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| Vigil set for slain inmate |
| By The Sun Herald |
| Published: 05/09/2006 |
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GULFPORT, MS - City and county officials have granted permission to allow a candlelight vigil May 15 for the slain inmate beaten at the Harrison County jail. The vigil won't be at the jail as planned, but in the parking lot of the Harrison County Courthouse in Gulfport, said Michael W. Crosby, attorney for the estate of Jessie Lee Williams Jr. The vigil starts at 6 p.m. and likely will last an hour or less. Crosby on Monday confirmed plans for a "peaceful assembly" at the courthouse after receiving permission from county officials and the Gulfport Police Department. He said the Sheriff's Department late Friday afternoon gave permission to use the jail parking lot, but the permission hinged on policies he called "offensive." According to a new policy of Sheriff George H. Payne Jr., a vigil or similar gathering in the jail parking lot is limited to 50 people, 10 parking spaces and a requirement that those attending provide their names, Social Security numbers, telephone numbers and home addresses. The policy for using the jail grounds for a public gathering also specifies that anyone who interferes with access to sidewalks, roads or entry or exit from the jail "will be arrested." Cy Faneca, the sheriff's attorney, said Payne wrote the policy because "there was no policy in place. No one has ever asked to hold a vigil or similar gathering at the jail. The sheriff wanted to accommodate people who might find a need to hold a vigil or some type of demonstration or to otherwise assemble and express their opinions." Holding the vigil at the courthouse will allow residents to remain "completely anonymous," Crosby said, calling the sheriff's guidelines for the jail parking lot "a form of attempted intimidation to ask people in this day and age to provide their personal information for a peaceful candlelight vigil. He basically told us to stay away." "The vigil allows citizens from all backgrounds a chance to stand together for a just cause with one simple request - justice. It represents our community shining light on the cloak of darkness that has surrounded this entire ordeal, putting a light so brilliant it can't be overlooked." No charges have been filed in Williams' death, which was ruled a homicide by Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove. A wrongful death lawsuit alleges Williams died at the hands of jailers in a beating while he was restrained on Feb. 4. |
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