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10-05-2017 MinutesCITY OF OCOEE Minutes of the Human Relations Diversity Board Regular Meeting Held October 05, 2017 I: CALL TO ORDER HRDB meeting was called to order by Chair Crown at 7:03 p.m. in Room 109 of Ocoee City Hall located at 150 North Lakeshore Drive, Ocoee, Florida. A. Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Personal Reflection: Member ed the board in the pledge of allegiance to the U.S. flag; followed by Chair Crown asking for moment of personal reflection. B. Roll Call and Determination of Quorum: Secretary Mieras performed roll call and declared quorum (8) met. In Attendance (10): Chair Crown, Vice Chair Brown, and Members Foster, Maxwell, Hershaw, Vines, Anderson- Robinson, Daily, Hart, & Calloway. Also Ex-Officio Member Wright & Secretary Mieras Absent (3): Members Dawkins, Bell, & Osbourne C. Review of Excused Absences: Member: Dawkins (excused absence), Members: Bell & Osbourne are unexcused absences. D. Review Agenda for Tonight's Meeting: Chair Crown reviewed the agenda for the night. Member Hershaw requested we address item E. Essay Contest Theme before item C. Cemetery/ EJI. Chair Crown Approved. Review of Minutes: Minutes from August 3rd meeting reviewed. Motion to approve made by Member Calloway, seconded by Member Maxwell and unanimously approved. II: BUSINESS FOR DISCUSSION A. Comments from Citizens/Public: None B. Budget Report: Ex-Officio Member Wright reported that as of this month the balance is $ :7-8-- C. Cemetery/ EJI: Exhibits in EJI & Orange County need 32 jars of dirt (total 64). EJI asks for different color of dirt, the dirt will come from the historic Northern Quarter, and EJI will be present for some of the soil collections in order to take photos and document the city's participation with the event. Member Maxwell expressed his desire for an accurate map of the historic Norther Quarter boundaries. A guest recommended contacting Heather Bryson for help with a map. Motion made by Member Vines, Seconded by Member Maxwell, and passed unanimously to, once the wording is finalized, ask EJI & the City Commissioners for two (2) identical markers. The proposed markers will be located at the traditional cemetery site and a highly visible part of Downtown Ocoee. Each board, commission, or agency of this state or of any political subdivision thereof shall include in the notice of any meeting or hearing, if notice of the meeting or hearing in required, of such board, commission, or agency, conspicuously on such notice, the advice that, if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the board, agency, or commission with respect to any matter considered at such meeting or hearing, he or she will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, he or she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. The requirements of this section do not apply to the notice provided in s. 200.065(3). ALSO, IN ACCORDANCE WITH FLORIDA STATUTE 286.26: PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES NEEDING ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THESE PROCEEDINGS SHOULD CONTACT THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK, 150 N. LAKESHORE DRIVE, OCOEE, FL 34761, (407) 905-3105, 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING. MORE THAN ONE COMMISSIONER MAY PARTICIPATE OR HEAR DISCUSSIONS REGARDING A MATTER WHICH WILL COME BEFORE THE COMMISSION FOR ACTION. D. Discussion on wording ideas for Marker: EA provided documents supporting their findings (attached). These documents show number of deaths ranging from 6 — 60 with more than 30 being the most frequent number they found. EJI will have a lynching memorial in Montgomery, Alabama which will state 32 killed in Ocoee. Dr. Kristen Congdon, EJI, reminded the board an undetermined number was not acceptable, but they may be willing to have "Death toll estimates range from 6 to more than 30 black citizens." Per the board's request, Dr. Congdon provided another draft for consideration with a more positive future outlook. The latest versions of the marker text and the EJI email were given to each member (attached). Member Maxwell shared a brochure from the West Orange Reconciliation Task Force. He suggested the board incorporate the brochures wording into the marker wording (attached). Chair Crown charged the board members to finalized the wording through an email chain from Ex-Officio Member Wright with the goal of a final version to approve at the November 2"d HRDB meeting and then present to the City Commission at their November 21" meeting. E. Essay Contest Theme: Theme "The Dream Starts With Me". Ex-Officio Member Wright expects to announce the theme and criteria to the schools by early November with the goal of having an earlier submission date. F. Other Business: EJI has $5,000.00 worth of scholarships for essays on the Ocoee Massacre and asked the board to incorporate the scholarship awarding with the MLK Day Celebration. The Board considered combining the scholarship with the Diversity Art Contest or the Marker Unveiling as well as making the E11 scholarship a separate event. The board tabled further discussion asking EJI to prepare information on the scholarship criteria, submission process, and award presentation plans for the November 2"d meeting. G. Set Next Agenda: Chair Crown, along with input from the board, set the agenda for the next meeting, which will be held on November 2, 2017, said Agenda was established as listed below: I. CALL TO ORDER A. Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Personal Reflection B. Roll Call and Determination of Quorum C. Review of Excused Absence(s) D. Review Agenda for Tonight's Meeting E. Review of Minutes from October 05, 2017 II. BUSINESS FOR DISCUSSION A. Comments From Citizens/Public B. Budget Report C. Cemetery/ EJI Soil Collection D. Marker Final Wording E. E11 Essay Scholarship F. Other Business G. Set Next Agenda for December 7th, 2017. III. QUESTIONS/COMMENTS IV. ADJOURNMENT Each board, commission, or agency of this state or of any political subdivision thereof shall include in the notice of any meeting or hearing, if notice of the meeting or hearing in required, of such board, commission, or agency, conspicuously on such notice, the advice that, if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the board, agency, or commission with respect to any matter considered at such meeting or hearing, he or she will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, he or she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. The requirements of this section do not apply to the notice provided in s. 200.065(3). ALSO, IN ACCORDANCE WITH FLORIDA STATUTE 286.26: PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES NEEDING ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THESE PROCEEDINGS SHOULD CONTACT THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK, 150 N. LAKESHORE DRIVE, OCOEE, FL 34761, (407) 905-3105, 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING. MORE THAN ONE COMMISSIONER MAY PARTICIPATE OR HEAR DISCUSSIONS REGARDING A MATTER WHICH WILL COME BEFORE THE COMMISSION FOR ACTION. III: QUESTIONS/COMMENTS: Chair Crown reminded the board she will not be at the December meeting. Member Calloway mentioned he has been in contact with WOKB Radio about future promotions/sponsorships and invited them to the November meeting. Chair Crown mentioned she invited WESH 2 reporter Summer Knowles to the HRDB meetings. Ms. Knowles has expressed interest in covering the city's partnership with EJI in forming