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U.S. NEWS Saturday 12 January 2019

Florida pardons 4 black men accused of 1949 rape

By BRENDAN FARRINGTON dence against him.
Associated Press Charges were never
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — brought against any white
After a dramatic, hour- law enforcement officers or
long meeting that recalled prosecutors who handled
events from nearly seven the cases.
decades ago, Florida Irvin was paroled in 1968
Gov. Ron DeSantis and and found dead in his car
the state’s three-member while returning to Lake
Cabinet granted posthu- County for a funeral a year
mous pardons Friday to later.
four African-American men Greenlee was paroled in
accused of raping a white 1960 and died in 2012.
woman in a 1949 case now Greenlee’s daughter, Car-
seen as a racial injustice. ol Greenlee, told DeSantis
The case of the men known and the Cabinet that there
as the Groveland Four has was overwhelming evi-
been documented in a dence that her father was
book and is considered innocent.
a blight on Florida’s his- “He was accused, put in jail
tory. One of the four was and tortured for something
killed before he could be he didn’t do,” she said.
charged and the other The woman who said she
three were convicted on was raped disputed the
dubious evidence. families’ stories.
The families of the men ac- “Y’all just don’t know what
cused of the assault told In this Jan. 10, 2019 file photo, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announces funding for his kind of horror I’ve been
DeSantis and the Cabinet environmental policy during a press conference at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla. through for all these many
— meeting as the clem- Associated Press years,” she said. “I don’t
ency board — that there are liars,” Robinson said. satisfied. Indeed, they were Thurgood Marshall, later want them pardoned, no I
is overwhelming evidence “That’s enough out of you,” perverted time and time the first African-American do not, and you wouldn’t
the men were innocent the woman said. again, and I think the way justice on the U.S. Supreme neither. I know (Robinson)
and there was no rape. The “I know it’s enough out of this was carried out was a Court, took up Irvin and called me a liar, but I’m not
woman who was 17 when me. It’s always enough miscarriage of justice,” De- Shepherd’s appeals for no liar.”
she said she was raped, sat when you’re telling the Santis said. the NAACP, and in 1951 Afterward, state Sen. Gary
in a wheelchair and later truth,” Robinson replied. The ordeal began in Lake the U.S. Supreme Court or- Farmer, who sponsored the
told Gov. DeSantis and the The unanimous vote to County in 1949, when the dered new trials. 2017 resolution apologiz-
Cabinet the rape did in- pardon came almost two then-17-year-old said she Just before those trials be- ing to the families, said the
deed happen, saying she years after the state House had been raped. Three of gan, Lake County Sheriff woman’s comments were
was dragged from a car, and Senate voted to for- the men were arrested and Willis McCall shot Irvin and disappointing.
had a gun put to her head mally apologize to relatives severely beaten; a fourth, Shepherd, claiming the “She’s now here at the end
and was told not to scream of the Groveland Four and Ernest Thomas, fled. handcuffed men tried to of her life and she had a
or they would “blow your to ask then-Gov. Rick Scott A posse of about 1,000 escape as he transferred chance to come clean,
brains out.” to pardon the men. Scott, men was formed to hunt them from prison to a jail. to seek forgiveness for her-
At one point, the two sides now a U.S. senator, never down Thomas. He was shot Shepherd died. Irvin was self and to support the jus-
briefly clashed. Beverly took action. DeSantis re- 400 times when they found shot in the neck and sur- tice these four families and
Robinson, a niece of one placed Scott on Tuesday him sleeping under a tree. vived despite an ambu- these four men deserve,”
of the Groveland Four, was and made the pardons a White residents also formed lance refusing to transport Farmer said. “It’s very said
speaking to the governor priority. a mob and went to a black him because he was black. that she lost this opportunity
and the Cabinet when she “I don’t know that there’s neighborhood, burning He was again convicted, and continues to perpetu-
turned to the woman and any way you can look at houses and firing guns into even though a former FBI ate this lie. This crime did
her sons. this case and think that homes in a disturbance agent testified that pros- not happen. The evidence
“It never happened. You all those ideals of justice were that took days to quell. ecutors manufactured evi- is overwhelming.”q