The first volley in the 2004 Florida presidential election has been fired by the politicized U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, on the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. This cynical attempt to exploit a family's tragedy, noted here earlier, will be played out endlessly for the next year in Florida's African-American community -- just wait and see.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights said Thursday it is asking the Justice Department to investigate the hanging death of a black man because of persistent rumors he was lynched by law enforcement officials. The commission criticized police for automatically treating the death of Feraris "Ray" Golden as a suicide, and raised questions about whether Golden could have climbed a tree on a rainy night and with a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit.Posted by Alan at August 28, 2003 09:47 PM...
Golden, 32, was found hanging from a tree in his grandmother's yard the morning of May 28 in the farming community about 45 miles from West Palm Beach. Rumors of a lynching immediately spread, including one that Golden was found with his hands tied behind his back. Rumors persist even though a judge last month ruled the death a suicide. Autopsy photos showed a single bruise around Golden's neck, and video from a police car arriving at the scene showed Golden's arms dangling at his sides.
Testimony showed Golden to be a troubled, unemployed father of four behind in his child-support payments who frequently joked about killing himself. Relatives also acknowledged the bedsheet used as a noose came from Golden's home.
via The Ledger