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Exactly 100 years to the day since Willie Baker’s lynching, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Emmett Till Antilynching Law, making lynching a federal hate crime punishable by up to 30 years in prison. The House of Representatives passed it last month.
Gregory Case and Brandon Case’s alleged actions sent a strong message through the overall symbolism of timing. It’s apparent that Brookhaven not only still has a serious race problem, but the town is plagued by a documented history of systemic brutality against Black people. It’s also apparent that Police Chief Collins is disconnected from a severe reality of the community he leads.
Black businessman and voting-rights activist Lamar Smith arrived at the Lincoln County Courthouse on Aug. 13, 1955, as dozens of people milled about on the lawn. Walking up to the steps on the north side of the courthouse carrying his ballots, Smith encountered three white men who blocked his entry. Soon, he was lying on the ground dying from a gunshot wound. No one would help him.
Brookhaven, Miss., native Dick Scruggs was 9 when white men killed Black farm owner Lamar “Ditney” Smith due to his political organizing and campaign. Now, Scruggs wants a marker on the courthouse lawn where Smith died.
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