A Hanging in Mississippi this afternoon - posted with heavy heart and worry

[Mira]

http://www.wjtv.com/story/28564604/coroner-body-found-hanging-in-claiborne-county

Coroner: Hanging in Claiborne County

Posted: Mar 19, 2015 3:10 PM EDT Updated: Mar 19, 2015 4:20 PM EDT
By Donesha Aldridge, Web Content Manager/Producer


CLAIBORNE COUNTY, Miss. - A death investigation is underway in Claiborne County after body was found Thursday.

The coroner said there was a hanging in the county.

Sheriff Marvin Lucas said they found a body on Old Rodney Road in Port Gibson.

Authorities have not released the name of the person found.

MBI and the FBI are investigating.

The Claiborne County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is asking the U.S. Department of Justice to step in and investigate as well.

We have a crew headed to the scene. We will update this story as more details become available.

[In_The_Wind]

1. .

[MohRokTah]

2. The open lynchings are coming back.

Lynching by cop just wasn't enough for the racists.

[pscot]

7. The story doesn't say that

Let's hope you're wrong. The NAACP comment is suggestive, but let's hope you're wrong.

[MohRokTah]

8. IT was a black man who had been missing

http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/28564895/naacp-wants-us-justice-department-to-investigate-suspicious-hanging-death

[pscot]

10. It looks awful, I agree

[Fred Sanders]

48. TV News headlines and web reports are uninformative. I am also not in favor of headlines that omit a key timeline.

[MADem]

26. The FBI as well as the state investigative bureau are on scene.THAT's suggestive, unfortunately. nt

[davidsilver]

64. I agree. It's a little early to start jumping to conclusions.

[F4lconF16]

12. Yup.

And it will never be enough for them until every black in this country is either dead, a slave, or in prison.

[uhnope]

22. I hope it wasn't a lynching, don't you?

It's a horrible story but it's also horrible to jump to conclusions. In the United States hanging is the second most common method of suicide behind firearms
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_by_hanging#Prevalence

[MohRokTah]

25. I don't believe it was suicide.

He had been missing for quite some time.

[MohRokTah]

31. I believe it was a lynching.

I will believe that until proved otherwise.

[NM_Birder]

40. best just to assume racist murder ? inspiring.

[TBF]

90. The first post is hidden so you try again -

that's persistence.

[pangaia]

184. This is a bit late, but,

he was absolutely right to try again. Hiding his first post was wrong.

Even though I am writing on Saturday, when more is known about this man's death, there are just too many older posts here assuming it was a racist murder.
I go to 'that other site' upon occasion, and do my best to uphold our side of the argument, in spite of the horrific filth there, but this kind of jumping to conclusions by many of 'us' is not right.

[onecent]

224. I can't see ANY REASON it should have been disputed. He was

merely stating a fact that could be or could not be true???? WTF?
Whatever happened to free speech. Ban me for asking, I don't care.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

82. I'm of the same mind. because racism has become so visible lately

So charged...and white retrogrades and their fury, are unhidden these days.

So, until I see otherwise, this is the simplest explanation.

[morningfog]

36. What the hell do you think when you hear a black

man hanged in Mississippi?

[jberryhill]

50. Given the statistics?

Statistical Report of Mississippi - 2012 p. 97 - Deaths

http://msdh.ms.gov/phs/2012/Bulletin/vr2012.pdf

Intentional self-harm (suicide) by hanging, strangulation
and suffocation
Total: 71
White: 48
Nonwhite: 23

Assault (homicide) by hanging, strangulation and suffocation
Total: 8
White: 4
Nonwhite: 4

[TBF]

92. Given the exact method -

"bed sheet tied around his neck and a skull cap on his head, hanging from a tree"

Gee, I wonder what that could be. Sounds like a typical suicide to me ...

[jberryhill]

93. Two things

First, none of those details were in the OP article posted hours ago. All kinds of facts may emerge. That's the point of an investigation.

Second, bedsheets are commonly used for this purpose. The Wikipedia article on the subject even says:

"In addition to rope, other materials can easily be fashioned into an improvised noose e.g. a bed-sheet, ripped T-shirt, shoelaces or telephone extension cable. "

People don't always have rope lying around, and it is especially common to use bedsheets in prisons or mental institutions.

As for wearing a skull cap, I don't see what's supposed to be unusual about that. Lots of African American men wear knit caps of all kinds.

What is so awful about waiting for additional facts before reaching a conclusion?

We had a couple of threads here where it was proven beyond a doubt by the DU forensic team that the cops in Ferguson were shot by white agitators using scoped rifles that fire handgun rounds - right down to the model of rifle used.

Now, all I know is what I read in the OP, and the two additional facts you added.

I am not familiar with lynch mob procedures, but don't they usually use a rope? That would seem to be something you'd have on hand if you were going out to lynch someone.

Improvising by using a bedsheet seems more like a suicide in my completely non expert opinion.

Were his hands bound? Were there signs of other trauma or injury? Did he win a lot of money at the casino? Do the casino cameras show anyone meeting him or following him? Those are questions susceptible of answers, and a heck of a lot more interesting.

[heaven05]

100. I lived through a time and area

where 'incidents like this were de rigueur. I also heard and read the same deflective comments from certain people in my time, 50's and 60's. Usually in my time, no one was found to have committed the act, but that DID NOT take away from the fact another POC, males and females, was dead. What is it with this stuff of rope vs sheet. "Were his hands bound"? Usually in my experience, but not always. "Lot more interesting"? To someone who doesn't want to face facts about this racist culture that is reverting back to the 'good old days'. Turning this into a comment on the fog after the ferguson cop shootings? Conclusion? Of what? The only hope is the FBI will not allow a whitewash of this 'incident'. Bubble living must be nice.

