Jimmie Lee Jackson, a peaceful, unarmed demonstrator, died February 26, 1965, eight days after being beaten and shot by Alabama State Troopers. Jackson was an African American civil rights activist, born December 16, 1938 in Marion, Alabama, and a deacon in the Baptist church.
On February 18, 1965, about 500 people conducted a peaceful walk from Zion United Methodist Church to the Perry County jail, about half a block away. The demonstration was organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from Selma, Alabama, to protest the arrest of a civil rights worker James Orange was being held.
The police stated they believed the crowd was going to attempt a jail break and began beating the demonstrators. Jackson and his family, including his 82-year-old grandfather, fled to a cafe for safety, but the police pursued them there. They began to beat the family, and when Jackson tried to protect them, he was shot twice in the abdomen by Officer James Fowler.
Despite his injuries, he managed to flee, but was beaten further by the police. He finally collapsed, and was taken to the hospital. He died eight days later.
Martin Luther King spoke at one of two funerals held for Jackson. Jackson's death inspired the first march from Selma to Montgomery.
The officer who shot Jackson, Jim Fowler, was not brought up on charges at the time, claiming self-defense. However, in 2010, Fowler admitted to shooting Jackson and plead guilty to manslaughter. He was sentenced to six months in prison.
Seriously?
He served only five months before being released due to health reasons.
