Please America hear our cries

I am writing as a concerned resident of Jackson, Mississippi, to respectfully urge the ACLU of Mississippi to organize and lead efforts to investigate, advocate, and take concrete action to stop the ongoing hurting and suspicious deaths of Black men in our state. 

Cases such as those of Rasheem Carter (whose dismembered remains were found in 2022 after he reported being targeted and chased by white men); Raynard Johnson (found hanged in his front yard in 2000, officially ruled a suicide amid widespread community suspicions of a hate crime); Willie Andrew Jones Jr. (found hanged in 2018 at his white girlfriend’s home, officially ruled a suicide but later the subject of a successful $11 million civil judgment by his family and new independent medical evidence suggesting homicide); and so many others highlight a pattern that demands immediate attention.

It is profoundly unfair that generations of activists, leaders, and everyday citizens fought so hard to dismantle racism and advance civil rights in so many other states across the country, yet Mississippi – the very birthplace of so much of that struggle – continues to be left behind. Mississippi should have been first in fully breaking down these barriers, not lagging behind. We cannot afford to be slept on any longer.

I respectfully request that the ACLU of Mississippi organize community forums, legal investigations, advocacy campaigns, calls for federal review, and any other appropriate actions to bring accountability, prevent further harm, and ensure justice for Black men and their families here in our state. Your organization has a long and powerful history of defending civil liberties, and your leadership on this issue is urgently needed.

Thank you for your time and dedication to protecting the rights of all Mississippians.

– Leo Keys