6A
NEWS/tB^ Calotte $ot
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Justice declines 10 reopen1955 miinler case
Continued from page 1A
efforts of the black press
especially, the crime, not
solved in the courts, raised
the consciousness of
Americans and triggered the
Civil Rights Movement.”
In February, Rush, the
Chicago Democrat, filed a
bill in Congress asking that
body to formally request that
Ashcroft launch a federal
Kerry:
Didn’t do
enough for
civil rights
investigation into Till’s bru
tal murder. However, a
spokesperson for the Justice
Department told the
Chicago TVibune that “the
statute of
limitations... barred the
department from investigat
ing the case further,”
In a letter to Ashcroft,
Rush wrote, “After consult
ing with Legislative Counsel
for the House of
Representatives and with
the Congressional Research
Service, I respectfully dis
agree with this assessment,
and I remain firm in my call
upon the Justice
Department to investigate
the murder of Emmett Till.”
Rush said, “18 U.S.C. 3282
states that ‘an indictment for
any offense
Ashcroft
punishable
by death
may be
found at any
time with
out limita
tion.’ 18
U.S.C. 214
as estab
lished by the
Civil Rights
Act proclaims that the type
of lynching and murder that
took place with Emmett TUI
is punishable by death. As
such, I fail to understand
why the department finds
the statute of limitations as
a bar to investigate the mur
der.”
In addition, another feder
al statute 42 U.S.C. 1988 (a)
“give the federal courts juris
diction to entertain, as an
original matter, civil or crim
inal actions under state law
in any case affecting the
deprivation of civU rights.”
'The niinois congressman
noted that the 1963 murder
of civU rights leader Medgar
Evers and the bombing of
Sixteenth Street Baptist,
even though the cases were
more than 30 years old.
“In the case of the
Sixteenth Street Church
bombing, the U.S, Attorney’s
office actually prosecuted the
case in state court under
state law,” Rush said. “The
Justice Department did not
seem to think that statute of
limitation issues barred its
involvement in these cases,
so I see no reason why the
department would think dif
ferently with regard to
Emmett Till.”
In an interview with the
NNPA News Service, Rush
said: “The federal govern
ment has the resources, it
has the authority and should
have the wUl to re-open this
case. Emmett Till cannot
and wiU not rest in peace.
Mamie Till Mobley [his
deceased mother] cannot
and wUl not rest in peace
untU there’s justice. We can
not rest in peace,”
The bludgeoned and disfig
ured face of Till was flashed
across the country in 1955.
His mother shocked the
nation when she insisted on
an open casket funeral so
that the world could see
what had happened to her
son.
“Most of us woiUd have
been ashamed and would
not have done it,” he said,
referring to the decision to
leave the casket open. “But
this lady left that casket
open and that’s what created
the whole thing.”
Rush is also pushing for
the awarding of a
Congressional Medal of
Honor to TUI’s mother “for
her courage, but also for her
commitment to young people
across this country.”
By George E, Curry
NATIONAL NEWSFAPER
PUHUSIIERS ASSOCIATION
WASHINGTON - U.S.
Senator John Kerry says
that although he was sup
portive of civU rights during
his college years, he regrets
that he didn’t take part in
the March on Washington,
the Selma to
1 Kerry
Montgomery
March and
other major
protest
events of the
1960s.
The pre
sumptive
Democratic
nominee
made that
observation
in a recent meeting at his
campaign headquarters in
Washington with five Black
journalists.
When asked about his civU
rights involvement while a
student at Yale University,
Kerry replied, “I took part in
demonstrations in New
Haven and we helped to
fund and raise money for the
Freedom Rides, the buses
and [to] recruit people to go.
And I went from a very diffi
cult personal choice about
going or not going. I was on
one of the athletic teams at
the time. I did not go.”
Asked if he has any regrets
about the choice he made,
the junior Massachusetts
senator said, “It would have
been a great experience, I
didn’t, I made other choices
at the time. Again, I was
supportive and proud that I
was conscious of it and
aware of it and cared enough
to be supportive of it. But I
just made a different choice
at that point in time.”
When asked if he woiUd
make a different choice
today, Kerry became pen
sive.
“I would have found a way
to get there, I think, for part
of it,” he said, slowly. When
another reporter attempted
to ask Kerry a question, he
continued in a reflective
mood. “I think I missed
something. Did I miss some
thing in that regard? Yeah, I
think I did. I am glad I was
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