Jimmy Marks (February 14, 1945 – June 27, 2007) was a Romani American who lived in Spokane, Washington. He referred to himself as a "Rom".[1]

Marks became widely known in 1986 when the Spokane police department raided his home, performed searches, confiscated property, $1.6 million in cash, and $160,000 in jewelry, without a valid search warrant. The police claimed that 35 items were from burglaries.[2]

The Markses claimed that the cash was being held for other Romani families who did not trust banks. Marks brought suit against the city of Spokane for $59 million,[3] and after 11 years the case was settled out of court for $1.43 million.[1] The lawsuit has been cited as a landmark case in the civil rights of Romani Americans.[4]

Due to bringing too much exposure to the Romani community of Spokane, Marks was deemed marime by the community and therefore an outcast. He was not invited to social events such as weddings and funerals and was refused food when he arrived uninvited.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 "SR.com: Jimmy Marks dead at 62". Archived from the original on 2007-07-02. Retrieved 2007-07-04.
  2. ↑ "American Gypsy". www.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
  3. ↑ Geranios, Nicholas K. (2007-06-30). "Jimmy Marks; Fought for Gypsy Rights". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
  4. ↑ "Jimmy Marks, Gypsy leader noted for his curse and 1986 raid, dies at 62". 2007-06-28.
  5. ↑ "Renegade In a Most Secretive World". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
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