Harry T. Moore - A Crime in Groveland

A Crime in Groveland

In July 1949, four black men were accused of raping a white woman in Groveland, Florida and held in custody by law enforcement. Rumors accompanied the case, against a background of post-war tensions resulting from problems in absorbing veterans into jobs and American society.In Groveland, a white mob of more than 400 demanded that the sheriff, Willis V. McCall, hand the prisoners over to them. McCall claimed to have hidden the prisoners to protect them. The mob left the jail and went on a rampage, burning buildings in the black part of town. The governor had to use the Florida National Guard to restore order, which took six days.

Three of the four black men initially accused were arrested and charged. The fourth was killed by a police posse after escaping. Despite questionable evidence presented against them, the three black males were found guilty. A sympathetic jury sentenced sixteen-year-old Charles Greenlee to prison, while Sam Shepherd and Walter Irvin were sentenced to death.

As Executive Director of the Florida NAACP, Harry Moore organized a campaign against what he saw as the wrongful convictions of the three men. With NAACP support, appeals were pursued. In April 1951, a legal team headed by Thurgood Marshall won an appeal of Shepherd's and Irvin's convictions before the U.S. Supreme Court. A new trial was scheduled.

While transporting the prisoners, Sheriff McCall shot both handcuffed men. He claimed that they attacked him in an escape attempt. Irvin survived his wounds. Shepherd died at the scene. Irvin later claimed that the sheriff shot both him and Shepherd in cold blood. Harry T. Moore called for an indictment against Sheriff McCall, and urged Florida Governor Fuller Warren to suspend McCall from office.