To know Sen. Willie Simmons is to know a man that isn’t afraid to speak his mind, a man that has found himself on the opposite sides of the aisle with some in his own party. “Sometimes you just have to take tough stances on different issues, especially if you know in your heart it is the right thing to do and it serves your constituents well,” said Simmons.
Simmons is a man of deep faith and strong convictions and a member of Solomon Chapel AME church in Cleveland, Miss. This strong faith helped move Simmons to action on behalf of the Scott Sisters, who were recently released from prison after having served 16 years of a double life sentence.
“My colleagues, Sen. John Horhn and Rep. George Flaggs and I, after hearing about the Scott Sisters and the issues surrounding their imprisonment, decided that we would do something about it,” Simmons said. “We didn’t want to focus on the injustice that had happened because enough attention and media publicity had already been placed on that.”
Instead the three set out to speak directly with the sisters and spent nearly two and a half hours interviewing them and members of Gov. Haley Barbour’s staff.
At the conclusion of those interviews, they determined that the sisters deserved to be released based on health concerns, being decent inmates, and posing no threat to society. “From a policy point of view, from a humanitarian point of view, it was the right thing to do,” said Simmons. “The system had failed these young ladies time and time again especially when you look at the fact that the appeal process had expired.”
The three elected officials reached
to Barbour. “We decided to write him a letter and ask if he would get the parole board to review their case with intensity and urgency,” said Simmons. “We were elated to find out that he did that.” When asked by The Mississippi Link how long it took Barbour to respond to their letter, Simmons replied, “it was immediate.”
“We are grateful to have the respect of and relationship with the governor,” Simmons said. “In our position you have to be able to work across both sides of the aisles in order to get things done.”
Simmons acknowledged that he and his colleagues did not do this for publicity. “We never did this for fanfare. To be totally honest with you, we were just as content without anyone knowing about our involvement,” Simmons said. “It was not until the governor made his announcement and mentioned our names that anyone had really heard of our involvement.”
Simmons reflected on the process.
“There were so many people involved in this process and it had to happen like that,” Simmons said. “I’m grateful that this time the system worked no matter what people say or speculate about the timing of the governor’s decision to suspend their sentences.”
Simmons acknowledged the roles that the governor and his staff, Correction Commissioner Chris Epps and his staff, and the parole board played to make this become a reality. “I am just excited about how this played out,” Simmons said. I’m thankful and grateful to all those that had anything to do with this – including all those folk that led grassroots efforts like the NAACP and Attorney Chokwe Lumumba.”
The Scott Sisters are now in Florida living with their mother Evelyn Rasco.
About Senator Simmons
Simmons was elected in 1993 and received 54 percent of the vote to serve the citizens of District 13, which includes Bolivar, Humphreys and Sunflower Counties. He currently serves as the chairman of the Corrections Committee.
Be the first to comment