these historical markers. IV: ADJOURNMENT: Meeting adjourned at 8:18 p.m. AUTHENTICATION: These are the official minutes of the Ocoee Human Relations Diversity Board, as accepted by the Board at a meeting held on the date show below. Any amendments to the minutes as originally prepared by the Secretary are indicated above. Presiding Officer Date Each board, commission, or agency of this state or of any political subdivision thereof shall include in the notice of any meeting or hearing, if notice of the meeting or hearing in required, of such board, commission, or agency, conspicuously on such notice, the advice that, if a person decides to appeal any decision made by the board, agency, or commission with respect to any matter considered at such meeting or hearing, he or she will need a record of the proceedings, and that, for such purpose, he or she may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is to be based. The requirements of this section do not apply to the notice provided in s. 200.065(3). ALSO, IN ACCORDANCE WITH FLORIDA STATUTE 286.26: PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES NEEDING ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THESE PROCEEDINGS SHOULD CONTACT THE OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK, 150 N. LAKESHORE DRIVE, OCOEE, FL 34761, (407) 905-3105, 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE MEETING. MORE THAN ONE COMMISSIONER MAY PARTICIPATE OR HEAR DISCUSSIONS REGARDING A MATTER WHICH WILL COME BEFORE THE COMMISSION FOR ACTION. ITEM NUMBER II. D. Discussion on Wording Ideas for Marker Attachments: 1.) Current marker wording 2.) KGCongdon Email — Wording change requests 3.) EJI Email — Overview of 32 victims methodology 4.) 1979 journal article -- "Florida and the Black Migration" (Pages 285-286) 5.) Excerpt from Emancipation Betrayed 6.) Excerpt from NAACP Report 1920 7.) Newspaper Clipping — Veteran Patrol Streets 8.) Newspaper Clipping — Eight Are Dead in Race Battle 9.) The Chicago Defender Nov 6th ,1920 — Lynched Man Who Wanted to Vote 10.) Tampa Morning Tribune Nov 4th, 1920 — Ocoee Race War... 11.) Greensboro Daily Record Dec 17t", 1920 — Investigation of Florida... 12.) The News Scimitar — Two White Men and Eight... 13.) The Washington Herald -- Probe into Killing of 30... THE OCOEE MASSACRE On Election Day, November 2, 1920, Mose Norman, a black Yvan, was denied the right to vote after being accused of not paying a poll tax. On the day before the election, the Ku Klux Klan marched with robes and crosses through the streets of Ocoee terrorizing the black community trying to intimidate them not to vote. In response to Mr. Norman's attempt to vote, a mob of armed white people attacked the local black community. Suspecting that Mr. Norman was taking refuge with another black man named Jules Perry, an armed mob attacked Mr. Perry's home. Jules Perry was seized, taken to Orlando and lynched outside the courthouse. Over the course of two days, the mob burned 25 black homes, two black churches, and one black lodge in Ocoee. More than 30 black people were billed in the violence. Survivors fled to local coYmnunities - many ofwhom would never return to their homes again, and he entire black community was forced out of Ocoee. For decades the Ocoee Massacre continued o shape the political, c ltural and social landscape of this community and contributed to a history of racial terror that has yet be acknowledged. RACIAL VIOLENCE IN AMERICA Thousands of black people were the victims of lynching and racial violence in the United States between 1877 and 1950. The lynching of African Americans during this era was a form of racial terrorism intended to intimidate blackpeople and enforce racial hierarchy and segregation. Lynching was most prevalent in the South. After the Civil War, there was violent resistance to equal rights for African Americans and an ideology of white supremacy led to violent abuse of racial minorities and decades of political, social, and economic exploitation. Lynching became the most public and notorious form of terror and subordination. White mobs were usually permitted to engage in racial terror and brutal violence with iYnpunity. Many black people were pulled out of jails or given over to mobs by law enforcement officials who were legally required to protect them. Terror lynchings often included burning and mutilation, sometimes in front of crowds numbering in the thousands. Many of the names of lynching victims were not recorded and will never be known, but over 300 documented lynchings tools place in Florida alone. Orange County had thirty three documented lynchings - the highest of all counties in the state. Mieras, Justin Subject: FW: lynching memorial text Attachments: OcoeeMarkerLanguage_E A.pdf; ATT00001.htm From: KGCongdon [mailto:kgcongdon@amaii.com] Seat: Friday, September 29, 2017 1:33 PM To: CharleyWilliams; Fairolyn Livingston; ValadaF; Mary Daniels; Kathleen Bell; Harry Coverston; Curtis Michelson; sandra cawthern; Francina Boykin; Rachel Allen; TramaineB; wemaxcom; Willie Allen will iejallenjrOgmail.com Bridge the Gap Coalition; TrentTomengo; Terron Ferguson; ndaniels7Ca)mall.valenciacollege.edu; Heather Bryson; barutiC&PositiveFlowFoundation.org; Tuesday Everyday; EYE SEEIMAGES; Barbara Chandler; Josie Lemon; Khalil Osiris; Jay Jurie; Lindy Shepherd; Terry.Olson@ocfl.net; Fl.nicole96C&gmail.com; Phyllis@thegirleylawfirm.com; Stephen Wright Stephen Wright Deborah Carroll Debora h.CarrollCaiucf.edu Scott Emrich Christopher. Emrich@ucf.edu Scot French Scot. French(ducf.edu Jerry Girley Phyllis(dthegirleylawfirm.com Baruti Abdallah-NosaRhere BarutiOPositiveFlowFoundation.org GilmartD@seminolestate.edu info@creatre.ora Cc: Crown, Kathleen M.; Wright, Joy; Kiara Boone; Evan Milligan Subject: lynching memorial text All, Attached is the last version of the lynching text from EJI. Charley Williams has requested that the text say African American citizens in the final rendition. I don't think EJI will have issues with the inclusion of that word. We have also asked that they designate the the town as the unincorporated town of Ocoee. I'm hoping we can make all other requests by mid -October to finalize this lengthy task of editing the language. As you know, the number is not negotiable. Not everyone is going to be happy with the final text. It's difficult to get dozens of people on the same page with a short statement. But we do need to move forward so I will appreciate your help. If you have editing suggestions, please let me know by 10/10. I'll send them all forward to EJI. Thanks for your help. Kristin Mieras, Justin Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2017 2:46 PM Subject: FW: Ocoee Reserach Methodology Begin forwarded message: From: Evan Milligan <emilligan0-e1i.org> Subject: Fwd: Ocoee Reserach Methodology Date: October 2, 2017 at 3:53:55 PM EDT To: KGCongdon <kgcongdon0-gmai1.com> Cc: Kiara Boone <kboone&gii.org> Kristin, Hi. Thanks again for your patience. I'm attaching the following to clarify the information EJI relied upon to justify its estimation of at least 32 African American lynching victims related to the Ocoee Massacre (Perry + 31 unnamed): The EJI memo that summarizes our community remembrance projects. Within that memo, we list all of our search engine or database sources and the methodology used to consult those sources. Primary sources - newspaper articles written during the actual period Secondary sources o NAACP report saying 30-50 victims (see also pg. 33-34) o BiogrMhy stating that a white Ocoee resident told