ROUND AND ROUND AND ROUND WE GO…WHERE DOES IT STOP?  NOBODY KNOWS 

    A “runaround” move by Ronnie Agnew, Editor of The (Jackson, MS) Clarion-Ledger

Lucinda Johnson, the executive assistant of Christ's Church In Action (CCIA), the church that is the victim of the hate crimes, has communicated over the last half a year or so with Ronnie Agnew, the Editor of the Jackson, Mississippi newspaper, The Clarion-Ledger.  She has conversed with him both in person and via email, has sent him extensive documentation regarding the hate crimes against her church, including the threats, the arson, the cover up, the assaults, etc., and has made him aware of this website. 

Included in her communications to him, of course, was the information about the MEDIA BLACKOUT IN MERIDIAN, MISSISSIPPI, which includes print media as well as television and radio.  The Meridian Star, and its publisher, Crystal Dupre, are prominent “players” in this media blackout, which includes Ms. Dupre’s statement: “You’ll NEVER get the truth out in MY newspaper; you’ll have to go somewhere else to get the truth out.” She made this statement on several separate occasions to several of the victims.  (See News "Regarding the Media Blackout")

Lately, Ms. Johnson had an occasion to talk to Cheryl Carr, the assistant to Mr. Len Whitaker, the publisher of The Clarion-Ledger.  Because Mr. Agnew’s promises to Ms. Johnson to take  a serious look into this were not true, and he has done absolutely nothing to aid in the situation of the Meridian, Mississippi media blackout of the hate crimes, arson, cover-up, and other serious crimes against Christ’s Church In Action (CCIA) of Meridian, Mississippi, Ms. Johnson thought that perhaps speaking to the publisher would help.

  (Jerry Mitchell, the “legendary” Clarion-Ledger reporter who has won awards for his investigative journalism, has also been stringing the victims along, for about two years now.  It’s easy to do investigative journalism on cold cases where the Klansmen who committed the crimes are in wheelchairs or “geezerville" who no longer pose any threat to your life or well-being if you do the story…it takes guts when you actually have something to lose, and the victims are actually still alive and maybe you could do something before they end up in an earthen dam.*)  

Ms. Carr actually said, after listening to Ms. Johnson and another one of the victims, that she would let the publisher know about the story.  She told Ms. Johnson a day or two later that she had sent a synopsis to the publisher and copied the editor, Mr. Agnew.  Ms. Johnson asked Ms. Carr to forward her a copy so that she could see exactly what information was transmitted to the publisher and the editor, and Ms. Carr said she would. 

Ms. Carr, however, did not forward that email to Ms. Johnson, but instead sent an email to Mr. Agnew, asking him to call Ms. Johnson. When Ms. Johnson asked Ms. Carr, in an email, why she never forwarded the email, Ms. Carr emailed back and said: 

 “Lucinda, after talking to you I decided it might not be the most ethical thing to do to send you an e-mail that was sent to my boss, even if I were the one it originated with.  Why don't we do this….you tell your story (maybe just a shortened version for now) and send it to publisher@clarionledger.com.  He likes bulleted points.  That way we will be sure you were not misquoted and then I will (and I promise) send it to the publisher and to the news room. 

Did Mr. Agnew call you?  

Thanks,

Cheryl Carr”

Ms. Johnson obliged and sent a synopsis with bulleted points, giving a brief overview including, but not limited to, the inveigling and undermining of the Demers children (children of Pastor and Mrs. Demers of CCIA), the arson, the lack of proper police investigation, the cover up by Mayor John Robert Smith, the harassment by the city against the church (CCIA), warning of death threat through the city councilman Jesse Palmer, attempt of murder set-up by another city councilman and others, etc., etc., and, of course, Crystal Dupre’s comment that the victims will never get the truth out in her (Dupre’s) newspaper.  (Ms. Johnson also told Ms. Carr that she thought it was sweet yet naïve of her to think that Mr. Agnew would call her.  Ms. Johnson, although she always holds out hope with each new person, was fairly certain that Mr. Agnew had no intention of covering this story and had been “stringing her along.”)

Also included was Crystal Dupre’s edict that no one from that church (CCIA) can even advertise in The Meridian Star, and to her reporters that they are not allowed to even talk to anyone from that church.  Further included was a bullet regarding Crystal Dupre’s barring 4 people from the church from going to a public event, and that she lied to the Meridian, Mississippi police to accomplish this.

After all of this, let’s take a look at Ronnie Agnew’s response email.  Please pay special attention to the sentence at the end which I have put in bold print.

