Mississippi court of appeals upholds life sentence for cannabis possession.
Allen Russel was convicted of burglary in 2004. In Mississippi, burglary is considered a violent crime, whether actual violence occurred or not. Russel was just 21 at the time and plead guilty to the charge. After serving 10 years, Russel was found guilty of unlawfully possessing a firearm. He was sentenced to 10 years on the gun charge but was required to serve two. Upon release, he was again arrested, this time for possession of cannabis. Russel had five separate bags, each with small amounts of marijuana. Under Mississippi law, “habitual offenders” can be sentenced to life. Without questions there are problems with the behavior of Russel. Stealing from houses seems bad, so does possession of a gun without proper permitting, although Mississippi typically celebrates guns. Cannabis is the tipping point? These small bags of a plant were the ultimate reason that Russel needs to be incarcerated for life? This makes no logical sense but turning over a few rocks in the history of Mississippi might shed some light on the actual crime here.
Mississippi is bleak. It consistently ranks on the bottom rung of America. The state is at the bottom for general health, education, and earnings. According to the CDC, Mississippi leads for alcohol abuse, as well as infant mortality, counties without running water, welfare dependence, and teen pregnancy (CDC). For a State with so many social ills, is it really in a position to chase down 5 bags of cannabis and incarcerate someone for life? There are problems In Mississippi and it’s not the weed.
Mississippi seems to be frozen in time. There is still the longing for the antebellum south and the old confederacy. While there are token symbols of Mississippi moving into the modern world, they seem to be just that, tokens. Last year the governor signed legislation removing the confederate flag from the state house, it was celebrated in the media as a miracle. A miracle? 156 years after the defeat of the confederate insurrection, Mississippi finally surrendered? Seems a bit late to the party. This seems like another issue in the state that would take precedent over weed, and yet, there are still people serving a life sentence for 5 bags of cannabis. Of course the argument is “habitual offender” though we know little about the previous charges.
The devotion to the southern way of life and the rebellion of Mississippi seems to breed the simmering racism that plagues the state. While leadership points to various black people and non segregated bathrooms, one doesn’t have to look very far or very deep to find blatant racism enmeshed in the state politics. Take Senator Cindy Hyde Smith. An ardent pro life supporter who makes thinly veiled lynching jokes in a state that chuckles at “Mississippi wind chimes” referring to the long history of lynchings. In 2018 Smith quipped “if invited to a public hanging, I’d be in the front row”. Smith refused to apologize or even recognize the comment was at minimum tone deaf in a state with “most lynchings” as part of its history. Smith became something if a living embodiment of fictional character Mayella Ewell from To Kill a Mocking Bird. It doesn’t end there. Current Governor, Tate Reeves was under fire when his college yearbook unearthed his membership in Kappa Alpha, a fraternity that, among other things, hosted “confederate parties”.
Mississippi clearly has some project on which to work. The unhealthy and racist population would be a good place to start. What they won’t say about this case is what seems to be their only real issue with Allen Russel… “he’s black”. Purely speculation, but are there white people serving life for the same crimes as Russel? If someone white were given this sentence, would Tate Reeves step in? There is certainly crime here and it’s not 5 dime bags of weed. The crime is the history of this state manifesting itself into the same human rights violations that have happened there for centuries. Allen Russel is in need but what he needs is a therapeutic process to help him be successful in the community. A cage, for life, in Mississippi does nothing but satisfy the blood lust of horrible people.