[jberryhill]

148. From the bubble....

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-mississippi-hanging-20150320-story.html

[heaven05]

162. right

at least the FBI is there. It's always a possible suicide, but the area belies that possibility, more like lynching is probable. Period. I really don't care if you think racist aren't capable of lynchings. And I know that suicide findings are always the easy way out. So Mr. Byrd took a 'sheet' out in the woods and hung himself.... okay You're entitled to your defense of the american way of life as enjoyed in the deep south and I will be on the offense against certain racial sectors enjoying their way of life...like they have for the last 250 years, especially in the deep south KKK land.

[jberryhill]

191. I think the sherrif in that county is fully aware of that history

So, do you think Sherrif Martin Lucas may be part of the coverup?

[B2G]

194. The entire Sherrif's department is black.

http://claibornecountysheriff.org/page.php?id=12

[Revanchist]

205. No it isn't

They have a token white guy

[B2G]

206. Oh, my bad. :-)

[heaven05]

214. ohh, I think so also

still doesn't diminish the probability of a lynching. All who lynch are not stupid. Easy to make it look like suicide. I'm done with your excuses, deflection and distraction from the true nature of the culture in Mississippi and my valid suspicion of that racist culture.

[TBF]

114. Ahem, just because facts come out after the OP is written

does not mean they don't count. Your defense of this action is reprehensible imo.

[jberryhill]

116. What the f am I "defending"?

I'd like to know what happened, and I don't see how jumping to conclusions based on no facts in the original story aids in finding out.

[WestSeattle2]

143. We don't need no stinkin' facts. There is a narrative developing that

is totally devoid of facts, and many here like it that way. They won't believe otherwise, even if facts are presented. These individuals are easily - and constantly manipulated by those with personal agendas.

Useful idiots aren't just a right wing phenomenon.

Those of us who have and use critical thinking skills, will wait for the facts.

[7962]

169. I'm surprised your post wasnt hidden. Making sense and all that. nt

[treestar]

179. Yeah people do have a result they "want"

to fit another narrative about the world.

The authorities seems to be taking the lynching possibility seriously too - which doesn't fit the narrative either.

[mythology]

152. There isn't enough public information to say what the action is

Suicide, racial attack, non-racial killing, suicide and cover up attempt, accidental death with cover up attempt.

It's not defending anything to wait for additional information. It's not a competition of who can be the angriest first.

[TBF]

163. Y'all are defending the system beautifully.

I hope you are all very pleased with yourself.

[WestSeattle2]

164. Pleased that we're intelligent, critical thinking adults? Yes, I am.

[cwydro]

180. ...

[pangaia]

187. I/we are using our brains, not our lower

emotional centers.

[pangaia]

186. iberry isn't defending anything.

He is just using his/her brain.

[treestar]

177. The article says his hands were not bound

So I'm thinking it is a suicide. Just because it's a black man in MS doesn't prove he was lynched.

Though someone might have motive. The victim himself was convicted of murder in 1980 and got out on parole in 2006. Odd history.

[awoke_in_2003]

47. not with Mississippi's track record. nt

[jberryhill]

51. This is the track record

Statistical Report of Mississippi - 2012 p. 97 - Deaths

http://msdh.ms.gov/phs/2012/Bulletin/vr2012.pdf

Intentional self-harm (suicide) by hanging, strangulation
and suffocation
Total: 71
White: 48
Nonwhite: 23

Assault (homicide) by hanging, strangulation and suffocation
Total: 8
White: 4
Nonwhite: 4

[awoke_in_2003]

56. stating statistics from 2012

does not take away the fact it wasn't too long ago that lynchings were a favorite past time in the south. I don't know how old you are, but lynchings have taken place in my life time.

[jberryhill]

60. Indeed

Yes, there were 4 deaths caused in 2012 (the most recent year for which I found a full morbidity report for Mississippi from their vital stats department) of nonwhites by hanging or strangulation. The report does not classify these by race of the assailant(s).

Lynching is generally a group activity, and one about which people will talk. As a tactic to terrorize a population, talking about it, and making it clear that it WAS a lynching, is integral. A "secret lynching" does not send that message to the targeted group.

The report is sketchy on how long it may have been since he went missing, versus how long ago he may have been hanged. I do not know how long a body retains sufficient integrity to remain hanging after death.

What the numbers do show, for the most recent year available, is that a nonwhite person who has been hanged, strangled or suffocated is five times more likely to have died from suicide than by having been a homicide victim.

[awoke_in_2003]

62. You bring up valid points...

I just wanted you to know why, when some of hear that a black man was found hanged, our first thought is a lynching. This could very well be a suicide. I truly hope it wasn't a lynching, but seeing how vocal and flagrant racism has exploded (at least here in Texas) since 2008, it is not a far stretch to see lynchings coming back. It saddens me how far backwards this country has gone in some respects.

[heaven05]

102. "A 'secret lynching'

(of a POC) does not send that message to the targeted group". Really??? geez

[heaven05]

101. your stats?

way off and I see just an attempt at deflection from the reality of black people living in a racist culture and at risk for things like this happening to them, EVERY DAY!! And no I will not enlighten you and/or make you come out your bubble. Let's go back to 1930-40-50-60? In mississippi, alabama, georgia, where I lived. That's as far as I'll go with you. geez

[pangaia]

189. iberry is uning his brain. simple..

