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Lynching by Standard Definition
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Lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abe Smith
This lynching photo is the primary source that my paper began with. I chose this photo because of the location of the lynching, the response it prompted, and the overall power of the violent nature of the photo. -
Lynching of Cleo Wright
This photograph was added to the timeline because it marked the first time that the federal government became involved in a lynching case making it a milestone for the anti-lynching movement -
Murder of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was a 14 year old boy who was murdered and kidnapped for "whistling" at a white woman. The Till case built on that of Wright as it drew international media attention and an actual indictment of the two men involved. The two men were acquitted in a 1 hour deliberation even after confessing to the crime, demonstrating the flawed judicial system and oppression of Blacks. -
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Evolution into Modern Lynching
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Murder of Fred Hampton
This case was part of a greater government effort to fight the Black Panthers. Hampton was killed in a police raid, officers claimed that they were shot at by the Black Panthers in the house, 1 bullet was connected to a Black Panther gun while close to 100 were connected to police guns. After the raid information about COINTELPRO, a program created to fight Black nationalist groups, was released, In this timeline the murder of Fred Hampton marks the shift from extralegal to legal lynching. -
Lynching of Michael Donald
This lynching is out of place given the time period, however it is commonly referred to as the last documented lynching. As the final recorded "classic" lynching the murder of Michael Donald by two KKK members marks the official end to the old era of lynching -
McClesky v Kemp
McClesky v Kemp was a case that addressed the disproportionate use of the death penalty in Georgia. Citing numerous statistics McClesky showed an inherent racial bias in the sue of Capital Punishment by the Georgia courts. The death sentence in the cease was upheld even with the appeal, however it marked a recognition of inequality of Capital Punishment -
Police Assault on Rodney King
This assault marked another turn towards modern lynching as it introduced video evidence to this discussion. The fact that video evidence is still not enough for a conviction affirms the inequality of the judicial system. -
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Modern Lynching
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Murder of Amadou Diallo
For this timeline Amadou Diallo marks the shift into the lynching we see today in the form of unjust police brutality. Diallo was shot at a total of 41 times with 19 bullets landing. Officers attacked believing his wallet was a weapon, all were acquitted. -
Murder of Henry Glover
Henry Glover was a victim of police brutality in New Orleans, he was shot by an officer who thought he was a looter and two officers attempted to hide his remains by burning the body [which was later found and connected back to them]. 1 officer was eventually acquitted and the other is serving time for obstruction. -
Sean Bell Shooting
The murder of Sean Bell is yet another case of unjust police brutality that illustrates the evolution to modern lynching. Sean Bell and some friends left a club, officers believed they were going to get a gun and proceeded to shoot roughly 50 bullets into the car killing Bell. All officers involved were acquitted -
Murder of Trayvon Martin
Trayvon Martin was a 17 year old who was murdered by an armed neighborhood watch member named George Zimmerman. Zimmerman would plead self defense and eventually be acquitted in light of a lack of strong evidence. -
Death of Eric Garner
Eric Garner was killed for "resisting arrest" as police questioned him about selling cigarettes illegally. He was put in a prohibited chokehold where a video shows him yelling that he could not breathe. The officer in question was not indicted. -
Murder of Michael Brown
Michael Brown was 18 years old when he was shot and killed by a police officer. Officer Darren Wilson would testify that he was attacked by Brown and forced to use his gun in self defense. Brown died after being shot 6 times. Wilson was not indicted on any chrages. -
Tamir Rice Shooting
Tamir Rice was a 12 year old boy shot and killed by police for playing witha toy gun. The officers claimed that they believed the gun was real even before addressing the boy, he was shot and killed. The investigation is still in progress. -
Freddie Gray
Freddie Gray was 25 when he was killed in police custody following an illegal arrest. While details are unclear it is understood that he died in police custody and that the injuries leading to his death were casued by police. The trials for the officers involved are pending.
