bagua版 - On 100th Anniversary of Notorious Waco Lynching, Research Shows Link Between Lynching and Capital Pu |
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发帖数: 1 | 1 On 100th Anniversary of Notorious Waco Lynching, Research Shows Link Between
Lynching and Capital Punishment
100 years ago, Jesse Washington, a 17-year-old black farmhand accused of
murdering his white female employer was lynched on the steps of the Waco,
Texas courthouse (pictured), moments after Washington’s trial ended and
only seven days after the murder had occurred. The gruesome lynching took
place in front of law enforcement personnel and 15,000 spectators, none of
whom intervened to end the violence. Washington, whom reports indicate may
have been intellectually disabled, initially denied involvement in the
murder, but then purportedly confessed to police. A mob of 500 vigilantes
searched the county prison in an unsuccessful attempt to find Washington,
whom the sheriff had moved to other counties for his safety. An estimated 2,
500 people — many carrying guns and threatening to lynch Washington —
packed the courtroom during the short trial. As the jury read the guilty
verdict and before the judge could record its death sentence, a man
reportedly yelled, “Get the n****r,” and the crowd descended on Washington
, carrying him out of the courthouse with a chain around his neck, while
others attacked him with bricks and knives. The incident became a turning
point in anti-lynching efforts and contributed to the prominence of the
NAACP. Ignored for decades, Washington’s lynching recently gained local
attention and prompted a condemnation by the Waco City Council and McLennan
County commissioners in 2006. Studies have shown that counties that
historically have had high numbers of lynchings continue to have higher
levels of homicide, police violence against racial minorities,
disproportionate sentencing of black defendants, and more frequent use of
capital punishment. A 2005 study in the American Sociological Review found
that the number of death sentences, and especially the number of death
sentences for black defendants, was higher in states with histories of
lynching. “What the lynching proved about our community was that African-
American men and women were not viewed as humans or equal citizens,”
Peaches Henry, president of the Waco NAACP said. “While they no longer hang
people upon trees, we do see situations where African-American lives are
not valued.” McLennan County, where Washington was lynched, ranks among the
2% of U.S. counties that are responsible for more than half of all death
sentences in the United States.
#George Floyd
#I CANT BREATHE
#RacialGgaps
#PoliceViolence
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/on-100th-anniversary-of-notorious-waco-
lynching-research-shows-link-between-lynching-and-capital-punishment |
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