Walter White 56 black people were killed 0 2011 Stetson Kennedy book giving death toll as "approximately 35" o Book quoting local minister about why the death toll will never be known o First attachment (pg. 285-286): 1979 journal article quoting report that black death toll was unknown, and also quoting observer who saw cremation scene. o Second attachment: Excerpt from Emancipation Betrayed, a 2005 book that details the Ocoee violence, quotes eyewitness accounts, and notes that the NAACP ultimately concluded 30-60 people were killed. Here's how one of our staff attorneys and lead researchers explains the basis for our assertion: "Estimates range from six to 50-60. The newspapers initially reported eight confirmed/official deaths: six black people, including Mr. Perry's hanging and other people killed when their homes were set on fire by mobs; and two white people. In some of those articles, officials are quoted predicting that the number will rise as more dead black people are found in the ashes of their burned homes. The NAACP investigation reported compiling evidence of 32-36 black deaths, and other contemporary researchers have put the number at as many as 50-60 black victims. We count 32 victims in our lynching data, taking the low end of the NAACP report, and we have a few 1920 news articles that report 30 or "at least 30" victims, based on the NAACP's figures. Six would probably be the most conservative number to use, relying on the official non NAACP count. (The number is especially fluid since all of the victims we list are unnamed, aside from Mr. Perry, and that's true of the news articles too)." Accordingly, ER will not sponsor a marker that cites substantially fewer victims than we cite in our data and in the memorial -- but we might consider using less determinant language. We could say something like "death toll estimates ranged from six to more than thirty black residents." Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you and good luck. Evan FLoRiDA AND THE BLACK MIGRATION 285 in his native state. Two blacks, in jail for murder, were taken out by a mob, shot to death, and then left in the streets of the Jacksonville business district. Johnson lamented: "Jacksonville is the birthplace of the writer. For many years it was known as a most liberal city for colored people. We have received a number of letters from colored residents of the city. One ... is taken up entirely with the shame of the city. We have no doubt that there are many of the older colored residents of Jacksonville who are as much pained by the fact that their city has been thus dis- graced as they are at the fact of the lynching itself."46 For Johnson, the one redeeming fact was a resolution by the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce declaring that the city was not a "lynch law community," and that "in no instance has lynch law prevailed in Duval County during the memory of the oldest inhabitant. "47 But six weeks later Johnson's New York Age carried an editorial entitled "Terrorism is Playing a Big Part in the South Today." Respected black residents of several southern cities, he noted, were being driven from their homes, and "from Jacksonville, Florida, comes the rumor that a number of lead- ing colored men of that city have been notified that they must go,"" In July 1920, several white men drove a car through the "colored section" of Miami and tossed out a dynamite bomb. Its explosion brought forth 3,000 indignant blacks and the entire police force. The mayor called out the American Legion at mid- night and by daybreak 400 armed men were patrolling the streets.49 Lynchings and similar violence continued in other southern states. The Indianapolis Freeman declared that "there is another mighty exodus of the colored people on from the South. It is not economic this time, ... but due to an epidemic of intimidation and lynching."511 �—� The violence was climaxed with a pitched battle at Ocoee near Orlando in Orange County on election day, 1920. Two white men were killed and at least ten others wounded in a battle 46. New York Age, September 20, 1919. 47. Ibid. 48. Ibid., November 1, 1919; Indianapolis Freeman, September 20, I919. 49. Indianapolis Freeman, July 31, 1920; Paul George, "Colored Town: Miami's Black Community, 1896-1930," Florida Historical Quarterly, LVI (April 1978), 445-46. 50. Indianapolis Freeman, July 31, 1920. George B. Tindall, The Emergence of the New South, 1913-1945 (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I967), 154-55. This content downloaded from 128.122.149.96 on Mon, 02 Oct 2017 18:44:51 UTC All use subject to http://about,jstor.org/terms 286 FLORIDA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY which destroyed the Negro section of the town. Harry White, an NAACP investigator, claimed that "July Perry and an un- known number of colored killed at the scene of the riot, 25 colored houses, 2 colored churches and a colored lodge destroyed by fire." He estimated that thirty people were killed in the fighting which lasted more than a full day.51 "A gruesome crema- tion scene was exposed to all ... as the morning sun peeped over the smoke laden battlefield," according to one observer. The same reporter declared that "practically all of the colored residents in the vicinity of the place had left the region, mostly by foot, as there was no exodus by rail."b2 There was irony resulting from the macabre event. After complaining of shortages of black laborers for several years, white citizens were obliged to harvest their citrus crops themselves since nearly all the blacks had been killed or driven away.53 In a sense the Ocoee incident was a microcosmic example of the entire labor situation since 1916. On the one hand white Floridians were treating blacks so poorly that many felt forced to flee the state in order to survive, while on the other they were bemoaning the loss of what they had come to regard as a perpetual labor supply. But few lessons were learned either from the Ocoee incident or from the other tragic events. The Ocoee incident was repeated on a slightly smaller scale when both blacks and whites were killed in a 1923 riot resulting in the dissolution of the com- munity of Rosewood near Cedar Key. In the same year Sam Carter was lynched by a mob near Bronson because he had harbored a fugitive trying to escape from another mob, and Abe Wilson was hanged near Newberry after his conviction for cattle stealing.54 At the same time, either the demand for lumber diminished sharply or the lumber operators had been exaggerat- ing the labor shortage in the mills and forests. At its November 1920 convention at Tampa, the Georgia -Florida Sawmill Associa- 51. Indianapolis Freeman, November 20, 1920; James Weldon Johnson to A. Mitchell Palmer, November 12, 1920, NAACP Papers, C-351, Library of Congress, Washington. 52, Indianapolis Freeman, November 20,194, 53. Ibid., December 25, 1920. 