Groveland Four: Florida approves $4M for families of Black men wrongly accused of raping white woman
'Groveland Four' families receive $4M in restitution
A long overdue measure of justice was received by the families of the "Groveland Four." More than 75 years ago, four Black men in Lake County were falsely accused of raping a white woman. FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida lawmakers allocated $4 million to the families of the Groveland Four within the state's massive budget. The funding represents a historic step toward restitution for the four Black men falsely accused of raping a white woman in 1949.
Florida budget restitution
What we know:
The state of Florida is paying $4 million to the families of Ernest Thomas, Samuel Shepherd, Walter Irvin and Charles Greenlee. The money is embedded inside Florida's $118 billion budget to provide a semblance of justice, according to state records.
A mob lynched Thomas in 1949 after the false accusations arose. The local Lake County sheriff later shot Shepherd and Irvin while their legal appeal was pending. Both Shepherd and Irvin were World War II veterans, and Greenlee survived the ordeal until his death in 2012.
The state parole board and Gov. Ron DeSantis officially exonerated the four men in 2019. The legislature issued an apology, expunged their records and unveiled a monument before securing this financial restitution.
Groveland families speak
What they're saying:
"It was very difficult as a child watching your mother and your aunt sit at a table, hold hands and cry all the time," said Beverly Robinson, whose cousin, Samuel Shepherd, was killed.
She remembered them continuously saying, "they killed my baby."
"I've been in law enforcement all my adult life," said Aaron Newson, Thomas' nephew. "This was totally off the chart for me, as far as anything that could truly happen."
DeSantis noted in 2019 that "I don't know that there's any way you can look at this case, and think that those ideals of justice were satisfied." The accuser stood by her claims until 2019 hearings, despite letters found by a judge's descendants proving it never happened.
"If you had a loved one who experienced anything back then, don't just use it as history in your family," Robinson said. "Do something about it."
Future justice efforts
What's next:
Robinson wants to clear Shepherd’s military record due to concerns that the veteran was dishonorably discharged. Meanwhile, Newson is reviewing FBI files to write a book exposing the motives of the racist mobs.
"You don't do that on an ordinary whim," Newson said. "There had to have been something else there, and I intend on making that known on what it was."
State Sen. LaVon Bracy Davis spearheaded the restitution push and urged all Americans to study both the wonderful and horrific parts of American history.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Florida state budget documents, which detailed the $118 billion spending plan, as well as public testimony from the families of the Groveland Four and official legislative statements from Florida officials.