Am I Not Human? Emmett Till (1941-1955)

Emmitt Till was murdered on this day in 1955. Till was a 14-year-old African American boy who was beaten and shot to death by two white men. These men then threw the Till's mutilated body into the Tallahatchie River near Money, Mississippi. Young Till was killed for talking to and perhaps whistling at a white woman at a Mississippi grocery store. Later that year, Roy Bryant, whose wife Carolyn was the white woman at the store, and his half brother, J. W. Milam, were tried for Till's murder and acquitted by a jury of 12 white men.

In March, 2007, the FBI released a summary of its 8000 page report of its investigation of the murder of Emmett Till. This report also includes the 354 page transcript of the 1955 murder trial of J. W. Milam and Roy Bryant.

This gruesome photo of Emmett Till helped spark the civil rights movement. It demonstrated the brutality of southern violence towards African Americans, and created outrage across the nation. Emmett's mother, Mamie, insisted at his funeral that he be given an open-casket, so others could see what they had done to her boy.

The truth of what happened that night became public knowledge several months after the trial. William Bradford Huie, an Alabama journalist in Mississippi to report on the aftermath of the case, offered Bryant and Milam money to tell their story. Since the two could no longer be prosecuted for a crime of which they had already been acquitted, they gladly told for a fee of how they had beaten and killed young Till. Huie reported what the killers told him in Look magazine. Now publicly exposed as murderers, Bryant and Milam were ostracized by the community, and both moved elsewhere within a year. Emmett Till in death became a martyr for the civil rights movement, a symbol of the racial hatred African Americans had yet to overcome.

America has moved quantum leaps in terms of both civil and human rights since 1955. African Americans are no longer murdered for giving wolf whistles to white women. However, our gains are not guaranteed. All Americans need to be vigilant in protecting our national commitment to equality for all. All it will take for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.

Roots of Humanity feels that each of us can fight against human rights abuses in the world. We simply need to do something. Protest. Meditate. Pray. In the case of bloggers ... we want you to blog on the 27th of each month. Just share information on behalf of our human siblings in all suffering areas who are either barred from communication by their governments, or lacking in technology to ask: Am I Not Human?

Related articles

• Family of Emmett Till Discusses Zimmerman Verdict: 'Hard to Say That We've Moved Anywhere From 50 Years Ago'
• Money 1955: The Emmett Till Murder Trial - trailer by Rob Underhill
• Sumner facing tragic legacy of the Till case

Florida Racist Gets 10-Year Sentence for Hate Crime Against Nekedia Cato

It is nice to see the criminal justice system working in favor of the Black community. This blog told you about Thomas Cosby a couple of years ago. He is the white racist who ran his car into (then) 25-year old Nekedia Cato while she was riding her bicycle. Cosby was heard to shout the N-word and other racial slurs at her after the attack.

Cato, 27, suffered a broken leg and several internal injuries from the incident and spent months in rehabilitation.

Cosby was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being convicted of a hate crime. He was earlier convicted of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and battery evidencing prejudice. He had faced up to 35 years in prison.

Hats off to the criminal justice system in this case!

Gregory Collins Indicted for Murder in Dragging Death of South Carolina Black Man

I'm glad to see that a grand jury indicted 19-year old Gregory Collins, a white South Carolina man, on murder and other charges in the dragging death of 30-year old Anthony Hill. Collins was arrested in June after he shot Hill, and then dragged his body 11 miles behind a truck.

The New Black Panther Party would like to see this dragging death treated as a hate crime. Personally, I'll be happy to see Collins put in prison for the rest of his life without possibility of parole.

The New Black Panther Party Protest Dragging Death in South Carolina

I've noticed that the new Black Panther Party is in the news quite abit lately. Fox News and others seem to think that the Black Panther Party is the key to having President Obama impeached ... if not thrown in prison.

The New Black Panther Party made its presence known in Newberry County ... the location of 30-year old Anthony Hill's dragging death.

