott sisters, Jamie and Gladys. They have always insisted that they had nothing to do with a robbery that occurred near the small town of Forest, Miss., on Christmas Eve in 1993. It was not the kind of crime to cause a stir. No one was hurt and perhaps $11 was taken.
Jamie was 21 at the time and Gladys just 19. But what has happened to them takes your breath away.
They were convicted by a jury and handed the most draconian sentences imaginable — short of the death penalty. Each was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in state prison, and they have been imprisoned ever since. Jamie is now 38 and seriously ill. Both of her kidneys have failed. Gladys is 36.
This is Mississippi we’re talking about, a place that in many ways has not advanced much beyond the Middle Ages.
The authorities did not even argue that the Scott sisters had committed the robbery. They were accused of luring two men into a trap, in which the men had their wallets taken by acquaintances of the sisters, one of whom had a shotgun.
It was a serious crime. But the case against the sisters was extremely shaky. In any event, even if they were guilty, the punishment is so wildly out of proportion to the offense that it should not be allowed to stand.
Three teenagers pleaded guilty to robbing the men. They ranged in age from 14 to 18. And in their initial statements to investigators, they did not implicate the Scott sisters.
But a plea deal was arranged in which the teens were required to swear that the women were involved, and two of the teens were obliged, as part of the deal, to testify against the sisters in court.
Howard Patrick, who was 14 at the time of the robbery, said that the pressure from the authorities to implicate the sisters began almost immediately. He testified, “They said if I didn’t participate with them, they would send me to Parchman and make me out a female.”
He was referring to Mississippi State Prison, which was once the notoriously violent Parchman prison farm. The lawyer questioning the boy said, “In other words, they would send you to Parchman and you would get raped, right?”
“Yes, sir,” the boy said.
The teens were sentenced to eight years in prison each, and they were released after serving just two years.
This is a case that should be repugnant to anyone with the slightest interest in justice. The right thing to do at this point is to get the sisters out of prison as quickly as possible and ensure that Jamie gets proper medical treatment.
A number of people have taken up the sisters’ cause, including Ben Jealous, the president of the N.A.A.C.P., who is trying to help secure a pardon from Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi. “It makes you sick to think that this sort of thing can happen,” he said. “That these women should be kept in prison until they die — well, that’s just so utterly inhumane.”
I have no idea why the authorities were so dead set on implicating the Scott sisters in the crime and sending them away for life, while letting the teens who unquestionably committed the robbery get off with much lighter sentences.
Life sentences for robbery can only be imposed by juries in Mississippi, but it is extremely rare for that sentencing option to even be included in the instructions given to jurors. It’s fair to think, in other words, that there would have to be some extraordinary reason for prosecutors and the court to offer such a draconian possibility to a jury.
Chokwe Lumumba, a lawyer representing the sisters, captured the prevailing legal sentiment when he said: “I don’t think Mississippi law anticipates that you’re going to be giving this instruction in a case where nobody gets hurt and $11 is allegedly stolen. In the majority of robbery cases, even the ones that are somewhat nasty, they don’t read that instruction.”
The reason for giving the jury the option of imposing life sentences in this case escapes me. Even the original prosecutor, Ken Turner, who is now retired and who believes the sisters were guilty, has said that he thinks it would be “appropriate” to offer them relief from their extreme sentences. He told The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Miss., “It was not a particularly egregious case.”
The appeals process for the women has long since been exhausted. It is up to Governor Barbour, who is considering petitions on the sisters’ behalf, to do the humane thing.
A pardon or commutation of sentence — some form of relief that would release Jamie and Gladys Scott from the hideous shackles of a lifetime in prison — is not just desirable, it’s absolutely essential.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
10/2 JAMIE SCOTT ACTION ALERT
October 2 at 1:47am
Please e-mail and/or call Drs. Gloria Perry and Zein-Ahmed and request that Jamie Scott #19197 immediately receive proper medical treatment. Jamie has been vomiting for 5 days now and is in need of immediate attention. I apologize for being so crude here but, this is the case and it is urgent. Please assist us in saving her life until she is released!