[TBF]

226. If you repeat it enough

it might become true ....

[uhnope]

32. Why "believe" anything until the facts are out?

[MohRokTah]

33. Because it is a natural human reaction. eom

[uhnope]

35. a natural one, true, but not the only one. Not the responsible or helpful reaction

of course we all read the headline and see Mississippi and think the worst. But to start yelling about it immediately is really not helpful or even responsible

[MohRokTah]

37. Nio I find it most helpful.

I expect the worst out of people.

I expect cops to gun down black people.

I expect racists to hang innocent black men from trees.

It saves the trouble of being disappointed in how evil men can be.

[uhnope]

42. Crying Wolf as a philosophy, then. It can be dangerous and counterproductive.

It's what FOX News does all the time.

[MohRokTah]

59. I'm done with you. eom

[heaven05]

106. total deflection and distraction

from the FACT that a POC, Otis Byrd, jr., was found hanging, with a bed sheet around his neck, dead, in a tree in MISSISSIPPI!!!! geez

[cwydro]

190. I was going to respond to that poster too uhnope.

But I see that he is once again on a "temporary vacation" lol.

[treestar]

193. Interesting how that 5th post

came just in time to let poster's 4 post meltdown over Glenn Greenwald in Feb. add him up to a vacation!

[cwydro]

196. Lol.

And he just got back from a previous vacay!

[heaven05]

105. +1000

Last edited Fri Mar 20, 2015, 10:17 AM - Edit history (1)

without noise from the "targeted group", nothing is ever done. And even with noisy speculation, video proof, nothing is done, usually. Michael Brown, James Crawford, Eric Garner, Shareese Francis, Miriam Carey, Tarika Wilson, Travon Martin et al, prove my point here. I've heard so much of this excuse and deflection my whole life when it comes to the murder, by racists, of POC. It get's old and predictable. It's why it continues. The racist(s) count on people discrediting the act for one reason or another, some are even saying it could be suicide, which it could be but I truly doubt it...that's one of the reasons these murders/executions continue in amerikkka, 2015.

[treestar]

195. But that doesn't mean it's so in every single case

And here it may not be. And at least the possibility is being taken seriously. And the sheriff in the county is a black man. Even MS has improved.

[heaven05]

215. black sheriff

incapable of being wrong. Right? If you say so. Your right. I stick to my probability notion. Mississippi race culture is the same it was 100 years ago. Just they realized(the PTB) that certain changes 'had to be allowed' to not look so backward and ignorant.

[treestar]

216. Amazing.

Even the black sheriff is just for show and powerless?

[heaven05]

217. isn't it?

[onenote]

228. how much time have you spent in Mississippi in the past five years?

5 years?
5 months?
5 weeks?
5 days?
5 minutes?
5 seconds?
None of the above?

And how much of that time was spent in Claiborne County?

Such information would help assess your take of the current state of things in Mississippi in general and in Claiborne County.

[heaven05]

229. 5 minutes, five years, five generations

all the same in the deep south. Period. I grew up there, all the information, I will ever need to assess. If this is your state or county, you're entitled to it and that doesn't change the nature of southern culture as I know it. Have a good one.

[pangaia]

204. I agree with you. Did from the beginning.

[pangaia]

203. It is an uncontrolled, emotional

knee-jerk reaction. Just like becoming instantly angry when called a name and acting on it.

THIS is one great lesson Obama has been teaching for the last 6 years...
The child reacts in this type of situation unconsciously. An intellectually and emotionally mature adult does not. (If only we could all be intellectually and emotionally mature adults all that time.)

The emotions react the fastest.
The body reacts a little slower and the mind is the slowest.

This is why if driving down the street and a child suddenly runs in front of your car, you do NOT want to respond first with your mind or the child will be dead. The emotion acts first, FEAR, then the body, in terms of slamming on the break.

If you are watching the NCAA playoffs, men's or women's, you can very clearly see this in action. FAST BREAK...emotion hits in instantly,,faster than one even knows it, but then the body just takes over. Guy runs the floor, which way, left, right, fake..it is all instinctive,, no thought. You can SEE when a player is thinking too much instead of just seeing the floor.

BUT, for this situation, of a man hanging from a tree, I believe we should not just let the emotions take over and control what we should be doing with our minds. Not at all easy,, considering history AND our own conditioning.

I lived in Memphis in the late 1960s. I was there when Dr, King was killed. I am white. I was dating a black woman. We were both in our 20s. Some uncomfortable things happened to us. One very horrible thing happened.. to us, but mostly to her. That doesn't mean I know more than anybody else. But it does mean that I am not naive.

[davidsilver]

65. Yes, I agree.

[Midnight Writer]

95. Amen. Wait for facts. Then react.

[jberryhill]

39. What about the length of time he was missing excludes suicide?

He was last seen when dropped off at a casino.

Casinos generally have a lot of cameras, so if they keep their data long enough, then there will likely be a good idea of whatever may have transpired there.

[jberryhill]

41. He had been at a casino

Since he had gone to a casino for entertainment, then what could possibly happen in a casino which would lead someone to commit suicide?

[uhnope]

43. are you joking? nt

[Spazito]

46. Or, conversely, what could happen in a casino which would lead ...

someone to commit murder?

[jberryhill]

54. Correct

Lose money and you may be depressed.

Win money and you may be a victim.

That is why I mentioned above that the casino would likely have cameras.

[ND-Dem]

129. he worked at the casino.

[B2G]

131. Where did you see he worked there?

That's about 30 miles from where he lived. I've seen no such reports of that.

