MS - Jessica Chambers, 19, found burned near her car, Panola County, 6 Dec 2014 - #9

[SteveP]

I'm going to respectively disagree. If JC was my friend and pictured in many pictures with me, nothing would stop me from attending her service, no matter the race. I'm not suggesting how different races felt about her, she seemed well liked across the board . I'm questioning why they didn't attend the service of what was considered to be a good friend.

Respects can be paid privately at the funeral home without attending the funeral, if someone felt a burning need to say goodbye in person. I am not saying that certain people were asked not to attend her funeral, bc I do not know that, but if I knew that I was not welcome, I would not make a difficult situation more difficult by attending. If she were my friend, I wouldn't have to show up at her funeral to validate it, but that is just me.

 

[tlcya]

I'm going to respectively disagree. If JC was my friend and pictured in many pictures with me, nothing would stop me from attending her service, no matter the race. I'm not suggesting how different races felt about her, she seemed well liked across the board . I'm questioning why they didn't attend the service of what was considered to be a good friend.

I can respect that. I was trying to subtly say that they may have been discouraged or led to believe they were not welcomed there and out of respect for the family stayed away. But I am like you, it would not have stopped me either. So who knows why the attendance did not seem to reflect the diversity of her friends. Not I. Perhaps it means something about the crime, perhaps not.

This lack of news is so frustrating. We need new news so badly on this case.

 

[OneLove]

Good post. If I can get some free time in the near future, I will look for a link, but I do remember it being said that certain people of certain races were not welcome at her services, and this was prior to the service, so I was not necessarily shocked for there to be a larger presence of one particular race than another.

I can only say what my own personal experience there was when I was passing through on my way to Florida. I recounted this experience here once before and believe it was misinterpreted. I do not have a bigoted bone in my body, quite the contrary.

I met friends and family at a well known, popular, and nice restaurant for dinner. To finish up a work project, while there, I interviewed everyone in the restaurant and bar that was willing to be interviewed. I met many lovely people and every beautiful soul there was amazingly friendly, open, and very willing to be interviewed.

Outside during a break for fresh air, a local (who would be known to most in that area) said to me in an angry tone "are you crazy, girl? You trying to get someone killed?" I was frankly confused. It took me a minute to even understand what he was meaning. It was gut wrenching to me to realize that he was not alone by any means in his "attitude" and what I have to guess his history of actions.

If it is this way for a totally innocent passerby and the totally innocent men of color who were in that restaurant that night whom I may have endangered simply by INTERVIEWING them in a public venue with witnesses all around, I cannot begin to imagine the sheer fear of the people of color who knew Jessica, recently murdered in an unimaginably vicious manner.

With her killer still at large, much speculation, including public comments from the earliest hours as to the killer/s being "known" and already in custody at one point (guilty or innocent), the vast network of related family and gang members in the community, the highly inflammatory statements made on FB, and the past history of bad blood with her previous bf relationships and possibly parental/bf relationships, I would imagine many people of color were QUITE justifiably terrified to show up.

Add to that the possibility that word "may" have circulated that they would not be welcome, at ALL, then.....

Words actually fail me at this point. There could be no absolute "right" thing to do in that situation. Sad sad sad. Smh. I really cannot judge anyone in that situation for not attending her funeral. What good would it have done to start a fight or riot simply by being there, even if intentions were pure?

I left that region at the age of 18 and never lived there since. Some things really haven't changed a lot. Smh. Smh.

 

[flatfootjoe]

:goodpost:The "Ignore List" is your friend.:ignore:

Ab so lute ly. It works beautifully too. Contrarians just mentally masturbate at others expense, the best way to handle them is deny them the attention they crave. Don't worry, once you're certain you've encountered one you can deduce their next post as some sly remark as to why XYZ isn't relevant, or why it's completely wrong without a substantive argument. You won't miss a thing.

