and a fool. on friday night, he couldn ' t do anything. he and carolyn were alone, and he had no car. saturday was collection day, their busy day in the store. about 10 : 30 saturday night, j. w. milam drove by. roy took him aside. " i want you to come over early in the morning, " he said. " i need a little transportation. " j. w. protested : " sunday ' s the only morning i can sleep. can ' t we make it around noon? " roy then told him. " i ' ll be there, " he said. " early. " j. w. drove to another brother ' s store at minter city, where he was working. he closed that store about 12 : 30 a. m., drove home to glendora. juanita was away, visiting her folks at greenville. j. w. had been thinking. he decided not to go to bed. he pumped the pickup - - a half - ton ' 55 chevrolet - - full of gas and headed for money. j. w. " big milam " is 36 ; six feet two, 235 pounds ; an extrovert. short boots accentuate his height ; khaki trousers ; red sports shirt ; sun helmet. dark - visaged ; his lower lip curls when he chuckles ; and though bald, his remaining hair is jet - black. he is slavery ' s plantation overseer. today, he rents negro - driven mechanical cotton pickers to plantation owners. those who know him say that he can handle negroes better than anybody in the country. big milam soldiered in the patton manner. with a ninth - grade education, he was commissioned in battle by the 75th division. he was an expert platoon leader, expert street fighter, expert in night patrol, expert with the " grease gun, " with every device for close - range killing. a german bullet tore clear through his chest ; his body bears " multiple shrapnel wounds. " of his medals, he cherishes one : combat infantryman ' s badge. big milam, like many soldiers, brought home his favorite gun : the. 45 colt automatic pistol. " best weapon the army ' s got, " he says. " either for shootin ' or sluggin '. " two hours after big milam got the word - - the instant minute he could close the store - - he was looking for the chicago negro. big milam reached money a few minutes


. " either for shootin ' or sluggin '. " two hours after big milam got the word - - the instant minute he could close the store - - he was looking for the chicago negro. big milam reached money a few minutes shy of 2 a. m., sunday, august 28. the bryants were asleep ; the store was dark but for the all - night light. he rapped at the back door, and when roy came, he said : " let ' s go. let ' s make that trip now. " roy dressed, brought a gun : this one was a. 45 colt. both men were - - and remained - - cold sober. big milam had drunk a beer at minter city around 9 ; roy had had nothing. there was no moon as they drove to preacher ' s house : 2. 8 miles east of money. preacher ' s house stands 50 feet right of the gravel road, with cedar and persimmon trees in the yard. big milam drove the pickup in under the trees. he was bareheaded, carrying a five - cell flashlight in his left hand, the. 45 in the right. roy bryant pounded on the door. preacher : " who ' s that? " bryant : " mr. bryant, from money, preacher. " preacher : " all right, sir. just a minute. " preacher came out of the screened - in porch. bryant : " preacher, you got a boy from chicago here? " bryant : " i want to talk to him. " preacher : " yessir. i ' ll get him. " preacher led them to a back bedroom where four youths were sleeping in two beds. in one was bobo till and simeon wright, preacher ' s youngest son. bryant had told preacher to turn on the lights ; preacher had said they were out of order. so only the flashlight was used. the visit was not a complete surprise. preacher testified that he had heard of the " trouble, " that he " sho ' had " talked to his nephew about it. bobo himself had been afraid ; he had wanted to go home the day after the incident. the negro girl in the party urged that he leave. " they ' ll kill him, " she had warned. but preacher ' s wife, elizabeth wright, had decided that the danger was being magnified ; she had urged bobo to " finish yo ' visit. " " i thought they might say something to him, but i didn ' t think they ' d kill a


' s wife, elizabeth wright, had decided that the danger was being magnified ; she had urged bobo to " finish yo ' visit. " " i thought they might say something to him, but i didn ' t think they ' d kill a boy, " preacher said. big milam shined the light in bobo ' s face, said : " you the nigger who did the talking? " " yeah, " bobo replied. milam : " don ' t say, ' yeah ' to me : i ' ll blow your head off. get your clothes on. " bobo had been sleeping in his shorts. he pulled on a shirt and trousers, then reached for his socks. " just the shoes, " milam hurried him " i don ' t wear shoes without socks, " bobo said ; and he kept the gun - bearers waiting while he put on his socks, then a pair of canvas shoes with thick crepe soles. preacher and his wife tried two arguments in the boy ' s behalf. " he ain ' t got good sense, " preacher begged. " he didn ' t know what he was doing. don ' t take him. " " i ' ll pay you gentlemen for the damages, " elizabeth wright said. " you niggers go back to sleep, " milam replied. they marched him into the yard, told him to get in the back of the pickup and lie down. he obeyed. they drove toward money. elizabeth wright rushed to the home of a white neighbor, who got up, looked around, but decided he could do nothing. then, she and preacher drove to the home of her brother, crosby smith, at sumner ; and crosby smith, on sunday morning, went to the sheriff ' s office at greenwood. the other young negroes stayed at preacher ' s house until daylight, when wheeler parker telephoned his mother in chicago, who in turn notified bobo ' s mother, mamie bradley, 33, 6427 s. st. lawrence. had there been any doubt as to the identity of the " chicago boy who done the talking, " milam and bryant would have stopped at the store for carolyn to identify him. but there had been no denial. so they didn ' t stop at the store. at money, they crossed the tallahatchie river and drove west. their intention was to " just whip him... and scare some sense into him. " and for this chore, big milam knew " the scariest place in the


money, they crossed the tallahatchie river and drove west. their intention was to " just whip him... and scare some sense into him. " and for this chore, big milam knew " the scariest place in the delta. " he had come upon it last year hunting wild geese. over close to rosedale, the big river bends around under a bluff. " brother, she ' s a 100 - foot sheer drop, and she ' s a 100 feet deep after you hit. " big milam ' s idea was to stand him up there on that bluff, " whip " him with the. 45, and then shine the light on down there toward that water and make him think you ' re gonna knock him in. " brother, if that won ' t scare the chicago - - - - - - -, hell won ' t. " searching for this bluff, they drove close to 75 miles. through shellmound, schlater, doddsville, ruleville, cleveland, to the intersection south of rosedale. there they turned south on mississippi no. 1, toward the entrance to beulah lake. they tried several dirt and gravel roads, drove along the levee. finally, they gave up : in the darkness, big milam couldn ' t find his bluff. they drove back to milam ' s house at glendora, and by now it was 5 a. m.. they had been driving nearly three hours, with milam and bryant in the cab and bobo lying in the back. at some point when the truck slowed down, why hadn ' t bobo jumped and run? he wasn ' t tied ; nobody was holding him. a partial answer is that those chevrolet pickups have a wraparound rear window the size of a windshield. bryant could watch him. but the real answer is the remarkable part of the story. bobo wasn ' t afraid of them! he was tough as they were. he didn ' t think they had the guts to kill him. milam : " we were never able to scare him. they had just filled him so full of that poison that he was hopeless. " back of milam ' s home is a tool house, with two rooms each about 12 feet square. they took him in there and began " whipping " him, first milam, then bryant smashing him across the head with those. 45 ' s. pistol - whipping : a court - martial offense in the army... but mp ' s have been known to


in there and began " whipping " him, first milam, then bryant smashing him across the head with those. 45 ' s. pistol - whipping : a court - martial offense in the army... but mp ' s have been known to do it.... and milam got information out of german prisoners this way. but under these blows bobo never hollered - - and he kept making the perfect speeches to insure martyrdom. bobo : " you bastards, i ' m not afraid of you. i ' m as good as you are. i ' ve ' had ' white women. my grandmother was a white woman. " milam : " well, what else could we do? he was hopeless. i ' m no bully ; i never hurt a nigger in my life. i like niggers - - in their place - - i know how to work ' em. but i just decided it was time a few people got put on notice. as long as i live and can do anything about it, niggers are gonna stay in their place. niggers ain ' t gonna vote where i live. if they did, they ' d control the government. they ain ' t gonna go to school with my kids. and when a nigger gets close to mentioning sex with a white woman, he ' s tired o ' livin '. i ' m likely to kill him. me and my folks fought for this country, and we ' ve got some rights. i stood there in that shed and listened to that nigger throw that poison at me, and i just made up my mind. ' chicago boy, ' i said, ' i ' m tired of ' em sending your kind down here to stir up trouble. goddam you, i ' m going to make an example of you - - just so everybody can know how me and my folks stand. ' " so big milam decided to act. he needed a weight. he tried to think of where he could get an anvil. then he remembered a gin which had installed new equipment. he had seen two men lifting a discarded fan, a metal fan three feet high and circular, used in ginning cotton. bobo wasn ' t bleeding much. pistol - whipping bruises more than it cuts. they ordered him back in the truck and headed west again. they passed through doddsville, went to the progressive ginning company. this gin is 3. 4 miles east of boyle : boyle is two miles south of cleveland. the


