By Maria Angelino | Saturday, 12 September 2026 05:15 AM
Image Credit : Wikimedia Commons
Far-left Democratic Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are amplifying a narrative of “modern-day lynchings” of black Americans that is starkly at odds with the facts established by law enforcement in nearly every case they cite.
As reported by The Post Millennial, the two members of the progressive “Squad” have seized on a series of tragic deaths in which black individuals were found hanging from trees and portrayed them as racially motivated killings, despite police and medical findings that overwhelmingly point to suicide. Their rhetoric, which invokes the darkest chapters of American history, has been used to demand federal intervention and a congressional investigation, even though authorities have found no evidence of racial animus in these incidents.
Across the country in 2026, several black individuals have been discovered dead in trees, with local investigations consistently concluding that the deaths were self-inflicted and involved no foul play. Nonetheless, Ocasio-Cortez and Pressley publicly described these cases as “lynchings” and insisted that Congress must step in, framing the incidents as part of a broader campaign of racial terror.
Pressley escalated the language dramatically, declaring, "Black folks are being found hanged in America. This is a national crisis and we CANNOT stand by while strange fruit hangs from trees across the country. We're demanding a federal investigation NOW so we can stop modern-day lynchings." Her invocation of “strange fruit” — a direct reference to the infamous song about Jim Crow-era lynchings — appears designed to stir public outrage, even as investigators on the ground report no such pattern of racist violence.
Ocasio-Cortez echoed and amplified Pressley’s claims, stating, "This year, there have already been 10 reported hangings of Black people in the U.S. I’m proud to have signed onto @RepPressley‘s letter to address these widespread modern-day lynchings and put a stop to this racial terror." By framing these tragedies as “widespread modern-day lynchings,” she suggested an organized campaign of racial killings, a claim that is not supported by the official findings in the cases highlighted by activists and sympathetic media.
In Cobb County, Georgia, 21-year-old Kyle Bassinga was found hanging in March, and police determined there was no foul play and that he was alone at the time of his death, according to CBS News. In Charlotte, North Carolina, 16-year-old Juliana Umba Nzita was discovered hanging from a tree on church property in May, and investigators ruled her death a suicide, WBTV reported.
Across the country in 2026, several black individuals have been discovered dead in trees, with local investigations consistently concluding that the deaths were self-inflicted and involved no foul play. Nonetheless, Ocasio-Cortez and Pressley publicly described these cases as “lynchings” and insisted that Congress must step in, framing the incidents as part of a broader campaign of racial terror.
Pressley escalated the language dramatically, declaring, "Black folks are being found hanged in America. This is a national crisis and we CANNOT stand by while strange fruit hangs from trees across the country. We're demanding a federal investigation NOW so we can stop modern-day lynchings." Her invocation of “strange fruit” — a direct reference to the infamous song about Jim Crow-era lynchings — appears designed to stir public outrage, even as investigators on the ground report no such pattern of racist violence.
Ocasio-Cortez echoed and amplified Pressley’s claims, stating, "This year, there have already been 10 reported hangings of Black people in the U.S. I’m proud to have signed onto @RepPressley‘s letter to address these widespread modern-day lynchings and put a stop to this racial terror." By framing these tragedies as “widespread modern-day lynchings,” she suggested an organized campaign of racial killings, a claim that is not supported by the official findings in the cases highlighted by activists and sympathetic media.
In Cobb County, Georgia, 21-year-old Kyle Bassinga was found hanging in March, and police determined there was no foul play and that he was alone at the time of his death, according to CBS News. In Charlotte, North Carolina, 16-year-old Juliana Umba Nzita was discovered hanging from a tree on church property in May, and investigators ruled her death a suicide, WBTV reported.
In Albany, Georgia, 29-year-old Justice Kai James was found hanging outside a cafeteria at the Turner Job Corps Center on June 21, with police ruling out foul play in the case, according to WALB News. In Rothbury, Michigan, 28-year-old Jerard "Jay" Jackson was found deceased in a wooded area near the Hart Montague Trail while attending a music festival, and authorities concluded there was no foul play and classified the death as a suicide.
Another case involved a 32-year-old unidentified black man found hanging from a tree in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, whose identity has been kept private. Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce stated that surveillance footage showed the man acting alone in the act of suicide, directly contradicting any suggestion of a racially motivated killing.
In Miami, 27-year-old To’Nea Nicole Miller was found hanging from a tree on June 18 in Gwen Cherry Park, where police determined there was no foul play and ruled the death a suicide, according to NBC6. In Jackson, Mississippi, 29-year-old Tasia Fortune was found hanging from a tree on August 3 behind a vacant home, and her death is the only one among these cases currently being investigated as a homicide, with autopsy results still pending, per People.
Authorities have identified a reported person of interest in Fortune’s case as Terence Anderson, who is also black, further undermining the racialized narrative being pushed at the national level. While every loss of life is a tragedy, the insistence by prominent Democrats on branding these incidents as “modern-day lynchings” — in defiance of police findings and absent evidence of racial motivation — raises serious concerns about politicizing grief, inflaming racial tensions, and eroding public trust in due process and local law enforcement.
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