 

[Billie]

If education is the key to the future the youth of Courtland must see little hope. The town is divided almost equally between black and white, but racial inequities are real both physically and emotionally. Lack of opportunity real or imagined can contribute to a sense of hopelessnes and even helplessness. With tensions escalating around the country conflict was rife and may have infected this area or given someone an opportunity to make it appear as if a local had committed this crime.

Population 25 years and over in Courtland:

- High school or higher: 70.7%
- Bachelor's degree or higher: 10.4%
- Graduate or professional degree: 2.2%
- Unemployed: 6.6%

Mean travel time to work (commute): 18.9 minutes


Read more: http://www.city-data.com/city/Courtland-Mississippi.html#ixzz3Q60x4jmK

 

[SeeAlice]

And it is prosecuted all over the country.

Legitimate business concerns don't want to jeopardize their ability to sell tobacco products nor to pay the fines that come with violating these "petty rules" which are indeed enforced around the country, in large cities and small towns.

If you have ever bought the wrong kind of cigarettes, good luck exchanging the pack at a different store. They will not accept the pack if the stamp on it does not match the stamps on cartons assigned to that store. You'd be surprised at some of the rules & regs they have for establishments selling alcohol and tobacco products.


JMO

 

[EllaMae]

I can only say what my own personal experience there was when I was passing through on my way to Florida. I recounted this experience here once before and believe it was misinterpreted. I do not have a bigoted bone in my body, quite the contrary.

I met friends and family at a well known, popular, and nice restaurant for dinner. To finish up a work project, while there, I interviewed everyone in the restaurant and bar that was willing to be interviewed. I met many lovely people and every beautiful soul there was amazingly friendly, open, and very willing to be interviewed.

Outside during a break for fresh air, a local (who would be known to most in that area) said to me in an angry tone "are you crazy, girl? You trying to get someone killed?" I was frankly confused. It took me a minute to even understand what he was meaning. It was gut wrenching to me to realize that he was not alone by any means in his "attitude" and what I have to guess his history of actions.

If it is this way for a totally innocent passerby and the totally innocent men of color who were in that restaurant that night whom I may have endangered simply by INTERVIEWING them in a public venue with witnesses all around, I cannot begin to imagine the sheer fear of the people of color who knew Jessica, recently murdered in an unimaginably vicious manner.

With her killer still at large, much speculation, including public comments from the earliest hours as to the killer/s being "known" and already in custody at one point (guilty or innocent), the vast network of related family and gang members in the community, the highly inflammatory statements made on FB, and the past history of bad blood with her previous bf relationships and possibly parental/bf relationships, I would imagine many people of color were QUITE justifiably terrified to show up.

Add to that the possibility that word "may" have circulated that they would not be welcome, at ALL, then.....

Words actually fail me at this point. There could be no absolute "right" thing to do in that situation. Sad sad sad. Smh. I really cannot judge anyone in that situation for not attending her funeral. What good would it have done to start a fight or riot simply by being there, even if intentions were pure?

I left that region at the age of 18 and never lived there since. Some things really haven't changed a lot. Smh. Smh.

Actually things have changed. The vast majority of people do not care about race anymore in South. It's really a non-issue these days especially with anyone from the Baby Boomer generation on down. Most of the racial discord is taking place in other areas of the U. S. and the white supremacist groups no longer have a stronghold in the South and haven't for many,many years. Those groups are active in the Northeast and out west. I do not know anyone who would be upset by a person of one race interviewing a person of another race, and I never have.
I seriously doubt anyone was in danger because you spoke to a few people in a restaurant. That kind of stuff doesn't happen here anymore and hasn't in decades.
I had dinner Saturday night in my small Southern town with a group that included black friends and also a Japanese friend. No one cared, and we were not even the only mixed race group in the restaurant. People don't even notice.

