Jamie Scott: Wrongly Convicted In Dire Health Situation

March 18th, 2010

DAY OF BLOGGING FOR THE SCOTT SISTERS

ACTION in red below.
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Marpessa Kupendua of the Free The Scott Sisters site writes that:

On 12/24/93, the Scott County Sheriff’s Department arrested Jamie and Gladys Scott for armed robbery even though three young males, ranging from ages 14 to 18, confessed to committing the crime and the women have unwaveringly maintained their complete innocence. Despite this, the corrupt Mississippi sheriff used coercion, threats, and harassment to compel the young men to turn state’s evidence against the Scott Sisters due to a long-standing vendetta against a family member. The judge in the case, Marcus Gordon, has an extensive racist past that includes granting bail to the KKK murderer of 3 civil rights workers in 1964. In 10/94 the Scott Sisters were sentenced to extraordinary double-life terms each, despite the facts that no one was harmed, neither sister had prior convictions, no weapon was ever recovered, and the amount alleged to have been taken was approximately $11.00. Even if they were guilty as charged, this sentence is completely outrageous and cruel.

The Scott Sisters are now in their 15th year of incarceration and their five children and grandchildren are being raised by their now ailing mother. The defendants and their family are wholly dependent on support from the press, organizations, and all those dedicated to justice in making this debacle as public as possible.

http://luckyrooster.net/wp-content/uploads//jamiegladysscott.jpg

Jamie Scott, is now in a dire medical situation in Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, and may lose her life before being able to prove her innocence without proper medical treatment. In January of this year she had double Kidney failure, and the prison infirmary is simply not equiped to treat her condition. Yet other than during 1 emegency situations, prision officials have not been responsive to putting Jamie in a facility that can properly treat her.

That’s why we’re asking the public to contact the following officials and demand they act on this situation:

GOV. BARBOUR’S OFFICE
P.O. Box 139
Jackson, Mississippi 39205
1-877-405-0733 or 601-359-3150
Fax: 601-359-3741
(If you reach VM leave msgs, faxes, and please send letters)

CONTACT CHRISTOPHER EPPS
Christopher Epps, Commissioner of Prisons for the State of Mississippi
601-359-5600
CE…@mdoc.state.ms.us
723 North President Street
Jackson, MS 39202

Congressman Bennie Thompson
3607 Medgar Evers Blvd.
Jackson, MS 39213
601-946-9003(ph)
601-982-5337 (fx)
Benniethomp…@mail.house.gov

Congressman John Conyers
2426 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC 20515
Ph: 202-225-5126
Fax: 202-225-0072


Jamie has endured almost weekly medical failures including chronic and recurring catheter infections, catheter malfunctions, dialysis equipment shut-downs, unsanitary living conditions and inability to receive the medically required diet for someone in her serious medical condition.

At the present time the catheter is grossly infected, causing her greater illness and much more serious risk. According to Marpessa Kupendua, Jamie and Gladys’ mother, Mrs. Evelyn Rasco, received word on March 11, “that Jamie’s temporary catheter has been moved to her chest and is plugged up with green fluid and pus. Her hands, legs and feet are swollen and she is in tremendous pain. She is very, very weak. This is at least her fourth catheter infection and this one is extremely bad, Jamie is doing very poorly. The prison is aware of Jamie’s current condition yet Jamie remains in the prison infirmary.”



posted in Action Alert, News & Events, Racial Injustice, youtube | 0 Comments | | View blog reactions |





Nashville’s Original Activists - Lunch Counter Sit-ins

March 17th, 2010

In 1960, mostly college students conducted lunch counter sit-ins at downtown Nashville establishments to segregate food service and business in general.

PBS.org says of the situation:

Southern cities maintain segregated public facilities — like movie theaters, hotels, and lunch counters in downtown stores. In Greensboro, North Carolina, four black college students stage the first sit-in at a white lunch counter. Activist Jim Lawson holds workshops in non-violent protest at Nashville’s Fisk University. He attracts people like college student Diane Nash and seminarians John Lewis and C. T. Vivian, and teaches non-violent direct action tactics adopted from Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi, including peaceful resistance.

Studnents from Tennessee State and American Baptist College also participated.

