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18 years of America's Racial Climate
Timeline of Racial Events in America
April 22, 2006: The Case of David Ritcheson
On the night of April 22, David Ritcheson attended a house party where Neo-nazis David Tuck and Keith Turner also attended, and seen David kiss a white girl - the kiss was consensual. That motivated them to knock David unconscious, drag him out into the backyard of the house, where they beat him for approximately fifteen minutes while shouting out racial slurs. They then proceeded to cut and burn his chest and stomach area, then they stuck a pole into Ritcheson's rectum and kicked the pole repeatedly, and finalized the attack by pouring bleach all over his body. Ritcheson was left in the yard with no medical attention until the morning when a passerby seen him laying there. Ritcheson had to undergo several surgeries, and ended up having to be in a wheelchair and have a colostomy bag. After the incident, the government strengthened the federal hate crime law. On July 1, Ritcheson went on a cruise to the Gulf of Mexico, and committed suicide by jumping off of the boat. Turner and Tuck were charged, and Tuck was sentenced to life in prison while Turner was sentenced to 90 years
September 20, 2007: The Protest in Jena, Louisiana
At the beginning of the school year in Jena, Louisiana, a black student decided to sit under a tree in the courtyard where it was mostly occupied by white students. The next day a few of the white students decided to hang six nooses on the same tree. The school board recommended that the students get expelled, but instead they just got a short suspension. A few months later, a white student named Justin Barker was talking to a friend about how a white guy beat up a black guy, which prompted a group of black students to get enraged and jump him. Six of the students were charged with aggravated assault, and these six include 17 year old Robert Bailey, 16 year old Mychal Bell, 18 year old Carwin Jones, 17 year old Bryant Purvis, 14 year old Jesse Ray Beard, and 17 year old Theo Shaw. The district attorney on the case attempted to get the "Jena Six" charged with attempted murder, which then prompted the protest. The attempt failed, but it didn't make the racial climate within the community any better. The protest held at least 15,000 people who were civil rights activists and celebrities.
January 4, 2008: The Murder of Tarika Wilson
The home of Tarika Wilson and her six children was raided by a SWAT team in search of her boyfriend, whom was suspected of participating in drug trafficking. In the process, Wilson is gunned down and killed, with her 1-year old baby in her arms. Tarika was killed from the shots, and the baby suffered severe injuries. The officer who shot Tarika was acquitted of all charges, and sentenced to no time in jail. After the incident, many residents in the area spoke out on their experiences with being constantly mistreated by the police in the area.
July 12, 2008: The Cover Up of Luis Ramirez's Murder
Luis Ramirez, a Mexican immigrant, was beaten to death by six white teens. The boys were acquitted of any murder charges by an all-white jury, only having to serve six months in jail for alcohol charges. Federal prosecutors fought to have the boys convicted of a hate crime, and eventually they each received nine years in prison. Chief of Police Mathew Nestor and Lieutenant William Moyer were convicted for trying to cover up the murder with Nestor serving thirteen months in jail, and Moyer serving three months.
November 4, 2008: The First Non-White President
During the 2008 presidential election, former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden won against John McCain and Sarah Palin. Obama won with about 375 electoral votes, while McCain held about 175 electoral votes. This marked the first non-white president that the United States had.
