Frederick Jermaine Carter’s lifeless body was found dangling from an oak tree in Greenwood, Mississippi on Dec. 3, 2010. With a rope tied tightly around his neck, Carter’s head slumped to his left shoulder.
According to reports, Carter, 26, was painting a home with his stepfather in Greenwood when his stepfather left to get more tools. Carter, who suffered from mental illness, wandered off and was later found dead.
Members of the predominately white town of Greenwood suggested that his death was a suicide. The town’s sheriff said that Carter likely put a table near the tree, tied a rope on a limb, placed the rope around his neck and kicked the table after standing on it.
However, Mississippi State Medical Examiner, Dr. Adel Shaker, ruled that Carter’s death was not a suicide.
Although a black family resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., the evil consequences of racism remain prevalent in America. It’s important that both black and white Americans hold the F.B.I. and U.S. Justice Department accountable for finding Carter’s killers.
In 1955, Emmett Till was murdered 10 miles north of Greenwood. –a.r.