[ND-Dem]

135. "riverboat employee" I assumed it was the same thing; maybe wrongly.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/black-mans-body-found-hanging-from-tree-in-mississippi/ar-BBitAhn

[treestar]

199. That article says his hands were tied

whereas another says they weren't. If so, that's a homicide.

[ND-Dem]

219. It actually says - a nephew said - that the family had been told - by police -

-that the man's hands were tied - but he'd worked them free - but this couldn't be confirmed by authorities.

[jberryhill]

132. That's interesting

I wouldn't think too many casinos hire people with prior felony convictions, but I suppose anything is possible.

Where did that fact come from?

[ND-Dem]

136. "riverboat employee". I assumed it was the "casino". maybe wrongly.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/black-mans-body-found-hanging-from-tree-in-mississippi/ar-BBitAhn

[B2G]

138. That's weird because all of the local news reports

say he was making a 'trip to the casino' and references to his jobs only mention an oil rig...nothing about a riverboat.

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/03/19/suspicious-hanging-in-claiborne-county/25031257/

[ND-Dem]

168. Well, Port Gibson is on the Mississippi; population a little over 1500 and pretty poor. Does it

have oil rigs, or riverboats?

http://www.portgibsononthemississippi.com/welcome.html

looks like the biggest employer is a nuclear outfit.

http://www.portgibsononthemississippi.com/employers.html

[Fred Sanders]

53. Premature generalization......the FBI will give details shortly.

[Dreamer Tatum]

55. Because no human ever committed suicide by hanging. nt

[TBF]

89. You need to do some reading on American history -

not many suicides are done with bedsheets in the middle of the woods. Unless the KKK is involved.

But go ahead with your right wing rationalizations as per usual ...

[jberryhill]

94. A lynch mob improvising with a bedsheet?

You know why they take away bedsheets from people on suicide watch?

[TBF]

112. What I do know is who loves sheets -

and your defense is really interesting.

[jberryhill]

115. Defense?

Who am I "defending" here?

I had no idea the KKK hangs people with bedsheets.

So, the theory, as I take it, is that there are klan lynch mobs who wear bedsheets instead of robes, and when they want to hang someone, one of them takes off their sheet and uses that.

Is that it?

Seriously, you think they wear bedsheets?

[pangaia]

207. :>))) good one, again.

You are just too far ahead of them.

I just joined this thing this am... stunning.. just stunning..

I wrote a long post somewhere above.. don't know how to indicate it. but if you like look for it...

[uponit7771]

124. right...

[Bonx]

157. or not.

[JaneyVee]

3. HOLY FFFFFFFFFF!

[villager]

5. And since the GOP has clearly, unequivocally, declared war against the rest of America

How does it finally end?

[HereSince1628]

13. We are a nation of 300 million, a horrendous act on one person

is enough to bring down the power of ALL in judgment on it's criminality

The first response shouldn't be a call to burn the whole thing down, but for commitment to obtaine the information needed to bring all the criminals to justice.

I realize that's an emotional stretch.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

16. I can see how my response would piss people off, and i am of course saying it primarily

as a warning that if WE dont do something about this, then it is gonna get way worse

One person?

Bullshit, millions want to lynch black people including Obama

most just dont have the nerve

[HereSince1628]

23. of course I am referring to one person lynched

which I suspect, but can't prove, is condemned by a majority of Americans.

We are surrounded by prejudice and discrimination based on various ridiculous and irrational criteria.

Lynching is intolerable, to say it demands pursuit until the murderers are convicted and sentenced hardly seems strong enough. Yet, reliance on justice is an obvious difference of what sets the survivors about the perps.

[awoke_in_2003]

52. I don't think your post should have been hidden

Racism is getting out of control in this country, and the legal system doesn't have a good track record in regards to African Americans

[demwing]

79. Its an incite to riot

While I get the emotion , I'm surprise it wasn't a unanimous vote

[heaven05]

109. I agree but

the thought of armed POC DEFENDING themselves from hateful, vicious racists scares a lot of people.....been like that for generations and ain't gone away yet because the generations of murder and executions of POC is still going on and the outcry over POC defending themselves, violently if necessary, still causes fear among those who see THAT as dangerous, not the hangings, not the executions, just armed black people defending themselves.....who could figure? I do..

[pangaia]

208. But what about the facts in this particular case?

Even on Thurs when you posted?

[awoke_in_2003]

221. I hope that it was indeed a suicide...

because I do not want to think about what happens if lynchings make a comeback. That being said, there are two things that African American's cannot expect in this country- protection from the police, or justice from the justice system.

[cali]

134. Ginning up a race war the way you are, particularly

I have to say, given that you're white, is really damned disgraceful. Advocating killing whites, en masse, "with prejudice", and the government giving black people free guns and ammunition, is just nut, and really frickin' horrible stuff.

One can condemn racism. reflect on one's own attitudes and behavior, try to understand both white privilege and peril and hardship that being black often entails in this country. Those are good things. Advocating mass murder?

It sucks, and yeah, it's revealing. not surprising though.

[pangaia]

211. Too logical.

It takes emotional control to use logic.

I am trying to push back a little on those who 'jump' also.

[pangaia]

210. Your response doesn't piss me off.

But may I ask what is the THIS, of which you speak?

Of COURSE I know what you are talking about. And I understand how emotions can easily well up.
But, as far as I know, even now on Sat am, it is not sure what happened.
I am just trying to be a bit rational.

[Fred Sanders]

49. The victim had been missing for a month (edit- 2 weeks?)...body discovered today.....a lot more details are available in ither threads.

