The tragic death of 25-year-old Rasheem Carter has left his family in despair and searching for answers. In October of last year, Carter traveled to Taylorsville, Mississippi, for work. But things quickly turned sour after he got into an argument with some of the men he was working with.
Carter sensed danger and called his mother, Tiffany, to warn her that someone might be trying to harm him. Tiffany, who was two hours away in Fayette, urged her son to go to law enforcement and report what was going on. Carter followed his mother’s advice and went to the local police station.
But to his shock, the officers refused to help him. Carter begged for a ride back to his hotel in Laurel, saying he was being followed, but the officers turned him away. They also told him he couldn’t stay at the station.
Carter disappeared the following day after returning to the station for a second time and being turned away once again. His mother sent a friend to retrieve him, but he was nowhere to be found.
It wasn’t until a month later that Carter’s remains were found in an unrecognizable state. His body had been scattered, and there were signs that he had been through something beyond natural decomposition.
Tiffany hired a private investigator, who uncovered more disturbing details. Photos from Carter’s final days show him running for his life. But despite the evidence, local police maintain that there is no foul play involved.
I traveled to Taylorsville Mississippi to cover the Rasheem Carter demonstrations. Organizers and impacted community members marched from Welcome Street to the Taylorsville Police Department as law enforcement officers looked on. pic.twitter.com/r439YhpFFI
— Leo Carney (@chefcarney) February 6, 2023
Carter’s mother has hired civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump and is demanding justice for her son. She believes that the police in Taylorsville are not taking her son’s death seriously because he was Black.
This tragic story highlights the racial inequalities that still exist in the American South. It’s a heartbreaking reminder that Black lives continue to be undervalued and that systemic racism is still a pervasive problem in our society.
As the story gains national attention, we can only hope that justice will be served and that Carter’s family will find some measure of peace.
