Essay about The West Memphis Three

Superior White Forces Although many believe that racism and segregation have declined over the years, The Washington Post notes, in a 2016 analysis, that black Americans are 2.5 times as likely as white Americans to be shot and killed by police officers (Lowery). In the 1930s and 1950s, Tom Robinson, Emmett Till, and the nine Scottsboro boys were sentenced to death after facing an all-white jury for a crime they did not commit. In 1931, nine, young, unemployed, black men were falsely accused of raping two white women, Ruby Bates and Victoria Price. Their sentence to death after facing an all-white jury sparked rallies and parades, which successfully changed the unfair verdict of their trial. Similarly, a fourteen-year-old boy named Emmett Till was unjustly murdered after allegedly whistling at a white store owner, Carolyn Bryant. A few days later, he was found in a nearby river, and his mother arranged for a public funeral to expose the racial prejudice her son faced in Mississippi. The perpetrators were acquitted of all charges when tried in front of an all white jury. In the Scottsboro incident, the Murder of Emmett Till, and To Kill a Mockingbird, innocent men were victims of the society’s racial prejudice and convicted of crimes they did not commit.

Tulsa Race Riot Have you ever said that you wanted to start a riot, and people have responded by saying that’s not funny? Well here’s why they say that. On May 31, 1921 a riot occurred in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It all happened when Dick Rowland (an African American) was accused of raping a white woman named Sarah Page in an elevator, when Rowland had tripped and grabbed her arm by accident. A salesclerk overheard the scream and called the police. Rowland was arrested. There were angry whites that were outside the courtroom protesting for Rowland to be lynched. The violence started for some people on May 31, 1921 and went on until June 1, 1921. 1265 homes, dozens of office buildings, restaurants, churches and schools had been destroyed during this

With these The people of West Memphis were convinced this was an act of satanic evil. From the jump police said that they believed that these brutal killings were a sacrifice to satan from the way that the bodies were tied up. According to The Truth Behind Echols v. State: How an Alford Guilty Plea saved the West Memphis Three; Detectives found all three bodies naked and hog-tied, mutilated with wounds that had been allegedly caused by a serrated knife, and bruised from what investigators deemed to be the result of sexual abuse. The police conclution of this being part of a satanic ritual lead them to believe that Echols was responsible because he is a self proclaimed

The scales of justice are rarely in balance. In “West of Memphis”, imperfection within the criminal justice system is used as a central theme. Imperfection can be defined as an unsatisfactory feature. Similarly, town fervor, which puts additional pressure on investigators to swiftly come up with answers, bible-belt politics, namely,

On August 28th, 1955 in Money, Mississippi 14 year old Emmett Till was murdered by two white men, Roy Bryant and his brother in law J.W. Milam. Emmett was murdered for allegedly flirting with Roy Bryant’s one of the men’s wife. Without any hesitation the two men killed him.

Emmett Till Tunga Murphy History 2650-451 November 15, 2016 Instructor-Jessie Lipford Emmett Till a native of Chicago had no idea that his life would tragically end while visiting family in Money, MS. The death of Emmett Till had a major impact on the already rapidly growing Civil Rights movement (www. Biography.Com). Till’s death gained national attention to the small town of Money, MS after Till made a choice to make hissing gestures at a white woman. Till’s death was just one of the hundred deaths that were occurring in African American men and women of color.

Paola Gonzalez Professor Maroney The American Experience May 6, 2015 The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander The New Jim Crow book written by Michelle Alexander and Michelle McCool addresses the racial dimensions of the War on Drugs. The book disputes that the federal drug policy purposefully targets lower minority groups and communities of

The Blood of Emmett Till Essay The Blood of Emmett Till is a novel written by Timothy B. Tyson. The novel is based on true events during 1955 targeting issues like racism, injustice, and destruction of innocence. The story is about a 14 year old boy name

Emmett Till: The Murder That Shaped a Nation     Dictionary.com defines racism as being, “The discrimination of a particular race, based on the belief that one’s race is superior.”  Nowhere in this definition is brutal murder and malicious beatings mentioned. However, these terrible crimes were committed on an innocent boy by the name of Emmett Till. When news spread of the killing, the greatest civil rights movement in our nation’s history was sparked. Emmett’s death was not by any means deserving or just, but it turned the talk of civil rights, into action.

The justice system was designed to put away criminals, while maintaining the security and wellbeing of society. A process is followed by trained and well educated people, yet this doesn’t go without mishaps and wrong doings. The justice system is looked upon as part of societies safety net, yet can

According to FBI 2010 UCR report, there was fifty-five homicide death reported, it’s second highest in the state of Tennessee after Memphis. Losing someone who we loved through homicide would be one of the most shocking experience, In my life period I haven’t experienced any homicide which includes my loved ones, I come from the peaceful neighborhood, since I was the child I grew up in a peaceful environment, there was low violence but minor, dangerous weapons such as guns, biological weapon or even swords were rare. I’m thankful for the way I was raised, grew up without knowing crimes, drug, weapon, etc. But when I hear news about homicide I envision how would my life change If I lose my loved ones, especially my father because men are more likely to get killed in homicide than women. It’s always strange feelings when the person was with you yesterday and today they are not here. Shared plans and dreams are no longer there, all lefts are the memories which were shared with a dead person. Deaths are sudden no one knows when we’re going to die but dying from another human being puts more grief than other types of death. My father is basically bread winner at the house currently, so there would be many effects in our day to day life. My reaction would be the same reaction as when someone lose their loved one 's specifically father. In this type of situation, I will try to calm myself and call the police as soon as I can, I will give much information to the offices as I can, I

Wrongful convictions occur when innocent defendants are found guilty in a criminal trial; When people are wrongfully convicted, they spend part of their life in prison while the criminal is free of punishment. The world has two million citizens incarcerated, about 20,000 people punished for crimes they did not commit (Ferner). Two thousand people are punished for crimes they did not commit, that is not a small number, so why do wrongful convictions occur? Wrongful convictions can occur for various reasons; the common causes are eyewitness misidentification, unvalidated or improper forensics science, false confessions, government misconduct, unprofessional lawyering, and informants or snitches.

“A Phenomenal Ruler of Memphis” Edward Hull Crump was a colorful, yet assertive individual in early Memphis history. Without any formal education after the age of fourteen he rose to dominate political and social elements in Memphis for over thirty years. E.H. Crump started his rise to power as a reformer before his election as mayor in 1910. As mayor he set several goals for Memphis and all of them came to fruition before he passed away in 1954.

Imagine walking down the street at night alone and all of the sudden being taken and raped or murdered. How would the victim or the family of one of the victims feel if the rapist or murderer was not sentenced to enough jail time to serve him justice? Seeing him again could induce fear, panic, or anxiety. The family would have no say in what comes from a release trial. Imagine the family of the victim seeing him a couple of months later because he was let out early. They would constantly feel uneasy and unsafe because this monster is out and roaming the streets again. This is the gut-wrenching reality of the justice system today. Many rapists and murderers are not serving full or proper sentences because of “good behavior,” lenient judges,

Without a doubt, I think we can agree that the society we live in contain many people who commit crimes and especially for repeated horrendous crimes, the only option left, one may argue, is to sentence these people to prison for many lifetimes. However, we cannot send every person to