A Demand That Cannot Be Ignored

In a call that has echoed through Congress and across the nation, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, formally demanded in September 2026 that the Department of Justice investigate what she and nearly 60 of her colleagues describe as an alarming and potentially connected pattern: Black Americans being found dead, hanging from trees and other structures across the country.

The demand — which came first from Rep. Crockett and was subsequently amplified by a second letter signed by nearly 60 Democratic lawmakers including Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Maxine Waters, and Rep. Bennie Thompson — calls on both the DOJ and the FBI to treat these deaths with the seriousness America's history demands, and to determine using the full resources of the federal government whether they represent isolated tragedies or evidence of something far more sinister.

The Numbers Behind the Demand

The urgency behind the congressional demands is grounded in alarming statistics. In 2026 alone, at least 10 Black Americans have been found hanging in circumstances that have raised serious questions. Those individuals include Demetrius Eugene Fleming, 38, in North Carolina; Juliana Nzita, 16, also in North Carolina; Tasia Fortune, 29, in Mississippi; Kyle Bassinga, 21, in Georgia; and Jerard Jay Jackson, 28, in Michigan.

The Crimson Report documented more than 70 modern-day lynching cases across the United States between 2000 and 2025 — a figure that has received nowhere near the national attention it deserves. Rep. Crockett's letter also cited a separate report that identified 23 possible modern-day lynching cases specifically involving police or correctional officers — people entrusted with public safety who may themselves be implicated in racial violence.

We Cannot Repeat That History

The lawmakers' letters invoke not only contemporary cases but the long shadow of America's history of racial terror. The United States spent generations in which Black people were lynched — often in public, often with community witnesses — while federal institutions with the power to intervene stood by and did nothing.

Given our nation's horrific history of racial terror and lynching, we cannot simply look the other way when Black Americans are found dead under circumstances that demand answers, Rep. Crockett stated. Every one of these cases deserves to be taken seriously, investigated thoroughly, and examined in the context of what is happening across the country.

The coalition's letter makes clear what it is asking for: not a presumption of foul play in every case, but a serious, independent, federally coordinated investigation that includes independent autopsies, audits of local and state law enforcement investigations, and thorough review of physical and testimonial evidence — with findings submitted to Congress.

The Emmett Till Antilynching Act: A Tool That Exists

Congress did not demand this investigation without legal standing. In 2022, Congress passed and President Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act — the first federal anti-lynching law in American history. The law defines a lynching not merely as a hanging from a tree but as a conspiracy to commit a hate crime that results in death or serious bodily injury.

Democratic lawmakers argue that this law was designed precisely for moments like this — and they are demanding that the DOJ and FBI use the authority Congress gave them. As their letter states: Inaction by the federal government is tantamount to complicity.

Why This Matters for Black Atlanteans

Kyle Bassinga, 21, found in Georgia, is among the 2026 cases that lawmakers cited in their investigation demand. Georgia is not immune to this crisis, and Black Atlanteans — in a city that has long been celebrated as a symbol of Black prosperity and political power — must grapple with the reality that anti-Black violence does not stop at city limits or state borders.

The demand for a federal investigation is also a reminder of a fundamental truth: Black safety requires institutional accountability. When local authorities rule deaths as suicides without thorough investigation and the federal government declines to examine broader patterns, history teaches us what follows. The congressional letters are an attempt to break that cycle.

What Communities Can Do

• Amplify the demand: Contact your congressional representatives and demand they support calls for a DOJ investigation into this pattern of deaths.
• Know the Emmett Till Antilynching Act: Understanding the law empowers communities to hold the federal government accountable for using it.
• Support civil rights legal organizations: Groups including the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law are monitoring and fighting for justice in these cases.
• Document and report: If you are aware of a death that deserves federal scrutiny, organizations like the NAACP and congressional offices are resources for escalating these concerns.