Funeral Comes Amid Disturbing Details of Police Killing of 37-Year-Old Father, Whose Death Was Kept from Family for Months After He Was Buried in Unmarked Grave
JACKSON, Miss. –– Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Dexter Wade’s family, will deliver a call to action during Wade’s funeral ceremony at New Horizon Church International on Monday, November 20. Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), will deliver the eulogy for Wade, at the request of Wade’s family.
The ongoing circumstances of Wade’s death have sparked national outrage, namely over authorities’ decision to bury him in a potter’s field. Reports emerged last month that Wade was fatally struck on March 5 by an off-duty police officer in a Jackson Police vehicle. A prescription in Wade’s pocket had his name on it, in addition to a state ID, but police continued to tell the coroner’s office no one had called to claim his body. That was despite desperate calls from his mother, Bettersten Wade, beginning with the missing person report she filed a week after he was last seen on March 5. Wade, a 37-year-old father, was buried several months later in a field near the Hinds County Penal Farm. Bettersten wouldn’t find out her son was dead and buried in an unmarked grave until this fall, at which point she paid a $250 fee to reclaim his body.
Yet authorities have continued to add insult to injury for Wade’s family through this week. Bettersten, relatives, and supporters arrived at the field on Monday before Wade’s body was to be exhumed in hope of leading a prayer. Officials dealt another indignity, however, as they had already unearthed his body. People were reportedly forced to step over manure to pray over Wade’s remains, which had been moved next to a nearby stable.
Rev. Sharpton and Attorney Crump have called on the Department of Justice to investigate the Jackson Police Department. On Tuesday, Rev. Sharpton sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland to formally request an investigation into the police department’s actions.
WHO:
Bettersten Wade and the family of Dexter Wade
Attorney Ben Crump
Rev. Al Sharpton
WHERE:
New Horizon Church International
1750 Ellis Ave #200
Jackson, MS 39204
Livestream: https://www.nhcms.org/live/
WHEN:
Monday, November 20, 2023
11 a.m. CST
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ABOUT BEN CRUMP LAW
Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com.
About National Action Network (NAN)
National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency, and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender.
For more information go to www.nationalactionnetwork.net
(http://www.nationalactionnetwork.net/).
