Crockett Calls for DOJ Review of Black Hanging Deaths Ruled Suicides Amid Concerns Over Possible Racial Violence
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett is calling on the Department of Justice to investigate what she describes as an alarming pattern of Black Americans being found hanging from trees and other structures across the country.
Crockett, a Texas Democrat who serves as ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, sent a letter Wednesday to Attorney General Todd Blanche and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon asking federal authorities to examine whether cases largely investigated individually by state and local agencies could point to a broader pattern.
Several of the deaths referenced by Crockett have been ruled suicides by local authorities. Crockett is not asserting that all of the deaths were lynchings, but is asking the DOJ to determine whether racial animus, misconduct or systemic investigative failures may have been overlooked.
“The images we are seeing of Black bodies hanging from trees and other structures across this country should shock the conscience of every American,” Crockett said.
Crockett Wants Cases Examined Collectively
In her request, Crockett argued that the Justice Department has nationwide investigative capabilities unavailable to individual local agencies and is positioned to look for connections that might not be apparent when deaths are examined separately.
“Given our nation’s horrific history of racial terror and lynching, we cannot simply look the other way when Black Americans are found dead under circumstances that demand answers,” Crockett said. “Every one of these cases deserves to be taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and examined in the context of what is happening across the country.”
The congresswoman also raised concerns about cases in which law enforcement or corrections personnel may have been involved.
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According to Crockett’s office, her letter cites a report identifying 23 cases described as possible modern-day lynchings involving police or correctional officers. Crockett is asking federal investigators to determine whether those cases warrant additional scrutiny rather than accepting the report’s characterization as an established conclusion.
Mississippi Police Department Draws Scrutiny
Crockett also pointed to recent revelations involving the Senatobia Police Department in Mississippi as an example of why she believes federal scrutiny is warranted.
Senatobia officials fired Police Chief Harold Vanderford on Sept. 1 after reporting by Mississippi Today, Verite News and The New York Times revealed a series of private messages in which Vanderford repeatedly used racist slurs against Black people.
The department had already been under scrutiny following the June 14 fatal police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley, a Black toddler, outside a Walmart. An officer involved in that incident had also been accused of directing a racially offensive remark toward a Black colleague two days before the shooting, according to an internal complaint reported by Mississippi Today.
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Those incidents are separate from the hanging deaths Crockett wants the Justice Department to review, but she cited the revelations as evidence of why allegations of racial bias involving law enforcement warrant serious examination.
“America spent generations allowing Black people to be lynched while institutions with the power to intervene stood by and did nothing,” Crockett said.
“We cannot repeat that history. DOJ has the authority, the resources, and the responsibility to determine whether these deaths are isolated tragedies or evidence of something far more sinister. I am demanding that they use them.”
Crockett’s office announced the request Sept. 2. The Justice Department had not publicly announced a nationwide investigation in response to the letter at the time of publication.
