Native American activist fights frame-up
BY DONALD HAMMOND
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina--Native American rights activist Eddie Hatcher goes on trial on a first-degree murder charge September 18 in Robeson County, North Carolina. The Robeson County district attorney has indicated he will seek the death penalty. Hatcher is accused of killing 19-year-old Brian McMillan in a drive-by shooting in the town of Maxton on the night of May 31, 1999. He was arrested the next day. He remains in jail and has not had a court hearing in over a year.
Supporters point to several inconsistencies in the prosecution's case, including the fact there is no forensic evidence tying Hatcher to this killing.
Hatcher earned the hatred of state authorities for his actions in the 1980s in defense of Native American rights and against racism. He was charged with kidnapping for taking over the offices of The Robesonian newspaper in Lumberton, North Carolina, in 1988. This action was in support of demands that the state governor investigate many unsolved murders, including that of a young Black man in Robeson County jail who died after being denied medical attention.
After being acquitted on federal charges, Hatcher was tried and convicted by the state of North Carolina. He served five years in jail and a year on parole for the kidnapping charge.
Advocates of justice for Hatcher will rally outside the Robeson County Courthouse at 8:00 a.m. on September 18, then go inside to witness the trial. They will rally again after the hearing. For further information contact the web site at www.eddiehatcher.org
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