The horrific imagery is long seared into the minds of Black Americans and imprinted in the history of the American South: A Black man hunted down, beaten bloody, run over, hung from a pecan tree, dragged behind a pickup truck, or shot in broad daylight as he jogs through his own neighborhood. The brutal lynching and murder of Black Americans is almost as American as apple pie.
You’d think that in the year 2023, these horrific accounts would be well in our past –– unfortunate reminders of what used to happen, not what does. Yet, just last October, 25-year-old Rasheem Carter went missing in rural Mississippi after twice reporting to the Taylorsville Police Department that he was being hunted by a group of white men in pickup trucks. It was the last time he was seen alive.
Rasheem was a Fayette, Mississippi, resident who routinely worked contracting jobs in neighboring towns to provide for his young daughter and earn a living after his business closed during the pandemic. He dreamed of reopening his restaurant, Cali’s Express, by saving money through the odd jobs.
A certified millwright and welder, in late September he picked up a job in Taylorsville, Mississippi. Just a few days later, Rasheem experienced a threat that all Black mothers fear for their sons — being chased by a group of white men in a pickup truck. He sent a text to his mother letting her know what was going on and she immediately became terrified for his safety and well being.
At her encouragement and out of fear for his life, Rasheem went to the Taylorsville Police Department twice to plead for help, and according to Chief Gabe Horn, he also filed a police report. He was so shaken that he asked the police for a ride back to his hotel. But by the department’s own account, they brushed him off, saying they’re not a “taxi service.”
After his second and final visit to the police department seeking help, on Oct. 2 he called his mother, warning her that his phone battery was…
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