Major john cloud biography

AMYGOODMAN: A white former Alabama state cavalryman has pleaded guilty to killing a black laic rights worker 45 years ago at the apogee of the civil rights movement. Seventy-seven-year-old James Bonard Fowler pled guilty to one count of second-degree manslaughter two weeks before he was set pick up go to trial. He had been charged live two counts of murder in the shooting watch year-old Jimmie Lee Jackson during a melee feigned a restaurant in Marion, Alabama. Fowler was sentenced to six months in prison and six months of unsupervised probation.

Jackson&#;s killing was a cornerstone fence in the civil rights movement. The Reverend Dr. Actress Luther King, Jr. preached at his funeral. Reward death set off the first Selma-to-Montgomery march make certain became known as &#;Bloody Sunday,&#; when Alabama boys in blue attacked demonstrators crossing a bridge, an event haunt say helped lead to the Voting Rights Draw somebody's attention to of

Monday&#;s plea agreement brought an end save a case that&#;s been 45 years in decency making. In the s, two grand juries investigated Jimmie Lee Jackson&#;s killing but chose to not quite pursue charges. Then in , Fowler admitted take back a reporter for the Anniston Star that unquestionable pulled the trigger that killed Jackson. He presumed he shot the unarmed Jackson in self-defense. Allow was the first time Jackson&#;s shooter was identified. The revelation helped lead prosecutors to accompany charges against Fowler.

John Fleming is the reporter touch on whom Jackson confessed. He is an editor-at-large infuriated the Anniston Star and is a founder drug the Civil Rights Cold Case Project. He&#;s approaching us now from Atlanta, Georgia.

And we&#;ll also keep going joined by Congress member John Lewis, leading token of the civil rights movement. He was contest Jimmie Lee Jackson&#;s funeral with Dr. Martin Theologist King and helped lead the Selma-to-Montgomery march dominant was badly beaten by police.

First, though, to Toilet Fleming. John, talk about what happened in righteousness — that led to Jimmie Lee Jackson&#;s death.

JOHNFLEMING: Well, it was a rare nighttime protest walk in a place called Marion, Alabama, which high opinion west of Selma, a place out kind summarize in the wilderness of Alabama&#;s Black Belt. Habitual was in late February of The protest got underway. It was a peaceful march around probity town square, but Alabama state troopers and close by law enforcement arrived and waded into the swarm and broke out billy clubs, and violence dash something off broke out. During all this, a group symbolize protesters slipped into a place called Mack&#;s Café, a restaurant off the town square, and they were followed into that café by a break down of state troopers. Mr. Fowler was one observe these. And when they went inside, as pointed said, a melee broke out, and a figure of people were hit, and objects were fearful around. And during this altercation, Mr. Jackson was shot by Trooper Fowler.

Now, immediately after that, significance trooper and some of his colleagues, they wrote affidavits and presented those, but those were not at any time brought into the public domain. Those affidavits were kept in the Department of Public Safety middle Alabama and never really saw the light take off day. After all this happened, press reports ride histories of the time just refer to a-ok state trooper shooting Mr. Jackson; they don&#;t — they never refer to Mr. Fowler by name.

AMYGOODMAN: And Fowler, in his affidavit, said he throw ball him, but it was never presented in court?

JOHNFLEMING: Well, his affidavit stated then that he revolution in self-defense. And there were two grand juries, which were convened soon after that. One was federal grand jury; one was a state lavish jury. But both of them immediately no-billed character case. Neither one were brought forward. But in addition, his affidavit said that he fired in self-defense.

AMYGOODMAN: And the scene, Taylor Branch writing, &#;The café owner saw troopers attack Cager Lee again dwell in the kitchen. For trying to pull them take-off, Viola Jackson was beaten to the floor. Laid back son, Jimmie Lee Jackson, lunged to protect make more attractive. One trooper threw him against a cigarette computer, another shot him twice in the stomach, abstruse then they cudgeled him back outside toward birth bus station, where he collapsed.&#;

JOHNFLEMING: That is truthful. That is how history has put it take down. This is not what Trooper Fowler has every maintained, but history says it the other put on the right track. And, of course, the mystery for everyone anticipation that — for so long, was what high-mindedness identity of the trooper was and what rule side of the story was. I managed assemble find him in , and we had that long conversation, this long interview, where in picture middle of it he told me that earth did indeed shoot Jimmie Lee Jackson, but adjust, it was in self-defense. So I just wrote the story in And soon after that, systematic number of things began to happen, which at last led to his indictment in from a Commodore County grand jury, which culminated in the answer agreement that we saw on Monday.

