Thirty-four year-old Gayla Gavin of Raleigh couldn’t believe her eyes and ears Saturday when she saw a group of white supremacists gathered on the courthouse steps saying they were there to “get rid of the unwanted.”
“I thought we were past that,” said the black woman who has lived in Raleigh all her life. “I haven’t seen a Ku Klux Klan march since I was in high school.”
Gavin said she learned about the gathering Friday night from a woman living in Scott County. “It was amazing to me that people in Scott County, Simpson County and other parts of Smith County knew about this and those of us living in Raleigh knew nothing about it until the day it happened.”
When Gavin first heard about it, she said she was mad and really wanted to do something to stop it. However, Friday night was too late to block the gathering.
“I tried to get all the black people I knew together,” she said. “I figured they didn’t want us to know about it.”
Gavin and other blacks gathered at the courthouse, too. They listened and Gavin video taped the whole incident and sent a copy to the local television station for all to see.
“I just wanted people to know what was going on in Raleigh, Miss.,” she said.
Officer Matthew Tullos of the Raleigh Police Department acknowledged that the city had “a little gathering at the courthouse.
“It was not a march, but people who had gathered on the steps to give a speech,” he said. “Someone told the sheriff (Charlie Crumpton) that they were from Petal.
“None of them were from here. A lot of them were from out-of-state.”
Gavin said Tullos is wrong. She estimated the group to be about 100 people. She also said that many of them were Smith County residents.
“Half of the people in that group were our people,” said Gavin. “They were people from Smith County.
“Sure there were some from Alabama and places like Copiah County, but Smith County residents participated, too. Those from other places took their masks off, but those from Smith County kept theirs on.”
Tullos said the gathering and speech ended after about an hour. But Gavin noted that it ended after a fight broke out between the group and those who opposed the message they were delivering.
“It was just pathetic,” said Gavin. “Things are still going on in town.
“It’s really hurting our children. The adults can deal with it, but not the children.
“My children are the only black children that ride the bus in our neighborhood,” she said. “One little boy told them that they were going to burn a cross in our yard. We live in a white community and people still don’t want us here.”
Attempts to reach Raleigh Mayor Bobby Dale Maddox for comment were unsuccessful Tuesday.
Local News
Ku Klux Klan rallies in Raleigh
Opposition also gathered last Saturday in protest
- Local News
-
-
Get ready for control burns in the area
Area motorists and residents may notice a lot of smoke coming from some of the county’s heavily wooded areas in the coming weeks.
-
Officials pleased with Chancellor’s appointment
At 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Lance Chancellor became the new executive director of the Jones County Emergency Management Agency.
-
Heidelberg has a new police chief
A longtime Jasper Countian has been named the head law enforcement official in this Jasper County town.
Huey Powe is now the Police Chief for the Town of Heidelberg. -
Annual Rotary Club Spaghetti dinner Saturday
The Laurel Rotary Club will conduct its annual Spaghetti dinner this weekend at the YWCO.
-
American Red Cross looking for local volunteers
The East Central Mississippi Chapter of the American Red Cross is looking for a few good men, women, boys and girls to join its team of disaster volunteers.
-
Officials put a name with scammer
Jones County officials have now released the name of a man they are seeking in connection with a recent fire scam in the area.
-
Family barely escapes mobile home fire
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, a family of five was awaken by the smell of smoke quickly filling their 28 x 70 doublewide mobile home located at 39 Ellisville Junction Road in Jones County.
-
Farewell and Hello
Well-wishers from near and far gathered in Laurel to say farewell to longtime Jones County Emergency Management Executive Director Don McKinnon, while his replacement — a familiar face among emergency officials — was welcomed earlier in the day Tuesday.
-
Cobb’s bond set at $250K
A $250,000 cash bond has been set for a 19-year-old Jones County man jailed at the Jones County Adult Detention Center in connection with a vicious attack on a woman in the Sharon Community.
-
Laurel man has given over 33 gallons of blood
Local residents gave blood Tuesday at Laurel City Hall as a part of the City of Laurel’s blood drive.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Killer of Fla. Girl Found in Landfill Gets Life
Army Orders Bradley Manning Court-martial
Cancer Charity Revives Breast-screening Grants
Heavy Snowstorm Hits Colorado On Its Way East
2nd Teacher From LA School Arrested on Sex Claim
Prosecutors Close Armstrong Inquiry, No Charges
Sights and Sounds: Football Fans Pour Into Indy
Unemployment Rate Down to 8.3%
Obama: Still Far Too Many Americans Need Jobs
GOP: Jobs Numbers Welcome, Can Do Better
Fla. Man Adopts Girlfriend in Legal Battle
More Deaths As Egypt Clashes Continue
Raw Video: Prince William in Falklands
Egpyt Protesters Blame Police for Soccer Deaths
'Lucky' 9-Year-Old Receives 6-Organ Transplant
Raw Video: Michelle Vs. Ellen in Pushup Contest
First Person: Will Peyton Manning Stay in Indy?
Egypt Shaken After Deadly Soccer Riot
New Suits, New Starts for New York's Unemployed
Hall of Famer Dorsett Speaks Out on NFL Injuries
