Sponsored Links

[DaffyGrl]

One of the most brutal racial crimes in this country was the murder of 14-year old Emmett Till in Mississippi on August 28, 1955. The murdering scumbags admitted their crime to a reporter (and got paid for their story) – they were quite proud of themselves – but an all-white, all-male jury had acquitted them in pre-Civil Rights Mississippi. Emmett Till, the boy from Chicago, had the face of an angel, and from everything I’ve read, had a quick wit and an even quicker tongue.

A young black filmmaker, Keith Beauchamp has made a documentary about the life and death of Emmett Till that has had a profound effect. Enough so that even though many of the principals are dead, the case has been reopened. Mr. Beauchamp’s investigation has turned up the names of 14 people who are still alive and may have also been involved in Emmett’s kidnapping and murder. The FBI is exhuming Emmett’s body for the autopsy that was never done in 1955.

The image of Emmett Till reliving itself in his mind, Beauchamp, a young man growing up in the racially tense south, was constantly reminded, as many young black males were, not to let what happened to Emmett Till happen to him. Beauchamp was harshly reminded of the Till incident when out with friends one night. "I was beat up by an undercover police officer for dancing with a white girl who wasn't even my girlfriend. They tied me to a chair, pistol-whipped me, all kinds of stuff." Beauchamp describes this experience as the one that woke him up to the problems with which this country is still plagued.
<snip>
Beauchamp uncovered the names of witnesses who had never testified and articles alluding to other people who may have been involved in the death of Emmett Till. This revelation led Beauchamp to embark on a nine-year journey of investigation, research, and interviews of key witnesses in the case, working very closely with Mrs. Mobley to get the case reopened.

Beauchamp recognizes the reopening of this case is an important catalyst to a reawakening of the United States consciousness of our racial history. He also sees it as a means of "waking up a whole new generation. Just bringing the Emmett Till case back to the forefront will help us all analyze, especially young people who don't really know about the civil rights movement. It will help us all. I truly believe that this is our Civil Rights movement of today and this case is the catalyst for that."  Source(warning-graphic pictures)

A lot of people will say it has been 50 years, why now? The murderers are dead, Emmett’s mother is dead; why bother? I believe that if there are others involved, then by all means, we should pull out the stops to bring them to justice. There is no statute of limitations on murder, and the two principals escaped punishment in a travesty of justice. Personally, I don’t care how long it has been, how old the people involved are now, or whether or not they have mended their racist ways. I think they should pay the price for their crime.

And this incident just goes to show that racial hatred and bigotry never dies.

As a side note, I was amazed to read this. The Rev. JJ against grandstanding?! Since when?

The Rev. Jesse Jackson voiced concerns about the exhumation and plans to meet with relatives today. "There are those who fear this is grandstanding," Jackson said. "What will they find 50 years later? Really, what will they find?" Chicago Sun-Times

Well, heck, Rev., maybe they'll find out how he died.
An Interview with Keith Beauchamp

If others are found to have been involved in Emmett Till’s murder, should they be tried for the crime, regardless of their age?

Could this be a catalyst for opening other racially motivated murder cases that were never really investigated? Should it be? Why or why not?