than it cuts. they ordered him back in the truck and headed west again. they passed through doddsville, went to the progressive ginning company. this gin is 3. 4 miles east of boyle : boyle is two miles south of cleveland. the road to this gin turns left off u. s. 61, after you cross the bayou bridge south of boyle. milam : " when we got to that gin, it was daylight, and i was worried for the first time. somebody might see us and accuse us of stealing the fan. " bryant and big milam stood aside while bobo loaded the fan. weight : 74 pounds. the youth still thought they were bluffing. they drove back to glendora, then north toward swan lake and crossed the " new bridge " over the tallahatchie. at the east end of this bridge, they turned right, along a dirt road which parallels the river. after about two miles, they crossed the property of l. w. boyce, passing near his house. about 1. 5 miles southeast of the boyce home is a lonely spot where big milam has hunted squirrels. the river bank is steep. the truck stopped 30 yards from the water. big milam ordered bobo to pick up the fan. he staggered under its weight... carried it to the river bank. they stood silently... just hating one another. milam : " take off your clothes. " slowly, bobo pulled off his shoes, his socks. he stood up, unbuttoned his shirt, dropped his pants, his shorts. he stood there naked. it was sunday morning, a little before 7. milam : " you still as good as i am? " milam : " you still ' had ' white women? " that big. 45 jumped in big milam ' s hand. the youth turned to catch that big, expanding bullet at his right ear. he dropped. they barb - wired the gin fan to his neck, rolled him into 20 feet of water. for three hours that morning, there was a fire in big milam ' s back yard : bobo ' s crepe - soled shoes were hard to burn. seventy - two hours later - - eight miles downstream - - boys were fishing. they saw feet sticking out of the water. bobo. the majority - - by no means all, but the majority - - of the white people in mississippi 1 ) either approve big milam ' s action or else 2 ) they don ' t di


they saw feet sticking out of the water. bobo. the majority - - by no means all, but the majority - - of the white people in mississippi 1 ) either approve big milam ' s action or else 2 ) they don ' t disapprove enough to risk giving their " enemies " the satisfaction of a conviction. emmett till murder defendant, j. w. milam, in court with his family. significant articles 2 shortly after the “ confession ” article by william bradford huie appeared in the 24 january 1956 edition of look magazine, a series of articles began to appear in the black newspaper, the california eagle. although this series claims to unfold the truth about the emmett till murder while differing drastically from huie, the articles received very little attention. scanning several of the newspapers that had prominently featured the till case and also commented on huie ’ s article, none mentioned the eagle articles. the california eagle installments were written by a journalist under the pseudonym amos dixon. an introductory note in the first installment claimed that dixon not only had covered the trial, but that he “ talked freely to those who knew what happened. ” unlike huie, who had milam and bryant as his sources, dixon maintained that there were accomplices to the murder and names them. his account matches more closely the testimonies of witnesses willie reed and mandy bradley, although at the same time, there are some obvious errors of fact. mississippi doctor and civil rights leader t. r. m. howard may have been behind the publication of these articles. historians david beito and linda royster beito, in their forthcoming biography of howard, provide evidence for this in that howard and eagle publisher loren miller had been friends for over two decades. according to the beitos, howard did aid the publishing of another investigative piece, time bomb ( also included on this website ) which reached similar conclusions to dixon, and which appeared around the same time the eagle articles were published. dixon maintains that others, including two other milam brothers and three other blacks were involved in the murder of emmett till. these names had already been familiar to howard and had surfaced in the investigative articles by black reporter james hicks ( see the link to hick ’ s investigations on this site also ). despite some obvious shortcomings, these articles have deserved greater attention and are an important source in maintaining early on the involvement of others in the murder of emmett till. interview with mamie till - mobley dec 3 1996 dsa : what kind of a boy was emmett till?


, these articles have deserved greater attention and are an important source in maintaining early on the involvement of others in the murder of emmett till. interview with mamie till - mobley dec 3 1996 dsa : what kind of a boy was emmett till? mtm : i would say that to me, emmett was very ordinary. but as i look at today ’ s youth, i realize that emmett was very extraordinary. i was a working mother, and at the time that emmett was killed, i was a single parent. his step - father and i had gone our separate ways, and it was just the two of us. i worked all kinds of hours. i worked for the united states air force, and i was a clerk in charge of secret and confidential files. i was the only one with the combination to the files outside of the officer in charge, which meant that i had to go to work – i didn ’ t fool around. and i would work sometimes six or seven days in a row. i would work from 8 to13 hours a day, and that meant that emmett had all the house responsibility. i mean everything was really on his shoulders, and emmett took it upon himself. he told me if i would work, and make the money, he would take care of everything else. he cleaned, and he cooked quite a bit. and he even took over the laundry – so much so that i ’ d been relieved of the laundry for so long, that when emmett was killed, and i went down for the first time to operate the washing machine, i called my mother crying, telling her that emmett had broken the machine and he hadn ’ t told me ( it wouldn ’ t ring for me – i had a ringer washer ). i was just so carried away in grief that i guess i was glad to even be able to call her and tell her something about emmett even if it was something that i thought was negative – breaking the ringer and not telling me. and my mother asked, “ did you engage the ringer? ” and i wanted to know, “ what do you mean? ” she said, “ honey, you have to tighten the ringer. ” i ran all the way from the second floor down to the basement. i had to go outside and down, tighten the ringer, ran back upstairs, and i really cried. i said, “ mama, it ’ s not broken, it ’ s ok. ” and i don ’ t know, it was just such an emotional moment with


and down, tighten the ringer, ran back upstairs, and i really cried. i said, “ mama, it ’ s not broken, it ’ s ok. ” and i don ’ t know, it was just such an emotional moment with me. dsa : was this right after his death, or before you had gone to mississippi? mtm : no, i had been to mississippi. it looks like to me it was summertime. i don ’ t know what in the world was going on, but i hadn ’ t washed in all this length of time, but it had to be summertime. you know, you kind of lose details, but it was after the house had quieted down, and the house didn ’ t quiet down until i think, about november. and so it could have been one of the indian summer days in november. but i know it was time that i had to go downstairs and wash. when i returned home, my mother came home with me, and i didn ’ t have to worry about any laundry until she returned to her home, and that was sometime about mid - november. so this could well have been november. dsa : now, being from chicago, did you have direct experience with southern racism yourself before emmett ’ s death? mtm : i had heard people talk about it, but no direct encounter. dsa : so when emmett went down to visit, did you have some concerns about the way life was down there? mtm : yes, i did, because i had been reading in jet magazine about all the killings that had been going on, and i was aware that tension was high. but in talking to my uncle, preacher mose wright, i was also assured by him that “ things were getting much better, and you are unduly concerned. ” dsa : how were you first informed that something had happened? mtm : mose wright ’ s oldest daughter called me that sunday morning about 9 : 30 to let me know that emmett had been taken from her dad ’ s house. dsa : at this point they hadn ’ t found him yet, right? mtm : oh, no, they didn ’ t find him until wednesday. dsa : now, the case received national attention. did this surprise you? mtm : it really did, because what happened to a black person in the united states of america was “ ho - hum. ” whole families disappeared and nobody raised an eyebrow. the black people were afraid to talk about it


did this surprise you? mtm : it really did, because what happened to a black person in the united states of america was “ ho - hum. ” whole families disappeared and nobody raised an eyebrow. the black people were afraid to talk about it because they knew that if they opened their big mouths, they would disappear as well. dsa : what was it like for you to go down there for the trial? what was the climate – the emotion in the air there? mtm : i could really describe my own feelings. i knew that for me to attend that trial did not mean that i was going to get back alive, and so i had to make a decision. was it more important for me to be alive, or was it more important for me to attend the trial? and i made the decision that i had business in mississippi, and my coming back dead or alive was of less importance than my being there on the scene alive as long as i could maintain life. and it was on that basis that i went. it left my mother devastated, but i was compelled to go. i had to go to mississippi. dsa : it must have been a brave thing for you, as well as mose wright, who pointed these men out in the courtroom. what a risk you took! mtm : yes, indeed. i never thought about it as being brave. it was just something i had to do, and if there was anything i could do to help the prosecuting attorney, then i had to do that. i just had to do it. dsa : one of the things you said in a segment shown on eyes on the prize was that the verdict was the one you had expected. with that in mind, how did you view the trial? it was obviously a farce from the beginning. mtm : definitely, and that was the way i described it. dsa : but was there a point where you had some hope that maybe justice would prevail? mtm : oh my goodness, as i listened to the testimonies that i was allowed to listen to, it was an open and shut case that the men would be convicted. but i guess what i really did, i was gauging the outcome by the actions of the outside crowd. and i knew when that jury retired, it was time for us to get out of the area. and i also noticed the black people who were attending the trial. they stayed until the jury retired. when the jury retired, they retired. and