54. Levy, James Weldon Johnson, 218-19; Tindall, Emergence of the New South, 155; Literary Digest, LXXVI (1923), 11-12; New York Tribune, January 3, 1923. This content downloaded from 128.122.14996 on Mon, 02 Oct 2017 18:44:51 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terins had qualified and registered, that their names were not on the registration books. In many cases colored people were told that they would have to go to the office of prank M. Ironmonger, Supervisor of Registration for Duval County and secure a letter certifying that they had registered.104 By the end of the day, Floyd, Eartha White, and other black activists estimated that three to four thousand African Americans in Jacksonville had been turned away from the polls. One witness testified: "My own mother, a very active woman ... stood at the polls from 8: z 5 until they closed about 5 : 30 P M. My father did likewise and neither was permitted to cast their ballot [like] others in the 2, G and 7th wards."105 "I was active in securing the registration of colored men and women because we all real- ized the value of the ballot," Eartha White told the NAACP. "We have already in hand more than 3,000 names, addresses and registration certifi- cate numbers of qualified electors who stood in line ... from 8 A.M. to 5 :40 P.M." Miss White and her fellow organizers immediately went to work gathering evidence that the NAACP could place before the U.S. Congress when it convened in January. Eartha White emphasized, however, that local black citizens were concerned about their safety should they be called upon to testify about their experiences: "Many of these must be assured of some protection for if it was known that they gave such testimony, their lives would be in danger."lob BLOODY ORANGE COUNTY Election officials in Ocoee planned a system of fraud that paralleled the Jacksonville strategy: poll workers would challenge black voters, who in turn would be forced to appear before the local notary public, R. C. Biegelow, and swear that they were registered voters. Whites in Ocoee later admitted that Biegelow was sent on a fishing trips which made it impossi- ble for prospective voters to find him.107 But African Americans at Ocoee still tried to vote. Zora Neale Hurston wrote that African Americans were pushed and shoved at the polls. Then they were ordered away, but some of them persisted."108 One of those who persisted was Mose Norman, who was accused by whites of bringing a shotgun to the polls. Whites also accused Norman of taking testimony from African Americans who had been denied the right to vote."9 According to Hurston, a group of white men chased Norman from the polls. "Then the white mobs began to 220 EMANC[PATION BETRAYED Ortiz, Paul. Emancipation Betrayed: The Hidden History of Black Organizing and White Violence in Florida from Reconstruction to the Bloody Election of 1920, University of California Press, 2005. ProQuast Ebook Central, http://ebookceniral.proquest.corrr Created from nyullbrary-obooks on 201 i-10-02 11:52:42. parade up and down the streets and grew more disorderly and unmanage- able." Someone suggested that the white crowd should pay Mose Norman a visit to bring him to his senses. It was believed that Norman had taken refuge at the house of July Perry, which was plainly visible across a small lake from the Ocoee court house. A mob began to march around the lake to Mr. Perry's house. Hurston believed that the white people of neighbor- ing Winter Garden, "citing the evils of Reconstruction," came to Ocoee looking for trouble. However, Ocoee whites like Colonel Sam Salisbury proudly confessed to having participated in the ensuing events."' Salisbury was a native New Yorker and had formerly served as the chief of police in Orlando. Arriving at July Perry's house, the mob, numbering around one hundred men, demanded that Perry and Norman surrender themselves. Receiving no answer, they tried to break down the front door. Perry had been warned in advance and was ready for this incursion. John Cheney was clear about the chain of events: "They broke down the door of Perry's home and the Negroes fired in self-defense.""' Sam Salisbury was the first white casu- alty. The mob quickly regrouped and called for reinforcements from Orlando and Orange County.112 Alerted by an electronic sign board that was being used for the first time to broadcast election returns, fifty car- loads of white men from Orlando raced to the scene. Thus augmented, white paramilitary forces surrounded the northern Ocoee black commu- nity and laid siege to it."' They destroyed the local fraternal lodge build- ing, set fire to the black churches, and engaged in an evening -long gun battle with African American residents. Fighting a bitter house -to -house campaign, whites torched African American residences as late as 4:45 in the morning.' 14 July Perry was captured and lynched. Mose Norman dis- appeared and was never found. Hurston wrote that "Langmaid, a Negro carpenter [was] beaten and castrated."115 White gunmen steadily drove African Americans into a nearby swamp, and the morning of November 3 witnessed "intermittent firing from blacks at bay as they are being pressed farther into the woods by the encircling whites.""' Hattie Smith of Youngstown, Ohio, had arrived. in Ocoee in October to help care for her sister-in-law during the final days of her pregnancy. 1 i7 On the evening of Election Day, Smith heard about the gunfight at July Perry's home, but since that was some distance from Smith's brother's home, it was thought that residents there would be safe from violence. Around midnight, however, Mrs. Smith and the rest of the household were awak- ened "by shots and screaming of women and children," Seeking to flee ELECTION DAY, 1920 221 Ortiz, Paul. Emancipation Betrayed: The Hidden History of Black Organizing and White Violence in Florida from Reconstruction to the Bloody Election of 1920, University of California Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http:1/ebookcentrai.proquest.cam , Created from nyulibrary-ebooks on 2017-10-02 11:52:42. from their house, "we were met with a fusillade of revolver shots fired by a band of white men. With shots and curses they drove us back into the house.""' Next the white mob set the house on fire. Mrs. Smith fled out the back door, but her brother was wounded, and his family decided to wait for help. But help never came, not for Mrs. Smith's family or for any other African Americans in Ocoee. "My poor sister-in-law, her husband and child had perished in the flames along with probably twenty others, who were either burned or shot to death by the mob.""' Local Afro-American Insurance agents confirmed Mrs. Smith's report, telling their home office in Jacksonville that "several women and children were among those burned to death in the election riots in that place.""" While it was stated that "negro women were true shots with their guns," African Americans could not withstand a sustained assault by hundreds of armed white men who poured into the town from all directions. Driven from their homes, African Americans in Ocoee desperately fled from the area. The Times - Union reported that "many negroes have been seen walking along high- ways many miles from Ocoee."121 The Rev. R. B. Brooks, presiding AME elder in St. Augustine, stated, "The total number [of dead] will probably never be known because the bones of the murdered Negroes who were burned to death, were taken away as souvenirs by members of the mob."122 Alexander Akerman con- curred with Rev. Brooks's grim assessment. Akerman told U.S. senator William C. Kenyon: "I do not believe it will ever be known how many Negroes were killed. Every Negro schoolhouse, church and lodge room in that vicinity was burned, in some instances with women and children occupying the house, and thus burned to death."123 The Miami Herald reported, "All negroes in that section have taken flight and it is not expected that the disturbance will spread."124 When Walter White arrived undercover in Orange County a few days later, he found that whites were still giddy with victory. 