Peaceful protestors hold signs at the Capitol. Photo by Nick Judin
Lea Campbell speaks at the “No Free Kill” protest. Photo by Nick Judin
Mississippi Free Press board member Maisie Brown speaks at the Capitol. Photo by Nick Judin
Davis Horton of Columbus, Miss., also speaks at the protest. Photo by Nick Judin
Protestors occupy the area outside the Walter Sillers Building. Photo by Nick Judin
Protestors move toward the state Capitol to deliver the letter originally intended for Lynn Fitch. Photo by Nick Judin
On the warm Friday afternoon, people of varying races unite in support of the protest. Photo by Nick Judin
A Capitol police officer blocks entrance to the Capitol rotunda, saying the building is closed due to COVID-19. Photo by Nick Judin
Representative Zakiya Summers meets with the protestors outside the Capitol. “This is your capitol. You have every right to be here,” she says. Photo by Nick Judin
Rep. Zakiya Summers addresses protestors at the door of the Capitol building, where Capitol police denied them entry. Photo by Nick Judin

The Mississippi Poor People’s Campaign led the ‘No Free Kill’ protest at the state Capitol on Friday, June 5, to demand the evidence that led to the dismissal of the charges against white former Columbus police officer Canyon Boykin for the 2015 shooting of Ricky Ball, a black man.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.