. and i knew when that jury retired, it was time for us to get out of the area. and i also noticed the black people who were attending the trial. they stayed until the jury retired. when the jury retired, they retired. and i spoke to my party, and i told them, “ i would like for us to leave now. ” and congressman diggs said, “ what, and miss the verdict? ” i said, “ this is one you will want to miss. the verdict is ‘ not guilty. ’ “ and they looked at me like they thought i was nuts. but because of their concern for me, the two carloads of us started back to mt. bayou, mississippi. and about 45 minutes out of sumner, the verdict came : “ not guilty. ” and they were just stunned. i mean, nobody said a word. it was just as if someone had taken our voices. but you could hear the cheering and the uproar in the little town. and we knew that had we been there, we could have been lynched. dsa : what has been your feeling for the killers, milam and bryant, over the years? mtm : mercifully, the lord just erased them out of my mind, out of my sight, with no conscious feelings toward them. not hate, not love. i ’ ve occasionally wondered what their lot in life was like. but i have heard enough, that i know they suffered more than i ’ ve suffered. because they suffered not only from guilt, but to the people for whom they had been such heroes, they were now curses. and they became friendless, family - less, homeless, jobless. i mean, they lost it all. and at least i have gained a world of friends. i have a home, i had a job, i had something to look forward to because i work with children constantly. our lives just went in opposite directions. i became a benefactor to society, they became a scourge to society. dsa : so in a sense, they have been in a prison for the last forty years. mtm : oh yes. dsa : one of them has passed away i believe, right? mtm : both of them. dsa : oh, they both have now? dsa : oh, ok. mtm : i think one passed sometime in 1994. that was bryant. dsa : ok. i knew milam had died around 1981, and one of the books i had


oh, they both have now? dsa : oh, ok. mtm : i think one passed sometime in 1994. that was bryant. dsa : ok. i knew milam had died around 1981, and one of the books i had read was written a few years ago, so it must have been before bryant ’ s death. has anyone in their family, or any of their friends ever tried to contact you to apologize on their behalf or anything like that? mtm : no. no contact whatsoever. dsa : considering how much racism – including lynching – had been tolerated in the south, and then to have the killers ostracized for what they did, do you see that as the turning point then, as far as people saying, “ enough is enough! ”? mtm : well, i think the fact that i was able to get emmett ’ s body out of mississippi, and then to put that body on display for five days, and people could walk by and see what racism had really generated. i mean, to hear that they hung people on a tree, that they cut their fingers off and passed them out for souvenirs, to hear that, to read it, that is one thing. but to actually see it with your eyes, that is a different thing. and 600, 000 people, which is a conservative estimate, walked by and looked at emmett. people from all over the world came and attended the trail and they also passed by and looked at emmett. it was something that was unprecedented, and people really didn ’ t know that things this horrible could take place, and the fact that it happened to a child, that make all the difference in the world. dsa : was that hard for you to have him on display like that? mtm : it was very hard. dsa : were you thinking of the benefits to society, and what this would do for america? mtm : i didn ’ t even think of the benefits to society. the main thing i thought about was : “ let the world see what has happened, because there is no way i could describe this. ” and i needed somebody to help me tell what it was like. dsa : being 41 years since the murder, do you feel america still remembers this case? do you feel much more needs to be said about it? mtm : i certainly do. dsa : and what could someone like me, as an up - and - coming historian do to help remind people of it? mtm


this case? do you feel much more needs to be said about it? mtm : i certainly do. dsa : and what could someone like me, as an up - and - coming historian do to help remind people of it? mtm : well, what you are doing. you are writing, you are talking. i often ask people to send letters to the justice department, because justice has not been done. and i am yet trying to bring about justice in this case. not necessarily against the perpetrators, but the state, in the trial of these men. they made no effort whatsoever to see to it that justice was done. in fact, it was a conspiracy to make sure that justice was not done – even to the fact that they destroyed the case records – the transcripts of the trial. dsa : i didn ’ t know that. dsa : are you happy with the books that have been written – a death in the delta and emmett till : the sacrificial lamb of the civil rights movement? mtm : i am happier with clenora hudson weems, because i sat with her for – i don ’ t know – over a period of two years, telling her everything i knew, and helping her to find the material, and even then there are some things that are incorrect. a death in the delta, is less accurate, and the one thing that i did not like was that the author said that he had tried to contact me and i refused to answer. now, i don ’ t know where his letters went, but i ’ ve been here at 8434 since january 1961, and i didn ’ t receive any correspondence from him. i would have gladly cooperated, because it is an advantage to me to know that people are talking about and thinking about emmett till. stephen whitfield, i believe it was. dsa : yes. so, tell me a little bit about the “ emmett till players ” that you founded. mtm : these are boys and girls that i have taught. i began teaching them to do dr. king ’ s speeches. i started in 1973 quite by accident. i was a freed assistant at the carter elementary school. we were told to do a commemorative program honoring dr. king on his birthday. and, the time was passing, time was passing, and nothing was happening. i went to the principal and i asked him, “ what are we going to do? ” he said, “ mrs. mobley, i don ’ t know what you


, the time was passing, time was passing, and nothing was happening. i went to the principal and i asked him, “ what are we going to do? ” he said, “ mrs. mobley, i don ’ t know what you are going to do. ” and that ’ s when i found out it was up to me, and i had about three weeks. i had no children. i had no classroom. and i said, “ i don ’ t have any children. ” and he said, “ the teachers will give you children. ” so i went to the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade teachers and asked them for assistance. “ give me some of your children. ” but before that i went to the library, and i asked our librarian, “ what do you have? she said, “ i have three records. ” and i persuaded her to let me take those records out. i listened to those records. and i became so engrossed with what dr. king was saying, until when i went to school the next morning, i had not been to bed. i had put those records on cassette tapes, and then i transcribed them on the typewriter. i would be working with one ( i had more than one tape recorder – i ’ ve always had two and three of everything ) and while one was recording a record i would be transcribing record number one. i think i finished up about 5 : 30 that morning, and got myself ready to go to school. and i knew exactly what i was going to do. i was going to go through those speeches and select certain ones for the children to recite during an assembly program. i took all of that day and wrote out what i wanted them to do. then i went to my teachers and i asked them to send me some children. and they sent me the worst they had ; the non - learners, the ones with problems. but they performed and did it beautifully. my god, those kids worried about their ability to do it. but i did everything i could for them so that they could get up in front of that school. they worried that they would forget their speeches. i gave them multiple copies and had them place them on their mirrors, on the door to their bedroom, and on the refrigerator. they wouldn ’ t have a chance to forget those speeches because they would be everywhere they went. and when they delivered them, they did it like they had known those speeches all their lives. i was proud of them and


, and on the refrigerator. they wouldn ’ t have a chance to forget those speeches because they would be everywhere they went. and when they delivered them, they did it like they had known those speeches all their lives. i was proud of them and they were proud of themselves. when they were on that stage it was as though they suddenly became someone new. that was the beginning. they continued to perform at assemblies, and my church sponsored many events that allowed them to continue to perform. over the years there have been hundreds of these kids, the emmett till players. and so many have gone on to become such benefactors to society. i have some who are now preachers. i still hear from them and they thank me for the opportunity i gave them. dsa : that ’ s great. so, do you still have a lot of contact with them? mtm : yes. yes, i hear from just about every one of them. dsa : it sounds like you have made a difference in a lot of lives. mrs. mobley, i thank you so much for your time today, and for sharing your story with me. interview with hugh stephen whitaker ~ part 1 june 22 2005 hugh stephen whitaker was born in 1939 in charleston, ms ( near sumner, the site of the emmett till murder trial ). his stepfather, n. z. troutt, was chief of police in charleston in 1955, and he was appointed as deputy sheriff for the duration of the trial. for his master ’ s thesis, submitted to florida state university in 1963, he wrote “ a case study in southern justice : the emmett till case, ” the first book length study of the emmett till murder, and the only such source for another twenty - seven years. whitaker ’ s thesis is the only one to reference the original trial transcript, in addition to first - hand interviews with many of the trial participants ( the sheriff, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and all of the jurors ). two years after receiving his master ' s degree, he wrote his doctoral dissertation, “ a new day : the effects of negro enfranchisement in selected mississippi counties ” ( all of which were in the mississippi delta ), also submitted to florida state university. he taught at temple university, the university of southern california, and florida state university. currently, he is a researcher with the florida department of health. formerly married to aide steele of tutwiler, he has two daughters, linda and heather, and two grandchildren. he is engaged to be


southern california, and florida state university. currently, he is a researcher with the florida department of health. formerly married to aide steele of tutwiler, he has two daughters, linda and heather, and two grandchildren. he is engaged to be married to penny young in the fall of 2005. dsa : how old were you, and where were you living at the time of the emmett till murder case? hsw : i was fifteen years old. i was living in charleston, one of the two ( the larger ) county seats in tallahatchie county. maps in my thesis show it. my stepfather, n. z. troutt, was chief of police in charleston. he considered running for sheriff in 1955 and decided that he did not have the money necessary to run a campaign. he was deputized by strider to assist with the trial. a bomb was stuck under my bedroom window ( on the front porch ) about six feet from my head, during the trial. i jumped out of bed and the culprit removed the bomb and ran to a car and sped off. dsa : did you know any of the players in the trial? hsw : i knew everyone who was involved in the trial - - sheriff, prosecutor, judge, defense attorneys, and all the jurors, i believe, at least casually. most had children in school with me. i did not know the defendants except by reputation, or any of the african american people from money, mississippi. money was not really incorporated. most of the “ town, ” which was really small, was located on or near the west bank of the tallahatchie river ( again see the maps in the theses online ). the river, at that point, separates tallahatchie county from leflore county. the kidnapping occurred in leflore county, near the west bank of the river. the murder occurred near a bridge, but on the east bank of the river, making tallahatchie county the actual murder site. money would have been about 15 - 20 miles from charleston. again see the maps in the thesis. the prosecutors decided to select jurors primarily from the northeast section of the county - - the hill county, rather than the delta. the delta had very rich soil, was totally flat, and had large plantations or farms. sheriff strider lived on the west bank of the river, and had a farm of several thousand acres, planted almost totally in cotton, and employed hundreds of african american farm hands.