"We fundamentally cannot allow a modern day lynching to take place," says party leader Malik Zulu Shabazz, "and we sit back and doing nothing about it."

The brutal murder is under investigation. Police say 19-year-old Gregory Collins shot and killed Hill before tying his body to a truck and dragging it ten miles. The incident is being considered as a possible hate crime.

"He was the best husband ever and the best father he could be," says Anthony’s estranged wife Aurea Hill. "When they told me what happened I was in shock."

Members of the New Black Panther Party have called for quicker action from law enforcement.

Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster insists that his department, along with federal officials are doing everything they can.

"What is perplexing to me and law enforcement is that we have a suspect in jail and charged with murder," says Sheriff Foster, "which is the highest crime that you can be charged with in the state of South Carolina."

According to Foster, Collins is sitting behind bars without bond as investigators continue their probe into what led up to the killing.

New Black Panther Party members and supporters say until Collins is charged with committing a hate crime, they will not be silenced.

"We as black people need to get together," says Newberry resident Leslie Means, "we need to come together with some unity and be as one."

The group has planned a march against hate crimes for July 17 in Newberry County.

Related Stories:

• NewsNet 14
• MidlandsConnect.com

I think that this blog may begin to keep an eye out on the new Black Panther Party over the coming days and weeks. Is there any activity from this group in your geographical area?

Friends and Family Speak Out on Dragging Death of Anthony Hill

Anthony Hill was a son, a father, a military veteran and a friend to many. His dragging death in South Carolina was shocking on many different levels. One of his friends recently posted the following video on YouTube:

Mr Hill's cousin, Karen Hill said, "I don't know enough about the truth right now to say anything, but I'll say it like this: he needs to be punished for what he did, because that's a sad way to take somebody's life. It's hurtful to see him die like that, not just for me but his mom and sister."

Karen said her cousin Anthony was a quiet person who kept to himself, but he would help a stranger. [SOURCE]

Jasper-Style Lynching of Anthony Hill in South Carolina [VIDEO]

Some trends need to be squashed before they can get going. Our nation has a horrific history with lynchings. We can ill-afford to allow racist white folks to begin using their pick-up trucks for lynching of Black folks.

Today I heard about another African American man being dragged on a rope behind a truck. This time the murderous hate crime occured in South Carolina, where Anthony Hill, 30, was dragged for 10 miles behind the truck of a 19-year old co-worker.

Police followed a trail of blood to the mobile home of 19-year old Gregory Collins. Collins was a co-worker of Mr. Hill at a local chicken-processing plant.

The police demanded that Collins come out - but he refused. After a three-hour stand-off, police forced him out by using tear gas. He was wearing an empty gun holster.

Sheriff Lee Foster, who has been in law enforcement for 35 years, told a local news conference it was 'one of the top three most violent crime scenes he's ever seen'.

Police believe Hill was killed at Collins' mobile home with a shot to the head, and then his body dragged behind a pickup truck.




I recall the tremendous public outcry when James Byrd was dragged to his death in Jasper, Texas. There was less attention when Brandon McClelland was dragged to his death. Even worse, the white racists that killed young Brandon were never convicted of his murder.

I hope that this miscreant (Gregory Collins) feels the full weight of the law. More importantly, I hope that they put him in the same jail cell as a 350-pound Black lifer who can do a little draggin' of his own! 

Justice for Luis Ramirez

Many villagers joined this blog in calling on Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell to speak out against the brutal, racially motivated attack on Mexican immigrant Luis Ramirez. You helped raise the call for justice, and now justice is being served: after a yearlong investigation, the federal government announced hate-crime and corruption charges in the case.

The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division filed charges against Ramirez's assailants and the local police officers who allegedly covered up the attack. Derrick Donchak and Brandon Piekarsky were charged with a hate crime for fatally beating Ramirez while shouting racial epithets, and Shenandoah police officers Matthew Nestor (the town's Chief), Lt. William Moyer and Jason Hayes were charged with conspiring to obstruct justice during the investigation.

