STARKVILLE — A community activist is protesting the all-white jury in the trial of a former Mississippi State University student accused of killing his roommate.
Dorothy Bishop, who has protested outside the Oktibbeha County Courthouse about a number of Civil Rights issues and frequently challenges the county Board of Supervisors, was outside the courthouse annex for much of the morning in protest of 29-year-old Bobby Batiste’s all-white jury.
Batiste is black; Andreas Galanis, Batiste’s former roommate who he is accused of killing, was of Greek descent.
“I don’t know this boy, but I came out here to protest this jury,” Bishop said. “There’s 12 jurors and they’re all white, and two alternates and they’re white, and there’s still racism out there and I have to do what I can to help this boy.”
Bishop didn’t attend jury selection earlier this week, when prospective jurors who vowed never to institute the death penalty, even if a suspect was found guilty of capital murder, were eliminated. The majority of those stating holding this opinion were black. Prospective jurors who said they would never vote to institute the death penalty were not allowed to serve on the jury.
Jury members must be willing to follow court instructions — to consider execution and life without parole — if a suspect is found guilty, and if Batiste is convicted of capital murder, he faces execution or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Testimony began Thursday at 8:30 a.m. and continued until shortly after 8 p.m.
Bishop entered the courtroom midway through the day and sat in her wheelchair about halfway down the center aisle, eyes staring intently at the parade of witnesses who took the stand.
She and the jury watched Batiste’s videotaped statement to police, during which he admitted he put Galanis’ body in a wheelbarrow after the killing and rolled it into an empty bedroom in their apartment. A third housemate, Jae Woo Joo, wasn’t home at the time of the killing.
Tim Pratt is the Starkville Bureau Reporter for The Commercial Dispatch.
Matt | 10/30/2009 11:40:00 AMmark as inappropriate He may be 100% guilty but this looks very very bad. There are still so many people in Mississippi that hold hatred in their hearts. This is supposed to be a jury of his peers? There is still so much injustice in Mississippi in 2009 it is sickening. He has no chance of avoiding the death penalty. Why even have the trial? If he were white do you think there would be any chance in hell he would have a jury of 12 blacks? I am truly ashamed to be from this state.
Glennda | 10/30/2009 12:23:00 PMmark as inappropriate I am so sorry that you are so "ashamed" to be from this state! It does look bad, however, what is so sad about it is the number of people that are so unwilling to sit on a jury and give their peers a fair trial. Have you ever been called to jury duty? In my many experiences, people will come up with every excuse imaginable not to have to serve. I am sure once some of these potential jurors realized that being dead set against the death penalty would get them out of service and that is exactly how they chose to be! And besides, Batiste and his lawyers have a say in the jury selection.
WTF? | 10/30/2009 1:55:00 PMmark as inappropriate Matt, what the hell is wrong with you? Move! I am ashamed to live in the same state as you. I am so sick of everything being turned into a race issue. If you want to keep racial tensions high in Mississippi, then just keep doing what you are doing, blaming everything on the man. A white man can't do anything now without it being a move to hold down the black man. Get a life.
matt | 10/30/2009 2:59:00 PMmark as inappropriate Wtf
I am just speaking the facts. Most of you all need to visit some places outside of mississippi and see how the real world is. I am black and have shown up everytime with no problem when called to jury duty. It seems like you think just black people try to get out of jury duty? I have money WTF I don't have to blame anything on the man but it's still not fair. If you were accused of killing a black man in mississippi would you want your jury to be all black? Please tell me yes WTF. If you say so you are a liar point blank. It is perfectly fine we can keep the status quo and fall farther and farther behind the rest of the U.S. because of people like wtf.
Matt | 10/30/2009 3:03:00 PMmark as inappropriate Do you think Holliman will have an all black jury? Hell no! It is what it is and you cant tell me anything to the contrary. Show me one murder trial in mississippi where a white man faced an all black jury. You can't find one point blank. Why is that if black men have to face all white juries?
WTF? | 10/30/2009 3:11:00 PMmark as inappropriate I am not even going to waste my time arguing with you. It's not your fault, you have been raised to think white people are still out to get you. I will go ahead and finish it the way it would end anyway, no matter how many valid points I made. You are right and I am racist white man.
Matt | 10/31/2009 9:06:00 AMmark as inappropriate WTF
I am biracial raised by a white mother and a black father. I am only in my 20's but I have seen the prejudices of people on both sides. Nobody is out to get me WTF because I make my own way. I have had experiences though that tell me this is not fair because people still hold hate in their heart. When I was younger certain white people didn't want me at a school because it didn't look right that my dad was black and would drop me off and my mom was white and would pick me up. I went to private school and played sports against teams like heritage that used the N word probably 30 or 40 times during a basketball game. If you were up for trial and the jury was all black that would not be fair either. It does go both ways.
james | 10/31/2009 6:43:00 PMmark as inappropriate WTF I truly feel sorry 4 you,and I am a black man that does not believe in playing the race card, but it is what it is, and yes there is shame and discuss associated with the way justice is handed down in Ms. I hope that I have not offended any person or persons
James H | 10/31/2009 7:18:00 PMmark as inappropriate Ok Matt, I feel your pain and anger, but you have to realize this is America, you do the crime, you do the time. Why is it everytime a black man goes to trial, racism has to be brought into the picture. I am from MS and hold a BA and MA in Sociology and serve as an EEO Specialist, racism only exists within that individual or group, but prejudice lies in everyone. Let's research before we speak. Oh yeah, and I am black.
