At 11p.m on December 26, 2001 police in Prentiss, Mississippi
raided
the residence of Cory Maye, a 21-year-old father who was at home with
his 18-month-old daughter Ta'Corriana.
The cops were looking
for drugs and smashed through the back door. In the ensuing chaos, Maye
hunkered down with his daughter in a bedroom and when the police broke
down that door, he fired three bullets, one of which killed Officer Ron
Jones. ...
"Mississippi Drug War
Blues" is a story about the intersection of
race; the war on drugs; the
disturbing increase in the militarization of police tactics; and
systemic flaws in the criminal justice and expert-testimony systems.
It is a tragedy in which one
man is dead and another may spend his life in prison. It was the
subject of an
October 2006 story in
reason
by Senior Editor Radley Balko, whose coverage of the case led to Cory
Maye receiving new legal representation and his death sentence being
changed to life in prison. To read the original story,
please go
here. Produced by Drew Carey for
Reason.tv.
2008.
Run Time: 25 mins.
Refreshments served. General Meeting to Follow.
Agenda To Be Announced.