- Mississippi Free Press

In-Depth

‘Model Inmate’: Father Finally Has Crack Sentence Reduced as U.S. Senate Shelves Reform Bill

Maurice Clifton, 57, spent over two decades incarcerated for aiding and abetting the sale of crack cocaine under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, which treats one gram of crack cocaine as 100 grams of powdered cocaine. After he left federal prison on Jan. 10, 2020, he now advocates for the passage of the EQUAL Act, a law that will treat the two substances equally and possibly free 7,000 people.

Kayode Crown July 22, 2022

In-Depth

Pastoral Scenes of a Gallant South: Lynching Victims Finally Memorialized in Oxford

Valerie Reaves, the Higginbottom family historian who lives in the Atlanta area, mourns not only the loss of Elwood, but an entire branch of her family, she said on April 2, 2022, in her speech at the dedication of a long-overdue lynching memorial in the county where at least seven documented lynchings occurred.

Grace Marion April 26, 2022

News

Quindaris Burress Charged With Murder at Age 13, But Still Awaits Trial in Tupelo Three Years Later

At age 13, Quindaris was charged as an adult in the October 2017 shooting death of 70-year-old Henry Adams, Jr. The Baldwyn businessman, who authorities said sold used vehicles out of his home and was known to have cash on hand, was found dead in his home from multiple gunshot wounds. Today, Quindaris Burress still awaits trial. At 16, he remains in the Lee County Adult Detention Center in Tupelo. His case renewed the debate over whether children should be charged as adults in capital murder cases.

Jimmie E. Gates February 8, 2021