Evidence of Racist Jury Profiling by Wilmington 10

UPDATED

ADDRESS CONFIRMED,

NC NAACP News Conference

Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at 10:00 AM 

State Capitol - Morgan Street Side

Raleigh, NC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

26 November 2012

For ore information:                Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President, 919-394-8137

                                                Mrs. Amina J. Turner, Executive Director, 919-682-4700

For media assistance               Rob Stephens, Field Secretary, 336-577-9335

Shocking New Evidence of Racist Jury Profiling by Wilmington 10 Prosecutor To Be Discussed as Governor Considers Pardoning the 10 Activists

RALEIGH - Newly discovered racist jury profiling by the Pender County Prosecutor Jay Stroud, shows shocking racial hostility toward prospective Black jurors. In his first effort to select a jury to convict ten young activists who had been charged with burning a Wilmington store, District Attorney Stroud ended up with ten Blacks and two Whites. Stroud felt "sick," and asked for a mistrial. The judge agreed, and the trial was rescheduled for Pender County. Stroud got a list of about 100 prospective jurors, and he wrote racial comments beside most of their names.

            "We rarely get such direct evidence of prosecutorial racism in jury selection," said Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, President of the North Carolina NAACP. "The prosecutor is ethically bound to put justice over winning. District Attorneys represent all the people in North Carolina, not just White people in North Carolina. We will analyze his thinking at our news conference tomorrow morning."

The North Carolina NAACP will renew its call for Governor Perdue to pardon the ten North Carolinians at a News Conference in Downtown Raleigh, NC on Tuesday, November 27, 2012 at 10:00 AM. Exact location to be announced. 

            Researchers discovered the hand-written notes made by Stroud, while he weighed the pros and cons of asking for a mistrial, after selecting his first jury. He decided to move for a mistrial on the grounds he was sick. He also decided to do better planning to select a jury more likely to convict. His profiling was based on one principle, according to his notes: Select a jury made up of "KKK" and "Uncle Tom" types.

            "If this direct evidence had been available for the Fourth Circuit," Rev. Barber commented, "I believe they would have recommended prosecuting the prosecutor."

"The new evidence is a nightmare," Rev. Barber continued. "It's a nightmare to see evidence of this District Attorney committing such egregious acts of hate on behalf of the citizens of North Carolina. The evidence clearly reveals the injustice that took place in the conviction of the Wilmington 10 and the entrenched racism that polluted the process. North Carolina needs to repent and cleanse itself of this tragic misuse of power in our judicial system."

            The North Carolina NAACP brought a resolution to the National NAACP Board of Directors in support of the Wilmington 10, which was passed unanimously. The North Carolina NAACP also initiated a national online petition with the National NAACP asking the Governor to pardon the Wilmington 10.

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Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.