While the indictments can only soften the pain of Luis Ramirez's family, federal charges send a strong message that racially motivated violence against Latinos will not be tolerated in this country.

As Justice Department Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez said: "Violence motivated by bigotry and hate has no place in America, and yet it remains all too prevalent in many of our communities." The truth of Perez's words is known all too well among Latinos, who have seen a rise in hate crimes over the past five years -- a trend exacerbated by economic tensions and a growing anti-immigrant sentiment.

This blog appreciates the work of Presente.org who first made public the injustice of Luis Ramirez's killers being acquitted by an all-white jury in the small town of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. Presente.org took on this issue because it graphically shows the racism and xenophobia that still smolder in some parts of this country, and the clear need to speak out against bigotry of all kinds. The federal hate crime charges are a vindication of their efforts, and of the power that we have when we speak with a unified voice against injustice.

James von Brunn, the White Racist Who Shot Up Holocaust Museum, is Dead

It turns out that the 89-year old white racist (...I think that the mainstream media refers to him as a 'supremest') died today in federal prison. Now that I think about it security is bad all over Washington DC ... not just the White House. James Von Brunn is the wingnut who, prior to the shooting, had written racist and anti-Semitic rants on the Internet.
The only reason that I share information on the death of this cretin is because it gives all villagers another chance to uplift the memory of Holocaust Museum guard Stephen Johns.

You will recall that Stephen Johns is the man who was a father, son and husband in life, and in death became a symbol in the fight against racism and hate. His last act was to open the door for his killer.

I like what Dr. John McCoy said when delivering the eulogy at Johns' funeral. He cautioned mourners not to give in to the hate that had taken Johns' life. Instead, he said, they should rise up against it -- not in anger, but in strength.

"Silence is not a safe response in the face of racism, sexism, or any of the other isms in this world. Silence is unforgivable for those who call themselves children of God or even civilized."

I encourage all villagers to take a moment of silence to honor the life and times of Stephen T. Johns.

Megan Williams Says She Lied About West Virginia Rape and Torture Case

It hurts my heart to learn that Megan Williams lied about the torture she experienced at the hands of seven hillbillies from West Virginia. This blog took up her cause in a major way two years ago.

Villagers will recall that Williams told authorities in 2007 that she had been beaten, raped, forced to eat animal feces and taunted with racial slurs for days. She was supported in the process by her mom ... who has since passed away.

Seven white men and women were convicted in the case, and most are serving long prison terms.

We learned this week from Williams' attorney that his client fabricated the story to get back at a boyfriend who had beaten her up. The attorney, Byron Potts, said that Williams came forward because she no longer wants to live a lie. I guess Megan wanted to get out in front of the story in light of the backlash coming down on Balloon Boy's family for his hoax.



Potts encouraged West Virginia authorities to re-evaluate the case. Prosecutors in West Virginia have dismissed Williams' new claim, and lawyers for the defendants aren't discussing their plans.

This story is depressing for me. What are your thoughts?

Dunbar Village Rapists Found Guilty by West Palm Beach Jury

Villagers who have been following the aftermath of the heinous crime that took place two years ago in the Dunbar Village projects down in West Palm Beach FL will be glad to learn that the four cretins caught by the police have been brought to justice.

Jurors convicted 18-year-old Nathan Walker of 11 felonies in the brutal attack on a Dunbar Village woman and her son, including burglary, kidnapping, five counts of sexual battery with great force, and the savage act of forcing the mother and son into sexual acts together. Jurors acquitted him of three other charges.

Tommy Poindexter's jury convicted the 20-year-old cretin on eight kidnapping, burglary and sexual battery charges, but acquitted him of five others, including forcing mother and son into sex acts.

Walker, Poindexter and a third young man who has already pleaded guilty, 16-year-old Avion Lawson, face sentencing Oct. 13. All are looking at possibly spending the rest of their life in prison.

Poindexter, Walker and Lawson were tied to the crimes by forensic evidence - DNA from a condom, a pillowcase, the woman's dress and fingerprints.

