Hundreds rally for release of Miss. women

Created on Friday, 24 September 2010 10:40 Last Updated on Monday, 03 December 2012 19:23 Published on Friday, 24 September 2010 10:40 Written by Associated Press Hits: 1113

JACKSON, Miss. (AP)— Nearly 400 protesters marched to the governor’s mansion and the Mississippi Capitol to call for the release of two sisters who are serving life sentences for a robbery that netted $11.

PROTEST LIFE SENTENCES—Civil rights activist Dorothy Benford of Jackson, waves a sign with $11 in singles hanging from it to protest the life sentences Jamie and Gladys Scott received for a robbery that netted that same amount, during a rally at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Sept. 15.

Representatives of the Mississippi ACLU and several other groups joined civil rights veterans in the effort to get a pardon for Jamie and Gladys Scott, who have served nearly 16 years in prison for the 1993 crime in Scott County.

The sisters’ attorney Chokwe Lumumba met Sept. 15 with one of Gov. Haley Barbour’s staff attorneys about their petition for a pardon or a reduced sentence. Barbour’s office has said the governor is waiting to receive a recommendation from the state Parole Board before making a decision.