In Memory: Gibbs, Green, Jackson State

Today is Monday, 14 May 2007.

On the evening of 14-15 May 1970, the peace of Mississippi and the United States was gravely imperiled by a gathering on the campus of Jackson State University of several hundred descendants of African-American slaves, who had the audacity to presume the First Amendment (“the right of the people peaceably to assemble to petition for the redress of grievances”) included Them under “people”.

Fortunately, some 75 white Jackson police and Mississippi [Storm] Highway Patrol troopers were there to save the day, without legal reason firing at least 460 rounds into the miscreants. (Hard to say the number for certain: before the officers allowed ambulances to remove the wounded, they collected the spent shell casings.)

Mayhap this delay is why two JSU students were assassinated: Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green.

Far less media and public attention was devoted to these murders, compared to the Kent State assassinations ten days before. Go figure.
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Also, on this date in 1928: Ernesto “Che” Guevara, “The Great Rebel”, was born.