The application of Bible principles melted the animosity that exists between many from these two ethnic groups. "In the beginning, the clients would say, 'This is too much,' but over time, the ones I liked kept working with me," she said. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. (Deuteronomy 32:5) Sadly, no human agency or government, whatever its policy, has been able to legislate a change in mans heart on such matters. While he noted that he was "grateful" to live in the United States and to have the opportunity to share his religion with others, he explained that "the national anthem is a ritual. [63], Byrd's murder is the subject of Maryland poet laureate Lucille Clifton's piece "jasper texas 1998"[67] as well as Jeffrey Thomson's piece "Achilles in Jasper, Texas". "Today we witnessed the peaceful and dignified execution of John King for the savage, brutal and inhumane murder of James on June 7, 1998 -- really a modern-day lynching. [3] In 2001, Byrd's lynching-by-dragging led the state of Texas to pass a hate crimes law, which later led the Congress to pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. The singer and TV personality talks about being one of six children brought up by strict Jehovah's Witnesses steeped in Greek traditions, his brother's death, and his own role as a father. Byrd and his wife divorced in 1993, and he returned to Jasper in 1996 and set out to improve his life by entering Alcoholics Anonymous. [54], On October 7, 1998, an episode of Law & Order titled "DWB" (driving while black) referenced the murder within the plot. 10:43 EST 25 Apr 2019. She is also a Jehovah's Witness, a faith that . 'Do you and Ross really want to associate with an "unrepentant racist" like me?,' read the letter from King. However, he likely began practicing earlier than that. But it can be done. The most commonly known teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses is that of their membership drives, which is why many members go door to door in efforts to gain more converts and followers of the religion. [65] "Guitar Drag" by sound artist Christian Marclay is a video- and sound-installation about the murder of James Byrd (2000). 726 Followers. Jason made a documentary calledByrd: The Life And Tragic Death Of James Byrd Jr. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. There is the oppressors hate, and the victims hate. John William King, 44, closed his eyes to Byrd's sistersClara Taylor and Louvon Harris, and niece Tiffany Taylor, as they arrived to watch his lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas on Wednesday. God purposes that all vestiges of hatred will soon be removed from the earth. James Byrd Jr. was an African American man whose racially motivated murder in 1998 made national headlines and sparked legislative changes. [5][6][7][31], During the trial of Shawn Allen Berry (born February 12, 1975), the prosecution conceded that he was not a white supremacist, but they argued that he was just as responsible for Byrd's murder as the other men and suggested that he might have been a thrill killer. They took him to a remote, desolate area, beat him, and chained his legs together. His brother Keenan Ivory Wayans explained of their upbringing, "My dad was the Jehovah's Witness. I've got no dog in that race. We will celebrate the . Living tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams are proud and practicing Jehovah's Witnesses, though most people have either forgotten about or simply never realized that fact. The Byrd family also worked with Matthew Shepard's family to pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Where the blood trail ended they discovered items including Byrd's wallet, a Kiss CD, a broken beer bottle, a wrench with the word 'Berry' scrawled on it and a cigarette lighter etched with a triangular Ku Klux Klan symbol and the word 'Possum' King's prison nickname. Her brother James had been killed and decapitated. Fear of economic loss and fear that the standards of the community or of life-style will suffer are powerful factors inducing prejudice and hate. You Can Issue It, But Can You Take It When It Comes Back to You? Also, hate often exists where the standard of living of a section of the community is threatened by an influx of foreigners. A faithful Jehovah's Witness is forced to shun her own sister because of a religious transgression. One of them is a very calculated marketing mind. The documentary won over 100 film and educational awards and has been used in schools all over the world as a means to stop hate. Detroit Tigers fan favorites Chet Lemon and Lou Whitaker never stood for the national anthem at games in the 1980s because of their Jehovah's Witness beliefs. In stricter sects, Jehovah's Witnesses are discouraged from befriending anyone not in the religion. He retired from basketball in 