Last edited Fri Mar 20, 2015, 10:41 AM - Edit history (1)

[TBF]

121. The interesting part is that he had jobs since prison etc -

the family admitted he had been incarcerated but he had actually been working and getting his life back together. I could see depression/suicide if he was having a hard time finding work but he had been contributing to society again.

[B2G]

123. Unless he lost a huge wad at the casino

And we really have no idea about his employment situation or his state of mind.

[JustAnotherGen]

166. Has that been released to the public?

I don't gamble - don't get it at all. But it's not an illegal thing there - right? Don't people lose gambling all the time?

[rbrnmw]

6. OMG No

Why????

[Sherman A1]

9. Sad

simply sad.

[rhett o rick]

11. This is very scary. I hope they catch the bastards that did this. nm

[salin]

14. I assume it is too soon to tell,

but it seems there is a difference between hanging oneself and "a hanging." If the latter is the case - it needs to be called what it was: a lynching.

[countryjake]

15. 54-year-old Otis James Byrd, missing for the past ten days

after being dropped off at a casino.






http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/28564895/naacp-wants-us-justice-department-to-investigate-suspicious-hanging-death

[Cooley Hurd]

17. My God... his name was Otis James Byrd?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_James_Byrd_Jr.

James Byrd Jr. (May 2, 1949 – June 7, 1998) was an African-American who was murdered by three men, of whom at least two were white supremacists, in Jasper, Texas, on June 7, 1998. Shawn Berry, Lawrence Russell Brewer, and John King dragged Byrd for three miles behind a pick-up truck along an asphalt road. Byrd, who remained conscious throughout most of the ordeal, was killed when his body hit the edge of a culvert, severing his right arm and head. The murderers drove on for another mile before dumping his torso in front of an African-American cemetery in Jasper.[1] Byrd's lynching-by-dragging gave impetus to passage of a Texas hate crimes law. It later led to the federal Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, commonly known as the Matthew Shepard Act, which passed on October 22, 2009, and which President Barack Obama signed into law on October 28, 2009.

[G_j]

29. I thought of that also

[Skittles]

72. yes

I have never forgotten James Byrd

[heaven05]

110. Me either

[alphafemale]

69. Same thing grabbed me.

Similar ages, too.

Horrible thing for the family no matter what the circumstances turn out to be.

[MerryBlooms]

71. Also the first connection that came to my mind.

[AwakeAtLast]

88. I thought of that incident before I knew the victim's name

I don't know what else to say. Stunned.

[valerief]

18. Strange fruit.

I guess the racist cops aren't killing black people fast enough for the white elite.

[byronius]

27. Beautiful version of that song.

Thanks.

[bravenak]

44. Thank you.

[octoberlib]

63. This song always brings the tears on.

Beautiful and haunting.

[heaven05]

111. ohhhh

he committed suicide.....

[libdem4life]

127. Haunting...Heartbreaking. n/t

[libdem4life]

128. Discussion, thoughts, feelings, reactions are what a discussion board is for. I can express

my rage and and suspicions as they occur to me, and without "all the facts". Why? Because they are cathartic and often, especially in these circumstances, the "facts" are not factual and/or never see the light of day.

[democrank]

19. Rest in peace, Mr. Bryd.

[Spazito]

20. .....

Black Lives Matter!

[one_voice]

21. I can't...

read this...

[KMOD]

24. It may be a suicide

I just read an article that said his body was found on property behind his home.

I don't want to fathom the other alternative, but I'm glad it is being investigated.

Rest In Peace Mr. Byrd.

[davidsilver]

67. It's to early to speculate as to the cause although you might be right.

We should have more information soon. Yet, no matter what the cause, this is still a tragic story. My heart goes out to this man's family.

[Catherine Vincent]

30. I read that the authorities aren't ruling out suicide

If it was suicide, wouldn't he do it in the privacy of his home?

[NM_Birder]

38. Hard to rationalize suicide, it's not a rational process

What if he had a gambling problem ? it mentioned he had been at the casino, i would imagine a gambling problem is the cause for MANY people to lose hope. Maybe he had a problem that hasn't been mentioned yet.

[BeyondGeography]

57. It is; some info on that at the link below

http://www.thefix.com/content/you-bet-your-life

[Vinca]

61. Not necessarily.

Years ago I was a cop and had an experience of dealing with a case where a guy hung himself in the woods off a rest area. There was no doubt it was a suicide. Sadly, it happens.

[Lucky Luciano]

91. In Japan, my Japanese wife mentioned thst

...it is not uncommon for people to hang themselves deep in the forests. Sometimes the bodies are found much later...sometimes not.

[JustAnotherGen]

103. Except - it wasn't in Japan

It happened in a place that has a history of cruel treatment towards men of a certain color because of what they are.

Can't compare Japan to Mississippi.

[Lucky Luciano]

133. Oh - I agree. These circumstances in Mississippi are VERY suspicious.

[cwydro]

142. Yeah, there's a creepy website

about a specific forest full of suicides.

Eek.

[wheniwasincongress]

108. this is morbid to say but...

One may choose to commit suicide outdoors so that their house will remain clean of one's body and its functions that continue after death, because someone has to clean the house after its occupant has deceased.

[cwydro]

119. Not necessarily. nt

[Nuclear Unicorn]

165. Recently, here on DU, I read a story of a teacher who hung herself in class.

Her students found her and brought her down but, sadly, it was too late.

[raven mad]

34. ...

[countryjake]

45. Now coming up as Breaking News on CNN

In that report, Wolfie said that there is going to be a news conference from authorities in Mississippi, coming up soon.

