Today Black Men Die by Police Violence, Yesterday Black Men Die by Lynching. What's Changed?

Melissa Harris-Perry shocked me when she noted that a Black man is killed by a white police officer twice a week on average. How much different is this state of affairs from the days when the 'strange fruit' on trees around the nation were filled with lynched Black people? No trial, no jury, no judge, no appeal. Now, well into a new century, as a family in Ferguson, Missouri, buries yet another American teenager killed at the hands of authorities, the rate of police killings of Black Americans is nearly the same as the rate of lynchings in the early decades of the 20th century.

About twice a week, or every three or four days, an African American has been killed by a white police officer in the seven years ending in 2012, according to studies of the latest data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. That number is incomplete and likely an under-count, as only a fraction of local police jurisdictions even report such deaths – and those reported are the ones deemed somehow “justifiable”. That means that despite the attention given the deaths of teenagers Trayvon Martin (killed by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman) and Jordan Davis (killed by a white man for playing his music too loud), their cases would not have been included in that already grim statistic – not only because they were not killed by police but because the state of Florida, for example, is not included in the limited data compiled by the FBI.

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Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks Talks About Hanging of Frederick Jermaine Carter

Sheriff Banks at crime scene

Remarkable interview with Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks about the hanging of Frederick Jermaine Carter. Banks is very open with his opinions and insights about the hanging of Frederick Jermaine Carter. Many of us think that Carter was lynched as part of some type of 'hate crime'. Sheriff Banks insists that Carter committed suicide.





Our thanks to the folks at W.E. A.L.L. B.E. for the investigative reporting that they are doing on the Carter case.

Coroner Says Hanging of Frederick Jermaine Carter Was 'Not a Suicide'

It appears that Mississippi is still burning. Villagers may recall that 26-year old Frederick Jermaine Carter was found hanging from an oak tree in Greenwood, Mississippi late last year. The local authorities tried to cover-up this lynching with the idea that Carter committed suicide.

The story didn't make sense. Why would a young Black man go into a predominantly white community in a small Mississippi town and tie a rope around a tree to hang himself? Many villagers joined us in questioning authorities on this matter.

Well, it turns out we were right! The deputy medical examiner for the state of Mississippi confirms that Carter did not commit suicide.






We need to continue to agitate for a full and complete investigation into the lynching of this young man. We need to make sure that the people of Mississippi clearly understand that we will never again allow lynching to run rampant in this country as it did back in the day.

What is Mississippi Hiding in Frederick Jermaine Carter Lynching?

Soulclap to Ronald Herd for pointing out some tangible action that villagers can take to support the family of Frederick James Carter. Carter is the 26-year old African American found hanging from an oak tree in Greenwood, Mississippi back in December 2010. Prior to his death, Carter’s stepfather, a painter, said he and Carter were working in Greenwood and that Carter wandered off after he was instructed to go and get some tools.


The county sheriff ruled the death a suicide and most white folks in Mississippi agreed with him. These folks note that Carter had spent eight months in the state mental hospital in 2008, and tried to kill himself by drug overdose and cutting himself.

Most Black folks in Mississippi disagree. After all, Greenwood is about 12 miles from Money, Miss., the place where 14-year old Emmett Till was lynched after he allegedly made remarks to a white woman.

I don't know the truth. I do know that it is not a good sign to learn that the autopsy of Carter's body has not been publicly released yet. The first autopsy was completed by a local political hack -- Leflore County coroner Debra Sanders. The second autopsy was completed by a competent medical examiner from out-of-state. The second autopsy cannot be released to the public until the first one has been released.

What is Leflore County and the state of Mississippi hiding from us? If the death was truly a suicide then you have to wonder why they aren't releasing the autopsy results to the public?





Here is where 'villagers' come in.  Please let Gov. Haley Barbour know you want the first autopsy results officially released so that the truth can finally come out:

Phone:   

1-877-405-0733 or 601-359-3150

Mailing address:
P.O. Box 139
Jackson, Mississippi 39205

E-mail:  

governor@governor.state.ms.us
 

Also contact the U.S. Department of Justice:
 

By Mail:
Correspondence to the Department, including the Attorney General, may be sent to:
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
 

By Phone:
Department of Justice Main Switchboard - 202-514-2000
Office of the Attorney General Public Comment Line - 202-353-1555
 

E-Mail:
AskDOJ@usdoj.gov

Please visit http://www.andjusticeforus.org/ for future updates.

Was Frederick Jermaine Carter Lynched in Mississippi?

Frederick James Carter

America is not a post-racial nation yet. That fact is especially true in Mississippi.

Soulclap to JuJuBe for letting me know about the controversial case of Frederick Jermaine Carter.  Last month 26-year old Frederick Jermaine Carter was found hanging from an oak tree in Greenwood, Mississippi. Prior to his death, Carter’s stepfather, a painter, said he and Carter were working in Greenwood and that Carter wandered off after he was instructed to go and get some tools.

The county sheriff ruled the death a suicide and most white folks in Mississippi agreed with him. These folks note that Carter had spent eight months in the state mental hospital in 2008, and tried to kill himself by drug overdose and cutting himself.

