Many were greatly disturbed after learning about the story of Lennon Lacy. I first read about it on
Daily Kos via
ExpatGirl last November. Almost equally disturbing was the lack of national media attention the story had received. Lacy's body was found August 29, 2014, yet it wasn't until months later that people began to hear about it. In fact,
The Guardian, a British newspaper, gave this story more press coverage than our own American mainstream media. The reported lynching now resonates throughout social media, and answers have yet to be found.
From ExpatGirl:
On August 29, the body of 17-year old black teen, Lennon Lacy, was found hanging from a children’s swing set in ‘a predominantly white’ mobile home park in rural Bladenboro, North Carolina (population 1,750). Lennon Lacy was African American. The shoes on his feet did not belong to him and were two sizes to small. Abrasions and lumps marred his body and face. According to police, these injuries were caused by ants but the undertaker who embalmed the body said they were reminiscent of damage sustained in bar fights. Despite these red flags, the coroner quickly ruled Lacy’s death a suicide.
According to the
NAACP:
• Shortly after Lennon Lacy’s body was reported hanging from a child’s swing set in a predominantly white mobile home park in downtown Bladenboro in late August, his uncle, a lifetime member of the NAACP, asked the NC NAACP State Conference to assist the Lacys in examining more closely the evidence, which did not align with the prevailing law enforcement’s conclusion that Lennon had managed to kill himself, with no one else involved.
• Based on *Dr. Roberts’ report, and the many questions raised by our preliminary investigation of the people closest to Lennon during the last few days and weeks of his life, we came to the understanding that this case was much more complicated than a suicide resulting from depression following his uncle’s death. (It is important to note that depression was not clinically diagnosed.) Lennon’s uncle had been sick for some time, and his family and their minister were prepared for his death. They had a home-going funeral that evening to express their great sorrow and sadness. Lennon Lacy showed no such signs of suicidal ideations or clinical depression.
• The same day, Thursday, Lennon was washing out football gear and hanging it out on his line in preparation for his first big home game on Friday evening. Lennon’s alleged depression resulting from his uncle’s death, which was incorporated in the first autopsy report, was not determined by a medical expert.
• Last week Ms. Lacy, Pierre Lacy, Ms. Rattelade, and Mr. McSurely met with the Bladen D.A. Jon David. The Lacys and our lawyers reviewed the basis of our skepticism about the quick determination of suicide by the officials who were in charge of the investigation. We told Prosecutor David that we believed there was a good possibility of a race-based homicide and possible law-enforcement involvement in the decision to provide the State Medical Examiner with their conclusion that this was a suicide before any real investigation of a possible homicide had been undertaken. We told Prosecutor David that, based on federal laws regarding hate crimes and other civil rights statutes, we were going to formally request the U.S. Department of Justice’s participation in this hot-case—as opposed to “cold case” investigation.
An independent pathologist, Dr. Christena L. Roberts, retained by the NAACP, has released a report. Some of the findings are very disturbing. Here are some of the excerpts:
The fact that it is implausible for Lennon to have been able to act alone in hanging himself. Lennon was 5’9 (69 inches). The swing set crossbeam he was found suspended from was 7.5 feet high. “There were no swings on this swing set to act as a step to reach the beam. There was no item present at the scene that Lennon could have stood on, applied the noose and then kicked away.”
“There are a number of concerning factors about the apparent noose. The picture provided show that the black belt was not consistent with the one worn by Lennon. The blue belt is reported to be consistent with a belt worn by a male who resided in the mobile home where Lennon was last known alive.”
Click
here to read Dr. Robert's full Pathologist Report via a another Expatgirl diary.
This video published on November 19, 2014 shows the NAACP's news conference discussing developments in the investigation of Lennon Lacy's death.
UPDATE:
Thanks to pressure from the North Carolina chapter of NAACP, and the public's outcry, the FBI is investigating Lennon Lacy's death. This week marks the anniversary of his death. Rev. Dr. William Barber III, creator of Forward Together/Moral Mondays released this statement today:
Lennon Lacy, a Black 17-year old student from Bladenboro, NC was found hanging in a majority white trailer park on the morning on August 29th, 2014. He had died exactly 59 years after Emmett Till was lynching in Mississippi. After months of community meetings and demonstrations led by the NC NAACP, the FBI opened an investigation into his death as a possible lynching. One year later, we will remember Lennon and continue to demand justice.
Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of Lennon Lacy, and we join them, and the NAACP, in demanding answers.
Special thanks to ExpatGirl for helping to break this story on social media.