115The United Confederate Veterans changed the timing of their convention in Orlando so that they could visit Ocoee and witness firsthand this latest victory for white supremacy.126 Light -skinned enough to pass for a white man, White posed as a northerner interested in buying orange grove property in Orange County in order to find out what had happened in Ocoee and other black communities.127 The real estate agent and taxi cab driver who took White to Ocoee told the assistant secretary of the NAACP that fifty- six African Americans had been billed in the massacre. White was also told 222 EMANCIPATION BETRAYED Ortiz, Paul, Emancipation Betrayed : The Hidden History of Black Organizing and White Violence in Florida from Reconstruction to the Bloody Election of 1920, University of California !Tess, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.00m. Created from nyulibrary-ebooks on 2017-10-02 11:52:42. that the massacre had been precipitated by white jealousy of black farmers like July Perry and Mose Norman, who were judged as being "too pros- perous —`for a nigger."' White was struck by the attitude of white resi- dents of Orange County, who felt "that nothing unusual had taken place —that the white people had acquitted themselves rather meritori- ously in checking unholy and presumptuous ambitions of Negroes in attempting to vote."121 White landowners used the Ocoee Massacre as a pretext to drive the few remaining African Americans out of the town and to seize their property. Mrs. J. H. Hamiter, who lived in the southern branch of the Ocoee black community, which had not been directly assaulted on Election Day, wrote to a friend a few weeks later: The people on the south of town are being threatened that they must sell out and leave or they will he shot and burned as the others have been. I don't know the first step to take. Every where near here is crowded with people and I haven't beeh able to sell out as yet. It seemed to have been a pre -arranged affair to kill and drive the colored people from their homes as they were more prosperous than the white folks, so they are hoping to get their homes for nothing.129 In the end, white paramilitaries drove nearly five hundred African Americans out of Ocoee, and the town became Florida's newest white homeland. Walter White provided a chilling epilogue: At the time that I visited Ocoee, the last colored family of Ocoee was leaving with their goods piled high on a motor truck with six colored children on top. White children stood around and jeered the Negroes who were leaving, threatened them with burning if they did not hurry up and get away. These children thought it a huge joke that some Negroes had been burned alive.131 The NAACP cautiously estimated that between thirty and sixty black Floridians were murdered on Election Day.131 Scores had been wounded, and hundreds more became political refugees in their own country. Whites had destroyed black fraternal lodges in three counties. African Americans now expected the nation to intervene in what was ultimately the bloodiest presidential election in the history of twentieth-century America. William Sutton had witnessed armed whites guarding the polling places in Liberty County in order to deter African American voters. Sutton placed his hope for justice outside of the state: "I am glad to read of so many who are in ELECTION DAY, 1920 223 Ortiz, Paul. Emancipation Betrayed: The Hidden History of Black Organizing and White Violence in Florida from Reconstruction to the Bloody Election of 1920, University of California Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central, http:llebookcentral.proquest.com, Created from nyulibrary-ebooks on 2017-10-0211:52:42. @C' Iv LYNCHING The number of lynchings of which the Association has record during the year 1920 is sixty-five. However, this figure does not include the victims of the election -day trouble at Ocoee, Fla. Though the press reported only six Negroes killed, the Assistant Secretary in his investigation of the affair heard white residents of the vicinity say that from thirty to fifty were killed. A summary of Mr. White's report on the Ocoee riots is given later on in this report. Of the sixty-five victims mentioned above, eight were whits men and one was a woman. In 1919 there were 83 ' lynchings. Were it not for the Ocoee, Fla., incident on election day, it could be said, according to our records, that lynchings had decreased in number. But not only have they not decreased in number, but the brutality of the lynch- ings is still marked. Fight of the victims, besides those burned at Ocoee, Fla., met death by burning. One of these was a white man, at Billings, Mont., who resisted arrest. Another, because he threat- ened to kill a white man, was flogged to death by a mob of forty men. The utter disregard of law by the mob is shown in one instance where the accused man was dragged out of the courtroom where he was being tried at a special term of court called for the purpose, and taken into the street. A rope was placed about his neck and he was dragged two blocks through the .main street, then the rope was tied to the axle of an automobile which dragged him to a bridge, where the lifeless body was hung to a limb of a tree and riddled with bullets. Particular attention is called to the lynching of three Negroes at Duluth, Minn., and the burnings at Ocoee, Fla.: Duluth. --On June 16, the press of the country reported the lynching of three Negroes at Duluth, Minn., by a mob of 5,000 per- sons, who overpowered the police and firemen, took possession of police &adquarters and seized these three men along with three others who were released after a mock trial had been held. All of these Negroes were under arrest in connection with an alleged attack upon a white girl. 32 Digitized by Go®e Lynching 33 The National Office immediately wired its St. Pain and Min- neapolis branches asking that an investigation be made as to the facts in the case. Governor J. A. Burnquist of Minnesota is President of the St. Paul Branch and a direct appeal for the apprehension and punish- ment of the- lynchers was made to him as Governor of the State. Each of the Minnesota branches sent investigators to the scene of the lynching and full reports were made to the National Office. Among other things, one of the investigators was able to secure affidavits from thirteen other colored men who were being held on the same charge for which the three were lynched. This investi- gator reported that it was not certain that any of the men lynched or those under arrest were guilty of the crime charged, and that it was not even certain that the girl had been assaulted.* Ocoee. —On November 2, election day, a colored man, July Perry, attempted to vote after he had been refused the privilege by election authorities on the ground that he had not paid his poll tax. It is said that Perry returned to the polls with a shotgun, accompanied by several other Negroes; whereupon the white citi- zens immediately formed a posse and, going to the Negro settle- ment, set fire to several buildings. According to press dispatches more than twenty buildings were burned and five Negroes, including one woman, perished in the flames. Perry was captured and later taken by the mob and lynched. The Assistant Secretary was sent to Ocoee to investigate this affair. The following is a summary of his report: 1. That according to statements made by white residents, between thirty and fifty Negroes were killed in election rioting in and near the town of Ocoee, Florida, on November 2, the majority being cremated alive in the buildings that were burned. 