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Dr. Boyce Watkins Hello to my friends,
I wanted to email you during my trip to Kennett, Missouri on behalf of Heath
er Eliis, the 24-year old college student now facing up to 15 years in prison for cutting in line at Walmart (for more information, please visit TheHeatherEllisCase.com). The rally occurred yesterday and thankfully, it was peaceful. I was concerned about going into this area, since there were quite a few white supremacists groups standing along the march route (they were holding up confederate flags and flags with swastikas on them). I respect their rights to freedom of speech, but my concern was that things might get out of control.
er Eliis, the 24-year old college student now facing up to 15 years in prison for cutting in line at Walmart (for more information, please visit TheHeatherEllisCase.com). The rally occurred yesterday and thankfully, it was peaceful. I was concerned about going into this area, since there were quite a few white supremacists groups standing along the march route (they were holding up confederate flags and flags with swastikas on them). I respect their rights to freedom of speech, but my concern was that things might get out of control. There were snipers on the rooftops and even the former prosecutor of Heather's case, Stephen Sokoloff, stood on the balcony of the courthouse and watched the speeches from above. I'd visited the Lorraine Hotel, where Dr. King was assassinated, just the day before, and that provided courage and inspiration as we marched forward.
There was a standoff with police and the city attorney's office over whether or not our permit was valid. This led to some yelling back and forth between Heather's father and the officers, but I simply sat quietly during the entire process, since we'd won the battle before it even began. After the yelling stopped, our outstanding legal team simply informed the officers that we had legal grounds to hold our march with the specified permit. The officers (joined by the city attorney) had a three minute meeting and then came back to inform us that we would be allowed to march as we'd specified. This is a reminder that education is one of the greatest weapons you can have when defending your civil rights - it is best to just walk softly and make sure you carry the bigger intellectual stick.
CNN, Michael Baisden, Rev. Al Sharpton and tons of others were calling in to get updates on the march, and I will have as much footage as possible posted on the website as soon as we can. However, the real battle begins on Wednesday, when Heather's trial starts - so this is just the beginning. Personally, I don't intend on seeing this young woman go to prison, and I ask all my friends to bring the fire of heaven and hell down on those who choose to destroy this young woman's life over a minor incident such as this. Please visit the website and get involved - you can send letters to Walmart or the Attorney General's Office or donate to the family's legal expenses (there are forms on the website and donation links on the side).
There will be pictures and video footage from the rally on the main website if you'd like to see it. Also, if you can please sign our petition for the Attorney General (on the right hand side of the website, near the top), we would be grateful. There are some at Syracuse University who don't want me to get involved in issues like this (you'd be amazed at what has happened behind the scenes), but the truth is that when it comes to fighting for my people, there is no room for negotiation.
God bless,
Dr Boyce
www.BoyceWatkins.com
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