Dr. Gloria Perry - gperry@mdoc.state.ms.us
(601) 359-5155
Dr. Zein-Ahmed - MZein-Ahmed@mdoc.state.ms.us
(601) 359-5155
You may cc and call the following if time permits.
Margaret Bingham - mbingham@mdoc.state.ms.us
601-932-2880
Christopher Epps - CEPPS@mdoc.state.ms.us
Epps ph. 601-359-5600
Nancy Lockhart
Monday, September 27, 2010
9/27 SCOTT SISTERS ACTION ALERT!
MESSAGE FROM MRS. RASCO:
Thanks to all of the supporters that have helped with Jamie and Gladys' case. It is because of all of you that it has came down to what it has. You all have worked hard to help to free Jamie and Gladys and I feel like now we are on the final step to freedom.
I am asking that everyone Write and Fax all the Parole Board members to ask for justice for Jamie and Gladys. They need all of your help, the ones that can tweet it, please do. Jamie and Gladys' life depends on you all so that another injustice won't be done to them. Let the Parole Board know that the world is looking at this injustice.
Shannon Warnock - Chairman
Bobbie Thomas - Board Member
Clarence Brown - Board Member
Betty Lou Jones - Board Member
Danny Guice - Board Member
State of Mississippi Parole Board
660 North Street
Suite 100A
Jackson, MS 39202
Fax: (601) 576-3528
Please contact these Board Members and keep doing it until Jamie and Gladys are free. Love to every one of you.
Evelyn Rasco
Please be polite when writing/faxing.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
9/16 SCOTT SISTERS MEDIA UPDATES!
The very well-attended 9/15 Jackson, MS rally to Free the Scott Sisters has generated an unprecedented amount of mainstream media that is shining a light on these cases like never before! Hopefully these actions and many more to come will at long last bring about the release of these two long-suffering women and reunite them with their family. Keep the pressure on!
This just in.... Starting in October on the Michael Baisden Show on his Falsely Accused Series will be: Have you read about the Scott Sisters?
----
MSNBC gave coverage to this case! Features Mrs. Rasco and NAACP Prez, Ben Jealous
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
-----
Great excerpts of 9/15 Scott Sisters Rally held in Jackson, MS
-----
NAACP Press Conference on Scott Sisters: http://www.naacp.org/blog/entry/naacp-press-conference-on-the-scott-sisters/
-----
Uhuru News http://uhurunews.com/story?resource_name=mississippi-rally-demands-release-of-scott-sisters-15-years-into-double-life-sentences-on-bogus-11-robbery-charge
-----
Thanks to Muhammad Speaks for publishing our Case Summary! - http://www.muhammadspeaksonline.net/2010/09/12/mississippi-injustice-2/
-----
USA TODAY even gave coverage to this case! - http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-09-14-scott-sisters_N.htm
-----
PRE-RALLY
Bro. JR of Block Report Radio speaks to Mrs. Rasco on 9/13 Flashpoints at http://aud1.kpfa.org/data/20100913-Mon1700.mp3
WAPT- Scott Sisters Supporters to Rally in Jackson, MS 9/15 - http://www.wapt.com/r/24986222/detail.html
WLBT- Scott Sisters Attorney to Present Pardon Request -http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=13144101
Clarion Ledger - Support Growing for Sisters - http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20109120370
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
8/24 + 8/27 RADIO PROGRAMS
8/27 INTERVIEW WITH NANCY LOCKHART AND MRS. EVELYN RASCO
Listen to internet radio with brburns.com on Blog Talk Radio
8/24 - DOES RACISM STILL EXIST IN AMERICA?: The Tragic Case Of THE SCOTT SISTERS!
Listen to internet radio with brburns.com on Blog Talk Radio
BLACK NOBILITY MAGAZINE ON THE SCOTT SISTERS
the Scott Sisters received double life terms each for $11 ….
Jamie and Gladys Scott are blood sisters and have been wrongfully convicted of armed robbery. The sisters received double life terms each. No one was murdered or injured during this robbery. One witness testified that the robbery netted about $11, another said that around $200 bucks was in his wallet. Witnesses and the two alleged victims testified that the sisters had absolutely nothing to do with this robbery. Witnesses also testified that the sheriff coerced and threatened them to lie on the Scott Sisters. The sisters have been in prison since October of 1994.
