In 2022 JULIAN set four goals, which corresponded with a set of activities.  JULIAN is proud to say that we have met or made significant progress on every goal set forth in our proposal sto funders.  

JULIAN has resolved the Keith Gambrell case, a COVID-19 case. We have also completed investigations into the Willie Jones Jr., Raynard Johnson, and Desmond T. Bowie cases. We also resolved a North Carolina case where lynching was suspected. JULIAN is currently investigating the suspected lynching of Leon Hayes, whose decapitated body was found in his yard in Wayne County,  Mississippi, in 2021.  

In addition to completing our first goal, JULIAN took on a massive, unexpected issue in 2022 that has taken the majority of our time and resources—the Lexington police crisis.  

JULIAN diligently fights to end corruption and bring equality to communities such as Lexington. We are mounting a ground campaign to mobilize the community in direct-action events. JULIAN has called in the FBI, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, the Mississippi State Auditor, the Mississippi Advisory Committee of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, the U.S. Civil  Rights Commission, and Congress. 

JULIAN and ACLU-Mississippi have also introduced policy proposals to Lexington’s Board of  Aldermen. These policies would correct and prevent police abuse and unconstitutional laws. So far, the city has rejected the policies, but we have a strategy to get them implemented.  

JULIAN has created community programs in Lexington, as well, such as a Driver’s License  Assistance Program, which helps individuals obtain licenses and insurance. JULIAN created this program because police use a lack of license or insurance to make arrests or launch unnecessary searches.  

Not only has JULIAN nearly completed its first goal of investigating at least five cases while managing an unexpected crisis, but we also began serving as a statewide public defender system,  helping to decrease instances of incarceration. Unlike most states, Mississippi does not have a  statewide public defender system. As a result, indigent defendants routinely have no representation in court. To help fill this gap, JULIAN vetted and recruited private defense attorneys to represent cases that meet JULIAN’s criteria. Those criteria are 1) Innocence; 2) the presence of a civil or human rights violation; and 3) statewide or national significance. JULIAN has funded approximately 50  cases in the past year.  

JULIAN has nearly completed this goal. National outlets like VICE News and 60 Minutes are in the  process of creating pieces on JULIAN’s modern-day lynching investigations. These pieces have the  potential to bring the news of the continued existence of lynchings to tens of millions. What is more,  JULIAN recently completed a project with Harvard Kennedy School that brought national attention to  the lynching of Willie Jones Jr. 

For six months, JULIAN and Harvard worked together to secure criminal charges against Willie’s  lynchers by confronting the local district attorney, pressuring the Department of Justice, and hosting  packed events at Harvard that were streamed nationwide. Harvard and JULIAN have now developed  a campaign plan to secure charges and bring accountability to those in government who refuse to act  on this case.  

One of JULIAN’s policy areas is strengthening federal anti-lynching legislation, which would give  attorneys and investigators a tool to use in hate crimes and lynchings going forward. In 2022, Jill  Collen Jefferson, JULIAN’s President delivered an address at George Washington University where  she outlined protocols that attorneys and investigators can use. That speech was streamed.  

JULIAN is close to achieving this goal. At this moment, JULIAN’s media relations team is pitching an opinion piece by Jill Collen Jefferson to the New York Times. That piece talks about the future of  civil and human rights, listing specific ways attorneys and Congress should advance the law to create a better environment for hate crime cases and a higher likelihood of success. It also specifically calls for amending laws to reflect social and scientific progress. Once the piece is placed, it will reach millions of readers.  

In Jill’s interview with VICE News, she discussed the need for police to conduct more thorough investigations. JULIAN is currently working to create a new path to justice---Prosecution by  Affidavit. We will file our first prosecution by affidavit case on May 5, 2023. We hope that this case will create a positive precedent.  

JULIAN somewhat met this goal, but not completely. We only raised enough revenue to hire one additional staffer, a paralegal. In total (and including consultants), JULIAN’s team is 25 people at this point.  

JULIAN’s indicators of success vary based on the stage of each case. In investigations, our indicators include whether or not we find new evidence and whether or not we have gained witnesses' trust so that they will talk to us. Last, figuring out what happened in the case–the sequence of events, individuals involved, etc.---is the greatest indicator of success at this stage. 

In keeping with our indicators of success, JULIAN figured out what happened in the Raynard  Johnson lynching case, and we’ve gained the trust of every community where we’ve worked. We are proud, for example, of our relationship with Lexington’s Black community. We hold community meetings, host and fund events and organizations, etc. We believe we have helped to make that community better, so we are proud. 

Another indicator of success was the outcome of our cases. JULIAN sued the City of Lexington and corrupt police officers last August, and we just survived opposing counsel’s motion to dismiss. So,  we are on track to proceed to trial. A small number of civil rights cases have reached this stage. So, we are proud.  

JULIAN is in the process of creating and distributing the manual of suggested protocols for modern-day lynching cases. We are also creating a precedent for Prosecution by Affidavit. 

Some specific achievements we are proud of are: 

1) Getting Sam Dobbins fired as police chief of Lexington; 

2) Surviving the motion to dismiss in our Lexington litigation; 

3) Getting the FBI to reopen the Willie Jones Jr. case; and  

4) Bringing national attention to injustices in the South.

JULIAN is incredibly proud of partnerships with ACLU-Mississippi, the People’s Advocacy  Institute, the Mississippi Bail Fund, and Harvard Kennedy School. These are all partnerships where JULIAN can call for help and receive it at a moment’s notice.