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Rodney_Powell_Nashville_sit-ins_1960.jpg/300px-Rodney_Powell_Nashville_sit-ins_1960.jpg

This March is the forty year anniversary of those sit-ins.

NPR did a short piece on the radio last month, prompted by Sarah Palins ridiculous comparison of the Tea Party “movement” to the Civil Rights Movement:

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On April 19th Rev. Jim Lawson will again be picking up the banner of non-violent protest in Nashville leading a march on April 19th. More to come on that in future.

Here’s some video about that time period.



posted in News & Events, Racial Injustice, Uncategorized, youtube | 0 Comments | | View blog reactions |





Upcoming Day of Blogging For Scott Sisters

March 16th, 2010

Participating bloggers should listed their name/handle and full clicable url so that those looking to follow the days postings can easily find them in once place, and so we can do round up post.

Sis. Marpessa, who works with Mrs. Rasco’s the Scott sister’s mother; has asked Afrosphere bloggers to conduct a day of blogging to help the wrongly convicted sisters specifically at this time of medical need.

Below is a preliminary press release for the Thursday March 18, Day of Blogging. It should provide the info you need if you’re not familiar with the situation or just need more details. You can also visit Mrs Rasco’s site: http://www.freethescottsisters.blogspot.com.

For Immediate Release
Afrosphere Action Coalition – March 18, 2010
Contact: Marpessa Kupendua The of Committee to Free the Scott Sisters at nattyreb@gmail.com

Wrongly Convicted In Dire Health Situation
DAY OF BLOGGING FOR THE SCOTT SISTERS

Jamie Scott, who was convicted with her sister Gladys Scott and given double-life sentences each for an $11.00 robbery of which there was no credible evidence presented at trial. The prison is aware of Jamie’s current condition yet Jamie remains in the prison infirmary.

Mrs. Rasco and Afrosphere Bloggers are calling on the public to request that elected and prison officials in Mississippi immediately move Jamie to qualified medical facilities where she can receive proper medical care forthwith. We also ask that the media do investigative inquiry about this tragic situation.

CONTACT GOV. BARBOUR’S OFFICE
P.O. Box 139
Jackson, Mississippi 39205
1-877-405-0733 or 601-359-3150
Fax: 601-359-3741
(If you reach VM leave msgs, faxes, and please send letters)

CONTACT CHRISTOPHER EPPS
Christopher Epps, Commissioner of Prisons for the State of Mississippi
601-359-5600
CEPPS@mdoc.state.ms.us
723 North President Street
Jackson, MS 39202

Congressman Bennie Thompson
3607 Medgar Evers Blvd.
Jackson, MS 39213
601-946-9003(ph)
601-982-5337 (fx)
Benniethompson@mail.house.gov

Congressman John Conyers
2426 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, DC 20515
Ph: 202-225-5126
Fax: 202-225-0072

On 12/24/93, the Scott County Sheriff’s Department arrested Jamie and Gladys Scott for armed robbery even though three young males, ranging from ages 14 to 18, confessed to committing the crime and the women have unwaveringly maintained their complete innocence. Despite this, the corrupt Mississippi sheriff used coercion, threats, and harassment to compel the young men to turn state’s evidence against the Scott Sisters due to a long-standing vendetta against a family member. In 10/94 the Scott Sisters were sentenced to extraordinary double-life terms each, despite the facts that no one was harmed, neither sister had prior convictions, no weapon was ever recovered, and the amount alleged to have been taken was approximately $11.00. Even if they were guilty as charged, this sentence is completely outrageous and cruel.

The Scott Sisters are now in their 15th year of incarceration and their five children and grandchildren are being raised by their now ailing mother. The defendants and their family are wholly dependent on support from the press, organizations, and all those dedicated to justice in making this debacle as public as possible.

Their Story has had some success in getting media of late, the most notable being a very brief mention on HLN’s “Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell”, a clip of which is available to view here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO_p3tbjy5E



posted in Action Alert, Foreign News, Racial Injustice, Uncategorized, youtube | 7 Comments | | View blog reactions |





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  • D. Yobachi Boswell

  • Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.

    I created this site to give new voice to socio-political issues that are in need of thoughtful consideration and redress.

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