In October of 1972, nine black men and one white woman were sentenced to nearly 300 years combined for conspiracy to firebomb Mike’s Grocery Store and conspiracy to assault emergency personnel who responded to the fire, after police shot a black teenager in February 1971.
VIDEO: Say What?! Ann Coulter Says Civil Rights Don’t Apply To Women, Gays Or Immigrants
Forty years later, North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue has issued pardons to the group, otherwise known as the Wilmington 10, who were wrongly convicted in the Civil Rights-era crimes that led to accusations that the state was holding political prisoners.
In other words, Perdue’s pardons mean that the state thinks the 10 have no longer committed a crime.
Three key witnesses in the case recanted their testimony. Amnesty International and other groups took up the issue, portraying the Wilmington 10 as political prisoners.
“I have decided to grant these pardons because the more facts I have learned about the Wilmington Ten, the more appalled I have become about the manner in which their convictions were obtained,” Perdue said in a news release Monday.
Former National NAACP Executive Director Benjamin Chavis, who was one of the ten, had this to say about Perdue’s decison to issue pardons:
“Thank God. This is a tremendous victory for all freedom-loving and justice-seeking people throughout the world. I thank Governor Beverly Perdue for having the courage to do what was right and just even in face of entrenched political opposition. We need more courageous Democratic leaders like Governor Perdue. Our nation remains at a critical crossroads.”
“This is a historic day for North Carolina and the United States. People should be innocent until proven guilty, not persecuted for standing up for equal rights and justice.”
The surviving members of the Wilmington 10 are Reginald Epps, James McKoy, Wayne Moor, Marvin Patrick and Willie Earl Vereen. Those who have died are Jerry Jacobs, Ann Shepard, Connie Tindall and Joe Wright. Wright was the youngest, arrested when he was 16 years old.
VIDEO: The Countdown Begins! Obama Speaks On Fiscal Cliff Progress
At the initial trial, a jury of 10 blacks and two whites were seated. Prosecutor Jay Stroud said he was sick and the judge declared a mistrial. Not surprisingly, at the second trial the jury consisted of 10 whites and two blacks.
In November, NAACP state leaders said they believe newly uncovered notes show Stroud tried to keep blacks off the first jury and seat whites he thought were sympathetic to the Ku Klux Klan:
At the top of the list of 100 jurors, the notes said, “stay away from black men.” A capital “B” was beside the names of black jurors. The notes identify one potential black juror as an “Uncle Tom type,” and beside the names of several white people, notations include “KKK?” and “good!!”
No wonder they were sentenced immediately. We’re happy about the pardon. But it’s sad that sometimes the innocent are proven guilty, even in this day.
SOURCE: AP
