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Your Black Life: The Case Of Jamie & Gladys Scott: Justice Denied
The State of Mississippi versus Jamie Scott and Gladys Scott: My First Encounter with Justice Denied
By: Nancy R. Lockhart, M.J.
http://www.freewebs.com/nlockha/index.htm
Originally Appeared In Black Commentator
While driving the moving truck from South Carolina to Chicago, Illinois in July of 2005, many things ran across my mind as I took the solo trip. I pondered receiving the Master of Jurisprudence degree from Loyola University School of Law and later a career as a governmental regulatory compliance manager. It never dawned on me that I would receive a brutal education in social justice; an education that would prove to be more valuable than sheepskin from any institution. This would become an education that re-directed every thought flowing as I drove that big truck from South Carolina. I left Chicago with the Master of Jurisprudence and absolutely no desire to follow my original dreams.
I secured a position as a Community Services Consultant with Rainbow/PUSH Coalition while completing my studies. I will never forget the frigid, Chicago morning when I opened a letter from Mrs. Evelyn Rasco, a mother and widow. She told the story of her daughters, and said she had written Rainbow/PUSH for 11 years, without a response. She redirected her strategy this time and wrote Congressman Jackson in a plea to get the letter to his father’s (Rev. Jackson) office. The letter was hand delivered [...]
Your Black Life: Jamie & Gladys Scott: Two Sisters Wrongfully Convicted
Jamie and Gladys Scott are two sisters who were convicted of armed robbery, which they did not commit.
Their transcripts state that nine, ten or eleven dollars was stolen. No one was injured or murdered. Witnesses were coerced and threatened to lie on The Scott Sisters. Affidavits by those who committed the crime state that Jamie and Gladys were not involved. Yet, they have been in prison for over 14 years.
Please sign their petition:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Free-Jamie-Gladys/index.html
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Your Black News: Interview With Nancy Lockhart On The Case Of Jamie & Gladys Scott
Interview with Legal Representative, Nancy Lockhart, by Tolu Olorunda.
If “innocence until proven guilty” were the law of the land, Jamie and Gladys Scott would be free human beings walking the face of the planet. Unfortunately, the cases of Mumia Abu Jamal, Troy Davis and Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin have taught us otherwise. The Scott sisters were convicted of double armed robbery in 1994, but contend their innocence till this very day. Despite sworn affidavits and testimonies of police coercion/intimidation/threats, Jamie and Gladys remain a statistic in the prison industrial complex. Having been denied all appeal requests, the Scott sisters have undergone moments of helplessness and hopelessness. Thankfully, before long, that feeling of despondency was replaced with a glimmer of hope. The instrument of hope, in this case, came in the personage of Nancy Lockhart. Lockhart is a legal analyst, and a graduate of Loyola University. She has, over the past few years, dedicated her life and service to the case of the Scott sisters. With the level of altruism Ms. Lockhart displays, it’s no wonder Jamie and Gladys have something to be thankful for. I recently spoke with Ms. Lockhart on the case of the Scott sisters, and what the path toward justice would entail:
Thanks for joining us, Nancy. Can you start by granting some perspective on the case of Jamie and Gladys Scott?
Well, the Jamie and Gladys Scott case is about two sisters, who were charged, in 1993, with two counts of armed robbery – which carries a double life sentence. There’s sworn and signed notarized affidavits which states that Jamie and Gladys had absolutely nothing to do with the robbery. The affidavit says that the “Patrick Men,” are the real robbers who robbed the two victims, held a shotgun to them and took their wallets. The jury did not hear that testimony initially. This affidavit was given about 4 years later, by Mr. Christopher Patrick, and he stated that he was coerced and threatened into signing his first testimony against the Scott sisters [...]
Your Black Life: Muslim Woman Sentenced For Refusing To Remove Hijab (Head Scarf)
Valentine violated a court policy that prohibits people from wearing any headgear in court, police said after they arrested her Tuesday.
Kelley Jackson, a spokeswoman for Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, said state law doesn’t permit or prohibit head scarfs.
“It’s at the discretion of the judge and the sheriffs and is up to the security officers in the court house to enforce their decision,” she said.
Valentine, who recently moved to Georgia from New Haven, Conn., said the incident reminded her of stories she’d heard of the civil rights-era South [...]
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