[applegrove]

58. He was reported missing March 2nd. Vibes to the family.

[Dont call me Shirley]

66. Otis...

[DawgHouse]

68. Poor man.

If someone harmed him, I hope justice is swift.
If he harmed himself, I hope his family finds peace.

Condolences to his family and friends.

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

70. OMG. That's horrible. Things are just getting worse. :(

nt

[ismnotwasm]

73. Didn't see your thread

I just saw this--terrifying

[DesertRat]

74. OMG

Horrifying

[ColesCountyDem]

75. Any competent death investigation assumes homicide, until proven otherwise.

Homicide is the 'default setting' in any death investigation, because a homicide investigation tends to be the most thorough. That said, this could be a suicide, particularly with Mr. Byrd's hands not being bound in some manner.

I'm glad the FBI is joining in.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

76. Omg, what fuck country is this?

I can't believe this is 2015.

[AtomicKitten]

77. I had to check the date 2 or 3 times before it sunk in.

Wow. There are no words.

[blogslut]

78. Update from WJTV

http://www.wjtv.com/story/28564604/new-information-released-in-press-conference-on-body-found-hanging-in-claiborne-county

By Erin Burt, Web Content Producer

MBI, FBI, and Claiborne County Sheriff's Dept. on scene investigating MBI, FBI, and Claiborne County Sheriff's Dept. on scene investigating
CLAIBORNE COUNTY, Miss. - According to a press conference held by the FBI and the Claiborne County Sheriff's Dept., the body was found with a bed sheet tied around the neck and a skull cap on the head, hanging from a tree. The hands were not tied behind back. The body was not discovered on family property, but was found at 10:21 am, 500 yards southwest of a house belonging to family members of Byrd. The incident has not been confirmed as a homicide or suicide.

The Claiborne county chapter of the NAACP and family members say that Otis Byrd, a man reported missing, was found hanging in the woods not far from his last known residence. So far, the FBI and MBI has not released the identity of the person found and the death is currently under investigation.

This statement is from an official release from the FBI and Mississippi Bureau of Investigation:

"Earlier in the day, the Claiborne County Sheriffs Department and the Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries and Parks conducted a ground search for a man who had been missing since early March. Officers located a man hanging in the woods near Old Rodney Road a half mile from his last known residence."

[Number23]

80. Thanks for posting that.

The incident has not been confirmed as a homicide or suicide.

Sigh.

[blogslut]

81. Too early to officially state, I would imagine.

Horrible, regardless.

[onenote]

85. But not to early for some duers to decide

They know what happened.

[cwydro]

172. I know, right?

And as usual, they were wrong.

[lynne]

83. Curiouser and Curiouser -

Several reports now stating the following:

"A law enforcement official says the man found hanging is believed to be 54-year-old Otis Byrd, who has been missing since earlier this month. According to the MS Department of Corrections, Byrd was convicted in 1980 for murdering a woman. He was paroled in 2006."

That opens the door for a revenge killing.

No matter the reason, sympathies to his family.

[Initech]

84. What. The. Fuck.

[Anansi1171]

86. The fire this time-nt

[Scruffy Rumbler]

87. I just heard a brief bit on the radio.

The announcer claimed that the law was looking for an escaped prisoner wanted in the murder of a white woman when they found the body of a black man hanging from a tree. They could not say if the body of the man was the person they where looking for.

If this doesn't sound like something from the Jim Crow days I don't know what does!

[DesertDiamond]

96. Oh dear. If it's suicide that's horrible, but way worse in my mind if it's a lynching

[Cha]

97. ..

RIP Otis James Byrd

[JustAnotherGen]

98. RIP Mr. Byrd

For those who don't folks to jump to conclusions - that's what we do at DU.

That said - the FBI is there for a reason. Until they close it as not a race based killing in a state with a long history of odd looking fruit hanging from its trees -

We are gonna speculate. Trash the key words if it makes it easier on you.

[DonCoquixote]

99. tger gopw ants to bring back lynching

Hell, they willprobably go for the plantation too if we let them.

Let'snot let them.

[Joe Chi Minh]

104. If it was

a lynching, electrocute them all. Or hang them.

[B2G]

107. A couple of things stand out to me

First, served 25 years for murdering a woman in the '80s. Could this possibly be a revenger murder?

And he was found 500 feet from his family's home. To me, that may rule out a random killing by a stranger.

It's odd that he was missing for 10 days and was suddenly found near home hanging from a tree. Had he returned recently or did someone know where he lived and brought him home to execute him? Or did he come home to commit suicide?

Who hangs someone with a bed sheet instead of a rope? And what's with the skull cap reference? I don't even know what that means.

This whole thing is weird.

[jberryhill]

118. No one ever wears these

https://www.google.com/search?q=skull+cap&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=skull+cap&tbm=shop

The only time anyone wears a skull cap is when they are being murdered, apparently.

[B2G]

120. Yeah, which is why I thought it was weird

that it was one of the few details they released.

[mnhtnbb]

113. We had a suspicious hanging death of a young black teen here in NC recently

that was first classified as suicide, but the NC NAACP has requested
the FBI investigate it. Family didn't believe it.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-hanging-town-20141214-story.html#page=1

[Mira]

117. Neither did I believe it

I studied what was released of the evidence, and in my opinion that evidence made a suicide impossible.

[cwydro]

140. I think this one will turn out to be suicide too.

Though no doubt that will disappoint many in DU.

[mnhtnbb]

146. It does seem very suspicious to me--difficult to believe a suicide-- based on what I've read.

Have you seen any kind of statement from the FBI about their investigation?