As if that weren’t bad enough, these young women received incompetent legal representation at the lower court trial. Their attorneys, Firnist J. Alexander, Jr. and Gail Shaw-Pierson failed to interview and subpoena witnesses, only calling one witness when there were several. Incredibly, the jury never even heard any testimony from the alleged victims. The sisters were advised to not testify on their own behalf by their attorneys, Alexander and Shaw-Pierson, denying them the opportunity to speak for themselves.
In October of 1994, Jamie and Gladys Scott were sentenced to extraordinary double life terms each in prison, even though neither sister had prior convictions and there was no violence involved in these charges.
The four State’s witnesses provided conflicting testimony and one alleged accuser was not called to testify – he was not questioned or subpoenaed by defense attorneys Firnist J. Alexander, Jr. or Gail Shaw-Pierson. Witnesses admitted however, that reports prepared by the Sheriff, of their descriptions of the event contained no such claim. In other words, the sisters were not present. Jamie and Gladys Scott were not involved in the armed robbery and they did not conspire to plan such. Witnesses all testified that they were coerced and threatened by Deputy Sheriff Marvin Williams. Testimony also revealed that Marvin Williams prepared statements of the events from the night of December 24, 1994 BEFORE obtaining signatures and BEFORE the witnesses were brought into his office. In other words, the statements were not written by witnesses. Three affidavits exist – they all state that the Scott Sisters were not involved in this robbery. One affidavit is written by a trustee of the local jail, his account of the facts reveal that a wallet was located a few days after this alleged robbery and that wallet contained the photo ID of one of the alleged victims of the trumped up robbery and three twenty dollar bills. The trustee also reveals that there was NOT a robbery, he was also threatened to be sent to Parchman Penitentiary if he told the truth.
According to the Request for Commutation of Sentence and/or Pardon prepared by attorney Chokwe Lumumba, the Scott Sisters challenged their convictions on direct appeal; arguing that there was insufficient evidence to convict them, and the guilty verdict was against the overwhelming weight of evidence, which should have exonerated them. The court of appeals found no error and affirmed the convictions on December 17, 1996. As a result, they filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the Supreme Court, which was denied on May 15, 1997. They consequently filed an Application for Leave to File Motion to Vacate Conviction pursuant to the Mississippi Post Conviction Collateral Relief Act. The Supreme Court also denied that application.
This family is shell-shocked, yet determined to fight on. They have tried to have faith that at some point this unbelievable travesty would be corrected and their upside-down lives righted. Yet 16 long years later nothing has changed, the women’s five children are still being raised by their now ailing mother, and their father has died of a massive heart attack because of this. The emotional strain this burden has placed upon their family is immeasurable.
Jamie Scott, who entered the prison system as a healthy young woman, is now suffering from complete kidney failure and other life-threatening medical conditions. Since January, 2010 Jamie has endured almost weekly severe health setbacks that the state has either outright refused to address or handled in a slipshod manner. Jamie has had weeks of serious infections that could have taken her life, has gone into shock, been given sporadic dialysis treatments, and suffered the state’s refusal to provide her with adequate nutrition as required for her serious medical condition. She is now at Stage 5 (end stage) of this disease, the next stage being death.
Jamie writes, “What began as an implication and outright miscarriage of justice, has catapulted to destroy an entire family. Gladys was a 19 year old pregnant mother, and myself, Jamie, a 22 year old mother during the time of our arrest, conviction and sentencing for a crime we did not commit.” She continued, “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 that the people would insist upon an investigation into their misconduct and miscarriage of justice.”
Gladys and Jamie’s older brother has served in the US Army for over 22 years, while his sisters remain victims of wrongful convictions in the very country that he proudly represents. The defendants and their family are wholly depending on support from the press, organizations, and all those dedicated to justice in making this debacle as public as possible.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
CLICK BELOW FOR:
SCOTT SISTERS CASE TRANSCRIPTS
SCOTT SISTERS CASE OPINION
SCOTT SISTERS INDICTMENT
IF YOU WISH TO DONATE, PLEASE SEND MONEY ORDER TO:
MRS. EVELYN RASCOP.O. BOX 7100PENSACOLA, 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.
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.
