Back in 2018, then-Sen. Kamala Harris and her colleague, Sen. Cory "Spartacus" Booker, urged Congress to unanimously pass the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act. A year later, Booker again called on Congress to pass his anti-lynching bill, designating lynching as a federal hate crime, after he declared the attack on Jussie Smollett "an attempted modern-day lynching." Smollett was still wearing his clothesline noose when police arrived at his Chicago apartment. Harris also weighed in on Smollett, saying, "This was an attempted modern-day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate."
Were there still modern-day lynchings? In 2016, there were demonstrations in the streets of Atlanta after an unidentified black man was found hanged in Piedmont Park. They claimed he was lynched by members of the KKK, who they say were in the park handing out flyers during a rally the previous day. CAIR, in 2017, called for the FBI to investigate the death of a Muslim teen who was found hanging from a tree. Ben Keita’s death was initially ruled a suicide, but the cause of death was changed to “undetermined,” reportedly under pressure from Keita’s family. The FBI did not investigate; rather, it agreed to review the medical examiner’s findings and found no evidence of any criminal activity.
I remember covering these and other incidents of "lynching" because they were so sad. Why? Because these were suicides.
Recently, a student at Belta State University in Mississippi was found hanging from a tree. ABC's headline did not say he was lynched. Tesfaye Negussie, Josh Margolin, and Bill Hutchinson reported on Thursday, under the headline "Death of Black Delta State student found hanging in tree ruled suicide following autopsy," that the Mississippi State Medical Examiner's autopsy findings were "consistent with the initial investigation, determining the cause of death to be hanging and the manner of death as suicide," they said in a statement.
The investigation into the death of a 21-year-old Black student discovered hanging from a tree at Delta State University in Mississippi remains an "active investigation," officials said on Wednesday.
— ABC News (@ABC) September 18, 2025
Read more: https://t.co/ZqXEI4Xvm3 pic.twitter.com/o3XnrKyNH9
The school's president acknowledged this week that the incident has stoked tensions on campus and stirred up memories of the racist violence of the state's Jim Crow-era history.
"I want to begin by acknowledging that the manner how Trey was discovered has stirred many emotions in this community and many emotions around the state and the nation," Delta State President Dan Ennis said at Wednesday's news conference.
The school is about 50 miles from the Tallahatchie River, where in 1955, authorities discovered the mutilated body of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black child, who was abducted by two white men after he was accused of whistling at a white woman.
Look, the suicide of a 21-year-old is tragic, but as the media would say, the usual suspects "pounced" on the story, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib.
Trey Reed should be alive. He deserved to grow old, to graduate college.
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) September 17, 2025
The media is silent while his family mourns his loss. I fully support his family's demand for a thorough and transparent investigation. They deserve nothing less. https://t.co/K8maU9PLnM
Am I calling attorney Benjamin Crump an ambulance chaser? Yeah, I am.
We've been retained by the family of Demartravion "Trey" Reed — the 21-year-old Delta State University student whose body was found hanging from a tree.
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) September 16, 2025
Trey was a young man full of promise and warmth, deeply loved and respected by all who knew him. His family and the campus… pic.twitter.com/aaE88MRy0G
The post continues:
… community deserve a full, independent investigation to uncover the truth about what happened.
We cannot accept vague conclusions when so many questions remain. I stand with this family, and I will lead a team of civil rights leaders and organizations in pursuing transparency and answers for Trey’s family.
The answer is that he killed himself. I'd like to think his family would accept that and let him rest in peace, but Crump is going to try to make a lynching case out of it, no matter how hard he has to try.
A question for Tlaib:
What about Cory Zukatis, 36, of Brandon, was also found dead, hanging from a tree around 1:30 p.m. Monday in Vicksburg?
— Cruella_Seville (@anonoymous_evil) September 17, 2025
Any information about this?
News reports say that there was no foul play. Suicide is never easy to process.
— Salty Patriot™️ 🇺🇸 (@SaltyPatriot47) September 17, 2025
No parent should ever have to bury their child. I prayed that God comforts them in such a difficult time.
Well said. I don't know if Tlaib has passed this news on to Booker yet, but he'll probably reintroduce his anti-lynching act.
Just let the kid rest.
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