Comments on: Mitchell

Mitchell

bguest — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:43:48 -0800

"I couldn't let these Klansmen get away with murder..." Investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell has started a blog focusing on cold case murders of civil rights workers. In this Moth Podcast, Mitchell discusses some of his investigations, the death threats he received, and the stunning redemption and forgiveness he witnessed. For his work Mitchell was recently awarded a MacArthur "Genius" grant.

As a reporter for the Clarion-Ledger, Mitchell's investigations have helped solve four different cold cases: the murder of Medgar Evers (this investigation was the basis of the film "Ghosts of Mississippi"); the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers outside of Philadelphia, MS (the basis of the film "Mississippi Burning"); the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama (Spike Lee's film "Four Little Girls"); and the murder of a local NAACP leader in Hattiesburg, MS. Mitchell's initial investigation into the "Mississippi Burning" case helped bring Edgar Ray Killen, the orchestrator of the murders, to justice. The documentary "NESHOBA" highlights this series of events (and includes chilling interviews with Killen). Mitchell's recent blog posts have also focused on this case. Mitchell has identified four men, still living, who were likely involved with the murders. The murders were carried out by a combination of law enforcement agents, the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, and the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission. The Sovereignty Commission was essentially a secret, tax-payer funded, terrorist organization run by the state of Mississippi. In 1998, the state released the Sovereignty Commission files (online here). Last fall, the Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan held a rally at the University of Mississippi in support of the students' right to chant "The South will rise again" during football games (previously).

By: sallybrown

sallybrown — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:00:55 -0800

This guy is so much like a superhero I wouldn't be surprised if he could fly. For those who are interested, there were some really haunting photographs of the Evers family and other civil rights figures (taken during the '60s-'70s and today) in the New Yorker recently.

By: starman

starman — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:04:52 -0800

I just listened to his story on the Moth podcast. Nice writeup!

By: nola

nola — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:19:13 -0800

What a great post. Nice work bguest.

By: notsnot

notsnot — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:39:48 -0800

Reading that bit about Killen, man, I want to take a road trip to Mississippi just to spit on that motherfucker.

By: tellurian

tellurian — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:59:25 -0800

I too recently listened to the podcasts. My heart was in my mouth when he started talking about the death threats and his wife's anxiety. I was expecting the worst.

By: Lutoslawski

Lutoslawski — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:00:54 -0800

Not that all of the Moth shows aren't fantastic, but this one is really fucking fantastic. Thanks. Great post.

By: nestor_makhno

nestor_makhno — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:04:26 -0800

Thank you for this post.

By: bunnycup

bunnycup — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:07:56 -0800

Great post. I have gotten into the Moth podcast very recently, and am just obsessed with it. This particular story was striking, and the additional background and digging deeper is good information. These stories need to be told more often, to more people, on as many platforms as possible.

By: mannequito

mannequito — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:09:13 -0800

Yeah fuck that Edgar Ray Killen guy. This is the first time I've ever heard my own last name in a celebrity's name and of course it has to be for all the wrong reasons .......

By: Lutoslawski

Lutoslawski — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:09:52 -0800

also: My reaction to the MacArthur winners is often, 'eh,' or even, wut? But this guy might be one of the most deserving winners.

By: HuronBob

HuronBob — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:14:04 -0800

Nice post, thanks....

By: jenkinsEar

jenkinsEar — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:31:10 -0800

This guy is so much like a superhero I wouldn't be surprised if he could fly. Superman versus the Klan. Life imitates art.

By: apis mellifera

apis mellifera — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:17:16 -0800

Yes, indeed, thank you for this post. Very informative. Brought the song "Only A Pawn In Their Game" by Bob Dylan to mind: Today, Medgar Evers was buried from the bullet he caught They lowered him down as a king But when the shadowy sun sets on the one That fired the gun He'll see by his grave On the stone that remains Carved next to his name His epitaph plain: Only a pawn in their game. I wish I could be even half as courageous and useful in my life as Jerry Mitchell.

By: mecran01

mecran01 — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:22:46 -0800

This is great and inspiring stuff. I hope one day they find out who killed real journalism.

By: The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew

The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:15:37 -0800

I loved this when I heard it last week, I love it now as well.

By: exhilaration

exhilaration — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 09:49:45 -0800

jenkinsEar: There was a great segment on This American Life about how the Superman radio show was used against the Klan.

By: marienbad

marienbad — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:05:17 -0800

truly amazing stuff. absolutely amazing. excellent post.

By: librarylis

librarylis — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:15:02 -0800

The Sovereignty Commission was essentially a secret, tax-payer funded, terrorist organization run by the state of Mississippi. The things they don't teach you in school, indeed. An organization that was only shut down in 1977 and fought court-mandated records release until 1998? That kind of information should be more widely known and good on Mitchell for keeping after "old history." Anything stirring up death threats is clearly not old history.