I attend a church that has people of all colors and races as members. This is not unusual here. No one really even discusses race at church because it's a non-issue and no one cares. My boss is black....I don't care. We go out to lunch with other coworkers both black and white every single day and not once has there ever been anyone who cared. Certainly we do not feel endangered in the least because people in the South don't care who eats with whom or talks to whom in regards to race.

With all due respect...I take great exception to the blanket assumptions being made in some of these posts about race and the people of the South. Those stereotypes were never really totally correct about all Southerners in the first place.

It's more likely that certain people did not attend Jessica's funeral because of their possible involvement in her death more than anything. That group would be unwelcome due to their behavior....not the color of their skin.

 

[NineMilly]

Good post. If I can get some free time in the near future, I will look for a link, but I do remember it being said that certain people of certain races were not welcome at her services, and this was prior to the service, so I was not necessarily shocked for there to be a larger presence of one particular race than another.

Should this be true, I would understand. I wasn't aware of this information, so I'm glad that you could help explain a possible reason. Can it be confirmed in any MSM? While watching, I thought that I would see Auntie or someone that described themselves as her as "a good friend" when asked how he knew JC. Neither happened that I'm aware of. I'd also bet there is a plethora of studies conducted on crimes and visitation/funeral attendance, but I just don't have time to do the searching. I do recall when a friend was killed in a drunk driving accident. It was said that two cars were racing. One of the drivers from the un-wrecked vehicle had to be held up by two people as he approached the coffin in tears. It was never proven that there was a race leading to the accident, but I remain highly suspicious to this day.

 

[well-intentioned]

You may qualify to be a "verified insider" on Websleuths. I hope you consider that. It sounds like you have a lot to offer about the environment of Courtland.

{.....You may qualify to be a "verified insider".........} Machiado, I'm not sure what you mean. I haven't really done my homework fully on the in's and out's of this forum. I'll help in anyway that I can.

 

[wfgodot]

{.....You may qualify to be a "verified insider".........} Machiado, I'm not sure what you mean. I haven't really done my homework fully on the in's and out's of this forum. I'll help in anyway that I can.

Professional Posters & Verified Insiders

Verification Process for Professional or Insider Posters

 

[well-intentioned]

Thank you for valuable insight that most of us just can't have, due to geography. One thing this thread has been noticeably lacking is locals willing to join us. I do believe that everyone here on this thread wants justice for Jessica, and many of us, like you, have been here since the beginning of this tragic case. So glad you came out of lurk mode and posted. I hope you continue to!
:wagon:

Thanks SteveP! I've been most impressed with "all" the work y'all have done in your research on mappings, newspaper articles, etc. I just wish we could some how narrow it down a bit on what happened. It's just the process you have to go through with something like this when there is no real evidence on who has done this to Jessica. We don't really know what the authorities are thinking and I guess I just feel desperate to help with solid evidence of the crime should that be what they're lacking. I wish we could some how find out which direction to go and put enough correct information out there for the public and encourage anyone and everyone to step up if they have "any" clues at all. There again, maybe this is all redundant since the reward money should be encouraging people to step forward.

 

[well-intentioned]

Thanks for joining us! Out of curiosity, when you say "at the lake," do you mean a particular lake or lakes in general? Just trying to pin the locale down a bit more ...

Enid Lake and Sardis Lake are the big hang outs for a lot of these folks. They are real big into camping out on the weekends. It's as though there is a whole community of campers. They all know each other. They invite friends and family out for cookouts. They drink and have a really good time. Its a perfect opportunity for everyone to become very personal with each other. I'm just saying that "everything" needs to be looked into thoroughly. There are also a lot of motorcycle rallies in this area. Good hardworking people. However, there are also a lot of drug users amongst them.

 

[well-intentioned]

:wagon: well-intentioned. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective. I look forward to more of your thoughts.

