Protesters in downtown Jackson called for justice on Friday in the case of a Columbus black man killed by a white police officer in 2015, and condemned the attorney general's recent decision to drop the prosecution.
The protesters' slogan? "No free kill" — meaning no more black people should be killed by Mississippi police and escape consequences.
"I am not afraid. You want me to be afraid," said David Horton, 29, expressing his dissatisfaction about the dropped case to a crowd of about 75. "I'm here to declare to you right now, we will stand up, we will unite as a community."
AG drops case 'with prejudice'
The demonstrators gathered outside the Walter Sillers Building, where Attorney General Lynn Fitch's office is located. They hoped to send a clear message to the Republican attorney general over her recent decision to drop the prosecution of former police officer Canyon Boykin. Boykin faced charges in the shooting death of 26-year-old Ricky Ball during a Columbus traffic stop.
Boykin said Ball was a passenger and ran, and that he fired at Ball while chasing him because Ball appeared to point a gun at him.
Fitch on May 28 decided to drop the manslaughter charge "with prejudice," so it can't be revived.
Protesters attempt to deliver letter
On Friday, protest leaders tried to enter the building and deliver a letter to Fitch personally, but were turned away at the door by security, briefly prompting a tense standoff. The letter eventually made it inside.
Later, police also prevented protesters from entering the Capitol building, across the street. It has been closed to most visitors for weeks due to the coronavirus.
Scott Colom, district attorney for the Columbus area, attended Friday's protest. He told the crowd Fitch has pledged to show him the case file. Colom said when he gets it, he will publish it on his website, so people can decide whether "Ricky Ball was killed in cold blood, or if it was justified."
Colom wrote on Facebook earlier this week: "The only reason I could imagine to dismiss with prejudice is if the AG determined Boykin was in fact innocent, rather than a lack of evidence."
Protests reignite in the wake of demonstrations for George Floyd's death
Protests erupted in Columbus after the 2015 killing. Jim Hood, the former Democratic Attorney General, took over the case from the local district attorney, and a grand jury indicted Boykin in 2016. He pleaded not guilty. Fitch won Hood's seat last year after Hood unsuccessfully ran for governor.
The demonstrations over Ball's killing are back, after both Fitch's decision, and as people take to the streets around the country to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, who died after an officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.
Related: Mississippi AG to drop manslaughter charge against white ex-cop in black man's death
At least two protests took place in Columbus since Fitch announced her decision, according to The Dispatch newspaper. One earlier this week included about 150 demonstrators in front of the city's police headquarters.
The letter protesters delivered to Fitch's office asked her to be transparent and show why she made the decision. The letter was authored, and the protest organized, by a coalition of activists and organizations including the Mississippi Poor People's Campaign, the People's Advocacy Institution, Mississippi Rising Coalition and Black With No Chaser.
Related: Mississippi AG's decision to drop case of white ex-cop a 'knife' to trust, rep says
“We would like to see what evidence was presented that caused you to arrive at the conclusion that justice would be best served by dropping these charges," the letter said. "As you are aware, we live in a climate in this country where police are not held accountable for their actions against civilians, particularly black citizens. In order for decisions to be fair, they need to be transparent. This coalition would like to know if justice was served for Ricky Ball."
The letter added: "We believe that victims of police brutality deserve justice and those who are selected to protect and serve our communities be held to the same standards that we as a community are held to."
Protesters send message: 'Stop killing us'
Protesters held signs and chanted, sometimes focused on Ball, sometimes on police brutality against black people at large.
"Be brave MS, reopen the case," said one. "Fight poverty, not the poor," said another. A third simply said: "Stop killing us."
A series of speakers and other people who attended the protest called for justice for several African Americans shot and killed by police in Mississippi. Among the attendees was Catherine Davis, the mother of Marc Davis, who was killed by Petal police in 2017.
Davis, 34 and a father, was shot several times by an officer who had responded to a two-vehicle accident. The officer had said Davis provoked an altercation. He later died in the hospital. The officer remains employed at the department, according to a recent Mississippi Free Press story.
"It's like I have to humanize my child," Catherine Davis told the Clarion Ledger. "They treated him like an animal. That's a special feeling to have — that someone took his life, someone he was turning to for help, someone who swore to serve and protect, took his life. I have a very hard time with that."
Fitch's decision regarding Ball was painful to hear, she said. "It showed how (Fitch) felt about what's going on in America," said the mother, who had her own letter to give Fitch Friday. "When you make a decision like that, you show where you stand."
Fitch tells lawmaker of 'substantial and exculpatory evidence' for officer
Colom, the DA, wasn't the only public official concerned about Fitch dropping the prosecution. State Rep. Kabir Karriem attended Friday's protest and had exchanged letters a day earlier with Fitch. He was a member of the Columbus City Council at the time of the shooting, and expressed doubt there isn't sufficient evidence to pursue the prosecution against Boykin.
Karriem said body cameras should be used in every police force, and community review boards should be utilized in every city to oversee police conduct.
“Between Feb. 24 and March 20, 2020, a team of experienced criminal attorneys conducted a thorough and independent review of the over six boxes of evidence, including thousands of pages of documents, in this case,” Fitch wrote in a letter Thursday to Karriem, according to the Associated Press.
“They concluded that there is not evidence on which to prosecute the case against Officer Boykin,” Fitch said. “Amongst the substantial and exculpatory evidence of self-defense not presented to the grand jury were forensics reports as well as the reports and statements of four separate (Mississippi Bureau of Investigation) investigators who conducted extensive investigations of this incident, each concluding that it was necessary self-defense."
Horton, the 29-year-old from Columbus, told the crowd he remained deeply skeptical of Fitch's decision — and the timing, just as protests over George Floyd's death began to sweep the country.
"What kind of human being would look around, at a time like this, and make a decision like this, without being concerned about the temperature, the environment of your community?" he said. "What kind of public servant are you?"
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Contact Luke Ramseth at 601-961-7050 or lramseth@gannett.com. Follow @lramseth on Twitter.
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