"Strange Fruit" - Billie Holiday LIVE, Nina Simone (VIDEO) & @lisafordblog Thoughts on the Recent Hangings -

In the words of Marvin Gaye, can someone please tell me what the fck is going on? Marvin didn’t actually say it that way, but I am. I’m writing this blog post to document the current times and how I feel about it. First and foremost we are all experiencing a global pandemic that has already killed over 118k Americans. And there are people who still aren’t taking COVID19 seriously…but that’s another story for another blog post.

Then there’s the murder of George Floyd which is/was the catalyst for the recent Black Lives Matter protest that we are seeing across the world right now. I’m in tears because I’m tired. My ancestors, among others, built up this country on their blood, sweat, and tears, and fought tirelessly for racial equality in America. So why all the civil unrest? Why do we still have to protest for racial equality in 2020?

And why do we now have at least 5 hangings of people of color within a week across this country? The first case to emerge with virality was that of Robert Fuller in Los Angeles County.

MTO writes, “Los Angeles County officials have agreed to investigate the lynching of Black man, Robert Fuller — who was found hanging from a tree in California.

Fuller, 24, was found hanging from a tree in a park near Palmdale city hall in the early hours of 10 June. The county medical examiner labeled the preliminary cause of death as a suicide pending a full autopsy.

The community was outraged, denying that it was a suicide and calling out law officials for failing to acknowledge that it was a lynching.

“Robert Fuller was a young man in the prime of his life and his death is obviously very painful to many people,” said the Los Angeles county sheriff, Alex Villanueva. “It is in our interest to make sure we leave no rock unturned.””

The additional cases are as follows: Dominique Alexander, 27, of Kingsbridge Terrace in the Bronx, died by hanging June 9, a spokesperson from the city’s medical examiner confirmed.

On May 31, Malcolm Harsch, 38, was found outside a library in Victorville, California, about 50 miles away from Palmdale. The investigation into his death is ongoing, but his family is worried it will be ruled a suicide, according to the New York Times.

In Houston, Texas, there is a case of an Hispanic male where we are waiting on the autopsy reports. Click here to the link of that news story. And in Portland, Oregon, the victim’s name is Titi Gulley. You can click this Portland Mercury link to find more information on Titi’s case.

I’ll end this by saying that I’m deeply saddened about the sign of the times and I’m asking for those who can, to help us. Please

Nina Simone also sang Strange Fruit. Check out her version. Sources for this post are listed below.