rich soil, was totally flat, and had large plantations or farms. sheriff strider lived on the west bank of the river, and had a farm of several thousand acres, planted almost totally in cotton, and employed hundreds of african american farm hands. he had a road from highway 32 to his home, and there were seven white concrete block, well manicured homes, occupied by seven african american families - - employees. on the top of each roof, facing west, was one ten - foot high word - - s - t - r - i - d - e - r ( a little aside ). the prosecutorial strategy was to get jurors from as far away from money as possible, thinking this was the best strategy. however, this led to the selection of mostly farmers who farmed mainly small farms with poor soil, in the hill area, and who viewed african americans as competitors - - much the same as many in the same situation today view hispanics. also, most of the people who knew j. w. milam, and to a lesser degree, his half brother roy bryant, disliked and / or feared them. so the jury selection strategy backfired and played into the defense ' s hands. clearly it would have been possible to find jurors who would have voted for conviction based on the evidence. in fact one of the jurors told his son, who was about my age, that the original vote was 9 - 3 for acquittal. unanimity came on the second ballot. in 1962 - 63, when i interviewed them, no one mentioned two ballots. dsa : how did you come to choose the emmett till murder as the topic of your master ’ s thesis? hsw : i mentioned to my advisor, dr. marion irish, who was a national vice president of the american political science association, and co - author of the best - selling text on american government - - that the till case happened in my home county, and that i knew most of those involved. one of my committee members was from memphis, tn, which is nearby. he also insisted that i choose this topic. then the whole committee insisted. they provided some small amount of travel funds to cover my research - - perhaps a couple of hundred dollars. dsa : you and other historians of the case have referred to the changing tide, or attitude, in mississippi in the days following the discovery of the body. mississippians, who at first were outraged over the murder, soon became defensive about attacks upon their state


: you and other historians of the case have referred to the changing tide, or attitude, in mississippi in the days following the discovery of the body. mississippians, who at first were outraged over the murder, soon became defensive about attacks upon their state by “ outside agitators. ” did you see this change at the time, or mainly later through your research in newspapers and other documents? hsw : i think i covered this in the thesis. there was an initial cry for justice and for the prosecution of the two half - brothers, by both the power structure and by the residents in general. for many residents, this attitude never changed. however, as the thesis says, the attitudes of many - - strider, the defense attorneys, who initially refused to represent milam and bryant, and many others, was turned around by the comments in the national press. the statement by till ' s mother " i want a special prosecutor appointed, and i want the state of mississippi to pay for it " was reported rather irresponsibly by the press as " the whole state of mississippi will have to pay for this. " " this " was interpreted as the murder, of course. within days, this became an " us " versus " them " conflict, and resistance to the prosecution began to develop. soon after the trial, bryant ' s store was boycotted by its almost 100 % african american clientele, and it rapidly bankrupted and closed. also, no one in the county would rent them land for farming, in 1956. this forced the brothers into bootlegging in this " dry " state. when milam drove a pickup pulling a flatbed trailer carrying a whisky still that he had stolen, through charleston, from the eastern border to the western one, down main street, highway 32, around the courthouse square, people were incensed. as many told me in 1962, " after all we did for those boys, for them to do that... ". milam and bryant were then essentially forced to move from the area to texas. this trial probably somewhat speeded voter registration of african americans in the area. none were registered to vote in 1955. currently, a majority of the elected officials in tallahatchie county are african americans. effective july 1, 2005 the main north - south highway ( us 49 ) through the delta and tallahatchie county was named the emmett till memorial highway by the mississippi legislature. this bill was proposed and endorsed by the county commissioners ( called in mississippi " the county board


2005 the main north - south highway ( us 49 ) through the delta and tallahatchie county was named the emmett till memorial highway by the mississippi legislature. this bill was proposed and endorsed by the county commissioners ( called in mississippi " the county board of supervisors " ) of both leflore and tallahatchie counties. dsa : did you attend the trial or spend time in sumner during the trial? if so, what do you recall about the experience? hsw : my stepfather was deputized and " put in charge " of the trial. i believe i attended one of the days of the trial, but did not get inside the courtroom, which was packed with press. perhaps i was there for only part of the day. no one was willing to discuss much with a fifteen - year - old kid. seeing the enormity of the press coverage in a town of 700 residents ( sumner, the other of the two county seats ), and especially meeting david halberstam, were the most memorable parts then. dsa : when you did your research and talked to the sheriff, attorneys, and jurors, did you sense that you were the first to talk to them since the case dropped out of the newspapers in early 1956, or had they been badgered for interviews in the intervening years? hsw : interest in the case died down quickly after 1955 in mississippi. the locals were not proud of what had occurred, and were angered by the brothers selling their story to huie and look magazine. the moonshine still incident further angered the locals. after the trial and immediate attention, no one seemed to have interviewed them. certainly no one who was perceived as seeking the truth, as opposed to someone with an agenda, talked with them. my research was perceived by most people as an academic exercise. most people did not think the research would see the light of day beyond the academic world. and the half - brothers had left the area for texas. and i was a " local boy ", so people were very honest and straightforward with me. dsa : did sheriff strider talk to you about his theory at the time of the trial that the body recovered from the tallahatchie river was not that of emmett till? especially in light of the confession article that was published in look magazine? hsw : sheriff strider talked with me quite freely on this. he gave me his ( i think ) entire collection of hate mail, as well as many from people who supported his actions. he and county attorney hamilton caldwell


published in look magazine? hsw : sheriff strider talked with me quite freely on this. he gave me his ( i think ) entire collection of hate mail, as well as many from people who supported his actions. he and county attorney hamilton caldwell both confirmed that neither of them, nor really anyone involved with the case, had any doubts that the body was that of emmett till. it was unclear whether strider or the defense attorneys came up with the idea to create a " smoke screen " which would give the jurors an " out ". both the sheriff and the lawyers implied to me that the “ smoke screen ” was their idea. the jurors selected were going to acquit. this " smoke screen " gave the jurors an " out ", and kept them from receiving as much scorn as everyone involved felt would be coming at them. not one juror stated to me that he had any doubt about the body ' s identity, or that the accused had actually murdered till. strider, the jurors, and everyone involved really resented the look article. it clearly made them all look like fools for having supported the brothers. i interviewed huie at his home in alabama for an entire day. huie gave me complete information on all that had transpired, and copies of all his books. huie also gave me many ideas about writing style, and about being courageous in seeking to be fair, accurate, and honest. he was very strong in his attitudes about civil rights, and was a great influence on my research and upon the rest of my life. it was not easy for him to be a white supporter of equality and justice in alabama in the early 1960 ' s. i should finally say that neither strider nor anyone involved with the case ever doubted the identity of the body or who the killers were. and no one expressed anything but extreme dislike and disapproval for milam and bryant. all hoped they would never return to mississippi, even for a visit. i should say that the defense attorneys confirmed the accuracy of the look article. they also confirmed that the brothers acted alone. my suspicions about this last theory are shown on page 150 of the thesis. it was unclear to me why sheriff strider had locked up two of the three african american men - - under false identities - - thought to be " involved " with the murder, before and for the duration of the trial, unless they were involved or had direct knowledge of the murder. huie never expressed to me any doubts that the two brothers acted


- under false identities - - thought to be " involved " with the murder, before and for the duration of the trial, unless they were involved or had direct knowledge of the murder. huie never expressed to me any doubts that the two brothers acted alone. he was pretty adamant about this. and i felt the brothers - - especially milam - - had such enormous egos that it would not have occurred to them that it was necessary to involve anyone else. dsa : moses wright said that there was a third person on the doorstep when milam and bryant came to his home. do you, or did huie consider the accuracy of this testimony, if the men did act alone? do you think the third man was simply there to show them the way to wright ’ s cabin and then had no further involvement? hsw : huie and his lawyers both believed milam and bryant when they said in the interview for look magazine that no one else was along. while it is possible someone showed them the house, i tend to doubt it. dsa : when you did your research, did you consider the conflicting conclusions between huie ’ s article and other investigative articles of the time, such as the booklet time bomb, and the articles by “ amos dixon ” in the black newspaper, the california eagle, that say there were accomplices? hsw : i used every press article and magazine article available to me at the time of the writing. i never saw either of those, that i can remember. huie was the only journalist to have access to the defendants. there was never any doubt as to guilt or who had killed till, in the area - - not among anyone connected to the case. i searched my old copy of the mississippi code, which was applicable then, and most crimes had a two - year statute of limitations, excluding murder. it seems that an article in the past month in mississippi newspapers seems to indicate that a truck the same color as milam ' s was at the drew location on the date it was seen. the occupants were said to be going fishing. this refers to the willie reed story, and the recent press reports seem to refute this. i did research on the 1955 press coverage at florida a & m university library, and also through interlibrary loan. hard as it is for today ’ s young people to believe, there was no internet then. i was the first white student allowed to use the library. i had to sneak in a back door and work in a carrel in


and i see the testimony of willie reed. first, the route of the truck that night, as showed to huie ( he actually drove the entire route of the supposed kidnapping ) did not pass near the spot identified. this is the story referred to above, concerning a pickup truck of similar color to the one owned by milam. as you can see from the thesis, i had doubts in 1962 about whether the brothers acted alone. i could never get any definitive statement from anyone, not even my stepfather, as to why, if the three persons i mentioned were not " involved " or witnesses, they were locked in jail under false identities before and during the trial, on sheriff strider ’ s orders. i assumed that one of them had washed the blood from the truck sunday morning, though milam had assured huie and the lawyers that he alone washed out the truck. milam was not one to do manual labor if he could pass the chore along, especially to african americans. dsa : do you recall hearing about any reaction of bryant and milam ' s family ( mother, siblings, others ) to the look article? do you believe they knew the men were guilty of the crime from the beginning? hsw : no, i didn ’ t hear of their reaction. i ' m sure they did know that they were guilty all along, or at least felt they were capable of it. that ' s why carolyn bryant and milam ' s wife, juanita, tried to keep the incident at the store from the brothers in the first place. whether the family felt killing an african american ( at that time ) was a crime is another question. i don ' t know. dsa : did you try to track down bryant and milam, to interview them for your thesis? yes, but they had moved to texas, living in relative anonymity. on a student budget of $ 133 a month, i hardly had the assets to look for them. [ i had to pay tuition out of that $ 133, too. ] dsa : there was an article in the chicago defender at the time of the murder, which attributes a quote to leflore county sheriff george smith, to alma spearman, emmett till ’ s grandmother, where he calls bryant “ a mean, cruel man, ” who was implicated in the beating death of a black man the previous year. later, till ’ s uncle, crosby smith, said in an interview that when he reported the kidnapping to sheriff smith the morning after, smith said that