Nothing popped up from googling.

[jberryhill]

149. There is this...

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-mississippi-hanging-20150320-story.html

[mnhtnbb]

155. I was referring to the NC 'hanging/suicide' I mentioned in post #113.

[SmittynMo]

122. What year is this?

Black man hung in Mississippi? I would imagine this was very popular 70 YEARS AGO!!!!

And it's still going on? WOW. Yeah, I know the facts aren't in yet, and it's all speculation. But to read this in 2015 blows me away.

[B Calm]

125. 25 years in prison was not enough for the racist bastards, so they hung him. Seeing it

was in Mississippi, I think there is a damn good chance they hung a man that was innocent all along.

[B2G]

126. He was released from prison 9 years ago

Quite a long time to exact revenge. As for his innocence, he shot Lucille Trim 5 times during an armed robbery. There were numerous eye witnesses to the murder.

And who is this 'they' you speak of? Do you know something the rest of us don't?

[Mira]

130. Be Calm - let's wait out what happened

and hope we will find some truth.

[onenote]

137. Has it occurred to you that the guilt from his actions might have finally overwhelmed him?

That's at least as likely a scenario as the one you seem so certain of.

[TBF]

139. It is very frustrating B Calm -

and it strikes me as very suspicious as well. At least the NAACP and FBI were called in.

[NaturalHigh]

159. That's quite a conspiracy theory there.

[treestar]

202. Wouldn't the lynching be more likely 25 years ago?

Then also he did not get the death penalty. And got paroled. Which unfortunately indicates to me that Lucille Trim might have been a black woman. Which is a fact I should wait for, but we are talking Mississippi 25 years ago.

[wingzeroday]

141. Early autopsy suggests suicide

"Early autopsy suggests suicide of black man found hanging in Mississippi"


http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-mississippi-hanging-20150320-story.html

[B2G]

144. Thanks for that post. Although some here

won't accept the final findings anyway.

[jberryhill]

145. Well, that's a preliminary finding, so...

...I wouldn't engage in conclusion jumping either way.

The interesting thing about the perception phenomena in this thread, IMHO, is the idea that the common use of bedsheets in suicides as an improvised rope is not that, but some signature technique of lynch mobs. I guess it comes from the notion that the KKK wears bedsheets instead of actually tailored robes, or regularly has bedsheets on hand for lynchings - or, I suppose someone had to give up their robe to use, because nobody had rope, jumper cables, electrical cords, or other things that are more likely to be in the back of someone's pickup truck.

The absence of any other injuries from the original story isn't really telling either way, since one might imagine that if he's been missing that long, then a non-expert observer might not be able to tell if there were other injuries or not.

[B2G]

147. It seems that the story now is

that he came home from the casino that night with a friends...not sure now long he had actually been missing, but the body was partly decomposed, so he could have committed suicide (or have been killed) very shortly after that.

I'm sure there will be more information forthcoming, but the proximity to his home made me initially think suicide rather than murder.

[LanternWaste]

150. Police reports are never wrong, and suicides are never faked.

Police reports are never wrong, and suicides are never faked. Though this will certainly validate a handful of biases....

[B2G]

151. Case in point. nt

[jberryhill]

153. Faking an autopsy in a federal investigation would require quite a motivation

[cwydro]

156. He was no angel.

A convicted murderer at the prime age for suicide in men.

Sad that so many want this to be a lynching. I find that very upsetting.

[onenote]

161. Well you've made your biases clear

Whereas the people you are suggesting are biased simply are those that are more inclined to base their conclusions on facts than on their biases.

[NaturalHigh]

167. Police reports are sometimes wrong, and suicides are sometimes faked.

I'm not sure why that seems to be your default assumption, though.

[treestar]

209. Because they are always wrong

and any black man's suicide - especially by hanging- must be faked. The FBI is looking into it, so while they aren't making the level of generalization you are, they have considered it. Odd, because the FBI would normally be considered amongst the conspirators.

[cwydro]

154. Latest I've read is suicide.

Not sure why he was even out of prison. He was a convicted murderer.

[NaturalHigh]

158. I just read that too.

The clerk was shot four times in a convenience store robbery.

Anyone who would do something like that should never get out of prison. I understand some mercy and consideration for someone who kills a guy in a drunken brawl, but anyone who commits cold-blooded murder belongs behind bars.

[cwydro]

160. Yup.

I agree entirely.

[TBF]

174. He was paroled in 2006 -

at least read the CNN article comrade: http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/20/us/african-american-man-found-hanging-in-mississippi/

People do get paroled. Even black people. I understand you may find that frightening.

[cwydro]

176. Oh my.

I read the article. I've kept up on this from the beginning.

Not sure why you're inferring racism on my part, but that's pretty nasty.

I don't care what color a murderer is; they should stay in jail. Period.

[TBF]

198. I don't know why they paroled him -

people get paroled every day. You may want all murderers in jail forever - period - regardless of the circumstances. Others will look at individual cases and see what happened and whether there's a chance that it was an isolated incident and it would be allowable for them to rejoin society after serving time. It's a different perspective. I think for me it would rely on each individual case. *shrugs*

On individual cases, such as this one, we might never fully know what happened. What we can look at though is patterns. An awful lot of black Americans have "suicided themselves" in Mississippi historically. I don't think it's out of line at all to wonder what happened in this case.

[cwydro]

201. Well, the sheriff there

is an immediate past president of the NAACP so I imagine they will look into the case carefully.

