Why Doesn’t Mississippi D.A. Mark Duncan Want Assistance From The DOJ?

More from the Democracy Now! interview with Ben Chaney (and Carolyn Goodman, mother of Andrew, and Jerry Mitchell, reporter from the Clarion Ledger) by Amy Goodman.

AMY GOODMAN: . . . Ben, can you talk about your feelings, even if there is a conviction in this trial, what that means to you? And who you think is responsible?

BEN CHANEY: You know, I think a whole lot of people are responsible, and unfortunately the state has not, I don't believe, has made a sincere effort to bring these other individuals to justice. You know, I think this concept of having a coordinated effort to look at these cases is a great idea, but I'm looking at what happened in Birmingham and what's happened with the Emmett Till case. The local D.A. in northern Mississippi requested the assistance of the Justice Department. And they took the case on. And that's why the investigation is moving forward. The D.A. in Alabama -- in Birmingham, Alabama, requested the assistance of the Justice Department, and they took the case on. Unfortunately, the D.A. in Mississippi for some particular reason decided that they didn't need the real assistance of the Justice Department, as where a special prosecutor could be appointed. And that information that the Justice Department had could probably have been used, and even though we requested that he make that, that he follow that same procedure, and for that reason, I think that there is a need for some national coordinated effort to look at these cases and use that, and be able to have access to that information.

I think that, you know, I've always believed that if there was a jury, an impartial jury, impaneled anywhere in Mississippi to look at this case, they would convict. And I still believe that, and I think that if the District Attorney or the prosecutors here present the evidence they have aggressively and vigorously, I believe that the jury is going to convict. How do I feel about a conviction? I think that a conviction here is not the end, because there's still individuals in this community where I'm at now who were involved in this case, and they're walking around free and acting as if their lives are still intact, and nothing's happening. So until each individual who participated in this case, and perhaps whether or not there can be some type of investigation to determine the role the State of Mississippi played to prevent a prosecution in the 1960s, so that this would not happen in the future again, I think that -- you know, there's going to be some delight in knowing that one individual has been convicted, if he is. But there's not going to be no closure. You know, the case will still be open.

Could Mark Duncan be a little anxious to controll the flow of evidence lest it lead to more indictments after Killen? There is some back story that suggests this may well be the case.