, cruel man, ” who was implicated in the beating death of a black man the previous year. later, till ’ s uncle, crosby smith, said in an interview that when he reported the kidnapping to sheriff smith the morning after, smith said that bryant and milam had done something similar to that in glendora, mississippi. had you ever heard any stories about their involvement in other violence toward an african american prior to the till murder? hsw : i never heard of smith saying that. he never said it to me in my interviews with him. milam also denied any such thing about himself. i ' d be pretty sure bryant never killed anyone before this. he was pretty mild - mannered when by himself. this may have been a reference to the murder on december 3, 1955 of clinton melton at a service station in glendora, mississippi by elmer kimbell, who reportedly was driving j. w. milam ’ s pickup truck at the time of the murder. dsa : how long did it take for your thesis to be known and quoted? hsw : scribner ' s, random house and, i believe, columbia university press all expressed a lot of interest in publishing the thesis in the fall of 1963. then bear bryant, football coach at the university of alabama, successfully sued look magazine for libel for something like $ 5. 5 million, an enormous sum then. that caused the publishers to have reservations. also, i knew that if i published it, probably both my parents would be fired from their jobs, and perhaps worse. my stepfather worked for the state police - - the highway patrol - - as a special investigator. my mother was the head librarian for the tallahatchie county system. they would have suffered severe repercussions. as i said earlier, there had been a bomb placed under our window about four feet from my head as i slept, during the trial. after the initial requests ( at least three publishers read it and expressed interest ) i refused to let anyone publish it. probably that was a mistake, as i look back. dsa : did you receive immediate feedback and interest in it? hsw : i " printed " 25 copies on the department ’ s mimeograph machine, and bound them in paper covers. when i went to the justice department, i saw one of those copies on ramsey clark ' s desk. the library copies were checked out by nearly every author who wrote a book on it. the husband of the woman who typed part of it for me ( i


went to the justice department, i saw one of those copies on ramsey clark ' s desk. the library copies were checked out by nearly every author who wrote a book on it. the husband of the woman who typed part of it for me ( i gave her a copy ) sonny simpson, wrote a book on the case. he quoted me heavily. james baldwin was one of the first ten or so persons checking out the library ' s copy ( the library tracks the persons checking it out by interlibrary loan ). he used it, of course, in writing the play blues for mister charlie. dsa : there was not another book length study of emmett till until stephen whitfield ' s a death in the delta in 1988. it seems that interest in the case was renewed in the mid - 1980 ' s. are you able to gauge the accuracy of that perceived new interest by how many, or few people, sought you out to comment on the case, or quoted you, between 1963 and 1988? hsw : i once ran my name through amazon. com to see how many books still in print quoted me. it was a lot. many things - - from keith beauchamp ' s documentary to the fact that this is the 50th anniversary of the murder, to the reopening of the case, contributed to the renewed interest in the thesis. the internet, also, is a major cause. dsa : what was your stepfather ' s reaction to the acquittal? hsw : he was, like all the locals, glad to be out of the spotlight and see the press crush leave. you realize that about 2000 press descended on a town of 700. and the threats that came against him and our family lead to some apprehension. like the bomb on our front porch - - which i caught before it detonated. that said, after the immediacy of the trial, he knew an enormous injustice had been done. he once saved the life of an african american friend of mine who sheriff strider was going to shoot in the back, by slamming a car door on strider ' s arm. he also discovered several bodies of african american men who were lynched, in his capacity as special investigator with the state police. one was burned to death, chained to a tree. my stepfather was also at oxford, ms on the campus, at the lyceum building, defending james meredith, and was knocked out with a tear gas canister. he was there the entire week of the riots, as was my stepbrother


my stepfather was also at oxford, ms on the campus, at the lyceum building, defending james meredith, and was knocked out with a tear gas canister. he was there the entire week of the riots, as was my stepbrother nat troutt ( his son ), who commanded a national guard unit there. nat later became commanding general of the entire mississippi national guard, as well as a state senator and judge. my stepfather, n. z. troutt, also marched with james meredith as his protection on the march down u. s. highway 51. when meredith was shot, he stepped in front of meredith, and was struck by some of the birdshot. he chased the perpetrator through the woods, caught and arrested him. all of these incidents sharply influenced his attitudes. he was always considered " fair " by the african american population ; he would have been considered " progressive " by the standards of the time. mr. troutt never had anything but contempt for milam and bryant. both my parents knew a great injustice had been done. but during the immediate time between the murder and the trial, everyone ’ s concern in the county was for their safety. and he was charged with protecting everyone connected with the case. my mother went on to desegregate the county library system - - she was over all four or five branches. she hired an african american as assistant librarian when this was almost unheard of. the woman went on to become my mother ' s closest friend. to answer your question - - i guess that neither of them thought the trial was fair. they really disliked - - hated would not be an understatement - - the brothers - - much more so, j. w. milam. all the locals felt that milam was the person to blame ; bryant was really " dragged along " by his much older half - brother. the whiskey still incident described in the thesis only added to everyone ' s strong dislike for milam. my stepfather was the one who first told me about the two african american men who were locked in the jail under assumed names. he never told me if he knew about the fact before the trial. he certainly did after the conclusion of the trial. both he and i assumed that the men had knowledge of the murders, but did not participate in them, except for washing out the pickup the next day. though milam swore to huie that he alone had washed out the pickup, milam, as i said earlier, would never do manual labor if


the murders, but did not participate in them, except for washing out the pickup the next day. though milam swore to huie that he alone had washed out the pickup, milam, as i said earlier, would never do manual labor if he could pass the job along to one of his " hands. " dsa : what was your reaction to the acquittal? hsw : i was, of course, 15 at the time. i guess you could say that all of us, black and white, knew that the verdict would be " not guilty. " though it seemed incomprehensible to most of the kids my age that any juror could reach that decision. i don ' t think the kids our age who played football and baseball after school with kids of both races, could comprehend that racism could be that deep among our elders. in a town that small, one didn ' t divide people into groups - - rich ( there weren ' t any ) and poor, smart or less smart, better car or " rattletrap ", etc. everyone was your friend, because you needed them at some time in your life. the town had the " domino " theory. if you knocked down any one of them, everyone would suffer some consequences - - like dominos in a row falling down. so no one " told " on another. that said, this seemed to be an open and shut case, and no juror could reasonably acquit. there were, in reality, a good 50 % of the local white males who would have voted to convict on the evidence. the defense just did a good job of eliminating them from the jury, from helping to pick the jury list, to challenging the folks who would have been fair. if women had been able to serve on juries - - or african americans, this decision ( acquittal ) would not have been reached. some other researchers who talked at length with the jurors, years later, swear that there were three ballots ( that was told to me, too. ) i was told that all three ballots were unanimous, but in retrospect, if the ballots had been unanimous, there should not have been three votes. as i said earlier, i was told recently by one of the juror ' s sons, that three of the jurors voted " guilty ” on the first ballot. two quickly changed their votes, but one held out for a while, until the others wore him down. of course, this all took much less


trial. i tend to think that their involvement consisted of cleaning up the blood in milam ’ s pickup and perhaps burning till ' s clothes and shoes. their testimony would have made it very difficult for a juror to rationalize a “ not guilty ” verdict. dsa : if you were to rewrite your thesis, would you do anything differently now? hsw : if i could go back to 1962 - 63, i would probably try to interview milam and bryant and their families. i was really afraid of milam, though i could have had lots of " go - betweens " to vouch for me. i would also try to interview more of the african americans who were involved, though nearly all had left mississippi. i was constrained by time - - i was taking classes and i had very little in the way of resources. dsa : is there anything you wish you would have included that you did not? hsw : i had accumulated a number of pictures and photographs, including several of till before and after his death, all of which were censored out by my major professor. they would have added to the work. in retrospect, i would have probably given in and published the thesis as a book. i think it would have been good for whites to feel shame in the 1960 ' s, and for african americans of the day, especially youth, to see that some white southerners could be counted on to tell the truth. i remember, in the summer of 1964, twelve of us - - eight whites and four african americans - - were spending the summer in chapel hill, paid for by nelson rockefeller, studying and doing research on negro enfranchisement in the south. an african american kid, some two years younger than i, was passing through on his way to chicago, where he was to start graduate study at northwestern. he could not find any hotel in chapel hill which would let him have a room. i asked the alumni house, where we were staying, to put a rollaway bed in my room for him, and he stayed the night. he stayed up all night reading my thesis, and he kept saying, again and again, " ain ' t no way a white man could have written this. " i am not sure i would have included the fact, though it was fact and relevant to explaining the mind set of the jurors, that young till ' s father had been hanged by the army for raping three italian women, and murdering the last victim. he was being


