FERGUSON, MO—(January 3, 2019)—The St. Louis County NAACP and
national NAACP are calling for transparency and justice amid allegations the
St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office is preparing to destroy evidence
related to the hanging death of Danye Jones-son of Ferguson-based activist Melissa McKinnies.
Over nine weeks ago Melissa found her son Danye hanging dead
from a tree in her yard. The St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office she
says promised her a report within eight weeks but as of yet there has been no
report regarding the cause of death, which McKinnies believe was “murder.”
While reports from police say the death was reported as a
“suicide,” McKinnies believes it was a “lynching.” She is one of numerous
activists from Ferguson, Freddie Gray protests in Baltimore and around the
nation who believe they have been targeted and tracked by law enforcement, hate
groups and others who see their protests against police brutality as dangerous.
The St. Louis County NAACP is also monitoring the investigation
of Danye Jones’s death. “We are calling for justice and transparency,” said
John Gaskin III, St. Louis County NAACP President.
According to a report in the Washington Post several deaths of
Ferguson Activists since 2014 have “inspired speculation that
Ferguson protesters
are being systematically murdered…” While the reports suggests there is no
evidence yet regarding this, numerous media reports have confirmed the
surveillance of Black activists by Federal agencies.
Last year groups Color of Change and the Center for
Constitutional Rights filed a lawsuit against DHS and the FBI
regarding information on the government’s tracking of activists involved in the
Movement for Black Lives.