Tracking The Lynchings in America
By Alexis Alex
In recent weeks, several lynchings have occurred with little to no press coverage. We will keep this page as a running list of all the lynchings reported so far.
Malcome Harsch. Photo via Bet.com
May 31 - 38-year-old Malcolm Harsch was found hanging from a tree in Victorville. According to police, Harsch’s body “was found hanging from a tree near the Victorville City Library,” but the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department claimed no foul play was not suspected in his death. In Harsch’s case, Victorville Mayor Gloria Garcia has stated she has opened an investigation into his death. “As City Leaders, we share these concerns; and a thorough investigation is being conducted. Malcolm Harsch’s life matters to our city,” she said in a statement from the Victorville Daily Press.
Dominique Alexander. Photo via Nydailynews.com
June 9th - In New York City, Bronx resident Dominique Alexander, 27, body was found hanging from a tree in Fort Tryon Park near the Hudson River. The city's medical examiner said Alexander's cause of death was ruled to be a "suicide by hanging." Now, The NYPD hate crimes unit is investigating the crime.
Robert Fuller. Photo via Nypost.com
June 10 - The body of 24-year-old Robert Fuller was found in a tree near Palmdale City Hall. Homicide investigators reported that his body showed “no signs of a struggle,” and both the city and the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office initially pointed to suicide. Police quickly labeled it a suicide, but protesters immediately demanded a deeper investigation. The state attorney general's office and the FBI's Civil Rights Division will oversee the investigation, which is being led by the Los Angeles County sheriff's homicide bureau.
But Fuller’s family and loved ones do not believe he killed himself. One of his friends from high school, Tommie Anderson, told the Los Angeles Times that the tree where Fuller was found was too thin to have supported his weight for very long, and he was too tall for his body to have dangled from its lower branches. Anderson, who also expressed skepticism that Fuller would’ve been out that late, said, “For people to say he did this, this wasn’t Robert. For him to tie himself to that tree, it’s not possible.” Many protesters were skeptical of the lack of video footage considering Fuller’s body was found outside of City Hall.
June 15 - In Houston, a Hispanic man who was found hanging Monday morning (June 15). Initially it was thought that the unidentified individual was African American and his hanging was also compared to Fuller’s and Harsch’s deaths. Locals are calling for an investigation into the death, but police are claiming his family told them he was suicidal.
June 17 - in Spring, Texas — a 17-year-old Black teen was found hanging from a tree outside Ehrhardt Elementary School, part of the Klein Independent School District. Police said someone told them the teen was hanging from a tree in the playground area. Homicide investigators were able to review school surveillance cameras and found no signs of foul play and ruled it an “apparent suicide”. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is calling for a federal investigation after these two hangings were discovered this week.