1980 to spend more time with his family and practice his faith Kid Gaviln became a Jehovah's Witness in the late-1960s. King got angry that his friend would give a lift to an African-American. Apostasy: Directed by Daniel Kokotajlo. I just don't do it.". Brewer's punishment puts a spotlight back on Jasper. While for most of us our knowledge of Jehovah's Witnesses is their frequent door-knocking to try and convert you, a surprising number of celebs - including Serena's sister Venus and model Naomi . An online memorial service will be conducted for Bruce on Saturday, December 4, 2021, at 2:00 by the Biloxi Kingd King's execution was marked by a vigil in the James Byrd Jr. Memorial Park in Jasper. All rights reserved. Friends of King's were there to witness the execution. "The Reliable Source" Annie Groer, Ann Gerhart. [27] The special agent in charge of the FBI's Houston office said that they were assisting because of the case's "extreme circumstances". How does one respond to such a brutal act? We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right,contact us! His parents, Stella and James Byrd Sr., raised the family in an East Texas community called Jasper, and their lives revolved around church. [4] Brewer was executed by lethal injection for his part in the murder on September 21, 2011. Many others have fled - including one couple, Dmitrii and Nellia Antsybor, who flew to Mexico last year, walked across the U.S. border to seek asylum, and now hope to build a new . [5] King was executed by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, on April 24, 2019. So we have to look to God for the real solution to this global problem. The family forgave Mr. Byrd's three killers long ago and made peace with Jasper, the small East Texas town where they have lived for three generations. His friends and family described him as a friendly father and grandfather who was charismatic, musically talented and generally well liked. "Olympia doesn't celebrate birthdays," the sports startold press ahead of the U.S. Open. Refresh the page, check Medium 's site status, or find something interesting to read. (Galatians 3:28) People from all around the then known world became followers of Jesus Christ. [39] Brewer and King became friends in the Beto Unit prison. Over the past five years, hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses have been subjected to raids, arrests and prosecution in Russia. "Every time they hear his name, they will think about racism and how . The same year, a documentary titled Two Towns of Jasper, made by filmmakers Marco Williams and Whitney Dow, premiered on PBS's P.O.V. But King's life went the other way and he was in and out of prison for years. She was born Wednesday, April 2, 1947, in Madison County to William Harvey McCrary and Mary Louise Elmore McCrary. Mrs. McClanahan died on Sunday, February 19,2023 at her residence. Ivan, a Bulgarian, even assisted Loulis, the Albanian, to find accommodations next to Ivans house. Death before dishonor. [61], On the 2001 album Pieces of Me by singer-songwriter Lori McKenna, the song "Pink Sweater" is dedicated to Byrd;[62] it condemns his murderers and references their death-penalty convictions with the raucous refrain, "I'll be the one in the pink sweater, dancing around when you're gone." The tune, titled "Still Alive", is the fourth track on Mayfield's EP You're Not Home. Byrds headless torso was dumped off alongside a road in Jasper. . Birth date: May 2, 1949. Another of them is 'I'm gonna be the baddest musician there ever was. On May 11, 2001, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed the James Byrd Hate Crimes Act into law, "strengthening penalties for crimes motivated by a victim's race, religion, color, sex, disability, sexual preference, age or national origin" in the state of Texas. But then one day in 2019, she blurted it out over lunch with her sister, who by that time had left the Jehovah's Witnesses . They kept us close, and we had to be upstairs at 6 o'clock. Ross Ibbetson For Mailonline Byrd was born on May 2, 1949, in Beaumont, Texas, and raised in Jasper. "If I could say something to him, I would let him know that I forgive him and then if he still has no remorse, I just feel sorry for him," Boatner said. Martin Gould In Huntsville, Texas, For Dailymail.com "All he's going to do is go to sleep. [23] The police found 81 places that included portions of Byrd's remains. James attended the local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah Witnesses, where he developed a strong love for Jehovah and enjoyed learning Bible truths and spending time with his spiritual family, in worship. Instead of taking Byrd home, the three men took Byrd to a remote county road out of town, beat him severely, spray-painted his face,[19] urinated and defecated on him,[20] and chained him by his ankles to