Yes, I think he should have remained in prison. He shot a woman four times to steal $100. The sheriff said Byrd even knew the woman because he shopped in the store all the time.

Some murders may have extenuating circumstances, and of course should be evaluated case by case.

This was cold-blooded murder for money.

[cali]

178. Do you actually believe that most convicted murderers spend life in prison?

Most do not.

[cwydro]

181. I know they do not.

Let me be more clear...It is MY OPINION that they should serve life.

Obviously, there may be cases where there are extenuating circumstances.

But shooting a convenience store clerk four times during a robbery should be punished by life in prison.

[7962]

170. Here's a guy who did several years for murdering a woman, recently released.

Maybe a few years ago. He very well may not have been able to handle this "new" world where so many things are different than when he went into prison. Many people have killed themselves over that in the past. Or it could also have been family of the woman he murdered getting revenge.
Hopefully the investigation will be a good one and yield some evidence as to what happened

[TBF]

173. Your lies are amusing "maybe a few years ago" -

2006 is nearly 10 years ago! But the "serious, concrete thinkers" defending this bullshit will continue to try to mislead.


The "officials" on the scene in Mississippi are of course not seeing anything "suspicious" either.

Guy hanging from a tree - nothing else in sight (like something he could have stood on and kicked away) - but the characterization is "we don't see anything to suggest foul play".



Life as usual in the American South.


(CNN article with dates of his discharge from prison - http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/20/us/african-american-man-found-hanging-in-mississippi/)

[cwydro]

175. "Life as usual in the American South."

No, it's not.

[7962]

182. "lies"? Oh, bullshit. I said it could've been family of the woman he murdered.

Which would be completely understandable. IF he killed my mom for 100 bucks, i very well might track him down and kill him too. He should've never been let out of jail to start with.

[onenote]

212. the murdered woman's daughter is 56, a decorated veteran who moved away, far away

from Mississippi after college, settling in Vermont. (The daughter would have been around 20 at the time her mother was killed). It's highly unlikely she would have the contacts in Mississippi to arrange for such a "revenge" killing without anyone taking notice. Byrd himself was around 20 when he killed Lucille Trim and he spent 25 years -- nearly half of his life -- in prison. The 35th anniversary of the killing just occurred. It wouldn't be that surprising if the weight of what he did finally overwhelmed him.

But I am certain that even if the FBI investigation concludes that there is no evidence of foul play there will be those here that insist it had to be a lynching.

[7962]

220. Yep.

[treestar]

188. But isn't it over generalizing in another way

To insist that a black man would never have any complications in his life that would lead to an individualistic outcome?

It could have been a lynching, yet it could have involved other than the KKK, or maybe it did involve people like that, but assuming either way is just as silly and implies black people have no individual lives that could lead to this outcome. Black man may commit suicide - that's not impossible.

[TBF]

192. I think it's incredibly amusing and sad

that there is a brigade of "serious people" following around and jumping on posts in which we even *question* what might have happened here.

Run along good citizens, nothing to see here.

Yup.

[treestar]

197. I think what happened here is highly in question

And am glad it is being investigated.

[TBF]

200. That we can agree on. nt

[B Calm]

171. It's Mississippi, where in history lots of black men have committed suicide at the end of a rope.

[cherokeeprogressive]

213. Or in this case a bedsheet.

?

[jberryhill]

223. How many reported lynchings used a bedsheet as ligature

[cherokeeprogressive]

225. None that I know of.

I can't imagine anyone would start out looking to do something like that without having rope in their possession.

I've been known to be wrong before (me? wrong? I know it's surprising) but my instinct says wait for all the facts.

One fact I don't hear being discussed is defensive injury due to a struggle. I have a hard time believing anyone would put their head in the noose without a terrible fight.

[Man from Pickens]

183. I will wait for more facts to come out before drawing any conclusion

others should do the same to avoid looking foolish

[Mira]

185. Two thoughts on your comment

Yes - that's why I left out "black man" in the title and was careful.
and

No.
I saw Selma yesterday and through my fingers saw the details of what happened there - and shuddered at the thought - "that was only 50 years ago" and thought back to the lynchings.

So, no, we have so much to atone for, that drawing some conclusions to a black man hanging from a tree in Mississippi is not specifically foolish. It's just simply terrifying in the welcome climate of the moment, where the light of new examination is shining on the persistent racism in our country. Here, in NC, not long ago a young black man was also found hanging in a tree the day of a ball game that was very important to him. He was found with strange shoes on that were not his, or his size, and he is to this day still declared a suicide.

[hopemountain]

222. thank you for this update on the young man

in north carolina. i was reminded of the case reading here and was going to look it up to see if there was an updated "declaration". and, i am not convinced the young man committed suicide based upon what has been reported and the description of his body/clothing/shoes, and his personality. yes, people are still reading official "declarations" and can still know or believe differently.

[Eugene Stoner]

218. Update from MSNBC mississippi-sheriff-sheds-light-man-found-hanging

Sheriff Marvin Lucas, who has lived in rural Claiborne County, about an hour and a half drive from Jackson, Mississippi, all his life.

Lucas, who besides being sheriff is also the immediate past president of the local NAACP chapter, knew Byrd, whom he would sometimes see at services at Mount Burner Baptist Church. Lucas has known the church’s pastor, Ray Earl Coleman since eighth grade.

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/exclusive-mississippi-sheriff-sheds-light-man-found-hanging

[TBF]

227. Doesn't add much -

so they are all in a small town & all knew each other. OK. Big deal.

[orbitalman]

230. Any hanging should be reserved for George Bush, same as he treated Saddam Hussein.