January 1, 2009: The Murder of Oscar Grant
On New Years day in Oakland, California, Oscar Grant and some of his friends to the train to get home from spending New Years Eve in the city. A shoving match occurs, but no one is hurt and it is unclear of who was a part of that. The operator called in police due to the shoving match. When the train arrives at Fruitvale Station, the officers detained about twenty passengers one including unarmed African American Oscar Grant who witnesses say wasn't involved in the "fight." Grant and his friends pleaded for a reason for their detainment, but received violence instead of reason. While Grant was forcefully held down on his stomach, 27 year old BART officer Johannes Mehserle fatally shot him in the back, which was filmed by surrounding witnesses. Mehserle quietly resigned from BART and made no press comments. Mehserle claimed that he meant to pull out his taser, and used that as a primary argument in trial. The trial ended in Mehserle being charged with involuntary manslaughter. The jurors didn't find Mehserle's actions negligent enough to be considered criminal and was ordered to spend 2 years in prison, and only served 11 months for good conduct. Controversy over this situation ensued in America, protests and riots occurred, and Oscar Grant's family and the five other people that were involved decided to sue BART. This tragedy sparked strong emotions within the African American community, and became notorious. In July of 2012, the movie "Fruitvale Station" was filmed reenacting the events that happened January 1, 2009 - Michael B. Jordan playing as Oscar Grant. There are many theories as to why Mehserle did what he did, and controversies regarding the accuracy of the movie - besides the part where it portrayed how Grant was held down by several officers and shot. Grant left behind not only his parents, but also a girlfriend and his five year old daughter
May 8, 2009: Klansmen Burn Cross in Black Neighborhood
Klansmen Stenven Josua Pinkle and Thomas Windell Smith, along with other Klansmen in Ozark, Alabama burned a cross in front of an African American neighborhood. Both Pinkle and Smith were arrested and pleaded guilty to conspiracy of violating housing rights. Both were nonchalant in admitting to bringing the cross for the purpose of enforcing fear into the inhabitants of the neighborhood, and justified their actions as them retaliating towards the black population that was growing in their hometown.
May 17, 2010: 7 Year Old Girl Killed During Raid
Aiyana Stanley-Jones was shot and killed while sleeping during a police raid in search for a murder suspect, who was thought to be inside the home. Officer Joseph Weekley claims that he accidentally fired his gun at the girl sleeping on the couch, but was not able to explain why exactly he fired his gun. The jury found Weekley non-guilty of manslaughter, and still remains employed as a police officer in Detroit.
June 26, 2011:Man Beaten and Ran Over by White Mob
James Craig Anderson was standing beside his car one night, and was spotted by a group of intoxicated white teens. The group proceed to beat Anderson, and run a Ford truck over him. The driver of the vehicle, Deryl Dedmon, along with the rest of the mob drove off, leaving Anderson on the ground to die. After the incident, security footage was obtained that served as evidence during the trial, and it was later revealed that the mob routinely came to Jackson, Mississippi to antagonize the African-Americans in the area. Dedmon was convicted and is now serving two life sentences.
September 21, 2011:Execution of Troy Davis
Despite the evidence of his innocence, Troy Davis was sentenced to death by the state of Georgia for the death of police officer Mark MacPhail in 1989. Although the NAACP, Amnesty International, former President Jimmy Carter, and Pope Benedict XVI all protested his execution, the federal judge refused to reconsider the case. Two days before the execution date, the court received sworn statements that stated the main witness was in fact the killer. Despite these efforts, Troy Davis was killed by lethal injection on the night of September twenty-first.
January 11, 2013: Boy Found in High school Gym
The body of Kendrick Johnson was found one morning at his school, Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia. Johnson was found wrapped up in a gym mat, which gave reason to believe that he was murdered. After 3 years of investigation, Johnson's death was filed as a suicide; due to the lack of evidence present needed in order to convict anyone. The details of this case has influenced many controversial theories of what actually happened in the events leading up to Johnson's death. It is thought that the school was covering up what really was a murder case. In the past few months, an autopsy on Johnson's body has revealed that he endured traumas before being put in the mat. This new found evidence supports that this was a murder and not a suicide. Nevertheless, Johnson's death has been declared closed, but many questions remain unanswered.
March 30, 2013:Wilcox County High School's First Integrated Prom
In Wilcox county, the high school held it's first integrated prom. This was student organized, and wasn't actually held by the school. The school still held separate black and white proms, but a lot of the students decided to participate in their own integrated prom.
June 25, 2013:Supreme Court Takes Away Voting Protections
In the United States, Native Americans were granted reservations. Since they live on reservations they do not have a residential address, instead they have a P.O. box. The new voting laws in the Dakotas state that in order to vote, you must obtain a residential address which serves as a subtle way to exclude the Native Americans. Movements have been made to get these laws reversed, but not much has changed.
June 13, 2013: Black Lives Matter Movement
The movement began after the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin. The movement started out as a hashtag, #blacklivesmatter, and was co-founded by three community organizers, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. The purpose of the movement isn't just to unite Black people, but the racial communities as a whole. The guiding principles throughout the movement is in regards of diversity, restorative justice, globalism, queer affirming, unapologetically black, collective value, empathy, loving engagement, transgender affirming, black villages, black women, black families, and inter-generational. The movement also includes forty different chapters across the United States. The movement also serves to obtain justice, and go against injustices.