Joe J | 11/1/2009 12:16:00 AMmark as inappropriate Is it not racist to attack the character of 12 people that you do not know in order to promote this idea that every time that a black man is convicted there has to be some kind of racist conspiracy ? I love when these so called enlightened, open minded people, assassinate the public image of other people, with their educated opinions, without discussing the facts. Is there a reason that you feel that this is an unfair verdict ? Don't you think that if there were doubts, it would be better to discuss the facts and make a case based on that ? It is much easier to promote your narrow view with emotion instead of facts.
I have been in Law Enforcement for twenty two years and have seen jurors of all colors let their biases dictate how they saw the defendant or the victim for that matter, and that is wrong. But when twelve white people convict a black man it is perfectly fine for you to express you own biased view without expressing one fact about any possible wrongdoing in the case. Can't you see that you are the person that makes you ashamed to be from Ms.
I am not from Ms. but I do have family there and I know many very good people and some pretty bad people from there.
Which state, that has no racism would you be proud to be from?
As long as people make arguments based on emotions and not logic there will always be racism, because it is an emotional response.
This may be an unfair verdict but state some facts. What is the difference between the jury was all white so it must be racist, and the defendant was black so he must have done it?
Thomas | 11/1/2009 8:00:00 AMmark as inappropriate You nailed it james h. Matt and Dorothy should sit through the trial and make up their own minds irregardless of what the jury decides.
Starkpatch | 11/1/2009 1:44:00 PMmark as inappropriate I don't care if the jury is all white or all black. I only care if they are all intelligent enough to hear the FACTS and make a rational decision based upon those facts.
I did not attend the trial. I did not know Batiste was black until after the first day of the trial when they showed him on TV. Reading the evidence as presented in the paper leads me to think this was an open and shut case- that the facts proved he did it. If the body was found wrapped up in bedsheets and in a wheelbarrow (to transport), it sounds pretty simple to make the decision no matter what color you or they are.
David | 11/1/2009 10:12:00 PMmark as inappropriate Ok so im not saying dude should get off but think about this, say 2 years from now hotshot lawyer lookin to make a name for him/herself picks up this case and files an appeal on the grounds of poor representation and points out the jury not being a jury of his peers. It would be a sound logical argument. It could go as far as to grant him a new trial or an acquittal and over time a new trial is just as good cause witnesses forget evidence gets lost etc...
But dont get me wrong. Im a firm believer in justice and the legal system. Its not perfect nothing never is but racism will b present whenever there is more than one race. If u do the crime you should receive a fair and just trial. When there is an appearance of unfairness and unjust acts it hurts the system. Im all for everyone has rights that shouldnt be abridged but what about the victim's rights
joe j | 11/2/2009 2:07:00 AMmark as inappropriate Jury of your peers does not mean people that are the same race as the defendant. A jury of your peers is selected from the people who are legally eligible to serve in the district where the trial takes place. Are some of the people here really suggesting that some sort of an affirmative action program be used to select juror according to race. So by the logic (emotions) used by some of the people on this string, only a black jury can possibly be fair to a black defendant. So, if I ,(heaven forbid) ever had to go to trial, I could only have a jury of white Christian, law enforcement officers. I wonder if the emotional thinkers on this string would be ok with that? I have personally been involved in many trails and I have witnessed that black jurors can be just as biased as anybody else. The defense and the prosecution both are allowed to strike jurors and after the selection process, what is left is the jury. The jury pool is the jury pool.
David, I can't believe that you, think that because the jury was all white, that would be a logical argument for a new trial. Without some evidence of wrong doing, this is just a racially based stereotype. I guess, by using your logic, basing an argument solely on stereotypes is only wrong if you are not stereotyping whites.
No one on this string has presented any facts that point to wrong doing by the jury, judge or anybody else involved in this case. There are injustices in our system, but we need to address them with facts and not emotions. If someone says that if a defendant is black he must be guilty, they are racially biased. Why wouldn't the same be true for all of you who are making the argument that the jury must be biased because they were white.
Matt | 11/2/2009 8:58:00 AMmark as inappropriate Every single juror may have been open minded and intelligent enough to give a fair and impartial judgement. The instances I spoke of in my own life showed that overt racism still exist in mississippi and is accepted among alot of people. It seems very strange to me though that a jury would only consist of white people. I would make the same exact argument if the holliman jury is picked and it is made up of 12 black jurors and 2 black alternates. It is what it is and mississippi is still far behind the rest of the united states in almost every way. I love how people just automatically complain about the race card like there is nothing to it. I would still like one of you that are so adamant about this not being unjust to find me one case in mississippi history where a white man faced an all black jury on a capital murder case or any other felony case. You won't find one period point blank.
