SCOTUS Decision in the Curtis Flowers Case
June 25, 2019
Curtis Giovanni Flowers is an African-American man who has been tried six times in the state of Mississippi, for murder in the July 16, 1996, shooting deaths of four people inside Tardy Furniture store in downtown Winona.
Curtis Flowers has had 6 trails in the period of over 20 years. Flowers was convicted and sentenced to death in a sixth trial in 2010.
The United States Supreme Court’s 7-2 decision Friday says the removal of black prospective jurors violated the rights of inmate Curtis Flowers. On June 23, 2019, the Supreme Court overturned the case of Flowers v. Mississippi.
It is a possibility that Curtis Flowers could face a 7th trail.
One Voice is dedicated to the continuing efforts to end mass criminalization in Mississippi through state policy reform, municipal drug law, police accountability strategies, and progressive leadership development for DAs and law enforcement. The purpose of One Voice is to improve the quality of life for African Americans and other disenfranchised communities while building local and regional ability to sustain hard won battles. This is a vision that connects justice to political and economic opportunity.
Our work to build power within underserved communities is a tactic to address the ongoing systemic disparities that plague these communities.
For a very long time, we’ve connected the dots between racial profiling, mass incarceration, and the War on Drugs. This lead communities to seek our help in dealing with incidents of racial profiling, police brutality, and unfair sentencing practices.
One Voice is pleased that the state legislature continues to take steps to reform the criminal justice system, however, we have a long way to go. We remain committed to challenging this system through community trainings, leadership development and policy reform. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Curtis Flowers.