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Lynch Street: The May 1970 Slayings at Jackson State
Describes the circumstances that led to a demonstration at Jackson State College and the shooting of two students by the police, and discusses the impact of the tragedy
228 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1988
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July 1, 2023
The title tells us precisely what this book is. Journalism professor Tim Spofford explains the events which had occurred on May 14th, 1970 on the campus of Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi (formerly Jackson State College).
Today in 2023, more than half a century after the events of May 14th, 1970, there is still controversy regarding the precise details of the events of the day and the evening. The students who had been present and the law enforcement officers who had been present have told very different accounts of the events which had occurred.
Tim Spofford examines the evidence, and he reconstructs the events of the day and the night based on the known facts and timeline.
Two students were killed and 12 students were injured.
Tim Spofford also thoroughly examines the investigation which followed the events of May 14th, 1970.
No policemen or National Guardsmen were ever convicted of excessive use of force regarding the Jackson State killings.
You do have to be in the mood to read a book which describes policemen killing and injuring students during the civil rights era in the U.S. in order to read this book.
As you read this book, we need to continue to ask ourselves whether we've learned our lessons from the civil rights era, and whether comparable events could occur today. I'm intentionally not attempting to answer this question here, I want readers to draw your own conclusions.
note: One of the policemen who is central to the events of May 14th, 1970, who is mentioned throughout this book was shot and killed in 1995, 25 years after the events of May 14th, 1970 had occurred. This is not mentioned in this book, I'm adding this detail for a specific reason. The shooting of this policeman remains unsolved. Although it has never been proven, many people suspect that the policeman who was shot in 1995 was the policeman who had fired the fatal shots which had killed the 2 students in May of 1970. It's not disputed that he was the first law enforcement agent who had radioed that the students had been shot, and he had repeatedly used the "N" word when he'd radioed that the students had been shot. Some people believe that the 1995 shooting of this policeman, who had retired by then was an act of revenge for the 1970 shootings of the students. I'm mentioning the shooting of this policeman here because his dearth has never been solved, and the precise details of the timeline events of May 14th, 1970 are still disputed today in 2023. The aftermath and the legacy of events which result in human rights atrocities continue to affect subsequent generations for decades after the events had occurred. All Americans should familiarize themselves with the events which led to the Jackson State killings, this book is a vital piece of our history of human rights abuses and this book is a vital piece of modern U.S. history.
Today in 2023, more than half a century after the events of May 14th, 1970, there is still controversy regarding the precise details of the events of the day and the evening. The students who had been present and the law enforcement officers who had been present have told very different accounts of the events which had occurred.
Tim Spofford examines the evidence, and he reconstructs the events of the day and the night based on the known facts and timeline.
Two students were killed and 12 students were injured.
Tim Spofford also thoroughly examines the investigation which followed the events of May 14th, 1970.
No policemen or National Guardsmen were ever convicted of excessive use of force regarding the Jackson State killings.
You do have to be in the mood to read a book which describes policemen killing and injuring students during the civil rights era in the U.S. in order to read this book.
As you read this book, we need to continue to ask ourselves whether we've learned our lessons from the civil rights era, and whether comparable events could occur today. I'm intentionally not attempting to answer this question here, I want readers to draw your own conclusions.
note: One of the policemen who is central to the events of May 14th, 1970, who is mentioned throughout this book was shot and killed in 1995, 25 years after the events of May 14th, 1970 had occurred. This is not mentioned in this book, I'm adding this detail for a specific reason. The shooting of this policeman remains unsolved. Although it has never been proven, many people suspect that the policeman who was shot in 1995 was the policeman who had fired the fatal shots which had killed the 2 students in May of 1970. It's not disputed that he was the first law enforcement agent who had radioed that the students had been shot, and he had repeatedly used the "N" word when he'd radioed that the students had been shot. Some people believe that the 1995 shooting of this policeman, who had retired by then was an act of revenge for the 1970 shootings of the students. I'm mentioning the shooting of this policeman here because his dearth has never been solved, and the precise details of the timeline events of May 14th, 1970 are still disputed today in 2023. The aftermath and the legacy of events which result in human rights atrocities continue to affect subsequent generations for decades after the events had occurred. All Americans should familiarize themselves with the events which led to the Jackson State killings, this book is a vital piece of our history of human rights abuses and this book is a vital piece of modern U.S. history.
December 7, 2018
Most everyone(?) knows about the murders of protesters at Kent State in Ohio in May 4, 1970.
Do you know about the murders of protesters 10 days later at Jackson State in Mississippi? Neil Young didn't write a song about it.
This is a short but powerful book about the murders. All the shootings of student protesters in that era of anti-war protests had this in common: law enforcement blamed random snipers for the murders, though no snipers were ever actually found. Cover-ups are a long time past time in the USA...
Recommended for history geeks.
Do you know about the murders of protesters 10 days later at Jackson State in Mississippi? Neil Young didn't write a song about it.
This is a short but powerful book about the murders. All the shootings of student protesters in that era of anti-war protests had this in common: law enforcement blamed random snipers for the murders, though no snipers were ever actually found. Cover-ups are a long time past time in the USA...
Recommended for history geeks.
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