Honestly, as a white dude witnessing the pain and anger of so many in the aftermath of the George Floyd killing, I've been feeling very inadequate this week.
I decided last night to just read more about all of the racial injustice that has existed in this country. I got taken down the wikipedia hole and must have read 10 different stories on Emmett Till's murder.
About 1:30 in the morning, buried in one article on what the key figures in the Till case did during the rest of their lives, I saw something that nearly caused me to fall out of my chair. I saw a blurb that said that Bill Clinton pardoned the sister of one of Till's murders. I couldn't believe it.
One of Till's murderers, Roy Bryant, owned a grocery store and was twice convicted of food-stamp fraud. During the 2nd of his convictions, his sister also was charged. Way back in 1987, she pled guilty but didn't have to serve any jail time but for some reason 13+ years later, Bill Clinton pardoned her.
Why in the world would he do that?
The article mentions no reason. It just says, "Before leaving office in 2001, President Bill Clinton pardoned Campbell."
This morning, I tried to find more info. The only thing I could find stated, "As President Bill Clinton was leaving office in 2001, he pardoned 176 people, one of them Campbell — an act Clinton never explained."
I imagine if social media existed, there is no way he'd have gotten away with that today. But can someone tell me why he'd take interest in a random food-stamp case in Mississippi? I assume someone must have had his ear. But what would the motivation be to pardon her? She didn't even do jail time and it was nearly 15 years later. Who is benefitting from the pardon? Why would they even be asking for it?
Please keep all responses to this question. Any and all posts about things not related exactly to my question will be deleted. I do not want this turning into a politics discussion.
The references to the pardon came from the Clarion Ledger.
https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2016/05/09/son-emmett-till-killer-panama-papers/84142820/