Thanks tlcya

 

[well-intentioned]

First, welcome to WS! I found it refreshing to read from the perspective of a local resident. I've selected this section of your post because it is something that has stood out in my mind since I watched her funeral online, minute-by-minute. Granted, not everyone attending the funeral can be observed on camera, but the vast majority can be. Assuming JC was so well liked by people of all races which seems to be true, I'm left puzzled as I only noticed one black female standing towards the exit as the casket was being carried out. I observed guests being seated prior to the service, all of which were of the Caucasian race. I raised this question several threads ago and one WS member claimed to have noticed one African-American couple also in attendance. Out of all of her friends, it seems that three of a different race than JC's were in attendance. The conclusion I've reached based on this observation, is that the people involved in this crime wouldn't attend her service. Based solely on this conclusion which may not be accurate, I feel that several African Americans know something about the case that would make them uncomfortable attending said service. In no such way am I trying to stir the racism pot. I have many African-American friends. What I am suggesting, is that a specific gang of people know what happened. This gang affiliation can be easily found at other sites, I won't mention the name here. Can you shed any light on this observation?

Thanks for the welcome NineMilly! MSCJgrad's post #153 and SteveP's post #158 says it best.

 

[well-intentioned]

Does anyone besides me wonder by how many people, and by how many hours a day this case is currently being investigated? I would think that leads have pretty much dried up, and almost 50 days into this case, I doubt that it is still getting the time and resources it did on day 1, but I don't really know that. I am just wondering if progress is really being made, or whether this is headed to the cold case files. JMO

me too!

 

[New1]

Oh, yes. I want to think that LE has known for a while who did it and they're taking the time to put together a rock-solid case, continuing to gather as much information as they can. Seeing that some criminals seem to have a revolving door regarding actual jail time for violent crimes, I imagine it's really frustrating. If they know who did it, but don't have enough evidence to be sure of conviction, maybe getting the murder/s sentenced for other crimes? OMG, I never even thought about it going to cold case :/

I think the news has "dried up" on this case. I'm not reading a thing about it except on sites that can't be mentioned here. I, too, wonder if they are still investigating the case.

 

[NineMilly]

Forgive me if this has been discussed as I may have missed it. Was there a shooting on Herron Rd. on the date of Dec. 8th? I've looked everywhere but only find accusations of the event, zero media coverage.

 

[imkeylime]

Enid Lake and Sardis Lake are the big hang outs for a lot of these folks. They are real big into camping out on the weekends. It's as though there is a whole community of campers. They all know each other. They invite friends and family out for cookouts. They drink and have a really good time. Its a perfect opportunity for everyone to become very personal with each other. I'm just saying that "everything" needs to be looked into thoroughly. There are also a lot of motorcycle rallies in this area. Good hardworking people. However, there are also a lot of drug users amongst them.

Thanks! I agree that such connections need to be throughly explored. It seems like the "gang" connection was an obvious one and thus closely examined. Looking at alternatives makes a lot of sense to me. I also wonder is she could have possibly met someone at one of the lakes that night and then been on her way back to Courtland. I realize that winter isn't the usual time for lake parties, but I go to a small bay up the road from me year-round to just enjoy the ocean and a cup of coffee, sometimes with a friend. Just a thought.

 

[SteveP]

Forgive me if this has been discussed as I may have missed it. Was there a shooting on Herron Rd. on the date of Dec. 8th? I've looked everywhere but only find accusations of the event, zero media coverage.

Apparently, one was mentioned on a couple of SM accounts, and mentioned on an unapproved site, but surely no one was killed or it would have made local MSM. JMO.

 

[NineMilly]

Before the case goes cold, I would like to see a list of questions developed here and presented to media which has covered the case. I think we could generate quite a list and cross our fingers that someone from the media would try to track down answers to our questions. Obviously the questions couldn't be of the variety that would interfere/compromise the case, but perhaps they would open up new avenues for us to explore.......anyone want to start the list? We can have a deadline of Thursday night, I would be more than happy to help by emailing the list to reporters...............