Article 2NB74 Fla. Lawmakers Apologize to Families of "Groveland Four," Black Men Falsely Accused of Rape in 1949

Fla. Lawmakers Apologize to Families of "Groveland Four," Black Men Falsely Accused of Rape in 1949

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mail@democracynow.org (Democracy Now!)
from Democracy Now! on (#2NB74)
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Florida lawmakers have apologized for what happened to four young African-American men in Groveland, Florida, nearly 70 years ago in 1949. The men, known as the Groveland Four, were falsely accused of raping a 17-year-old white girl. Before going to trial, one of the four men, Ernest Thomas, was hunted down and murdered by a mob of 1,000 men led by the local sheriff, Willis McCall. He was killed in a hail of gunfire. The other three men were tortured in jail until two of them gave false confessions. Charles Greenlee was sentenced to life. Walter Irvin and Samuel Shepherd were condemned to death. Just recently, Florida lawmakers passed a resolution saying, "We're truly sorry." For more, we speak with Gilbert King, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America."

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