Wednesday AM: Justice for Marco McMillian
Posted: May 15, 2013 Filed under: GLBT Rights, homophobia, Human Rights | Tags: justice, LGBT, Marco McMillian, Mississippi 31 Comments
Posted to Marco McMillian’s facebook page: “As we work for justice in the murder of Marco W McMillian we held a press conference in Clarksdale, MS on Thursday May 9, 2013. Please goggle Marco McMillian to get full details. Pictured from (L to R) Atty. Daryl Parks of Parks and Crump law firm, Marco’s mother, Patricia Unger and Sharon Hicks of the National Justice Collation”
Hey all, Mona here…I have missed you all dearly, my Sky Dancing newsjunkies! Had some life-things keeping me out of the regular loop. Funerals and graduations…endings and new beginnings. That kind of thing. And, lots and lots of soul-searching. But, I guess you could say I’m “back” now. For better or worse 😉 I’m going to just dive right in and get my feet wet in the blogging pond…I’ll be using the frontpage this morning to spotlight a topic I wish was getting more attention from the national media. Not to worry, though–JJ will have your Wednesday news round-up fix later in the day! So be sure to check back in for that.
So, how many of you have been following the Marco McMillian story? I know Bostonboomer had mentioned it before back when McMillian was discovered dead in February. Well, the family is now demanding answers. Via the NYT:
Mother’s Letter to Sheriff
Frustrated by the pace of the investigation into the death, Marco McMillian’s mother, Patricia Unger, wrote to investigators regarding unanswered questions in her son’s case.
Click over to see the PDF for yourself. Key excerpt:
It has been over two months since my son, Marco Watson McMillian, was found murdered on February 26, 2013. Within this time frame, my husband and I have only received two visits/correspondences from you. The visit took place on February 26, 2013. During this visit, you informed us that Marco’s SUV had been involved in an accident and that someone else was driving the SUV. You also stated that Marco was not in the vehicle and that you were trying to locate him. The second visit took place on February 27, 2013, during this visit you informed us that his body had been found.
Last month, my husband, Amos Unger, contacted you via phone inquiring about the investigation. You informed him that the investigation was still ongoing and that you could not release any information about the investigation because you were trying to conduct it in a professional manner. You stated that you did not want any leaks to take place due to the family making statements to the press/media. However, I do not feel like the investigation has been done with professionalism. Listed below are unanswered questions/reasons why I feel like this investigation has not been conducted in an ethical manner:
Patricia Unger goes on to list some pretty appalling ethical and professional breaches, such as:
- The only identification of the body sought by the police from the family was through a cell phone picture.
- The family has yet to be introduced to any actual FBI agents investigating the case.
The final point of concern she raises, in her own words:
It has been reported in the press/’ media that you have a suspect in custody, Lawrence Reed. It has also been reported that family members and/or friends have stated that Mr. Reed informed them that he killed Marco in a “gay rape panic”. in this case, suspect and motive have been determined, so why is there still an ongoing investigation? Have other facts/factors been discovered that warrant further investigation? Also, it has been reported that Mr. Reed confessed to killing Marco by strangling him with his wallet chain. in that case, strangulation was the cause of death, so why is it taking so long for me to receive the death certificate? 1 know that this is a matter for the State Medical Examiner, but i would like to know if another cause of death has been or is being taken into consideration.
Pardon my Fraaaaanch, but what the fraggle rock kind of investigation is this? If Patricia Unger’s charges are true , the investigation into her son’s murder makes Mark Fuhrman’s antics in the OJ case look like a paragon of ethics. (Ok, so I’m hyperbolizing, but you get the point.)
The family held a press conference last Thursday. The family’s lawyer, Attorney Daryl Parks, is from the firm that represented Trayvon Martin’s family.
The virtual silence in the national mediaseems deafening to me. Other than local news coverage, the link above from LGBTQNation website (of the standard press release type reporting from the AP), and the NYT link above to the actual letter by McMillian’s mother, I have seen scarce coverage of this story. I don’t have any cable or digital converter, thus I don’t have a constant 24/7 IV-drip of cable news…so maybe I’ve missed whatever blip about the family’s questions and press conference may have been buried on the network formerly known as CNN’s Headline News. Anecdotally, I asked my daily newspaper reading/cable newsjunkie mother if she had heard anything about it, and shockingly…though unsurprisingly…my bringing it up was the first she had heard of it.
I’ve had to go on McMillian’s FB pages (both as mayoral candidate and himself personally) looking for answers. As a case in point, I found the NYT link to his mother’s letter through his personal page.
Marco’s future in politics was bright. To the right you can see him with President Obama and Representative John Lewis, as well as with President Bill Clinton. That he was the first “viable” openly gay black candidate for political office in Mississippi is both incidental and monumental at the same time.
It makes me worry–however fear-driven that may be–for this guy I posted about ever so briefly on my baby blog, LetThemListen, last month:
Precisely, senator.
Alright, well I’ve said my piece. I’d love to hear your thoughts or anything else on your mind/reading list this morning. Take care and remember to stay tuned for JJ’s Wednesday Roundup later today.
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
mablue2
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Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Reblogged this on Let Them Listen.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/cannabis-linked-to-prevention-of-diabetes-8616314.html
Cannabis linked to diabetes prevention
Yay!! Mona!!!
Huh? In spite of the munchies?
The article’s conclusion is based on a retrospective survey. I suspect the use of cannabis is under-reported by many people, since there are still legality problems in many jurisdictions. I’d like to see specific numbers for the insulin resistance markers, so I’ll have to hunt down the original research publication. I’m skeptical about everything, on general principles. Though anything that can reduce risk of diabetes is good.
