BLOOMFIELD, Mo. – Walking hand in hand with her mother, Hester, 24-year old Heather Renae Ellis, trudged grim-faced into the Stoddard County Missouri Justice Center for a pre-trial hearing Wednesday afternoon. The former pre-med student faces four felony counts and possibly fifteen years in prison that stem from a January 2007 arrest after allegedly “cutting in line” at a Kennett, Missouri Wal-mart.
Pastor Nathan Ellis says of his daughter, “She’s fighting for her life. this has been an outright attempt to destroy her future and assassinate her destiny and I’m proud of her for the fact that she’s standing on truth.”
But, confronted with a change of venue in the nearly three year old case, Ellis and her family did not have to come alone to the small ultra-conservative Southeast Missouri community of Bloomfield…where her trial is scheduled for November 18th.
Members of local civil rights groups from neighboring Sikeston and Cape Girardeau joined forces with a representative from the St. Louis ACLU and the Memphis chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in quietly demonstrating their support for Ellis.
Harry Howard, of Sikeston opined, “We’re just wondering how we can get more support. Not only the area, but state-wide and nationally to get more sounding board for people who don’t have a voice. There’s so many cases.”
Reverend Mongtomery asserted, “This is without question an injustice. We see that and our concern beyond that is the Klu Klux Klan is trying to intimidate the family. But, we’re gonna stand with them as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and try to get as much support as we can.”
The change in venue could prove to be one of the toughest any African-American defendant could ever face. Located fifty miles north of Kennett, Bloomfield’s black population measures less than one percent of it’s two-thousand residents. Statistics from the Missouri Department of Justice indicate the county’s judicial system is considered one of the strictest in the state in terms of convictions and sentencing. A reputation those in the area, both black and white, openly fear.
Deborah Young, President of the Cape’s NAACP exclaims, “This is a very tough place to play ball. You will see injustice in all of her glory right here in the Boothill of Missouri.”
However, it would seem a comfortable setting for Dunklin County District Attorney, Stephen Sokoloff, to dominate the proceedings as he did during the twenty-minute hearing on Wednesday. With cameras barred from the courtroom, Sokoloff told Judge Joe Satterfield he has now turned over all discovery evidence to Ellis’ new attorney, T.J. Hunsacker, including video tapes from the Wal-mart, Sokoloff has insisted in the past, will definitely prove Ellis is guilty of the allegations. Sokoloff also provided a motion to exclude some of the defense witnesses in the case.
After the hearing, Sokoloff would only respond, “No, I don’t comment on anything prior to trial. I let the evidence speak for itself. I think it’s inappropriate to be discussing those things.”
Under orders from attorney Hunsacker, Ellis did not given an on-camera interview. However, she did participate in a prayer ceremony at the end of the hearing with family and supporters.
The power of prayer…..Heather Ellis… may now very well…. need to believe in.
when my fiance was young he a white women cut in front of him while he was standing in line and she actually said some racial slurs if a person can get 15 years for that she should have went to jail this happens to me all the time by blacks and whites it happend to me the other day a white women just walked right in front of me and this women told me it happened to her and the lady to her white is over you i deserve to be in front if this women gets 15 or any prison time for every white person thats cuts in front of me and i believe its racist im getting every one locked up and thats a promise and i think everyone should do the same to teach them a lesson and why is it racism still going on its the year 2009 its over people get over it its time to grow up we all are the same just different colors we all have a heart, bones,fingers,toes,a mind we all can smell if blacks was not meant to be here god would have not never created us i love everybody i dont hate anyone i think whatever god created is beautiful to me so god bless everyone and people get it together
thank you for your input, Tae!
i agree with the last part of your comment wholeheartedly. its a sad fact that racism will probably never be completely erradicated in our society (at least within my lifetime) but if we could have everyone adopt your attitude the world would be on its way to healing and tolerance.