The story of Ernest Thomas is a tragic example of racial injustice that occurred in the United States in the mid-20th century. Thomas was an African American man who was accused of a crime he did not commit and subsequently faced a horrific fate.
Ernest Thomas was an African American man living in the Jim Crow South during the 1940s. He was born in Madison County, Florida, a place known for its deeply rooted racial segregation and prejudice. African Americans in this region faced systemic discrimination and were often subjected to brutal acts of violence and injustice.
In 1949, Ernest Thomas was one of the “Groveland Four”, three young Black men and one 16-year-old Black boy, who were falsely accused of raping 17-year-old Norma Padgett and assaulting her husband in Groveland, Florida. This accusation came at a time when racial tensions were extremely high, and the mere accusation of a black man assaulting a white woman could lead to deadly consequences as allegations against African Americans were rarely scrutinized.
After the accusation, Thomas fled Groveland, fearing for his life. A manhunt was quickly organized, involving law enforcement officers and a lynch mob.
The other two young Black men, Samuel Shepherd and Walter Irvin, and 16-year-old, Charles Greenlee were captured and taken to the Lake County Jail. During their incarceration, they were subjected to torture by law enforcement officers who coerced confessions from them.
In the hours following their capture, a mob of at least a hundred white men gathered outside the Lake County Jail, demanding the release of Shepherd, Irvin, and Greenlee to enact jungle justice.
Unable to access the jailed men, the mob unleashed their fury on the Black community, shooting at residents and setting fire to homes. Hundreds of Black residents were forced to flee Groveland, leaving behind their belongings and lives in search of safety.
On July 26, 1949, Thomas was eventually found sleeping under a tree in a swamp by a mob that had been chasing him for ten days. He was shot at least 400 times and died from his wounds. Two days after his death, a coroner’s jury ruled that Thomas’s killing was a “justifiable homicide.”
The other three men, Samuel Shepherd, Charles Greenlee, and Walter Irvin, were indicted and faced a trial marred by racial prejudice. Despite being beaten into giving false confessions, and the State’s failure to present crucial evidence, Shepherd and Irvin were sentenced to death by an all white jury, while Greenlee, who was only 16 at the time, was sentenced to life in prison. The case was appealed, and Thurgood Marshall, who would later become the first African American Supreme Court Justice, represented them.
In a tragic turn of events, Shepherd was shot and killed by Lake County Sheriff Willis McCall during a supposed escape attempt while being transported to a new trial. Irvin was also shot but survived and maintained his innocence until his death in 1969, a year after his parole.
Charles Greenlee remained on a life sentence and was released on parole in 1962. He died on April 18, 2012.
In recent years, efforts have been made to address the injustices faced by the “Groveland Four”. In 2016, the Florida House of Representatives issued a formal apology to their families, acknowledging the grave injustices they suffered. This was followed by the state of Florida granting posthumous pardons to all four men in 2019, 70 years after the events, recognizing the racial bias that had tainted their convictions. Finally, in 2021, a judge officially exonerated the Groveland Four, clearing their names and providing long-overdue justice.
Sources:
https://crrjarchive.org/incidents/35
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna6016