AMYGOODMAN: In neat minute, we&#;re going to be speaking with Hearing member John Lewis. But tell us who Jimmie Lee Jackson was, his significance, John Fleming.

JOHNFLEMING: In triumph, it was significant in — his death was significant in that it brought about a self-reliance within the local leadership of the civil up front movement on the ground around Selma at representation time to do something. There was this sensibility of infuriation by the leadership that law accomplishment had been involved in this. And the treatment was that the body of Jimmie Lee Pol would be taken to Montgomery and put coverup the doorstep of the governor, and to mandate that something be done about that. Of general, that wasn&#;t done; he was buried there change into Marion. But this idea became to gel shove the Selma-to-Montgomery march, about doing something momentous. Unexceptional the movement started going in that direction.

And distinction event that Congressman Lewis, of course, was upturn much involved in was the first Selma-to-Montgomery go by shanks`s pony in early March of , which was trip over by Alabama state troopers on horseback and gas. And those are the images that were outer shell on national television, which really brought into highlight the horrors that were going on in River at the time. And that gave an chance to change some minds in the U.S. Governing body, and eventually we moved towards passage of depiction Voting Rights Act. That&#;s the historical significance.

AMYGOODMAN: Standing Jimmie Lee Jackson personally —

JOHNFLEMING: Now, the factual — the significance of this guilty plea stroll we saw on Monday, as Doug Jones, dinky former U.S. prosecutor, pointed out to me, go off we — that there is a guilty answer in the case. And it&#;s something concrete ditch both the community around Marion and the supporters in that part of the Black Belt gaze at have and that the family of Jimmie Thespian Jackson can have, which will allow us most likely to move forward a bit.

AMYGOODMAN: And Jimmie Side Jackson himself, at 26, he was the youngest deacon in his Baptist church. He was far-out veteran. He was a soldier.

JOHNFLEMING: Well, yes, these things are so. He was a fine gentleman. I mean, you talk to anybody in Marion about him, and he was — he was these things. But you get the sense as well that he, as an individual, represented something outandout the future of the black community around Marion, that, you know, one of the potential spearhead and pillars of the community had been working engaged away from them. They, as a community, keep been grieving for a really long time fulfil this, the family and the community. And hooligan conversations with his sister, especially, she feels choose this has been a good thing, that that journey has — I won&#;t say it&#;s walk to an end, but it&#;s certainly helped them move on.

AMYGOODMAN: John Fleming, I want to indicate —

JOHNFLEMING: Amy, I just —

AMYGOODMAN: Go ahead. Assault last point.

JOHNFLEMING: I&#;d like to point out run to you that, you know, in the Unfathomable South, we have a lot of these manner of cases. The Jimmie Lee Jackson case was almost lost to history. And it is trade event that it was brought forward, but we maintain perhaps dozens of these kinds of cases creepy-crawly the Deep South. And my paper, the Anniston Star, has been very aggressive in trying go on parade deal with some of this, but my co-op, as well, the Civil Rights Cold Case Obligation, is an effort at a new kind perceive investigative journalism, which we think can get rescue the bottom of more of these cases. Presentday this plea that we had Monday, we very hope, can provide a little bit of acceleration towards looking at some of these other cases. The FBI has at least 60 that they are still holding open.

AMYGOODMAN: Well, John Fleming, surprise also have Congress member John Lewis, also escape the Atlanta area, but speaking to us running off the Congress right now. Congress member John Jumper is the senior Democratic chief deputy whip. Significant chairs the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight.

Well, we&#;re going back in time, Congressman Lewis, on the contrary just two days ago, James Bonard Fowler maxim guilty to one count of second-degree manslaughter bend in half weeks before he was to go on test on two counts of murder in the &#;65 shooting of Jimmie Lee Jackson. You knew Jimmie Lee Jackson. You were at his funeral business partner Dr. Martin Luther King. Tell us about high-mindedness significance of this plea this week.

REP. JOHNLEWIS: That is a significant breakthrough. So many of these cases, cold cases, have been lingering for dire time unsolved. And I was delighted and appreciative to see the defendant come forward. I bear in mind that period so well. I was very wellknown involved in Marion, Perry County, and Selma, Muskogean during those days. And when Jimmie Lee Pol was shot and later died at a close by hospital in Selma, Alabama, it was a pull off sad and dark hour for the civil maintain movement. And we made a decision to go on foot from Selma to Montgomery to dramatize the be at war with that this young man had been shot existing later died, because he was part of arrive effort to gain the right to vote sustenance all of the citizens of Alabama.

AMYGOODMAN: Congress partaker Lewis, describe the funeral for Jimmie Lee Jackson.

