NEW: After Marc Davis, a Black man, called 911 to report he'd been in a car crash, a responding police officer shot Davis three times, killing him.

Petal's Chamber of Commerce just declared that officer, Aaron Jernigan, Petal's "2020 Officer of the Year." mississippifreepress.org/9455/petal-off…
Petal Mayor Hal Marx is a director with the Petal Chamber of Commerce that gave Officer Jernigan the award.

Last year, Marx drew hundreds of #BlackLivesMatter protesters after mocking George Floyd's death: “If you say you can’t breathe, you’re breathing." mississippifreepress.org/9455/petal-off…
Petal Mayor Hal Marx's remarks about George Floyd and the claim that George Floyd died of an overdose drew renewed attention to Marc Davis' death.

State investigators and a federal judge ruled the shooting "justified," but Davis' family challenged that. mississippifreepress.org/9455/petal-off…
“Good afternoon. My name is Catherine Davis. I am the mother of the late Marc Davis,” she told protestors in Petal, Mississippi. “My son was killed on your streets. My son was murdered on your streets."

MORE: mississippifreepress.org/9455/petal-off… Image
After the 2017 shooting, Officer Jernigan and witnesses claimed Davis tried to take his weapon.

Others provided conflicting accounts of what happened that day, though, including a witness who spoke to @MSFreePress, saying she'd never spoken to police. mississippifreepress.org/9455/petal-off…
"Knowing Mr. Davis had full intentions of trying to gain control of my firearm and fearing for my life and the lives and safety of the bystanders around me, I fired three shots into Mr. Davis," Officer Jernigan said in a police statement after the shooting.mississippifreepress.org/9455/petal-off…
"This is his youngest baby at his funeral. We were getting ready to leave the grave site. She didn’t want to go. She kept saying, ‘Granny.’ She wanted her dad. She knew he was in that box. She wanted him out," said Catherine Davis. mississippifreepress.org/9455/petal-off… Image
Catherine Davis: “There needs to be a federal task force that will look immediately (into police shootings), not wait until local authorities have had the opportunity to put their dirty hands in something." mississippifreepress.org/9455/petal-off…
"They say they’re sorry for what happened to George Floyd. Well, get off your sorry behind and go into your office and write some legislation,” Catherine Davis said, referring to members of Congress. mississippifreepress.org/9455/petal-off…
Catherine Davis to George Floyd's family last May:

“Mr. Floyd, to your family, I hate to admit this, but I know your pain. I know your pain. And I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. I wouldn’t wish it on Mr. Marx and his family.” mississippifreepress.org/9455/petal-off…
Background: "A Petal Police Officer Killed Marc Davis In 2017. His Family Is Still Demanding Justice." mississippifreepress.org/3431/a-petal-p…
More background: "Petal Mayor Marx’s Tweets About George Floyd Draw Calls to Resign, Prompting City Meeting Tonight" mississippifreepress.org/3381/petal-may…
If you support people-centered journalism that holds power to account, please follow @MSFreePress and consider a one-time or recurring donation to help us grow paywall-free, non-profit journalism in the Mississippi—where it's desperately needed: mfp.ms/donate
85% of residents in the majority Black college city of Hattiesburg voted to remove Forrest Cty's Confederate statue which is near a memorial to a slain voting rights activist.

It remains after Petal & other parts of the county voted for H'burg to keep it.
mississippifreepress.org/6769/forrest-c…

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More from @ashtonpittman

21 Feb
The right wing has a very deliberate strategy behind its endless cries of victimhood, suppression & liberal bias: to bully powerful institutions into granting it special privileges & establishing double standards for their benefit.

In sports, it's called "working the refs." 1/
One of the most successful targets of this long-time campaign to "work the refs" was James Comey.

@Comey began the Clinton email investigation for fear the FBI would look political if he didn't.

He publicly criticized Clinton even as he exonerated her due to the same fear. 2/
Comey didn't go public about the investigation into evidence that the Trump campaign was coordinating with Russia for fear of right-wing accusations of bias if he did.

Comey went public about finding "new" Clinton emails 10 days before the election for the same fear. 3/
Read 22 tweets
19 Feb
NEW: Moss Point Mayor Mario King & his wife Natasha told contributors for the 2019 "Mayor's Gala" that proceeds would support a mental health program for K-12 students.

Prosecutors say they used the money to buy a Volvo & pay off personal debt instead. 1/ mississippifreepress.org/9439/moss-poin…
The Kings plan to plead guilty to at least one charge each on Feb. 24. But Mayor King has signaled no plans to resign despite facing 14 federal charges and up to 20 years. His term ends in June.

An alderman is calling for him to "immediately" resign. 2/
mississippifreepress.org/9439/moss-poin…
The Kings told gala attendees that their contributions would “support the efforts of mental health in the City of Moss Point with a focus on the Moss Point School District, converting spaces into a therapeutic and innovative learning environment." 3/ mississippifreepress.org/9439/moss-poin…
Read 10 tweets
18 Feb
Later, we'll probably hear some contrived excuse like, "He was just accompanying his family to see them off safely and always intended to return."

But the long silence and failure to communicate that sooner will refute that.
Well, call me Miss Cleo and lay down a Benjamin. (h/t: @CCarter520) Image
A statement from the senator:
"With school cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, so flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon."

His return flight was originally for Saturday; it changed this morning. Image
Read 5 tweets
16 Feb
NEW: U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker voted for more than $3.6 trillion in stimulus spending under Trump last year.

But he says he'll vote 'No' on Biden's stimulus because it “would add to the mountain of debt that our children and grandchildren will have to pay.” mississippifreepress.org/9294/sen-wicke…
In 2009, Sen. Roger Wicker cited concerns about the debt as he voted against Obama's stimulus $830billion stimulus, calling it "the most expensive piece of legislation in the history of our republic.”

Under Trump, he voted for the $2.2 trillion CARES Act. mississippifreepress.org/9294/sen-wicke…
Since he joined the U.S. Senate, @SenatorWicker has twice voted against stimulus bills when under Democratic presidents, calling them "Spending Bills," and twice voted for stimulus bills under a Republican president—Trump—calling them "relief packages." mississippifreepress.org/9294/sen-wicke…
Read 9 tweets
10 Feb
NEW: University of Mississippi Police are pursuing a criminal investigation into Ole Miss Information, the anonymous whistleblowers who tipped @MSFreePress off about racist emails between UM officials and prospective wealthy donors. #UMEmails mississippifreepress.org/9134/um-pursui…
The emails revealed how, even as University of Mississippi officials condemned racism publicly, they privately catered to and coddled donors like the one who referred to Black students as "African hookers" or using ape emojis to describe Black women. mississippifreepress.org/9134/um-pursui…
Now, the UM Emails whistleblowers, who obtained the emails following an official and legal public records request, are facing a criminal investigation as officials and some faculty members accuse them of "creating a hostile work environment."mississippifreepress.org/9134/um-pursui…
Read 13 tweets
9 Feb
Just help set 4 up with vaccine appointments. If you know anyone who needs them, esp if they don't have access to or skill to use technology or just might not know when appointments are available, give them a call NOW and help them set up an appointment: covidvaccine.umc.edu
Appointments are going QUICKLY and there likely won't be many if any left an hour from now, so get on it! covidvaccine.umc.edu
Remember, the more people you can help get COVID-19 vaccine appointments and get the shot in the arm, the closer we all will get to herd immunity and ending this pandemic.

So if you need a selfish motivator, there's that, too! covidvaccine.umc.edu
Read 5 tweets

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