May 24, 2013
The surviving members of the Wilmington 10, their families and supporters are basking in their formal pardons in the city where their troubles started.
A crowd packed into Gregory Congregational United Church of Christ on Saturday as the surviving members of the group were formally given certificates of pardon from the governor's office.
As one of her last acts in office, Gov. Beverly Perdue granted pardons of innocence Monday to the ten people who were wrongly convicted 40 years ago in a notorious prosecution that led to accusations the state was holding political prisoners.
The 10 were sentenced and some spent years in prison for the firebombing of a Wilmington grocery store during three days of violence.
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The surviving members of the Wilmington 10 and family members of the four deceased members are to receive their certificates of pardon in the city where their troubles started.
The ceremony is scheduled for Saturday at Gregory Congregational United Church of Christ in Wilmington. Attorneys James Ferguson and Irving Joyner represented the 10 civil rights activists from 1971 until their pardons and will present the pardons.
As one of her last actions in office, Gov. Beverly Perdue granted pardons of innocence Monday to the 10, who were wrongly convicted 40 years ago in a notorious prosecution that led to accusations the state was holding political prisoners.
The 10 were sentenced for the firebombing of a Wilmington grocery store during three days of violence.
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