Posted on 01/23/2005 12:12:12 PM PST by 4.1O dana super trac pak
Hallelujah! After 44 years one of America's most famous convicts, a black man named Wilbert Rideau convicted of murdering a white woman in Louisiana during the Jim Crow era, is free. Headlines worldwide proclaim justice has been done. But they couldn't be more wrong. Justice is weeping. For Rideau remains what he was when I knew him 17 years ago - a cold blooded murderer.
Three different juries convicted Rideau, now 62, of murder. But all were overturned on technicalities, providing Rideau an incredible fourth chance. This time he was convicted only of manslaughter, downgrading his sentence to a maximum of 21 years and thereby freeing him. But here are the uncontested facts of the case.
In 1961 Rideau robbed a St. Charles, Louisiana bank using a gun he'd purchased the day before along with a buck knife. He ordered three employees into his car and drove them to a bayou. There he emptied his gun into them a point blank range, hitting two in the neck and a third in the arm. One escaped into the water; one feigned death. The third, Julia Ferguson, made the mistake (according to others) of begging for her life. Rideau drew his knife and plunged it into her heart, killing her.
(Excerpt) Read more at modbee.com ...
Well hopefully things won't come to that. We're a ways off from Zimbabwe.
My father was the AFJROTC instructor at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans from '66 til '72. He was the first hired for the start of the Junior Air Force ROTC program in Louisiana.
Yes there were literacy tests, I took one in 1960 and it was very easy, you read like three word simple sentences and it took 1 minute to do. And blacks were voting, my precinct was overwhelmingly black.
A literacy test did not result in disenfranchisement of anyone but the totally illiterate. So blacks were a considerable part of the voting population. A handful were disenfranchised along with a handful of dumb whites. I don't think that is a bad thing myself.
I was in New Orleans in 1964 and do not remember that. My father was in St Tammany parish, a school principal in the thirties and lost his job because of huey long and after that teacher tenure was enacted sometime in the forties or fifties. No teacheer lost jobs for exercising free speech. But teachers didn't get quoted in the paper on these things, they were usually smart enough not to.
I think you are not telling the truth.
No he was not going to be let out, ever. He cold bloodedly murdered people. In Louisiana, you don't get out after that. And the man is not better now, just older.
He had intent, he confessed, he had time to think as he drove thhose people out. He killed someone begging for her life. That kind of killer would never have been released in Louisiaina. He had three convictions, three.
The whole system isn't wrong but we are taking issue with this jury and some people's sanctimonius positions here.
I've been reading this thread beginning
when Squantos pinged me, and the exchange
between you and trumandogz has grabbed my
attention.
Marking a place so I can easily check back! :)
Heh heh, flames are coming so you do need to get here.
I think truman is just being provocative and sanctimonius. And wrong.
This murderer was convicted enough for me. He confessed but never made an apology. He wasn't scapegoated for being black. And manslaughter, this wasn't.
Unfortunately this is not the first case like this here and won't be the last. But this will be my last post on this topic. Life is too short and what with murdering scum on the loose , it could get shorter. For any one of us. And that is why I have so little patience for people who want to take an exalted position on ancient times and pat themselves on the back for being so "enlightened". While the rest of us contend with what the courts are doing.
Well did he murder the woman?
I wish this guy was white so we can just toss him in a dark prison womewhere and no one would ever care.
I guess in 30 years we'll see people demand we release Derrick Todd Lee.
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