MERIDIAN STORY 

Thursday, June 11, 2009 3:16 PM

From:

"Agnew, Ronnie" xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx

To:

"Lucinda Johnson”  xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxx

Cc:

"Carr, Cheryl" xxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxx

Ms. Johnson,

I have been totally upfront about why we have not chosen to pursue this story at this time. While I wish we could investigate all of the stories that come across my desk, we simply have to set priorities. As I've said previously, our primary coverage area is metro Jackson and the five counties that border the capital city. We receive countless requests from Mississippi cities 100 to 150 miles from our core coverage area and we rarely invest the time to investigate those claims. In many cases it would take months, which, at the current time, is more than we can spare. I respect your right to appeal to the publisher of the newspaper. But in doing so, the first thing he does in these instances is yield to my judgment. I have also spoken to Jerry Mitchell about your case. At this time, he is totally focused on several investigatory projects involving metro area governmental agencies. We are flattered that you have the confidence in us to pursue this case. But as I have said previously, I cannot make you any promises, as we have to stay true to our mission of serving readers in core coverage areas. I do plan to alert our friends at The Meridian Star, your hometown paper, about these serious allegations mentioned in your previous emails. I wish you well. Ronnie Agnew  

ROUND AND ROUND AND ROUND WE GO…  Is he kidding, or just plain stupid?  Or, does he think that the victims are stupid?  Or, did he simply not read anything that Ms. Johnson sent him, including her last email, which included information about Crystal Dupre, the publisher of the very newspaper he says he has contacted, who is largely responsible for the continuing media blackout of these crimes in Meridian, Mississippi?** No, the answer lies below. 

THESE COMMENTS MAY SOUND HARSH TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC...BUT WHAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC DOESN’T KNOW IS JUST HOW MUCH THE MEDIA IS CONTROLLED BY CORRUPTION.  THIS IS THE EXPLANATION FOR MR. AGNEW’S BIZARRE BEHAVIOR…OF COURSE THEY SHOULD COVER THIS STORY AND MAKE IT A PRIORITY—IT IS A HUGE STORY—HATE CRIMES BEING COVERED UP IN MISSISSIPPI!  BUT, THEY CAN’T, BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE THE JOURNALISTIC INTEGRITY OF OLD, TO TELL THE TRUTH, AT POSSIBLE RISK TO THEMSELVES. 

MR. AGNEW, HOW SOON WE FORGET WHAT RISKS OTHERS TOOK FOR OUR RIGHTS, AND WHEN WE GET WHAT WE WANT, WE FORGET AND SETTLE IN TO ENJOYING OUR SELFISH GAIN.  IF THE CIVIL RIGHTS WORKERS HAD ATTITUDES SUCH AS YOURS, YOUR MAMA WOULD STILL HAVE BEEN BREAKING HER BACK PICKING COTTON AND SUBJECT TO THE WHITE MAN’S WHIP.  HAVE WE ALL BECOME JUST ANOTHER KIND OF SLAVE? SLAVE TO OUR OWN SELFISHNESS? SLAVE TO THE MAN, WITH GOLDEN HANDCUFFS AS OUR SHACKLES?  SLAVES, NOT ABLE TO SPEAK THE TRUTH BECAUSE THEY WILL HURT US?  HAVE WE NO INTEGRITY?  HAVE WE NO COURAGE? 

THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO RISKED (AND GAVE) THEIR LIVES TO HELP AND SAVE THE JEWS, AS THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO RISKED (AND GAVE) THEIR LIVES TO HELP THE BLACK MAN.  I, AS A JEW, HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN, AND I AM TAKING  A STAND FOR THE TRUTH.  WHAT ABOUT YOU?  DO YOU REMEMBER THE COURAGEOUS JOURNALISTS WHO WROTE ABOUT THE INJUSTICES DONE TO THE BLACK MAN AND SUFFERED FOR IT?  YOU WERE ABLE TO GET WHERE YOU ARE TODAY BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE THEM.  YET YOU WON’T EVEN WRITE ONE ARTICLE FOR THE OPPRESSED IN THIS SITUATION.  YES, HOW SOON WE FORGET. 

_______________________

*For those of you who may not know, this is a reference to the three civil rights workers who were murdered in Neshoba County, Mississippi (one county over from Lauderdale County where their Meridian Headquarters was) in 1964 by a mob of Klansmen, many of whom were men from Meridian, Mississippi. (Interestingly as with the things we talk about on this website that are happening today in Meridian, Mississippi, this was done with the full cooperation of the local authorities who were either actively involved or passively looking the other way—all are just as guilty.) These three young men were buried in an earthen dam by Klansmen who had murdered them in cold blood.  The names of the three were Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, (two young white men from New York) and James Chaney (a young black man from Meridian, Mississippi, whose daughter, unborn at the time, has never known her father because of this). 

** (See 25 DISGUSTING TACTICS USED BY CORRUPT GOVERNMENT UNKNOWN TO THE AVERAGE CITIZEN—I think we need to add “Media” to the title, because the media uses the disgusting tactics, too...this is an example of Tactic #18-"passing the buck, or “the runaround," but they have "kicked it up a notch,” by re-routing the victims back to the very people who have acted horribly and corruptly in the first place.)  By the way, Ms. Johnson says that Mr. Agnew has been stringing her along, placating her and leading her to believe that they would do an article at some point, so his email is apparently, finally, showing that he never intended to do so…he just had to come up with a reason that sounds good, due to his discovery (to his chagrin, we're sure) that his publisher had been contacted.  This is our assessment of the situation.  We here at The Arm of Justice, and the victims in Mississippi, are aware of the tricks.