On Oct. 5, according to the Greenwood Commonwealth, a 53-year-old Greenwood resident plunged from the Veterans Bridge in an attempted suicide after overdosing on antidepressants. Greenwood police officers reported a previous encounter with the man following a suicide attempt, and they said that on Oct. 5 he admitted he was trying to kill himself.
Though the modes and methods are different, this scenario replays itself over and over again throughout the Delta in the lives of men and women who — whether by reason of mental instability or overwhelming frustration with their lives — feel that death is a far better alternative.
What makes this man’s story different from that of Frederick Jermaine Carter, aside from the fact that the first man’s suicide attempt failed and the fact that witnesses saw him jump from the bridge? If we can believe that the autopsy report is definitive, the differences are a rope, history and politicians seizing the moment for personal gain.
As in the case of most people when they first heard the news that a black man was found hanged in North Greenwood, my mind went immediately to the days of old. Within the hour, I had calls from my daughter (a high school student at an Arts School in Brookhaven) and my son (a college student in Atlanta). Both had been informed that “a black man was murdered by a white man” in the place they call “home.” The rumor train was out of the station and on its way.
I shared with both children the importance of waiting until there was an official report by those charged with the task of investigating the incident and examining the body. I hastened to add the danger in prejudging anybody and cautioned that the most appropriate response to their peers who raised questions about the incident should be, “I don’t know. The facts have not been disclosed.”
Evidently, this is not a response two of our elected officials even considered in their reaction to the writer of a USA Today story. In what could only be described as one of the most irresponsible acts I’ve witnessed up to this point, they breathed life into the rumors and their own perceptions and added fuel to the momentum of those who want to define the incident as a race crime without even pausing to explore the finding or facts presented by those with the expertise in such matters.
I, like others, believe that the investigation should remain open until all facts are thoroughly reviewed and made available to the public. But I don’t believe that the conspiracy rumors and a desire to live in the past ought to “rule the day.” Unfortunately, some are content with rumors, especially those that provide yet another reason to hate white folk, yet another reason to characterize Greenwood as a racist town. I’m not at all surprised. There will always be those persons who believe in “Big Foot” and the “Abominable Snowman.”
My wife and I have discussed the impact on our city if it is determined that Carter was indeed a homicide victim. We’ve also discussed the impact that has already been made by those who prefer to lean their thinking, efforts and energy toward a murder conspiracy rather than the critical need in our community posed by those with mental illnesses. We’ve determined that, as great a tragedy as the death of this young man is, the greater tragedy is that the only attention we’re willing to pay his death comes from the presumption that a white man did it, rather than the presumption that we must do more to address the causes of and treatments for mental illness. What we’ve concluded is that there is a responsible way to proceed — and, unfortunately for Greenwood, the responsible path is not the one being advocated in the black community.
I don’t know about the rest of the black folk in Greenwood, but I haven’t seen any white folk celebrating what happened in their “backyard.”
What should all of us, black and white, be doing? We should be trying, even harder, to bridge the gap and come closer as a community so that the “problem profiteers” will see that we are making progress in race relations.
And if you believe that the impact of Carter’s death only touches race relations, ask Angela Curry and the others who work daily to attract business and industry. I’m quite sure the USA Today article will travel farther than any marketing and PR campaign they could have imagined.
I wasn’t there. I don’t know what happened. But I’m willing to wait for the answers. I believe in the knowledge, skills and abilities of our coroner, Debra Sanders, and our sheriff, Ricky Banks. According to most in the community, “Sheriff Banks always get his man.” And, giving credit where credit is due, I must acknowledge Sen. David Jordan for his recent attempt to bring some sense of order to this situation by calling for accountability without demonizing a group of people simply because of the color of their skin.
My prayer is that, as citizens of Greenwood, we won’t be manipulated by small people with small minds into hate. There is too much at stake for our community, our region and the state of Mississippi — the relationships we’ve established with each other, the image the world has of us, and our ability to participate in the global marketplace.
Dante proposes, “The hottest seat in hell is reserved for those who, in time of great moral crisis, chose to do nothing.” I would add that the second hottest seat should be reserved for those who, in time of great moral crisis, manipulate others into doing the wrong thing.
• Troy Brown Sr. is a contractor for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
