Congressman Gregory W. Meeks Statement in Support of the Schumer- Rangel Resolution on Re-Opening the Emmitt Till Investigation

4/13/2004

From: Candace Sandy of the Office of Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, 718-949-5600

ST. ALBANS, N.Y., April 13 -- Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) released the following statement today:

"Thanks to the daring research by Keith A. Beauchamp, a documentary film maker from Brooklyn, and his colleague, Kenneth P. Thompson, a former federal prosecutor, new evidence has been uncovered in relation to the brutal, unsolved and unresolved murder of Emmitt Till nearly 50 years ago. While making his documentary on the life and times of the 14 year old Till who was kidnaped, mutilated, and murdered while on a visit to family in Mississippi, Mr. Beauchamp came across eyewitness accounts that have never been heard in a court of law.

"Emmitt Till's murder back in 1955, is an unclosed, unhealed wound that haunts the conscience of our nation. The pictures of Emmitt Till's remains sears the consciousness of all those who have seen the photos. Americans of good will who came to maturity in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s have never forgotten the inhumanity of the methods Emmitt Till's murderers employed. Americans born in later generations cannot escape the revulsion and horror in voices and on the face of their parents and grandparents when they recount this awful deed -- nor, their anger over the continuing lack of justice. I can remember the pain on faces and the anger in the voices of my parents.

"Now, thanks to Senator Charles E. Schumer, New York's senior senator, and Representative Charles B. Rangel, the dean of New York's congressional delegation, who have come forward with a congressional resolution calling on Attorney General John Ashcroft and the United States Justice Department to initiate a federal investigation of the murder of Emmitt Till, justice so long delayed may no longer be denied. Thanks to the new evidence unearthed and brought to the light of day in Keith Beauchamp's documentary film, "The Untold Story of Emmitt Louis Till," maybe the truth shall finally rise. Now, thanks to investigative efforts of Kenneth Thompson, who is well-known to New Yorkers for his work on the Abner Louima case, perhaps the day is coming when Emmitt Till will be able at long last to rest in peace. Now, if the House and Senate adopt the Schumer-Rangel resolution, history's thirst for healing will be quenched.

"I endorse this resolution. I commend Senator Schumer and Congressman Rangel for their initiative. I thank Keith Beauchamp for his loyalty to the perseverance and courage of Mamie Till Mobley, the late mother of Emmitt Till, who kept the flame of hope alive. I call on Americans across the country to contact their senators and representatives and insist -- no, demand -- that they co-sponsor and vote for this resolution. I call on Attorney General Ashcroft to act promptly with all the resources needed on the letter and spirit of this resolution."