their pickup truck before dragging him for about three miles (five kilometers) on Huff Creek Road (County Road 278). There are also prohibitions on committing acts of patriotism (like reciting the Pledge of Allegiance), voting, and political campaigning, as those actions could be considered worship of a false idol. [7], On December 21, 2018, King's execution by lethal injection was scheduled for April 24, 2019. James Byrd Jr. The Jehovah's Witnesses church says its elders "endeavour to comply with secular laws about reporting allegations of abuse" - but survivors say that does not necessarily translate to helping the . Instead of driving Byrd home, the three men drove the 49-year-old to a deserted area and beat him. Jehovah's Witnesses don't outright ban going to university, but it's not recommended. [66] "I Heard 'Em Say" by Ryan Bingham is about Byrd's murder and the racially charged climate around Jasper following the crime (2012). The apostle Paul wrote: Return evil for evil to no one. There's a reason for that. [56], While employed as a radio DJ at station WARW in Washington, DC, Doug Tracht (also known as the "Greaseman") made a derogatory comment referring to James Byrd after playing Lauryn Hill's song "Doo Wop (That Thing)". [citation needed], Byrd's murder is depicted in Nia DaCosta's 2021 film Candyman, featuring him resurrected as one of the souls trapped in the Candyman "hive": in his Candyman form, with his skull exposed, Byrd uses the hook and cables involved in his murder to kill his murderers, ascending into legend. She was a member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. Damien Gayle and agency. On April 24, 2019, King was also executed by the State of Texas, leaving Berry, serving a life sentence and up for parole in 2038, as the lone surviving member of the murderous trio. Police followed a brown trail of dried blood from the cemetery to the woman's house and then up The Tram Road. Brewer's excessive order led the state to ban the practice of allowing condemned prisoners to choose their own final meal. But racial tension resurfaced after Jasper's first black police chief was fired in 2012, and two of the three black city council members who hired the chief were ousted in a recall election. [17][18], On June 7, 1998, Byrd, age 49, accepted a ride from Shawn Berry (age 23), Lawrence Brewer (age 31), and John King (age 23). They ended up in a prison boot camp together after being nabbed for a burglary. A young Byrd also contributed by singing and playing the piano. Basketball star Dennis Rodman paid their funeral expenses and gave Byrd's family $25,000. Instead, he married a few years out of high school and fathered three children: Renee, Ross and Jamie. The city also erected a park in his honor, the James Byrd Jr. Memorial Park. They pray at the dinner table, and we hear references to having "faith." 'If not, speak now, or forever bite your tongues. The real Williams sisters were raised to be Jehovah's Witnesses, and we hear one clear reference to that strain of faith when Richard mentions a "Kingdom Hall." Outside that sole mention, you might assume that the Williams family was simply Christian. How do they feel about the perpetrators of this horrible crime? On the day of his funeral, Byrds family church overflowed with over 200 mourners, including Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and NAACP President Kweisi Mfume, leaving 600 others to mourn outside. Byrd's grave in the Jasper City Cemetery has twice been vandalized and is now protected by a fence for protection. While in prison he married the mother of his child. Born August 2, 1942 she was the eldest child of the late Sylvester and Gladys Bivens. When Berry asked him what he was doing, King replied 'Fixing to scare the s**t out of this n****r.'. According to the Governing Body of the religious sect in Watchtower 2019 . And we've never voted. He wanted to make a name for himself and his organization by killing a black man. . Jesus Christ is his firstborn son, is inferior to God, and was created by God. Fight promoter Don King gave Byrd's children $100,000 to be put towards their educational expenses. Brewer was executed by the State of Texas on September 21, 2011, marking the very first time in Texas history that a white person received a death sentence for killing a Black person. Byrd was dragged to his death after being chained by the ankles to the back of a pickup truck by three white menJohn William King, Lawrence Russell Brewer, and Shawn Allen Berry. [6][7][8][9] Berry was sentenced to life imprisonment and will be eligible for parole in 2038. King's execution attracted only a handful of supporters on either side of the capital punishment debate A few outside the redbrick building asked why the ultimate penalty had taken so long. 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