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Mississippi to commemorate life of slain civil rights veteran

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Mississippi to commemorate life of slain civil rights veteran

World War I veteran Lamar Smith knew the risk of registering Black residents to vote and encouraging them to exercise that right. His work led to his fatal shooting in 1955 on the lawn of the Brookhaven courthouse by three who were never prosecuted for the .ย 

Nearly 70 years after his 1955 slaying, a historical marker will commemorate the Black farmer’s civil rights work and at the site of his death. The Board of Trustees for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History approved the marker at its Friday meeting.ย 

โ€œThe board approved a group of markers, one for Mr. Lamar Smith recounting his story,โ€ said Katie Blount, director of MDAH.ย 

She said the historical marker program is one of the department’s most popular and a way for people to get involved with history in a grassroots way.ย 

members of Smith have supported the placement of a historical marker at the courthouse in his honor.ย 

Some have wanted officials to go further. Several family members have gone before the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors multiple times to ask for the courthouse to be renamed in Smith’s honor, but the board has not done that, the Daily Leader reported.

โ€œAny time we about [this], the pain up like it was yesterday,โ€ said Alma Pittman, Smith’s step-granddaughter, at an April board meeting. โ€œI saw my grandmother suffer. She never got over it. It would be nice to have recognition of my grandfather’s [sacrifice] by the my grandfather was murdered in.โ€

Lamar Smith is among the people whose stories are featured at the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Civil Rights Memorial Center in Montgomery, Alabama.

On Aug. 13, 1955, 63-year-old Smith went to the Brookhaven courthouse to drop off absentee ballots for a county supervisor runoff election between an incumbent and a challenger he worked for. Three white men approached him outside and shot him in front of at least 50 people, according to FBI documents.ย 

Noah Smith, Mack Smith and Charles Falvey were arrested for Smith’s death, but they were never tried. Two grand juries were convened and did not take action because witnesses refused to testify, according to FBI documents.ย 

The FBI reopened Smith’s case in 2008 as part of an initiative for unresolved civil rights era murders. It closed his case in April 2010, saying the three men were dead and unable to be prosecuted.

In its decision to close Smith’s case, the FBI said it did not find a prosecutable violation of federal civil rights statutes and noted there was a five-year statute of limitation on non-capital civil rights violations before 1994.ย 

The FBI also noted the local coroner’s jury ruled that โ€œprobably other parties unknownโ€ were involved with Smith’s death but were never identified.ย 

Of the 161 civil rights cases the FBI reopened, 53 of them were killings that happened in Mississippi between the 1930s and 1970s. To date, a majority of the cases have been closed.ย 

One of those cases was that of the Rev. George Lee who was killed in Belzoni months before Smith for registering Black people to vote. Like Smith’s case, the FBI closed Lee’s case because the man accused of shooting him was already dead.ย 

In interviews for an episode of the 2008 television series โ€œMurder in Black & White,โ€ family members of Smith remembered him as a good man who wanted to help others vote, even when he was told not to.ย 

โ€œHe said he would die for the sake of others,โ€ said Smith’s niece, Jinnie Lee Wallace.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

Dollar General vehicle theft leads to two arrests in Tupelo

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www.wcbi.com – Aundrea Self – 2024-11-04 16:10:00

SUMMARY: In , Mississippi, 19-year-old Joshua James and a juvenile face charges related to a pursuit and the of a police car. James is charged with Directing a Felony to Be Committed by a Person Under Seventeen, Grand Larceny, and Felony Fleeing, with a bond set at $100,000. The incident began on November 1 when police responded to a of a stolen vehicle. After a chase that ended when the stolen truck crashed south of Verona, James was apprehended, while his juvenile passenger fled in a police car, which was later found wrecked. The juvenile’s case will be handled in Youth Court.

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Categories: Crime, Local News


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Lowndes Co. Supervisors talk storm safety for certain areas

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www.wcbi.com – Marcus Hunter – 2024-11-04 15:59:00

SUMMARY: The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors has secured to construct storm shelters in Crawford, Artesia, and Plum Grove, lacking local shelter during severe weather. Each community will four FEMA-funded shelters, accommodating up to 20 people each, on property at a total cost of $103,692, with FEMA contributing $93,000. The supervisors anticipate these shelters will significantly enhance safety for during storms. Vice President Jeff Smith highlighted their importance, expressing relief for community members who have long awaited a secure refuge. While installation timelines remain unclear, the is expected to proceed soon.

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News anchor dropped after social media post telling Trump-haters supporting Harris: ‘Stay home, donโ€™t vote’

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www.foxnews.com – – 2024-11-04 11:51:00

SUMMARY: David “Dave” Elliott, a local anchor for in for nearly 40 years, was fired after expressing political views on social . He revealed on Facebook that his termination was due to his political opinions, specifically mentioning a where he advised people not to vote out of hatred for Donald Trump. Elliott characterized his social media posts as satire, distinguishing them from his professional work. He noted that the discussion with his station’s general about his dismissal was brief, and the topic of social media was raised. WLOX’s management declined to comment on the matter.

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