2. That by flagrant violation of the terms of the United States Consti- tution and of local election laws, Negroes in Ocoee, Jacksonville and other Florida towns and cities were prevented from voting. 3. That intimidation by the Ku Klux Klan and other agencies appar- ently beyond the control of the State of Florida was systematically and persistently practiced against colored people for weeks preceding the elec- tion, and especially on the Saturday night immediately preceding. 4. That the election rioting about Ocoee resulted not only in the burning of eighteen houses of Negroes, but also in the destruction of a school, a church and a lodge hall. *bee "Duluth Cases" under LEGAL DEFENSE. Di,ifind ny oo e 34 Eleventh Annual Report 5. That lees than a week after election, citizens of Ocoee publicly boasted of a number of colored people killed in the riots, one white man boasting of seventeen victims. The above information was sent to Attorney -General Palmer with the statement that sufficient evidence of violence, fraud and illegality to disqualify the entire vote of the State of Florida was available for the Department of Justice. At the same time the Association offered to the Department cooperation in an imme- diate investigation of the atrocities at Ocoee and the terrorisation of colored voters by the Ku Klux Klan in Florida and other states. A reply was received from the Department of Justice stat- ing that it would be glad to receive any further information the Association had to give but suggesting that the facts be first sub- mitted to our legal adviser in order to determine whether or not the cases presented constitute a violation of rights secured to Negroes under the Federal Constitution or laws as distinguished from the constitutions and laws of the several states involved. LYNCHING RECORD FOR 1920 Manner of Name Date Place Lynching 1. Jack Waters ............. Jan. 15 Florala, Ala............. Hanged 2. Cornelius Alexander...... Mar. 4 Pike City, Ga.......... . 3. Wilbur Smith............ Mar. 11 Le Grande, Ala .......... Shot 4. Grant Smith ............. Mar. 29 Millersburg, Ky......... Hanged 5. George Robertson........ April 1 Laurens, S. Car.......... Hanged 6. Albert Evans............ April 19 Mulberry, Kan.......... Hangd 7. Charles Arline........... May 8 Woodville, Tex.......... Flogged to death 8. M. Scott ................ May 9 Lakeland, Fla....... .. Shot 9. Elias Clayton............ June 15 Duluth, Minn........... Hanged 10. Isaac Magee ............. June 15 Duluth, Minn............ Hanged 11. Eimer Jackson........... June 15 Duluth, Minn..... ...... Hanged 12. Philip Gaithers........... June 21 Rinco, Ga:.............. Shot 13, Washington Giles........ June 30 Damon Mound, Tex...... Shot 14. Ezra Giles .............. June 30 Damon Mound, Tex...... Shot 15. Jodie Gordon............ June 30 Damon Mound, Tex...... Hanged 16. Elijah Anderson......... June 30 Damon Mound, Tex... ..Hanged 17. James Spencer........... . July 5 Enterprise, Mies.. ....... Hanged 18. Herman Arthur.......... July 6 Paris, Tex ............... Burned 19. Irving Arthur........... July 6 Paris, Tex .............. Burned 20. Ed Roach ............... July 7 Roxboro, N. Car......... Hanged Digitized by pro® c C� VETERANS PATROL STR Q.uiet Follows Rae* Clash 'down scervi e' men Patrolled the- etreetj of Undo* Ocoee and nmby town thm out the n1gt to. prevent renewal ee a sh wbich in xzown to rare *Wted In the death at Ctme Tt" night of two white.men and sixMV QWet pre�r led today and the auto said they did not expect, any fvr; outbreak.. Deputy sherM wbo were c&N Ocoee by the rlo4 which was the a-towth of the electlon. Wd. they Iteyed the death rate would exceed They mdd they were eonvjsftd : bodies of several news would be foq ifi he ruins of t eo rw v h : stroyed W AM EIGHT ROE DEAD ICJ H4C[ BA1. TTLE Two whites Killed, Five Ne- groes Burned and One Hanged in Florida. ORLANDO, Fla. (.,1')---F1ve negroes have been burned to death and an- other hanged t4 a. tree as a result of a fight which started at the polls at Ocoee, near here, Tuesday night after election officials had refused to per- mit Noses Norrnun, a, negro, to Vote on the ground that he had failed to Pay his poll tax. Two white men were shot and Mlled and sett eril others, Including a former police chief, -were wounded in the fight which preceded the wholesale lynching. The negroes burned met death in 1)ouses im which they had +congregated and which were fired. The sixth negro billed was taken from a jail curly Wednesday morning by a mob. According to accounts received here Norman left the polls after being re- fused a, vote and returned later with a shotgun in his automobile. Ile was alleged to have made,.threats against tbo election officials and finally was knocked down when lie reached for the gun, Ile escaped Into the ne ;ro section, where it was reported, the negroe� were gathering in crowds. Later. when an attempt was made to ar- rest Norman, fire teas opened from tho heusc in which the nian had taken. refuges, Leo Bogard and Elmer Afc- Daniels, white men, were killed. An attempt was made to,run the negroes from tho house which finally was fired. One negro, Jules Perry, was ar. rested and he was the man who later was lynched bSr the, mob. LYNCHED MAN WHO WANTED TO VOTE: FLORIDA ELECTION OFFICIALS USE GUN The Chicago Defender (Big Weekend Bdilion) (1905-1966); Nov G, 1920; ProQuest [tistoricat Newspapers: Chicago Defender pg. l L�NCHIB MAN WHO WANTED TO VOTE' Florida Election Officials Use Gun and Rape to Kill Voter Ocoee. 1 a., Nov. ;.---Whell JaMes Perry tutelilptutl to oust a vote for Warren G. 31ardhiK for Presid(�ttt of the United States he was confronted With tr. JAIA01 by white election olli- ekkis and told to letivo tiro I101N. Perry imsi:sted that lie be pern-titted to vote. stating that he had paid lti:t poll tai. rind mach known his intentions to s1109ort the Rel)ttbl]can ticket. This eaused his desit t. Perry, however, hilled two white mesa before ]to fell dead, Whites Give W-arning t•te %t•u.s ltnocked down, dragged from the. polls anit carricd to a chUrchyard near by,. where at rope 4vus placed .shout his neck :Lnd tits body*,Wns rid- dletl with bullets. .I3is mutilated body Was placed near tha polling place With rt sign attaChcrcl to it. reading: "Tots 14 what we do to nippers that rote." A photo was made of Perry. :tttti i4 hning sold at 25 cents by ,I lo- cal phatngr-.tl7her•. ` Sovteral stores have placed tho, heinousr Photo on oxhibitlon In lsirttlowe. Ku Klux Paracle It is elaltned that :Lora was paused on the morning of the election that all mumber:i of the Race were to be kept from the polls. That guns were to be ttti,vd, if necessary, to "preserve the st:tto for the Demmrais." Wu Xlux parttdps worms lield in jacksotnville and Luke City ar, a warulttg that trouble would occur it Race member4 on- tic,,tvurod to vole. in many pine.es they were driven from the polls and their ballots, when maxRed, were thrown in the waste bn skit. Tltn real motive for lire berry, murder lu churged to the fawt that tho dead man had advised women of his italics to meet with hlmt it :t church -.Lnd march to the ltolls to vote+. ,miy snore Wns, termed €nttdrisiable and tht+ wornerz went, alone. When Per— ry appeared c1. pistol grerted ltirn. The while rnen -who killed him aro Well known, but bane tint been arrested. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. t WAK mommi Uu'utt- 'KAU'f ,+ Ok INDS..WITH. 01ATH LIST AT EIGHT P THE • N UMBER SIX - ARZ. •, BLACK AND �T"WO -WHITE MEN BUi (3 ` RN I ' HouF . . r Had Barricaded '0hem' selvemmatha t '., Rite' leader Is Captured and Hanged, -,.Blacks Flee. ORLANDO; Nov. , R the cieizring awny of thi Kt>>okn' of ig. �. tie ,,�vhlc�h h.