The verdicts come more than two years after the attack by a gang of as many as 10 men and boys upon the woman and her 12-year-old son within their public housing complex apartment. They forced themselves inside, demanded money, then sex, then poured chemicals on the woman and her son.

The woman had to testify about it before jurors at trial. "I tell him to stay on top of me. Stay there because there are going to kill us," she said of her son, in Creole-accented English.

The woman, now 37, had to recount before a packed courtroom the variety of ways she was raped and doused in chemcials. She did so slowly, methodically, as if still in shock.

"It's really hard. If I even think about I might cry," said juror Rebecca Meyer Baez. "She's probably the strongest woman I've ever met. The fact she can come in there and hold her head high. I'm astonished."

Villager's Voice: I am still looking for the police to arrest the other six cretins involved in this rape-torture case. What can possibly be taking so long to bring the other six people to justice?

Latino Hate Crime Murder of Luis Ramirez Deserves Justice

After they had beaten Luis Ramirez to death, the white teenagers who attacked Luis sent an ominous message to his friends:

"Tell your f**king Mexican friends to get the f**k out of Shenandoah or you’ll be f**king laying next to him."

Just over a week ago, two of Ramirez’s killers were acquitted of all serious charges by an all white jury, with the jury foreman making it clear that justice for Ramirez had no chance in the town of Shenandoah, PA:

"I believe strongly that some of the people on the jury were racist. I believe strongly that some of the people on the jury had their minds made up maybe before the first day of trial…And I believe the four boys that were involved the most are racist. I absolutely do…"

Thanks to the hard work of Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) and others, the Department of Justice is now looking into Ramirez’ death. But that’s only part of what’s needed. Where are the leaders in the State of Pennsylvania? Why has the governor had nothing to say? His silence is shameful.

Until elected leaders speak up, we can expect more stories like Luis’ — not just in Shenandoah, but across the country. Pennsylvania Governor Rendell owes it to the people of his state and to Latinos everywhere to speak out and condemn what’s happened. I've joined Presente.org in demanding that he does. Please click the link below to add your voice and ask your friends and family to do the same. It takes only a moment.

http://presente.org/ref/6979/campaigns/ramirez
Ordinarily our blog highlights issues that impact directly on African Americans. However, the Black community has seen this type of injustice before. It wasn't right when it happened to nubians ... it's not right when it happens in the Latino or immigrant community.

If Luis Ramirez’s death were an isolated event it would be outrageous enough. Sadly, it’s part of a growing trend of racially motivated violence against Latinos, particularly in rural communities. According to the FBI, hate crimes against Latinos rose 35% between 2003 and 2006. And as author David Niewert writes, the target of hate crimes goes beyond their immediate victims: "The purpose is to terrorize the target community, to drive them out, eliminate them."

That kind of intimidation only works only if the people who are targeted remain silent, and if officials in positions of power remain unaccountable. That’s why villagers need to speak out and let folks across the country know we won’t tolerate hate and violence towards any community of color. It starts with demanding that the Governor of Pennsylvania make clear that anti-immigrant hate has no place in Pennsylvania. It’s time for him to show leadership now. Join our village in calling for Governor Rendell to speak out!

Justice for Jason Vassell

Drumbeats from Jack & Jill Politics pointed us in the direction of a travesty of justice taking place in Massachusetts. Have you heard about the racist hate crime committed against Jason Vassell? Did you see how the districy attorney flipped the script on him? Did your local news report on the hundreds of people who rallied in support of Jason this week?

Here is an overview provided to us by an advocacy site set up on Jason’s behalf.

On February 3, 2008 Jason Vassell was the victim of a racist hate crime. Since then he has been further victimized by a racist prosecution. We, a coalition of community organizations, students and faculty, seek solidarity in challenging this racist prosecution.

