People in the East Mississippi town where a black man was allegedly killed by a white police officer have mixed opinions about race relations.
Stonewall, Mississippi, population approximately 1,100, is a rural community thirty minutes from Meridian. Robin Brannon, a mother of three, who is white, has lived here for 13 years.
"Stonewall's just a quiet peaceful town most of the time, unless it's ball season or the buses start rolling for the beginning of school," said Brannon.
Census records show the town is about 68 percent white. Brannon doesn't like the national media attention about the death of Jonathan Sanders because of the focus on race. July 8, 39-year old Sanders, a black man, was out at night exercising his horse when he reportedly made a comment to Police Officer Kevin Herrington who is white, that made the officer mad. Herrington allegedly followed Sanders and choked him to death. The Sanders family attorney has stated a witness heard the officer say he was going to get that N-word. Pam Newman is black and lives just outside the town.
"There's racism every where. This just brought national light to it. I mean I can't tell you an incident I can really point out right now, but there has been," said Newman.
Tina Andrews is white and works with Officer Herrington at the Stonewall Volunteer Fire Department.
"This is not a racist town. We all get along. We went to school together. We grew up together. We have mixed children. I mean we're not racist," said Andrews.
Olyn Davis, a man black, who worked with the Clarke County NAACP disagrees.
"Racist and you know they think they can do what they want to do and nothing be done about it. That's all that is," said Davis.
Jonathan Sanders will be laid to rest Saturday in Quitman.
