For those who don't know much about North Carolina's racial history, the state had it's share of problems with whites learning to live with blacks as equals. Well, back in 1971, in the coastal city of Wilmington, integration was still being fought and there were riots and store-front arsons on the night of MLK Jr's assassination before that in 1968. After that, schools were integrated (from what I've heard) in the middle of a school year with no preparation and little warning. Neither race was happy, and the KKK started marching in the streets.
On February 6, 1971, a store was firebombed, and firefighters were allegedly shot at by snipers from Gregory Congregational Church. Now it just so happens that the church was being used to preach non-violent protest to the black high-schoolers who were just forcibly integrated into a white school. (They weren't allowed to try out for sports teams, were split from friends, etc.) The National Guard was brought in to bring out those in the church. It ended up being the reverend (who was 24 at the time), 8 black high schoolers, and a 35 year old white woman. They were convicted in a controversial trial with bogus witnesses and all sentenced anywhere between 15 (for the white woman) and 34 years (the reverend). The convictions were overturned a few years later, but the guilty verdicts remained.
Continue past the jump for the new development.
Well, many years too late, the Wilmington 10 have been pardoned. They will each get $50,000 for every year spent in prison (too little money in my opinion), and of course they are no longer considered guilty by the state of North Carolina.
It's only sad it took this long to get this done, and I'm very happy that Perdue decided to do this. Apparently she saw discovered notes from the prosecutor who chose the jury to get white KKK types or sympathizers or black "Uncle Toms". Also, most of the witnesses had recanted. Some were given gifts by prosecution.
We need to make these injustices be resolved faster. It scares me that we have people in prison for decades who have maintained their innocence, and judges refuse to hear appeals or look at new evidence like with the West Memphis 3 until recently. How do we change these things? Is it possible?