Early on the morning of February 3, 2008, Jason, an African American student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was in his dormitory. Two intoxicated white men, Jonathan Bowes and Jonathan Bosse, approached Jason’s dormitory window repeatedly referring to him as a “nigger” and breaking in the window. They then forced their way into the dormitory lobby where they assaulted Jason, breaking his nose and giving him a concussion.

Under this continuing assault Jason was forced to defend himself with a pocketknife, injuring his assailants. As a result of defending himself against this unprovoked assault Jason, the victim of the attack, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon. These charges carry a possible thirty year prison sentence. One of the perpetrators, Jonathan Bowes, was charged only with misdemeanors carrying a maximum eighteen month sentence. The other, Jonathan Bosse, was not charged at all.

I encourage all villagers to sign the petition to dismiss the charges. You can also contact the DA at (413) 586-9225, or via email at elizabeth.d.scheibel@state.ma.us.

Will you stand up in support of this young brother?

'All Black People Should Die' Says White Man as He Plows His Car Into Young Black Woman

UPDATE: Thomas Cosby is the 56-year-old Port Orange man, charged this summer with two hate-crime felonies for running over a Black woman (see below). He has been declared mentally unable to proceed with his court case and is being committed to a state hospital. [SOURCE]

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Villagers, it may take awhile for us to reach some post-racial era in America. There are still some neanderthals out in the world that harbor hatred for us simply because of the color of our skin.

Thomas Cosby is a white guy in Daytona Beach who intentionally ran down Nekedia Cato, a 25-year old woman, with his car last month because she is Black and then yelled "all Black people should die" and other racial slurs at the injured woman.

Cosby admitted to hitting Cato on purpose with his car and then calling her the N-word repeatedly after breaking her leg.

Witnesses said Cosby screamed, "These Black people need to die. Help me kill them. I saw her on the bike and went to take her out."

"I actually saw him coming toward me and I tried to move," Cato said from a hospital bed. "He came straight for me. If he could target me just because the color of my skin he could target anybody else. It could have been anybody else who was just riding or just walking. If I was walking I'd probably be dead right now."

Daytona police reports indicated that Cosby just had a breakup with his girlfriend who was involved in a relationship with a Black man. Police plan to charge Cosby under hate crime statutes as well as aggravated battery and simple battery.

"I don't have hate in my heart," Cato said. "I just wish he didn't hate me."

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.

Dragging Death of Black Man in Paris TX

Paris, TX is back in the news. Villagers remember Shaquanda Cotton was unjustly sentenced in Paris, TX in a manner that was racially-charged. Now we learn that the Paris law enforcement officials are covering up a dragging death of a Black man ... similar to the infamous James Byrd Jr. dragging death in another part of Texas over 10 years ago.

Brandon McLelland was found on the side of a road outside Paris on September 16th. Family members were told he was hit by a vehicle and dragged 60-feet. Officials said the vehicle fled the scene.

But the 24-year-old's body was dismembered and that leads relatives to believe whatever happened was intentional. "The back of his head was split about this wide," Jacqueline explained motioning with her hand. "And right here over his heart was a spot about as big as my hand."

We learn today that two white men have been charged with his murder. Charles Crostley and Shannon Finley were with Brandon the night he died. The vicious nature of the death alone has a number of people convinced it was a hate crime.

Jacqueline McLelland worries that authorities will avoid investigating her son's death as hate crime, because of bad publicity and the town's racial history. "I feel like if a lot of people hadn't have been listening and paying attention to what was going on maybe they would have just swept this under the rug."

Jacqueline says nobody's child should have to suffer and go through what her son did before he died. I agree with her. I wonder when the people of Jasper TX will take these racially charged incidents seriously?

Oregon Campus Lynches Life-Size Figure of Barack Obama

We still have some in America who think that lynchings are a legitimate form of expression. Officials of a small Christian university say a life-size cardboard reproduction of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was hung from a tree on the campus, an act with racial undertones that outraged students and school leaders.

George Fox University President Robin Baker said a custodian discovered the effigy early Tuesday and removed it. University spokesman Rob Felton said that the commercially produced reproduction had been suspended from the branch of a tree with fishing line around the neck. In other words, someone on this campus thought it a good idea to lynch the Black man running for President.