Glennda | 11/2/2009 9:52:00 AMmark as inappropriate Matt, I agree with you that racism does still exist in Mississippi, and it exist on all sides. I am white and have seen and know what exist in my race, however, I also have very good friends of other races and know what exist with them as well. I do not think that we will ever be able to move on until we are able to see people for who they are instead of their race. God made us all and I am not better than any one else because my skin is a different color. I will be sitting in the same Heaven as my brothers and sisters that make it there, and I can love them on earth just like I can when I am in the Good Lord's Home.
I know your issue here is about the jury and how it was selected and it should not have turned into all this debate. The comments of some just show their intellegence...
WTF? | 11/2/2009 4:33:00 PMmark as inappropriate After some research I have found that a white man has indeed had an all black jury, his name was Oliver North. I can't for the life of me find any articles about racism in the case though. I also found this humorous tid bit posted in reply to someones question on whether or not a white man had ever had an all black jury.
"After the Rodney King verdict, I saw a jury of all black people find Reginald Denny guilty, right in the streets. They pulled him out of his truck and sentenced him to a severe beating. That same jury found all the shop owners in the area guilty too, and sentenced them to a looting. Several cars were found guilty and were overturned and set on fire. Millions of dollars in windows and other property were found guilty and smashed all over the area. It was quite a sight.I did not see anything similar from whites when OJ Simpson was acquitted. "
If you really want to learn about a sketchy biased jury, then do some research on the OJ Simpson jury. Here is a link
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/simpson/jurypage.html
Matt | 11/3/2009 9:07:00 AMmark as inappropriate WTF
Just as I thought. you sound like a bitter old man. You bring up rodney king and OJ and that somehow makes you feel better about yourself. A drug smuggler and convicted felon is your hero? Glad you showed your true colors.
robert | 11/3/2009 9:43:00 AMmark as inappropriate The real issue here is the death sentence. You go anywhere in the state of MS and you will not see a black jury vote a death sentence on a black person even if they find him guilty.
If the jurors had said yes to the question about handing out a death sentence they would be on the jury.
WTF? | 11/3/2009 10:18:00 AMmark as inappropriate I am just showing examples of white people that have faced non-white jury's and never had everyone screaming discrimination. I thought the story was funny. Matt, I really don't know that I can believe anything you say. You claimed earlier that you have shown up everytime you have been called to jury duty, then you later admit that you are only in your twenties. Most of people in their twenties that I know have never been called to jury duty even once. How did you get so lucky.
matt | 11/3/2009 12:37:00 PMmark as inappropriate WTF
you are available for jury duty as soon as you register to vote at age 18 and i have been contacted twice to serve. Maybe Haley Salazar just loves to call me to serve. What story did you think was funny? you are an obvious idiot by what you have said and i'm not sure why I am even responding to you. Is Timothy Mcveigh your hero also?
WTF? | 11/3/2009 1:18:00 PMmark as inappropriate Matt, I apologize, I did not realize you were mentally challenged. Let me break this down for you. I am so glad you have informed me that you are eligible for jury duty at the age of 18. I never would have figured that out. However unlikely it is for you to have already been called on twice, I cannot argue with you, because you are the only person that truly knows. If you have been truthful, then I apologize, pardon my skepticism. I have made no claims as to whether or not Oliver North was right, wrong, or in between. You stated, and I quote, " Show me one murder trial in mississippi where a white man faced an all black jury. You can't find one point blank. Why is that if black men have to face all white juries?". Now, while I am not sure what the question posed in the last sentence was, I took it upon myself to briefly search for all black jury's. While I did not find your exact specifications, I did find an example of a white man facing an all black jury. I never said I thought he was a good person, you put those words in my mouth. I simply stated that he faced an all black jury and never pulled the race card so far as comes to my knowledge. The story I thought was funny was the one about Reginald Denny. I did not write it, I simply found it to be humorous, be it in bad taste or not. I also threw in the OJ thing as another example of a racially biased jury simply because there is so much readily available information on it. It is just to show that white people are not the only racists in america. So Matt, the next time you choose to throw stones, make sure you throw them because of what I am saying, and not what you think or want to think I am saying.
Have a nice day.
Matt | 11/3/2009 3:25:00 PMmark as inappropriate Oliver North as In Iran contra? So a man being beaten almost to death is funny? As far as me being menatally challenged i hold 3 degrees in 3 different areas and i also scored the highest on my boards of anyone in my graduating class.
Who was racist in the OJ verdict?
WTF? | 11/3/2009 10:35:00 PMmark as inappropriate Wow, you are dense. Apparently none of your degrees were in spelling. I hold one degree, working on a second in the same field. Who was racist in the Batiste verdict? I am pretty sure I am done with this. I am tired of having to explain myself.
David | 11/4/2009 12:03:00 AMmark as inappropriate U took my comment all in the wrong fashion. What Im saying is that its not about right or wrong and guilty or innocent during an appeal its about appearances.
Also, Joe J, peer is defined as one of equal societal group, age, etc.
Although 3 hours to return a death sentence is kinda fast even for me and I am a firm believer in capital punishment.