�a. hung over the littin (� W'Tt of Ocoee 11) 'WeA Orange county for ; 01b, vast t went y-four imrfi, tiff tho rmmu .- of . t1i1% liect lown tirst meo mash, a etoso c. Cheek -up tonight phows that- elg)it i1mi fire.dead—two whiten • apd nix ,11�� �vonR� 4 an& that five whiten Hn`(! on, ununbwn nuftiber of negromi ha vo been woundod << hi ' varyin degree. 1ii .ndditlmi to tyro. :1oearo in` kilt'd rind ' woun'ded the Oksh" h8 (wee)) es mid whltep 1.0"U110d in the burning of twenty-five 1 egm houKeeo jwo.'_,. nom chu"b6h and a n rQ lodge W111 11 were swept by flalnem when tha whit -ex fired n houNcp in wmcii a Rrou1) of negrova h" bar rlcadW titemaeiven titter nbootin Own two young white men,and and wounds i n g tt M. .,�' - - - - A. )n ,on )n , a t. NAL Frho-wh1tu men Wiled tire: Bor+ and of NVInter Garden 'and EAmer Mot )Irinlelu of Ocoee, Jules Perry, the •no'`iyr�a In - Rhonn %��Lli re clip, Wrickh ba� r1ent �+d themselti►es, `vats captured, Knd earl ► thls morni17g waa .takers from the Oriandoijall by a mob f More than a. hundred too)), wltiv . strun him up to a tree .• on the ' Country C u'b rood and riddled his body with hulletop The white men wounded nre: $Km Sollsbury, Clio rle Bemly, young Wllsorl, 114rank Itvbinobn. Mad Min .NuMner. ; Neam Got Uo!y , The, race clnelt . tit Ocove, Mile)) '11as. stirred thl" entiro meeLlon was. treelpi- tgted by, a, ttegro nttnlod kone Dorm► n,, , -who was refused 1tcormitsibn 'to voto Ht the Ocoee polling niece TueKdgy morning when he waa t0mble to pru uco iwbof t11pt ho had paid his 'toll- tax. Ise throavo ened trouble, but 11t.t.1o' Was/ thouglitt (,( It until the alert returned in a•car about. t;..o'clock � In • tb6 fiffernboh,, i+r')th a'' nhotw gumn , .Whon, be .vas aga{p , r6f coed . r tnlfgIQn to%vote. Norttio. tttiad Qrnb -ugly .ronla.rlt , .t lint 'he "would, one i��hy ho rauldn t vote . and, atartod . ter 111r 'wht' :h4 had'lfift' 111s`0w. A•r,wlttt.r' t tH,n:.. ''14r'A►as ttesrby► ; tbe: blank 1 drhb�' l Ing ghd, . orde4 11�n? ..•aw r► f row ,the Vol�, the 6rder, being obe`Fod by NlorwMv # hdn �. 4ft4r.- dark word was ree6 V e,; that ' , rignd 'o flits arx e1 fn�; i��'l?!4 ► V f, marebltt 011 �c4!'t1,' ;rr►CT0 f0' �r u 1r►�" Hefore t 4 . tlnlo N. truok(oad. I~neMled n@g A*; ohpd U.rrlve4 f�o�r, ,Ap6pka,.•-av town some, ten tnlles ( nt,;:� Oco,de and had stopped at tha •hour oft Jules..iRor�r , wlto is aid to have oeU aV c►hroplc,,_ troublo .•tri er, When Abe re-, port .:�� AO 'recelved that the nogroes cyers prepAring to , make. troUble it po"6 of eitlxono.-rwns formed and procaedpd' .to the P'erry , houtio, which 'In about pnldwity betWiD �1 .Ocoee., And ,drawn.-Point-w-teae to_�}►nK hQinR two rltltet apart. t3ant I aliabury, who r served us a 1tte�+a3• during the World 1� arf and -tvho wi e foar)ner)y,s:Itt*f oY polloo or Orlando, 1teu3. . Pd.' the }rusk; , pending he-,xrr1vg1 ..of . Sheriff - Frank- 09j,don, Ohm .. Orlando. fit. 'tlio- Prey 116uoA ' iflek6TW W0o''p66ted' . at' the, renr to prevent the blackw Sea. eapltlg, 'und' F0110 bur.-v'and. settle comp�.il. lorls walked t* the, door and dtsmahOd toq.'ta.tlf .to;f Perry'ThilOr answ6r,,,wait, a - ellot, ; from the' lnterlar of. tho butl(dlttg, 0 BE I t1tobulfoi. -.. "_rciurn "volley.- frpltl, tli;i . w bite # jooge riddled -1be' n+ gme houke. z tntert0tent _ firing, contli ued on troth tne timet Hides' for! xa' of .tha *hlt6 men, raid It, Is thought a, numbee, of the . nearoes,' ' , boingg .wounded, - Men; Sharitf 4.f, Gordon Find blgI ahlef deputy, L. H, ,Furo, on, arrived at , t lia head -of, a, � .force of de )uty� Aorifto and it.hundrQd Qr, in or* I thank 'Qriatidd.eltizens tho� djaotllglitfi ROM .ituto• stulrttiolt mobliea• were, flanhed canto tho . negra • hc�u4a 0 fivni all polrits, , �atx who .The firing. it ►n within the bu1104 halt J, ats' Tag- genRed -come- thme before' this ; wd whtln . JP 0 - Chair. Ali . (!ntr&nee ra$ -off e tad, the blaekx were m • - York tiilasirig, having tr;k t - a,dvantcip� e- of the nbers of Ijil l�i,.the attack to sll ), Into 00,,w0048 b weV- of-P & •ea•rir► . Onticih -whlah haun a' lake" r oaQ . to, the tear, of. the, ,bultding. , While bV the . pearching' 61R rune hatch an - oftleer. Ito �ti•Ie l rated the negro, Julgr;. 11Crll ,, .v;ho, WAN and re. 11ingIng. to" a Wlnehe er rlf�n,- wlilelt lie a.: xittAll Attcnv act -to }# tire, nithougl i�o wax aly, read r. ►down with R -broken lag, an w t•of Kok he resOl ' of tha earlier , #lrl:,,�. tie[ara .ferry. ' had, been , overcome - one of hia arms, had , Of . tlt+e bev,ii mpractIcAlly., shot nwati,, and lie had exax,, Ile been - otherwise 'wounded, The niFin W118 � 'I �otrt ',the rushed at- one ;' to. ,Oranpo, ,Gdnoral' hose eking for pltal, ClrloUd, k►herd he teeelvid' surgt. between cal attention, later beln - removod to , ne,• i[j to the city full for snfekeeping. ! Ahunt In the early'.morning hours it btt nd ' of � i for. the ilrHndT. (I or, rnoro, men- 'ap )eured;,;nt ratnaltts a roll, Wid over owned"Off 1c6e T,, I'; .. Sr Mili wlio WK�S t�Pr Only man on duty i v to the owing • to titi dettirtet�ls for �i(lce EJ�, :tQ.;.. nssiot In jut ing down i tho Ocoee. eau; out tliq isle, and to keel) ord.or In tho clty, : Trek- Itil the lnq.-the , prism)er_ Pprpy,, the , mo+ w• oxcor - r�tlorr, ns vfvfilm to u quiei, altot -ntong the Count 4" `. rktng of Clob rondo where they hung him, And where- hiK- Mullet rlddled botly was later t bee, 3 tndhd, The body was cut ' down at $*o t a twle- olalbek thlri morning. i .- 3ritcllord, ►�mmunitlon And Arne In Plenty ' Isvidence flint ' tho; negrora" of western Ott Sttr:tes Oran a were ready for troublo was not thapo Up want 119, -acpording to Of Beers Purtirlpact • �{ visit, t'tt 'tti.-the at.t�tck, )11 the houma -in wh1oh tort g ling pair ,the ,lrlacktt b rrrlcAded themselvell Mor! �lrrbxntrc, than 1,004 routldri of` -ammuanitIon ''for -A r ntt hlK VArleti' mmortntcttt. !Of gunrs, - wax foun und, thig and thin crackling, of', rifle, plotol . ,en. , F . st,ntpun hiiintunition kept uti an Intermit-- E4iit t3ru- tent, .11r4tW#atatat!„ during.,`fife bur.nln �ic� noun• of sevoral lothcrx of the nearn honiee.itnl. � { beginsone of the churcheo It is "aid, Examinnw • tlhh` of, the debris of several of tj* no •` lures lil• drn h' isunja •n+hleh . ♦ ern hu1'4 od 'hnwed ' t bee. 3 a ec!le. 3 rad i v rd, d Mates 'hapa uli cart Visit, ling pair tin b .a nits, [ind, bin �lnrq�lae}• ent taro- isa Open. W►gins urea In. •,- l�n�=Iti, 1My 'will :- of (lie 'i'R�nt lei ' fill the 'ClUbt-111 t,, too i er ' 4& n. Ior I11!'jp- A t Cott► ltr� Ow (lip My. A skull, �vrs � lrnrti fi MA rt otel lamt �Q rclntll, ;► it, few it1d. Ha Ace Are {�` Ili t Itf► M P AI where- WK-r bullet­ aIldclle bocl ► wns' inter fbilfid. Tile body V4 am Cut down at 840 01ol6ek thlN ninrning, i ► F. 1t • ►�mmunitlon and Arms In Plenty , i vIdence that ' the { negr+orr- of western Qr-an o wero read), for trouble was not wanting. -nepor4ing to offleera purtirlpPA ing 'Iii.