Taped to the cardboard cutout of the Black senator from Illinois was a message targeting participants in Act Six, a scholarship program geared toward increasing the number of minority and low-income students at several Christian colleges, mostly in the Northwest.

The message read, "Act Six reject."

About 1,800 students are enrolled at the campus in Newberg, southwest of Portland. It also has centers in Portland, Salem and Boise.

The odd thing is that law enforcement says that even if they find the ones who did this ... it may not even be a crime. It seems that intimidation of voters and students should be a crime of some sort ... perhaps even a hate crime.

What say u?

Jena 6 Hater Gets 4-Month Prison Sentence for Playing With Nooses

Villagers may recall the arrest of Jeremiah Munsen on the night of Sept. 20, after the civil rights rally in Jena. Munsen had been drinking when he and a juvenile accomplice decided to fashion nooses from electrical extension cords, hang them from the truck and buzz past protesters.

Munsen had pleaded guilty in April to a misdemeanor federal hate crime of interrupting protesters' federal rights to travel for driving with the nooses draped from the back of a pickup truck.

U.S. District Judge Dee Drell sentenced Munsen to four months in prison. [SOURCE]

"It's a shame that there is not a federal statute for terminal stupidity, because this was a stupid, stupid thing to do," Drell told Munsen as he handed down the sentence.

Isabel Garcia Mocked in Hateful & Racist Manner by Tuscon Radio Station

Drumbeats from All About Race introduced us to Isabel Garcia heads up the Public Defender's office in Tucson AZ. She is a talented lawyer working to provide quality legal representation to those who could not otherwise afford it.

Apparently, she threatens the manhood of white conservatives in Arizona. One of them is Jon Justice who works for local radio station. Justice filmed a "webisode" of his show where he caressed and fondled a piñata intended to be the likeness of Isabel Garcia.





I'm pleased to see that the Latino community organized quickly to contact radio station advertisers and local Pima County officials to express their displeasure. The immediate reaction from this community is an object lesson for Black activists when we next have to deal with racism and hatred in our community!

I encourage all villagers to take any steps possible to end the racism and hate whenever it rears its ugly head!

Sentencing in Megan Williams' Case

Drumbeats from Sudy and WOC PhD reminded villagers of the sentencing decisions in the rape and torture case of Megan Williams. Prosecutors dismissed charges against several defendants which would have carried with them mandatory life sentences in exchange for guilty pleas. They claim such pleas helped them obtain as much as evidence as they could in a case that many actually started to question on the basis of a prior relationship between Williams and one of her attackers, as well as ensuring all seven people were charged.

The two oldest defendants in the case received maximum sentencing for the crimes in which they were charged. Three others received less and two await trial.

Karen Burton, 46, and Frankie Brewster, 49, both pleaded guilty to the crime last month. Burton received two consecutive 2-10 year sentences for assault and assault during the commission of a felony. Brewster received 10-25 years for second degree sexual assault.

Others involved in the case pleaded guilty and were sentenced earlier this year. Alisha Burton, 23, and George Messer, 27, received 10 years each for kidnapping and assault. Linnie Burton, 21, did not plead guilty but was charged with misdemeanor battery.

The final two defendants are still awaiting trial for felony sexual assault and kidnapping charges. Bobby Brewster, 24, instigated the week long torture by luring his ex-girlfriend across state lines and locking her in his mother, Frankie Brewster’s trailer. Both he and Danny Combs, 21, are accused of repeatedly raping and torturing her along with the aid and abuse of the other defendants. They have both denied “wrongdoing.”

Hate Crime Indictment in Megan Williams Case

Drumbeats from OverAnalyzeIt tell us that there is new developments in the Megan Williams case. One of several white people charged in the suspected kidnapping, torture and sexual assault of Megan Williams has been indicted on a hate crime count, and two others have entered guilty pleas in the case. [SOURCE]