have included the fact, though it was fact and relevant to explaining the mind set of the jurors, that young till ' s father had been hanged by the army for raping three italian women, and murdering the last victim. he was being extolled by some press as a war hero who died fighting for his country, when the true facts were as stated. it was inflammatory then, but really impacted the perceptions. dsa : people in this case often come out as one - dimensional characters. do you feel that the press characterized sheriff strider correctly? hsw : you can see some of the impacts of strider in my thesis, or in the reprint of it, in the upcoming issue of rhetoric and public policy. strider was complex. he gave me whatever i wanted - - all his mail during that period, which he had saved. his was probably the largest plantation in the county, some 6, 000 acres of very fertile delta land. " his " african american farm hands had electricity and running water, and new concrete block houses, when this was very rare in the delta. he was known for treating his employees better than most. read the stuff from the thesis about him. at the same time, he was at the time of the till murder, and in 1962, an ardent segregationist, determined to keep black people " in their place. " if he had to pay his hundreds of black employees a living wage, it would really have cut into his income. and the story above about trying to shoot an unarmed black man in the back ( his hands were raised in the " surrender " position ) tells it all. dsa : were there sides to him that you knew already, or discovered in your interviews with him that would paint a better or more accurate picture of him? hsw : the sheriff in mississippi at the time could not succeed himself. two families, the rices and the dogans, rotated the job since around 1900. one family would run, and the other would be his main deputy. four years later the positions would be reversed. the sheriff ’ s office was very lucrative, because of prohibition in the state. bootleggers could operate only if they paid off the sheriff weekly. they were open, even to the point of having liquor stores one block from the courthouse. strider had a line outside his office every monday morning. anyway, these two families – - the rices and the dogans - - were not farmers - - they were really " town " people. they were known by


block from the courthouse. strider had a line outside his office every monday morning. anyway, these two families – - the rices and the dogans - - were not farmers - - they were really " town " people. they were known by most black persons as reasonably fair. strider, however, was elected sheriff for one term. and he would enforce the " code ". black employees of a plantation would be offered free housing, and tendered credit at the plantation or " company ” store ( remember " sixteen tons? " ). the employee would be paid so poorly ( daily wages for a “ skilled ” tractor driver in those days was $ 3. 50 for a dawn - to - dark work - day ). cotton pickers were paid by the hundred pounds picked, usually a dollar. so they never " caught up " in their credit. so if an employee tried to leave for a better job or working conditions, strider would " go get them " and bring them forcibly back to the original farm, where they might be severely beaten for attempting to leave. while he was extremely polite and helpful to me in my research, neither my stepfather nor i had much respect for him. we disliked what he stood for. dsa : does anything stand out in the hate mail that strider gave you? hsw : i referred to the worst letters in the thesis. see them there. the letter to all the p. o. box holders in money may be the worst. the recurring theme was that they would threaten his life - - and usually with some explicit type of torture. then when ( see the thesis ) strider was shot at, and barely missed - - it hit the car on the post between the car windows as he sat in his car, he really was afraid. he did not run for sheriff again because of reaction to his role in the till case. however, a fairly large number of the letters strider received were admonishing him not to give in - - to try to save " our way of life. " dsa : did the majority of the letters come from illinois like he stated? hsw : a large number were from illinois. it was certainly not 50 % of the ones he saved. and i had nearly one thousand of them. some of the most threatening ones were from the chicago area. few friendly ones were from there. dsa : did any of the defense attorneys express any regret for having taken the case, or securing the acquittal? hsw : they did not say


of the most threatening ones were from the chicago area. few friendly ones were from there. dsa : did any of the defense attorneys express any regret for having taken the case, or securing the acquittal? hsw : they did not say so in 1962 - 63. but i am certain that whitten, at least, had some regrets later. they all stated that it brought them in a lot of business later. not because they defended " these peckerwoods, " as the attorneys said, but that they were seen as able lawyers during the trial. at least some of their clients told them so. they all recounted the whisky still story described above and in the thesis, as evidence of how disgusted everyone was with milam and bryant. the attorneys arranged the huie ( look ) interview, and drew up the releases and contract. the publication of the look article cast the attorneys in a bad light. the answer is no, they never expressed regret, in 1962 - 63. i am sure they did so later. but not to me. dsa : i have read where one of them later said that he was not proud of his involvement. hsw : this was whitten. none of them were proud of what they did. to a one, they said they never asked their clients, " did you do it? " at least not until the huie interviews, which came after the trial. emmett till foundation mamie till - mobley, founder and president ( 1973 - 2003 ) bertha thomas, executive director ( 2003 - present ) statement of mission and purpose the emmett till foundation is a chicago - based, nonprofit organization dedicated to the memory of emmett louis till, whose brutal murder on august 28, 1955, and the acquittal of his confessed kidnappers, became the impetus for the civil rights movement of the mid fifties. the emmett till foundation is committed to teaching boys and girls to become responsible american citizens and serious scholars as well as becoming well - versed in christian living through : * * memorizing and delivering excerpts from dr. martin luther king ’ s speeches and other multi - ethnic artists. * * sponsoring programs throughout the u. s. through which they can deliver these addresses, thereby increasing their interaction with multi - cultural groups in a variety of settings. * * building self - esteem through positive audience response. * * encouraging participation in all aspects of the educational process : academic, artistic, cultural, scientific, and sports. emphasis is upon selecting a field of specialization and moving toward that goal. *


. * * building self - esteem through positive audience response. * * encouraging participation in all aspects of the educational process : academic, artistic, cultural, scientific, and sports. emphasis is upon selecting a field of specialization and moving toward that goal. * * awarding college scholarships for scholastic excellence. these are awarded yearly on july 25, emmett ’ s birthday. * * training children in christian ethics, emphasizing family unity through problem discussions with peers and parents. membership and contribution form to become a member of the foundation or to make a contribution to assist in providing positive alternatives for these youths, you may print and use this form. all donations are tax deductible through the foundation ’ s 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) status. name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ date _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ street address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ state _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ zip code _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ membership cost will be posted soon make checks payable to : the emmett till foundation p. o. box 199265 chicago, il 60619 emmetttillmurder. com & footnot. com is not affiliated with the emmett till foundation but is happy to advertise for this worthy cause. all questions regarding the foundation should be made to the above address, and not to this website. tribute to mamie till - mobley my life changed forever after my first conversation with mamie till - mobley. at that moment i learned what real greatness was. losing a child is something i hope i never experience. however, the way she lost hers would be unbearable beyond words. she triumphed over that loss, although she made the realization of justice for his murder her life - long goal. she told me once : “ i cry everyday. but i cry as i move. ” from that first brave act of putting her son ’ s mutilated body on display to show the world the


justice for his murder her life - long goal. she told me once : “ i cry everyday. but i cry as i move. ” from that first brave act of putting her son ’ s mutilated body on display to show the world the ugliness of racism, until the day she took her last breath nearly 48 years later, she never stopped moving. the world is a better place because of that. she also told me once that her mother was a homebody, and that she ( mamie ) was headed in the same direction. she had preferred a quiet life for herself, and envisioned that as her future. emmett ’ s death changed all that. she became an advocate, something she never would have foreseen. she traveled and spoke, and kept her son ’ s case before the public as best she could. she became a teacher of children by profession, but was a teacher to everyone she spoke to. those of us who listened will never forget her. in 1973, she began teaching groups of children who would eventually become the emmett till players. these children – hundreds of them over the years – look to her with gratitude for what she did for them. she inspired them to become better. they learned from her as she instilled in them the message of dr. martin luther king ’ s speeches. that message took root and grew in their souls. many have gone on to great things and they credit her for that. she lost a child, but gained a world of children. emmett ’ s death and mamie ’ s life – together, what did each did for the cause of freedom can never be measured. i once asked mamie if she would like a chance to meet and sit down with carolyn bryant, the woman who emmett allegedly whistled at in money, mississippi in august 1955 — the event that led to his death. “ oh, that would be wonderful, ” she said. “ just to sit down as mother to mother. ” surely mamie would have had questions for carolyn. decades long questions. however, she had no bitterness in her heart as she fantasized what such a meeting would be like. she saw it more for carolyn ’ s benefit. surely any person with a conscience at all would want to seek forgiveness. if not for what she may have done to provoke emmett ’ s death, at least to apologize for her husband ’ s and brother - in - law ’ s actions. that moment would have benefited carolyn. she would have found in mamie a caring, loving person ready to


may have done to provoke emmett ’ s death, at least to apologize for her husband ’ s and brother - in - law ’ s actions. that moment would have benefited carolyn. she would have found in mamie a caring, loving person ready to forgive. that it never took place was certainly carolyn ’ s loss. i cherish my last conversation with mamie, held in december 2002 - - a month before her death. she was excited. she caught me up on all the news. a new documentary by stanley nelson, the murder of emmett till, was going to premier on pbs the following month. it was also going to play at the sundance film festival in park city, utah, close to my home. she also told me that there was a good chance that her son ’ s case would be reopened. i hadn ’ t talked to her for a few months, but i promised to call more often. she was happy to hear that, and gave me her dialysis schedule so that i would be sure to call when she was home. i regret that we did not talk again. i regret that i did not write down every word she said to me for the six years that i knew her. but i cherish the memories of a remarkable woman. my life is truly better because of her. i learned of mamie ’ s death during a happy moment. i had just purchased a new cell phone that day, and it had access to the internet. as i lie in bed, i was playing with the phone and all of its fancy features. i decided to log on to the day ’ s headlines. because each headline was too long to fit on the screen, it was necessary to click on the one i was interested in and let it scroll by in its entirety. i noticed one headline in particular, and all i could see before scrolling was “ emmett till ’ s … ” i feared what the rest of the headline would say, and it took me over ten minutes to get the nerve to click on it and read the rest. when i did, my greatest fear was realized : “ emmett till ’ s mother dies. ” i didn ’ t sleep that night. i got up the next morning, sad and depressed, still feeling tremendous loss. less than two weeks later i attended the sundance film festival, and the premier of stanley nelson ’ s documentary. it wasn ’ t quite the same. every time mamie and i got off the phone, she would say to me, “ god bless you. ” in knowing her,