October 6, 2013:NFL 'Redskins' Name Change
The term "redskins" is known as a racial slur against Native Americans and is offensive to the ethnic group. The controversy over the NFL team's name started long before 2013, but the movement to have the name changed did not gain momentum until late 2013. Some people do not see the offense within the name, and most of those individuals are not Native American. There have been some ideas for the new name such as "Washington Red Hawks," but the name has yet to change. To prove how offensive this name is, an individual made a shirt that resembled the Redskin's logo but was a caucasian man instead of a Native American and said "Caucasians" under it. This shirt caused some uproar, but the same individuals still didn't see the term "Redskins" as offensive.
July 14, 2014: Death of Eric Garner
Eric Garner was captured on video being aggressively seized and choked by the New York Police Department. Regardless of the efforts Garner made in telling the officers " I cant breath," the police officers kept Garner in a choke hold for about 20 seconds, causing his death. Garner was initially supposed to be arrested by police on suspicion of selling cigarettes illegally. Although the medical examiner ruled the death as a homicide, Daniel Pantaleo, the officer who killed Garner, was not indicted.
April 12, 2015: Death of Freddie Gray
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Freddie Gray was arrested on April 12th for possession of an illegal knife. When placed in the police van, Gray had his hands handcuffed and feet chained, however he was not given a seat belt. Though it is unsure exactly how the officers detained him, Gray was unconscious and suffered a broken neck during the car ride, causing him to die a week later in the trauma center. Despite suspicion of disorderly conduct, none of the 6 officers involved received any penalties.
June 17, 2015: Charleston Church Shooting
In the morning of June 17, 22-year-old Dylan Roof went into the historic Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina and shot and killed nine people - Reverend Clementa Pinckney, Cynthia Hurd, Tywanza Sanders, Sharonda Singleton, Reverand DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Reverand Daniel Simmons, Susan Jackson, Ethel Lance, and Myra Thompson. The motive for the shooting was because the church was known as a black church. Once Roof was apprehended by police, he was brought to Burger King. When questioned, he said that the only thing he regrets is that he can no longer go to the movies or anything. He proceeded and said that the shooting and killing was "worth it." During his trial, he never showed remorse and was given the death penalty.
July 10 & 13, 2015: The Brutal Arrest and Death of Sandra Bland
On July 10, 2015 28-year-old Sandra Bland was stopped by Texas state trooper Brian Encinia. Bland was pulled over for a traffic violation and the stop was escalated and poorly handled by Encinia. Encinia used inappropriate language and claimed that he was going to "light her up." Further into the incident, Encinia was recorded slamming Bland's head into the ground. Bland was arrested and charged with assaulting an officer. After the dash cam footage was reviewed, Encinia was put on administrative leave, and later fired for making false statements. While Bland was in custody, she died on July 13, 2015. Her death was ruled a suicide. As the case with Bland's arrest progressed, people began to notice details that wasn't brought to light. This sparked controversy that Bland was murdered, and her murder was covered up as a suicide. HBO has revealed that a documentary is being made about her life and death called "Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland."
October 26, 2015:The Body-Slamming of Female High School Student By Policeman
Ex-officer Ben Fields was filmed brutalizing a 16-year-old high school student at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina. The student's name is Shakara, and she was allegedly being disruptive, and when Fields told her to get up and leave, she just sat there. Fields was fired by the school, but didn't face federal charges.
July 6, 2016: The Death of Philando Castile
Philando Castile is pulled by officer Jeronimo Yanez for a broken taillight and ends up being shot several times in close range. Yanez reports that the instructed Castile not to move, but Castile still reached down his hand while in the vehicle. Yanez says he thought Castile had a hold on a gun, and fired the shots in fear of his life. The most troubling aspect of this case is that Castile's girlfriend and daughter were in the car while the incident occurred. The girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds was able to record the scene, with their daughter being heard making efforts to console her mother. This case inraged the black commmunity, sparking many protests to come, especially due to the fact that Yanez was acquitted of all charges.
