August 22, 2011
Black Man is Murdered by White Gang in Jackson, Mississippi
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Louisiana Weekly
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Jackson, Mississippi is reeling from yet another deadly attack on a Black man by whites. The difference is that this time the incident was caught on tape and witnesses have come forward.
On June 26, Deryl Dedmon, Jr. led two carloads of white teenagers from Rankin County, Mississippi to Jackson. The group had been drinking and partying when reportedly Dedmon suggested that they to Jackson to harass some Black people.
The first business they came to was a hotel where a Black man, 49-year-old James C. Anderson, an auto plant work was standing in the parking lot.
According to witnesses, the teens beat Anderson repeatedly, while shouting “white power!” and other racial slogans.
Then a group of the teens entered their Ford F250 truck and drove over an embankment to strike and kill the staggering Ander-son. Later he bragged about it to his friends by phone and in person. “He was not remorseful. He was laughing, laughing about the killing,” said district attorney Smith.
A surveillance video also reportedly shows the crime as it is being committed.
Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith says that based on tape and eyewitness testimony he is certain that this is a hate crime. Dedmon’s attorney says he sees no evidence of racism in the entire incident. Of all who participated only two have been charged so far. Dedmon is charged with a racially motivated murder and John Rice was charged with assault. Dedmon faces a possible two life sentences for the crime.
Later that morning, James Craig Anderson’s family were informed that he had died in a hit and run. It was later, when witness statements were taken that they learned the truth.
“This was a crime of hate. Dedmon murdered this man because he was Black,” said Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith. “The evidence will show that.”