the sundance film festival, and the premier of stanley nelson ’ s documentary. it wasn ’ t quite the same. every time mamie and i got off the phone, she would say to me, “ god bless you. ” in knowing her, i can honestly say, he certainly did. burr oak cemetery ~ mamie till - mobley " darling, you have not died in vain. your life has been sacrificed for something. " the most prominent location at burr oak, immediately inside the southeast entrance, is occupied by the crypt of mamie till - mobley ( 1921 - 2003 ), mother of emmt till gerald chatham and r. b. smith, iii prosecutors in the emmett till murder case. jim crow press at till trial eight men covering trial in mississippi for defender readers. jim crow press at till trial, frisk newsmenpicking of jury delays opening l. alex wilson / chicago defender 24sep1955 sumner, miss. — when court adjourned monday afternoon no jury had been selected to hear the case for and against two men charged with the kidnapping and murder of emmett till, 14 - year - old chicagoan. but a number of things, many of them precedent making and unusual, had occurred. difficulty in selection of the jury can be attributed to several factors : 1. — they had contributed to a defense fund for j. w. milam and roy bryant, half brothers charged with the crime. 2. — they were related to attorneys involved in the case or to the defendants. 3. — they had formed definite opinions about the case. 4. — they lived in the area where the crime was committed. the day opened hot and humid, the heat eventually climbing to an almost unbearable 95 degrees that drove every one including sheriff h z strider to abandon a white sports coat he was wearing when he briefed the press prior to opening of the court. this correspondent was the only negro reporter present when the briefing occurred. strider explained to the more than 100 newsmen present that he had provided seats for 22 white newsmen inside the rail where they could easily hear the proceedings. the negro press, he explained, was to be limited to four seats directly behind the rail where the public is seated. " we don ' t mix down here, " he explained. " and don ' t intend to start now. " strider was advised by this writer that the negro newsmen might not be able to hear proceedings well from their positions. he said " whenever you are unable to hear just let me know


explained. " and don ' t intend to start now. " strider was advised by this writer that the negro newsmen might not be able to hear proceedings well from their positions. he said " whenever you are unable to hear just let me know. well have order in this court. " sheriff strider then told the newsmen they would have to go back downstairs and come up the front and into. the courtroom and submit to search. the reporters were lightly frisk. ed and photographers had to allow deputies to rummage through their camera cases. " i have received over 150 threatening letters and i don ' t intend to be shot. if there is any shooting, we would rather he doing it. " here he made reference to himself and to his deputies. judge curtis swango welcomed the press to the court after calling for order and allowed time before opening for photographers to make pictures. here a precedent was established when a negro photographer, j. j. mason. representing defender publications, climbed on chairs like other lensmen to get his " shots. " then the judge laid down the rules for the press and others in the courtroom. no pictures were to be made during the transaction of the business of the court ; no sketches ; no recordings or broadcast. he stated that smoking would be allowed and suggested that the men take off their coats for comfort. negro spectators numbering approximately 40 were seated and stood in the left rear of the courtroom. outside of the court room in the corridor a crowd was jammed beneath the door. the alleged slayers of emmett l. till, j. w. milam and roy bryant, were brought into the court accompanied by their wives. the wives and children arrived at the sumner courthouse in a green 1955 chevrolet with a memphis - shelby county license no. 294 - 247. during the court session the children played about in the court room while both milam and bryant sat quietly and without handcuffs. both of the wives appeared to be slightly worried and not once during the session was a smile noted on either face. throughout the morning session both men maintained somber expressions. milam appeared to be nervous, smoking incessantly and shifting about restlessly in his seat. while almost the whole panel of 120 veniremen was being exhausted for one reason or another, six whites armed with shot guns were reportedly patrolling the area near money, miss., where the crime occurred. the purpose, it is believed, was to find out why so much negro traffic had been going through the area. prosecution attorneys, gerald chatham and roy smith


with shot guns were reportedly patrolling the area near money, miss., where the crime occurred. the purpose, it is believed, was to find out why so much negro traffic had been going through the area. prosecution attorneys, gerald chatham and roy smith iii, made clear in their challenges to members selected for trial jury that they would press for a fair and impartial trial. during the vigorous challenges three men were disqualified for contributing to a defense fund to aid the defendant ; six were tossed out for holding fixed opinions of the case and one was ordered to stand aside because he was the brother to one who had contributed to the defense fund. another was disqualified because he was a distant relative of the defense attorney. earlier, atty. chatham said in his talk to the prospective jurors, " the state of mississippi will take every step to see that an impartial and fair trial is held in this case. " when atty. smith took over the questioning he asked " would you be moved by any consideration, race or anything else in helping to see that a fair trial is held? " this line of questioning was responsible for eliminating most of the first panel selected for jury service. what appears to be a lead to a sensational development in the emmett l. till slaying is now, being investigated. this writer is unable to comment further at this time. among the members of the negro press present were : james hicks of the afro american newspaper and nnpa ; simeon booker, clotye murdock and david jackson of ebony ; mrs. nannie mitchell turner, publisher of the st. louis argus, steve duncan and william b. franklin of the st. louis argus ; l. alex wilson, ( defender publications ) and ernest withers of the same paper. among members of the white press present were clark porteus of memphis press - scimitar ; john popham of new york times ; jim kilgallen of ins ; paul burton, of ins ; murray kempton of new york post ; william desmond, new york daily news and john gunter of the memphis commercial appeal. definition of veniremen : people who are summoned to the courthouse so that they may be questioned and perhaps chosen as jurors in trials of civil or criminal cases. source : nolo here ' s cast for sumner, miss. trial : pen pictures of judge, attorneyschicago defender 24sep1955the judge clarksdale, miss — " judge curtis swango is one judge who runs his court. " that statement


food standards australia new zealand ’ s ( fsanz ) vision is to ensure a safe food supply that supports the health of people in australia and new zealand. to achieve this vision, fsanz develops effective, evidence based food standards in collaboration with australian and new zealand governments. in undertaking food regulatory science, fsanz ensures that food regulatory measures are based on the best available scientific evidence, using a risk analysis framework. the successful application of science is critical to the effectiveness and appropriateness of food regulatory measures, and underpins the risk management decision making process. read more about scientific issues facing fsanz in chief scientist, dr paul brent ' s series of articles - from the desk of the chief scientist. fsanz science strategy the scientific work of fsanz forms the basis of our ability to ensure food safety and protect the public health and safety of consumers. to ensure that fsanz is undertaking the highest quality science, fsanz implements a science strategy which outlines a strategic approach to ensuring our scientific capability. fsanz launched its first science strategy in 2006. the fsanz science strategy 2010 - 2015 builds on the original strategy and identifies new areas to enhance our science. the primary intention of the new science strategy is to position our food regulatory science to address current and emerging challenges through a focus on seven key strategic areas. underpinning the strategy will be yearly implementation plans which will identify specific objectives and deliverables fsanz will undertake to meet the aims identified. the fsanz science strategy implementation plan 2012 focuses on continuing to build our specialist scientific expertise, continuing to enhance the systematic collection, analysis and reporting of data relating to our food regulatory science, and increasing our capacity to predict, investigate and respond to emerging food safety issues. risk analysis framework maintaining the safety of food requires constant vigilance by government, industry and consumers as the food supply continues to change as a result of new technologies, expanding trade opportunities, ethnic diversity in the population and changing individual diets. the challenge for food regulators is to maintain a food regulatory system that delivers safe food for the population, enables consumers to make informed choices and maintains public confidence in the food supply chain. fsanz develops food standards, and joint codes of practice with industry, covering the composition and labelling of food sold in australia and new zealand and australia - only food standards addressing food safety issues and primary production and processing. in considering the risks associated with food, fsanz uses the widely accepted framework of risk analysis. risk analysis frameworks are a structured way of


what is plantar fasciitis? plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammation of the sheath ( the plantar fascia ) connecting the heel and the toes. excessive stretching of the plantar fascia creates pain and swelling, making walking and standing uncomfortable. this condition can even lead to the formation of calcium deposits on the heel bone, resulting in heel spurs. causes of plantar fasciitis this condition can be caused by a variety of issues, including : - inadequate arch support, or shoes with soles that are too thin to protect the foot - stress on the foot created by a lot of standing or walking - unusual physical activity - tight calf muscles - obesity, which also produces additional stress on the foot - excessive stretching of the plantar fascia due to exercise such as running or dancing plantar fasciitis symptoms heel pain is the most common symptom of plantar fasciitis. pain is typically worst in the morning when you first stand on your feet, although it can occur at any time of the day. you may also experience heel or arch pain if you have been walking or standing for long periods of time, or stretching your arch while walking up stairs. pain typically develops gradually, and may affect one or both feet. the pain often feels as if you are being stabbed in the heel. as the plantar fascia stretches over the course of the day, pain may subside. best insoles, sleep aids and shoes for plantar fasciitis products that can help alleviate symptoms of plantar fasciitis are typically those that help keep the plantar fascia stretched, and / or provide additional support to the arch. these products include : - shoes with deep heel cups and superior arch support, which in turn allows you to relieve stress on the bottom of the foot. - rocker - sole shoes, which can help stretch the plantar fascia. - orthotics and insoles to provide extra arch support. - heel cups or cushions, which provide extra cushioning and stability to the heel. - sleep aids that can keep your feet flexed. - plantar fasciitis sleeves, which apply compression to your arches. specific products that can be helpful to those with plantar fascia : - > rocker sole shoes such as : dansko clogs, alegria, finnamic by finn comfort, mbt, or sano by mephisto. - shoes with exceptional support like : orthaheel / dr. andrew weil,