�tlie at-#ack, In the houso 1n. whloll the blaelkt; bnrrlcadpd themselves rnoM 'titan' -1,000 rouildn or, 'alninunitlow-for A voried--asnortmOnt. of gush, wits founN wind t�ho craWinx, or,, rifle, plrtol . -At nlintgun tli't munitJon krlit up an Intermit. tent .."rat. tat -tat.,'► during•,'tlee bur"In*. of s evoral Mhers of the aggro Monier -a nd. one or the churches It In *;Rid, Examine• tl&n, of the debrix of neverel of t * no-. grko ho' unea "which. ' were buried khowed numerous firearins. of varled klnde an4 Gruesome $cane at •Burned 'House A, ;gruesome Rcenp wats exmWed'.iff- All. Ito : (right fUs, ne $ tits the , Morlllrl* :`,Pun pee0ed _over the smoke-lAden battlefield, Ogee )Ale of debris showed two 01960— Iioille,a, ,of negt•oes, who fought - to the 1 S'; tone negro woman .Is known tC) , b 3ep killrii,. :'o children were v1e1lme4 ., y 71ae sltuatfoat`; Inc Ito the hand" of 'rellablo eittseim,,' ex4emplee' mien and Ilomo irufirdn, nod no further trouble is flticlrr pitted, It u,as tile: first ra o riot n the! �. ,history of OranR0E,.'pau�it,r. Il(! negro - wonit4.n' disc over(4 • in ler the ` In' u' Wh19e 'in gt0i barn wtul Allowed l0 proeved ulwii Aler way rift.er alto- te*- t'fIt'rl tliht' Ibo' �i�t!r`!' 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Date: October 2, 2017 at 3:53:55 PM EDT To: KGCongdon <k con don maiLcom> Cc: Kiara Boone <kboone geji.om> Kristin, Hi. Thanks again for your patience. I'm attaching the following to clarify the information ER relied upon to justify its estimation of at least 32 African American lynching victims related to the Ocoee Massacre (Perry + 31 unnamed): The EJI memo that summarizes our community remembrance projects. Within that memo, we list all of our search engine or database sources and the methodology used to consult those sources. Primary sources - newspaper articles written during the actual period Secondary sources o NAACP report saying 30-50 victims (see also pg. 33-34) o Biography stating that a white Ocoee resident told Walter White 56 black people were killed 0 2011 Stetson Kennedy book giving death toll as "approximately 35" o Book quoting local minister about why the death toll will never be known o First attachment (pg. 285-286): 1979 journal article quoting report that black death toll was unknown, and also quoting observer who saw cremation scene. a Second attachment: Excerpt from Emancipation Betrayed, a 2005 book that details the Ocoee violence, quotes eyewitness accounts, and notes that the NAACP ultimately concluded 30-60 people were killed. Here's how one of our staff attorneys and lead researchers explains the basis for our assertion: "Estimates range from six to 50-60. The newspapers initially reported eight confirmed/official deaths: six black people, including Mr. Perry's hanging and other people killed when their homes were set on fire by mobs; and two white people. In some of those articles, officials are quoted predicting that the number will rise as more dead black people are found in the ashes of their burned homes. The NAACP investigation reported compiling evidence of 32-36 black deaths, and other contemporary researchers have put the number at as many as 50-60 black victims. We count 32 victims in our lynching data, taking the low end of the NAACP report, and we have a few 1920 news articles that report 30 or "at least 30" victims, based on the NAACP's figures. Six would probably be the most conservative number to use, relying on the official non -NAACP count. (The number is especially fluid since all of the victims we list are unnamed, aside from Mr. Perry, and that's true of the news articles too)." Accordingly, RE will not sponsor a marker that cites substantially fewer victims than we cite in our data and in the memorial -- but we might consider using less determinant language. We could say something like "death toll estimates ranged from six to more than thirty black residents." �\ 1 , Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you and good luck. �1 Evan THE OCOEE MASSACRE MARKER NARRATIVE (8/17/17) By 1920, the black community of Ocoee represented half of the town's 1,000 residents and an established black middle class of land and business owners who eagerly participated in voter registration drives. Although the Zhu Klux Klan marched through the streets terrorizing the black community, trying to intimidate them not to vote, on Election Day, November 02, 1920, Mose Norman, a prosperous citrus grower, along with other members of the black community, attempted to vote and were turned away. After seeking advice from Judge John Cheney in Orlando, Mr. Norman made a second attempt to vote which resulted in an immediate altercation followed by the threat of an armed, white mob who attacked the black community. Suspecting that Mr. Norman had taken refuge at the home of his friend July Perry, a well -respected leader, the mob attacked Mr. Perry's home where they shot several family members, arrested July Perry and jailed him in Orlando. Soon after, a lynch mob seized Mr. Perry, beat him severely, and strung his bullet -riddled body on a telephone pole near Judge Cheney's home. Over the course of the next two days, the mob burned 25 black homes, two black churches, a Masonic Lodge, and a school in Ocoee; an undetermined number of black residents were killed in the violence. Survivors fled, never to return, and over the next several years the entire black community was forced out of Ocoee.ecades later a newly integrated modern Ocoee seeks to solidify its y�.5 understanding of such historic events in order to maintain a path that ensures such a dark and hateful history is never repeated �J THE OCOEE MASSACRE On Election Day, November 2, 1920, Mose Norman, a black man, was denied the right to vote after being accused of not paying a poll tax. On the day before the election, the Ku Klux Klan marched with robes and crosses through the streets of Ocoee terrorizing the black community trying to intimidate them not to vote. In response to Mr. Norman's attempt to vote, a mob of armed white people attacked the local black community. Suspecting that Mr. Norman was taking refuge with another black man named Jules Perry, an armed mob attacked Mr. Perry's home. Jules Perry was seized, taken to Orlando and lynched outside the courthouse. Over the course of two days, the mob burned 25 black homes, two black churches, and one black lodge in Ocoee. More than 30 black people were killed in the violence. Survivors fled to local communities - many of whom would never return to their homes again, and nearly the entire black community was forced out of OcoeFor -. decades. the Ocoee Massacre continued to shape the political, cultural and social landscape of this community and contributed to a history of racial terror that has yet to be acknowledged. RACIAL 'VIOLENCE IN AMERICA Thousands of black people were the victims of lynching and racial violence in the United States between 1877 and 1950. The lynching of African Americans during this era was a form of racial terrorism intendedto intimidate blackpeople and enforce racial hierarchy and segregation. Lynching was most prevalent in the South. After the Civil War, there was violent resistance to equal rights for African Americans and an ideology ofwhite, supremacy led to violent abuse ofracial minorities and decades of political, social, and economic exploitation. Lynching became the most public and notorious form of terror and subordination. White mobs were usually permitted to engage in racial terror and bratal violence with impunity. Many black people were pulled out of j ails or given over to mobs by laver enforcement officials who were legally required to protect them. Terror lynchings often included burning and mutilation, sometimes in front of crowds numbering in the thousands. Many of the names of lynching victims were not recorded and will never be known, but over 300 documented lynchings took place in Florida alone. 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