A group of 16 Justice for Jay Lee protesters marched around the University of Mississippi campus on Saturday, Oct. 19, chanting the question, “Where is Jay Lee?”
Jimmie “Jay” Lee, a UM Class of 2022 graduate and well-known member of Oxford’s queer community, was last seen leaving his Campus Walk apartment on July 8, 2022. Justice for Jay Lee was then started by two of Lee’s closest friends — aiming to raise awareness about Lee’s case and advocate for the safety of the queer community.
“Queer people need the security that if something happens, people will be there for them, and that’s what Justice for Jay Lee does,” Noa Boothe, member of the drag community and march participant, said. “It gives them a little security and gives hope that if something happens, we’re not going to take this, the queer community is strong, and we will stick together and make sure that doesn’t happen anywhere else.”
Saturday’s march aligned with the initial Oct. 15 trial date of Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr., who was arrested and charged with Lee’s murder on July 22, 2022. After a July 2024 motion to move the trial from Lafayette County — filed by Herrington’s defense attorney Kevin Horan — was denied, Circuit Court Judge Kelly Luther ruled to move the trial to Dec. 2 and for the jury to be selected from another county.
Participants gathered around 9:45 a.m. outside the Gertrude C. Ford Center. The march moved its starting location to accommodate conflicting reservations made by the university’s Fall Visit Day, according to organizers. The university’s First Amendment Support Team contacted Justice for Jay Lee organizers to move the protest, and after some deliberation, the group kept their intended date but changed their route to compromise with the university.
The Daily Mississippian reached out to the university and Brent Marsh, assistant vice chancellor and dean of students and member of the First Amendment Support Team, for comment on the changes to the location of the march but had not received a response upon publication.
Members of the protest held pride flags and signs reading “Stop killing us,” and “834 days, where is Jay Lee?” The group marched from the Ford Center up University Avenue toward the Grove and stopped in front of Barnard Observatory. The group continued to chant, “Where is Jay Lee?” and “Black Lives Matter,” before making their way down Sorority Row.
Justice For Jay Lee has struggled to maintain participation in events, partially due to the extension of court proceedings, organizers said. Many of the original members have moved away from Oxford; however, a younger generation of advocates have joined the efforts.
“We’ve been at every court proceeding, arraignment, hearing, everything, just to show up and show visibility for Jay Lee because he was our organizer,” a Justice for Jay Lee representative said. “He was the person who would get all the social groups together to plan rallies and protests. So we kind of just took Jay Lee’s spot for him. We stepped in when he needed someone to advocate for him.”
In addition to the motion to move the trial, Horan and Lafayette County District Attorney Ben Creekmore moved to seal further trial proceedings on July 25, 2024 — a motion which was denied by Luther.
Members of the march said it was important to keep Lee’s legacy alive.
“We try to remember him by his joy and his legacy,” a representative of Justice for Jay Lee said. “Jay Lee brought joy in every click that he did with his heels, and he walked around this town with so much spirit. It doesn’t go away.”