County Coroner Debra Sanders said that the autopsy’s preliminary finding of suicide is consistent with what was observed at the scene: that “Carter dragged the frame of an old table from one side of the tree to the other, propped it against the tree trunk, and then tied himself to the lowest limb.” In addition, there were no other footprints by the tree.


Most Black folks in Mississippi disagree. After all, Greenwood is about 12 miles from Money, Miss., the place where 14-year old Emmett Till was lynched after he allegedly made remarks to a white woman. The Black community has a long memory of the horror known as lynching in America.

The NAACP and others feel that Carter was lynched. State Rep. Willie Perkins, president of the Leflore County branch of the NAACP, says that group also "will keep a high scrutiny and watch on any investigative report regarding what was the cause of death."

"There are a lot of concerns there, No. 1 that this individual could not have (hanged) himself without the assistance of someone, if it’s being declared a suicide," he says. "Why would someone from Sunflower County come to North Greenwood, the predominantly white housing area of Greenwood? Why would someone that far away come and hang themselves in North Greenwood by a river? That does not pass the smell test to me."

Another local elected official, state Sen. David Jordan, says the African American community in Greenwood is “very much concerned.”

"This is in a white wealthy area, and Black people just don’t go over there," he says. "There’s not a single Black that’s talked to us who believes that he hanged himself."

I suspect that we will never know the full story of this man's death. However, I do know that America is not yet post-racial.

What are your thoughts on the Frederick Jermaine Carter case? Was it a lynching or a suicide?

Republican Wingnuts Hang Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-MD) in Effigy to Protest Health Care Reform

President Obama and his administration are working to implement comprehensive health care reform. The process is starting to get ugly.

A group called “Patients First,” a project of the lobbyist-funded Americans for Prosperity, held a symposium in Salisbury, MD, and warned about the dangers of “socialized” medicine.

Their protest outside Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil’s office included hanging Kratovil in effigy. It amazes me that this wingnut is smiling about this imagery of a lynching. Doesn't he realize the horrific history of lynching in America?

George Lambus is a Black Republican Who Wants to Lynch Criminals in Jackson, Mississippi

The Republican Party is deeply in trouble. We shared the top ten blunders of GOP leader Michael Steele earlier this month. Now we have a member of Steele's Republican Party who wants to bring back the hanging noose. [SOURCE]

George Lambus a 62-year-old, Black Republican mayoral candidate has released campaign flyers that note 'crime can only be alleviated by a noose and a stout tree limb.'

This jerk is someone's grandfather ... but, we are glad to note that his chances of winning the June election are slim: the majority-Black city of about 180,000 is so heavily Democratic that no Republican has won the mayor's race in modern history. Yet, Lambus hopes to stand out in a crowded field by packing a silver pistol and talking bluntly about crime.

"Look at recent history, like in South Africa, when apartheid was abolished," Lambus said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. "Blacks went on a crime spree. Other blacks got tired of it ... and they formed vigilantes and they killed people. It brought the crime down."

His pistol nearby as he peered out a window at his decaying Jackson neighborhood, Lambus added: "When you cut your yard, carry a gun. When you go to church, carry a gun. When you go to school, carry a gun."

It is truly a sad state of affairs for the Republican Party that they have a candidate who fails to understand the evil history of lynching in our country.

The fact that this is a Black man is all the more tragic. All the more reason that Black Republicans are so lonely.

African American Wins Lynching Lawsuit

Do y'all remember when there were so many noose incidents around the nation that interactive maps were needed to keep track? It sickened me to see so many nooses unleashed in our nation ... it was as if people didn't know the evil of lynching. I imagine that the folks at Farrell Log Structures are more aware of the issue.

A federal jury awarded $50,000 to an African American construction worker who says he endured racial slurs from his Farrell Log Structures co-workers who once placed a rope around his neck.

Michael A. Kitchen, age 29, sued Farrell Log Homes on a hostile workplace theory under Civil Rights Act of 1866 claiming that his co-workers hurled racial epithets at him, shot nails toward him and even tried to hang him on a job site. Kitchen claimed that the abuse started when his client began working for Farrell Log Homes in early 2004 and lasted until he ran from a job site that summer after employees put a rope around his neck and threatened to hang him. Kitchen eventually quit because he feared for his well being.

Kitchen, 29, made audio recordings of the slurs and those were played during trial. We salute Kitchen for taking this matter to court. Nooses and attempted lynching are not joking matters.

Wordless Wednesday: ...And a Special Fear for My Loved Ones

Elizabeth Catlett created this linocut in 1946. Behind the lynched man are three pairs of feet. Do they belong to his assailants or to additional victims?

Four McCain Supporters Confess to Hanging Obama in Effigy

Villagers may we recall the story that we shared last month about Obama being hung in effigy on a college campus in Oregon.

I just learned that George Fox University punished four students for hanging a likeness of Barack Obama from a tree on campus. The penalties are "immediate long-term suspension and public service." The school says the four confessed to their involvement.