Reward offered in 1964 slayings of civil rights workers ("Miss. Burning")

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-miss21.html

JACKSON, Miss. -- An anonymous donor has posted a $100,000 reward for information leading to murder charges in one of the most notorious crimes of the civil rights era -- the ''Freedom Summer'' slayings of three civil rights workers in 1964.

The reward will be administered by an interfaith organization as the state renews efforts to bring charges in the killings of James Chaney, Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman. snip

In 1964, the three volunteers helping to register black voters were murdered on a lonely dirt road as they drove to a church to investigate a fire. They were allegedly stopped by Klansmen, beaten and shot to death. Several weeks later, their bodies were found buried in a dam a few miles from the church. The case inspired the 1988 Gene Hackman film ''Mississippi Burning.''

Nineteen men, many of them Klansmen, were indicted. Seven were convicted of federal civil rights violations and sentenced to three to 10 years. But the state never brought murder charges and none of the men served more than six years.

more

[Zuni]

1. Truly a horrible episode in modern American history

[Withywindle]

2. Wow!

The Dean of Students at my college (Antioch College in Ohio, late 80s-early 90s), Steve Schwerner, was the brother of Michael. He didn't talk about it much, but he followed all civil rights cases very keenly, and I do remember him speaking out about that movie "Mississippi Burning" and what a pack of lies it was for making the FBI out to be the heroes.

[mzmolly]

3. Good, I'd love to see a collection taken up to add to the reward.

eom

[NashVegas]

4. duplicate story

discuss here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1087369