michael kanellos, contributor i write about the intersection of science, business and ambition. the debate has raged for years in alternative transportation. electric vehicle ( ev ) advocates claim that the steady improvement in battery technology, the pervasiveness of the grid, and software and services to enable things like high - speed charging will make electrification of at least some portion of the transportation market inevitable. tesla motors ceo elon musk predicts that 13 percent or more of cars coming off production lines could be electric by 2020 while nissan ’ s carlos ghosn says 20 percent of its cars by 2020 will be electrics, and that doesn ’ t count standard hybrids, which are partly electric. electric will even play a role in public transportation, argues proterra, which has created an electric bus for municipal transportation and a complementary high - speed dc charger that can get its 68 - passenger behemoths back on the street in 20 minutes or less. cng advocates, however, claim they have a big advantage on their side : reality. cng cars already exist and natural gas, thanks to hydraulic fracturing, could remain relatively cheap for some time. who is right? to be honest, both. evs and cng vehicles will percolate into the market over the next ten years depending on the circumstances. here ’ s a general roundup of the pluses and minuses. 1. efficiency. evs tend to win hand down in this category, primarily because the large natural gas - burning turbines at power plants remain far more efficient than the small ones squeezed into cars. a 2010 report from mit states : while both evs ( electric vehicles ) and ngvs ( natural gas vehicles ) have significant infrastructure requirements, there are major differences in their relative efficiencies. an ngv does not have comparable efficiency gains relative to electrification via natural gas generation. in general, 1, 000 cubic feet ( cf ) of natural gas, converted to electricity, yields 457 miles in an ev. this same 1, 000 cf in an ngv would only have a range of around 224 miles. ( the quote comes from page 24 of the study. ) a 2006 paper by marc tarpenning and martin eberhard, the first two of the five people listed as founders at tesla motors, found natural gas vehicles less efficient than hydrogen, hybrids, gas, diesel and electrics. yes, tarpenning and eberhard are ev proponents, but the numbers work. proterra ’ s all - electric bus gets between 17


the 45 million year old beer pint glasses full of fossil fuels beer are raising eyebrows around northern california. this could be due to the fact that the unique ingredient for the line of fossil fuels beer is a yeast strain dating back to the eocene epoch, which is about 45 million years ago. a team of scientists, dr. raul cano ( cal poly, san luis obispo, ca ) and lewis " chip " lambert ( fremont, ca ), are partnering with brew masters to produce what is surely one of the most interesting and unique beers of this or any time. the history of the yeast literally dates back before the dawn of man, to a time when the earth was warm, tropical and teeming with life. modern mammals that we see today were beginning to appear in what is known as the eocene epoch ( from the greek word eos meaning “ dawn ” ). during this time, a snapshot of biological life was trapped by tropical tree sap. over the course of millions of years, the sap hardened into amber, which preserved and protected its contents. that is, until dr. cano, using amber obtained from locations around the world ( including burma, central and north america ), isolated and revived a bacterium, which had lain dormant in the gut of an encased bee for approximately 45 million years ( science 268, pp. 1060 - 1064, 1995 ). during his research, dr. cano, periodically working with mr. lambert, isolated a few yeast strains that resembled modern saccharomyces cerevisiae. in other words, they are similar to the yeast we use every day for brewing and baking, except the newly discovered yeasts were much further back in the evolutionary chain. essentially, dr. cano isolated the long lost ancestors of modern brewing yeast. through chance and circumstance, a small group of people teamed up to form fossil fuels brewing co., which is utilizing the unique yeast strains to brew exceptional beer. although not widely publicized, a select few northern californians had the opportunity to try some of the pilot brews and they raved about new ( old? ) pale ale. jay r. brooks, the tasting director of the exalted celebrator beer news magazine commented when comparing the fossil fuels brew to an identical pale ale differing only in the strain of yeast ( celebrator, october / november 2006, pp : 27 - 29 ) : " [ fossil fuels ] is smoother, with softer fruity flavor characteristics and just a touch of lemon


| updated : 4 / 11 / 2007 4 : 49 pm | | published : 4 / 11 / 2007 4 : 49 pm carpal tunnel syndrome, or cts ( c - t - s ), is a common problem that affects the hand and wrist, which may be linked to job tasks that require repetitive use of the hands, such as typing. however people can develop cts regardless of the type of work they do. conditions such as arthritis or a wrist fracture can cause cts, as well. cts results when the median nerve, which runs into the hand to supply sensation to your thumb, index finger, middle finger, and half of your ring finger, becomes irritated. usually, this occurs because there ' s too much pressure on the nerve as it runs into your wrist through an opening called the carpal tunnel. one of the first symptoms of cts is numbness along the median nerve, which is quickly followed by pain in the same area. the pain may radiate up your arm to your shoulder and sometimes your neck. if the condition is allowed to progress, weakness of your thumb muscles can occur, which results in an inability to bring your thumb into opposition with your other fingers and hinders your grasp. if you suffer from any of these symptoms, consult a physician.


frederick county bicycle registration citizens advisory committee community assistance patrol crime tips line household property list project life saver explorer post # 1218 legal & courts sheriff / adult detention it is important that as many individuals as possible understand what community policing is and how it can benefit the citizens of frederick county and the members of the frederick county sheriff ' s office. community policing requires a law enforcement agency - wide philosophical commitment to involve citizens as partners in the process of reducing and controlling the problems of crime and fear of crime, drugs and neighborhood decay. community policing, when properly implemented, results in the improvement of the overall quality of life in the community. what is community policing? community policing is a philosophy. it is a partnership between law enforcement and the community working together to identify crime related problems, determining their root causes and then applying solutions which will permanently reduce or eliminate these problems. when members of a community and law enforcement work together to improve the quality of life in that community, the benefits of community policing are realized. law enforcement benefits by ending a recurring problem. the citizens benefit from the improvement in their quality of life. those police officers and community members who participated in the solution receive the self - satisfaction which results from having addressed a problem and then arriving at a workable solution. 10 principles of community policing 1. community policing is a community - based philosophy. the direction for law enforcement efforts comes more from listening to the citizens of the community about what concerns them than from law enforcement assumptions about what the community wants. 2. community policing focuses on creative problem - solving. all persons involved are encouraged to look at the bigger picture to solve pattern or chronic problems. 3. community policing promotes the development of trust. it emphasizes a direct working relationship between citizens and the police to develop the ownership of problems. 4. community policing establishes a broader role for each law enforcement member. each member serves as a liaison with the community and assists its citizens in solving community problems. 5. community policing stresses community involvement and emphasizes citizen participation in the problem - solving process. this means that the community must accept its responsibility to actively participate in problem - solving. community policing acknowledges that the police cannot be successful without citizen assistance. 6. community policing is proactive, not reactive. community policing anticipates problems and prevents them from occurring or continuing. 7. community policing emphasizes providing help where it is needed most. community policing especially provides for closer contact with juveniles and the elderly as a means of better understanding their needs. 8. community policing enhances traditional policing through interaction with the community. law


. 7. community policing emphasizes providing help where it is needed most. community policing especially provides for closer contact with juveniles and the elderly as a means of better understanding their needs. 8. community policing enhances traditional policing through interaction with the community. law enforcement will continue to respond to emergencies and perform in traditional capacities. they will also explore a wide range of responses to community problems and ask for citizen assistance as part of the problem - solving process. 9. community policing involves everyone within a law enforcement agency. successful community policing is not limited to the patrol section ; it is a change in the policing philosophy of the entire agency. 10. community policing personalizes law enforcement service. law enforcement members work directly with the citizens they serve to identify and prioritize problems, and to devise and implement problem - solving strategies. what does community policing mean to me? since 1978, serious questions have been raised about whether conventional law enforcement strategies provide effective protection. traditionally, the assumption has been that criminal, as well as disorderly activity, would be deterred if law enforcement were visible presence on the streets and promptly arrested people who broke the law. community policing doesn ' t question the goal of policing - just the means. consider that the type of crime that terrifies americans most ( muggings, rape, robbery, burglary and homicide ) is rarely encountered by law enforcement on patrol. crimes are seldom solved through criminal investigations alone. crimes are usually solved because the perpetrator is immediately known or because a suspect is identified through information ( description, tag number, etc. ) provided by the citizens. how do i become involved? citizen involvement is a must if community policing is to be successful to become involved with improving the quality of life in your neighborhood, contact the frederick county sheriff ' s office or your local police. in an emergency, call 911 for law enforcement. to report suspicious activity in your community, or any other non - emergency situation, dial 694 - 2071. for more information about how community policing can make a difference in your community, call the frederick county sheriff ' s office at 694 - 1046 and ask to speak with the community policing supervisor. working together, we can and will improve the quality of life in frederick county. powered by civicplus 12 east church street frederick, md 21701