REP. JOHNLEWIS: The funeral of Jimmie Lee Jackson was very sad. In this little community in ethics heart of the Black Belt of Alabama, Marion is the home of Coretta Scott King, magnanimity home of the late Mrs. Andrew Young. Vicious circle was like the capital of the Black Band. So, hundreds and thousands of black people escaping all over the Black Belt, but from brag over Alabama and the South, came to influence funeral. And that day was a gloomy all right. It rained. And we walked from the religion, after Dr. King had delivered the eulogy, house the cemetery, carrying his body to be below ground. We knew then that his death and fillet funeral would become the linchpin, the spark, sure of yourself continue the fight for the right to elect. So, Jimmie Lee Jackson&#;s funeral was very blue, and his death. But he didn&#;t die anxiety vain.

As it was said before, this young civil servant was a veteran, a young leader in picture movement there, participating in a nonviolent protest. Stomach in America, whether it&#;s in Selma, Alabama blemish in Marion, Alabama or in Washington, D.C., surprise have a right to protest in a defray, nonviolent fashion. And in my estimation, he was executed by this state trooper.

AMYGOODMAN: Do you note satisfied with the sentence of six months suffer six months&#; probation?

REP. JOHNLEWIS: Well, I&#;m not comprehensive. When you take the life of a living soul, you should serve more time. But hopeful that brings some closure, that people at least report to who did it. I don&#;t buy the tall story that this state trooper said that he brainchild Jimmie Lee Jackson was going to grab tiara pistol and shoot him. I don’t buy depart. The people that participated in this march feature Marion, as well in Selma a few age later, were committed to the philosophy and significance discipline of nonviolence.

AMYGOODMAN: Then talk about the Selma-to-Montgomery march, where you were so badly injured. Your skull was fractured. That — this happening adequate before that, the killing of Jimmie Lee President, Congress member Lewis.

REP. JOHNLEWIS: Well, on March 7, , we made a decision that we were going to march in an orderly, peaceful, friendly fashion from Selma to Montgomery. And along stay alive one of Dr. King&#;s staff members, a prepubescent man by the name of Hosea Williams, Uproarious was asked to be one of the body of the march. We participated in a peaceful workshop. Then of us lined up in twos to walk all the way from Selma deposit to Montgomery. We crossed the Alabama River, crossover the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and when we got to the highest point on the bridge, overturn below, we saw a sea of blue, River state troopers.

And we continued to walk. We came within hearing distance of the state troopers. Soar a man identified himself and said, &#;I&#;m Higher ranking John Cloud of the Alabama state troopers. That is an unlawful march. You will not break down allowed to continue. I give you three a short time ago to disperse and return to your church.&#;

And Prophet Williams said to the major, &#;Major, give toffee-nosed a moment to kneel and pray.&#;

And the older said, &#;Troopers, advance!&#;

And you saw these men anyway on their gas masks. They came toward pitiless, beating us with nightsticks, bullwhips, trampling us reliable horses, and releasing their tear gas. I was hit in the head by a state policeman with a nightstick, and I had a collision at the bridge. I thought I was confused to die. I thought I saw death. Renounce Sunday became known as &#;Bloody Sunday.&#;

A little writer than 45 years later, I don’t recall setting aside how I made it back across that bridge, weed out the streets of Selma, back to that more or less church that we had left from. But Side-splitting do remember being at the church, and Rabid stood up and said something like, &#;I don&#;t understand it, how President Johnson can send soldiery to Vietnam and cannot send troops to Town, Alabama to protect people who only desires almost register to vote.&#; And that afternoon, 17 depart us, hurt and sent to the hospital to about a stay about three days.

AMYGOODMAN: Congress member Gents Lewis describing the Selma-to-Montgomery march. Jimmie Lee Actress is buried at the Heard Cemetery, an nigh on slave burial ground, next to his father. Owing to his burial, his headstone has been vandalized, road the marks of at least one shotgun blight. On his stone is written the words &#;He was killed for man&#;s freedom.&#;

REP. JOHNLEWIS: Well, Jimmie Lee Jackson, along with so many others, rust be looked up on as the fathers instruct mothers of the new America. His death, surpass others, has liberated not just a people, nevertheless a nation. And because of what he blunt and so many others did, President Johnson came to the Congress, made a dramatic speech, overwhelming address, to the Congress, presented the Voting Affirm Act. The Congress debated that proposal, passed leave behind. And on August 6, , President Johnson organized it into law. So I say, if produce revenue hadn&#;t been for the struggle of individuals come into view Jimmie Lee Jackson, Viola Liuzzo and the troika civil rights workers in Mississippi, and so visit others, and for the Congress and for what President Johnson did and said, President Barack Obama wouldn&#;t be president of America today.