Yes, I can’t wait to go dig up the actual research literature myself. We should compare reading notes afterward 😉
Glad you are back Mona. How are the furbabies doing? Any new photos? Can’t get enough cat pix.
I wasn’t aware of this murder. I either missed or forgot an earlier mention on SD. This all sounds plain wrong. The fact that McMillian was a mayoral candidate alone should have made this an above the fold story, even with all of the other big news stories during the same time period. I thought the family always had to make a positive ID, in person, for all deaths, suspected homicide or not. Then not keeping the family in the loop & the only thing coming out appears to be defamatory makes the investigation even more suspicious. Is Reed a convenient scapegoat for some homphobic, racist, well-connected white folks? The way this has been handled by authorities seems to make this case ripe for speculation & conspiracy theories, at least to me. The outright insensitivity toward the family only multiplies the pain the family has to deal with. Sadly the value on one’s life decreases as the color of the skin darkens from white/white (the norm???).
Stay tuned for plenty of kitty photo bomb/open threads… 😀
Oh, good! And very nice to see/read you’re back!
Glad you are back too, ECW!
Ditto……….mend well.
I saw your name pop up last night, and here you are today! It’s really nice to hear from you again!
Thanks so much for this update on this horrible murder! I missed the recent NYT story, just read it. I can’t believe the treatment the family has gotten. The reports of third-degree burns make it sound like McMillan was tortured. I just tweeted this to my followers. This story much get more attention!
Great work, Mona! So glad to have you back.
Agreed, the kinds of injury noted in the reports, are reminiscent of something else. I’m wondering about Reed. All this time and what is his status?
Politico has declared war on President Obama.
And Pierce is guzzling anti-freeze again.
Darn & I thought the Republicans had declared War on Obama in 2008. If the last 5 years has been them playing nice imagine what the American people will look like when all of this is said & done. Why? Because the R’s have been screwing the American people during the 5 years they have been trying to lynch the prez. Can the American people fall any further off the radar? Guess those jobs the R’s were promising if elected in 2010 were for muckrakers, liars & scoundrels only, not for those Americans struggling to find a job, any job. Prepare for the next Holy War. We know the Right have their arsenals set up.
Compared to the treatment Bill Clinton got from mainstream Republicans from before he even formally decided to run for president.. I don’t think Obama’s first term treatment by the GOP was as bad. Obama mostly coddled the Republicans for every whiny objection they raised, rather than fighting them. The fringe lunatic of course and their truly vile and xenophobic birther nonsense was derangement of epic proportions but none of the mainstream news, not even Fox News Channel really, ever treated that story/Donald trump train wreck as anything other than frivolous reality show nonsense (rather than something requiring a Kenneth Starr etc to investigate.) This second term though….The Village has started to hold Obama to what Krugman has so aptly termed “the Clinton rules”…It’s turned into scandalpalooza…I can smell the kangaroo court nearby. A considerable portion of this “scrutiny” seems driven at Hillary’s/Clintons/Dems’ 2014/16 potential and tearing down the Democratic brand. Some of it though just seems to be pure Obama-directed derangement syndrome. And an obsession with Obama and Eric Holder. Seriously, W and Ashcroft/Gonzales—one a total joke and the other who should have been in jail but resigned sweeping the torture memos under the rug—were never held under such a microscope. It’s truly a distraction from real concerns/problems for which the Obama Admin needs to be held accountable.
Daily Mail says US diplomat arrest in Russia was linked to the Boston bombings. U.S diplomat was trying to recruit Dagestan expert who travelled to terrorist’s home town when he was arrested.
I still am having trouble buying this. The man, with those tools, looks like he was out searching for a hookup in a city he didn’t know. And, I don’t buy that the CIA would put anything in writing that wasn’t a public offer. What CIA agent, or diplomat for that matter, hasn’t figured out the city street system?
I don’t think anyone is buying it. I thought it was hilarious when I first heard about it, which is why I posted the weird photos. When I post something, it’s not an endorsement unless I specifically say so. I just like to follow news as it comes out.
McClatchy: Ambassador Stevens twice said no to military offers of more security, U.S. officials say
McClatchy reporters are still on the job of finding important issues, rather than talking points.
Agreed, I had heard about the refusal, but this article elucidates the complexity nicely.
Chances are the CIA had a lot to do with the refusals, but they’ll never admit it.
Good on McClatchy!
RawStory: New phone app allows users to boycott Koch Brothers and Monsanto products
Useful maybe?
Okay, finally a decent reason for me to finally breakdown & get a cell phone.
Lol, Ecat!! Another reason to get a cell phone is the Amber alerts 🙂
Homophobic Texas candidate calls reporter ‘c*nt, b*tch, coward’ in voicemail tirade
Someone should direct this guy to Westboro Baptist. He’s a natural fit.
Another troglodyte blowfish for the wackoboro tribe indeed… (With apologies to troglodyte blowfish. For whom this analogy is an insult… 😉
Geez, he could be a clone of a guy that shows up at a neighbor’s house and is just as belligerent. I think that one’s from OK, though.
There ought to be a another way to measure sexual orientation: gay to straight, and hate. I can’t imagine who is attracted to that face, or that sex with him could be anything other than abusive or assault and battery.
Wonderful to have you back again Mona!
“The family has yet to be introduced to any actual FBI agents investigating the case.”
That is unfreakingbelivable.
It’s really perplexing. I don’t understand why this story is basically flying under the radar.