Civil rights group documents 70 alleged "modern-day lynchings" across 7 Southern states

"The moment a case is ruled a suicide, it's no longer investigated as a potential homicide. It defies logic to assume someone climbed eight or nine feet into a tree with a noose around their neck and hanged themselves. These cases deserve thorough homicide investigations from the start to ensure justice and accountability."

"The Crimson Record lists cases across Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama and says the total could exceed 100 when suspicious deaths are included. Mississippi had the most cases with 20. These documented cases represent a pattern of deaths that warrant serious reconsideration of investigative procedures and initial determinations."

JULIAN, a Mississippi-based civil rights organization, released a report titled The Crimson Record identifying 70 suspected modern-day lynchings across Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi between 2000 and 2025, with potential cases exceeding 100 when suspicious deaths are included. Mississippi had the highest number with 20 cases. The report highlights a critical investigative problem: once authorities rule deaths as suicides, investigations cease as potential homicides. Cases like Jermaine Carter, found hanging from a tree in Greenwood, Mississippi in 2010, and Rodney Thompson in Memphis in 2009, were ruled suicides despite family and civil rights groups challenging these determinations. Recent cases, including Kyle Bassinga in Metro Atlanta, demonstrate ongoing tensions between communities and investigators regarding proper investigation protocols for suspicious hanging deaths.

Read at Axios