July 15, 2016: Death of Alton Sterling
A 911 caller reported seeing a man with a gun standing outside of a gas station. When Officers Blaine Salamoni and Howie Lake arrived on the scene, they immediately seized Alton Sterling, who was selling CD's outside the gas station. Video footage recorded by a bystander captures Alton repeatedly asking why he was being detained, with the officers ignoring his questions, and using profane language to get him on the ground. After Lake shouts that he sees a gun, Salamoni fires shots at Sterling who was already lying down face forward on the ground, killing him. Neither officers faced any punishment.
August 1, 2016: Mother Shot While Defending Family
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At around four P.M. in Randallstown, Maryland the home of Korryn Gaines was raided by a S.W.A.T. team due to her failure to show up in court over a traffic ticket. Gaines is said to have had a shotgun in her hand, firing shots at officers and threatening to kill. Officers thought the fight was coming to an end and that Gaines would comply, however she was shot 6 times by Cpl. Royce Ruby. Her 5 year old son who was also in the home, suffered severe injuries because he was also hit. The civil decision was made for Gaine's family to be awarded $37 million, with her son receiving most of the funds. Despite the award, many still state that the result of the trail was still unfair, as Ruby still remains on the police force, and even received a promotion last year.
September 1, 2016: Colin Kaepernick Kneeling
Due to the constant police brutality that happens in America, Colin Kaepernick decided to do a peaceful protest against the injustices against minorities. At first, Kaepernick just sat back on the bench during the national anthem, but was then contacted by former NFL player and veteran Nate Boyer. Boyer advised Kaepernick to kneel instead of sit on the bench because kneeling is a sign of respect. When Kaepernick knelt during the game on September 1, 2016 he received a lot of backlash. The nation became divided, because some people chose to believe it was disrespectful to the military and others focused on the actual meaning behind the movement. Kaepernick was let off from the NFL and black balled, and didn't really make an appearance until Nike starred him in their 2018 advertisement.
July 16, 2017: Mother Faces Time for Defending Herself With Unloaded Gun
On July 16th, Siwata- Salama dropped her 2 year old daughter at her mother's house for a sleepover. Channell Harvey, a parent of a child who has been bullying Ra's niece, showed up to the house to drop off her daughter. After being told to leave, Harvey tells police that she unintentionally hit Ra's vehicle while pulling out of the driveway. In response to this, Ra grabbed her unloaded gun from her car and points it towards Harvey, due to her feeling that Harvey put her daughter's life in danger, since she was sitting in the hit vehicle. Though both Harvey and Ra share very different interpretations of the story, it is certain that both filed police reports. However, Since Harvey filed her report first, she became the victim under Detroit law. This influenced the decision of the jury in finding Ra guilty of assault, sentencing her to 2 years on jail. Ra is still serving her sentence today and is expected to give birth in prison.
October 17, 2018: Son Found Lynched in His Backyard
Melissa McKinnies, a Black Lives Matter Activist finds her 24 year- old son Danye Dion James lynched in her backyard. As the St. Louis County police investigated the case, it was later ruled that James's death was a suicide. This of course stirred up some issues, due to the fact that it would not be possible for James to have hanged himself with his pants pulled down, all by himself. The sheets that were tied around his neck were not taken from the house, and the knots looked to be a more advanced, military style, which James would not have any acknowledge how to do. McKinnies is certain that her son had no reason to kill himself, and continues to fight for her sons case to be brought to trail. it is speculated that McKinnies son was targeted by racists, due to her activism against the Mike Brown shooting.
March 18, 2018: Father of 2 Gunned Down
Stephon Clark was shot 8 times from the back by Sacramento, California police officers. Witnesses claimed to have seen him breaking into cars earlier that day. Medical examiner, Dr. Bennett Omalu reveals that Clark was shot 3 times in the back, twice in the shoulder, and once in both the neck and armpit. Dr. Omalu explains that after the first shot, Clark would have already been falling down to the ground, meaning that he no longer should have been a threat to the officers. Clark's death sparked many protests against police brutality, as another unarmed black man is put to rest at the hands of an officer. Clark leaves behind his family, including 2 young boys.
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