◆ SpookStack

LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE segregation of the races was a core concept that permeated almost every aspect of Mississippi Delta society. In the Mississippi Delta, separate black and white public bathroom facilities, drinking fountains, restaurants and other means of keeping the races apart were the norm. It was common for black persons to refer to white persons as "Mr.,” "Mrs.,” "Miss," "Sir," or "Ma’am;” however, it was out of the norm for a white person to refer to a biack person in kind. Blacks avoided contradicting whites, did not offer to shake the hand of a white person first, commonly talked with their eyes turned down to the ground when speaking to whites, did not speak unless spoken to first by whites, and commonly used the back door when entering white homes. When purchasing items froma white store owner, blacks did not normally place the money directly into the white person’s hand; instead, they would place the money on the counter. This exchange avoided skin contact between blacks and whites. Change would be returned to blacks without making skin contact as well. '® 17." - {fate was interviewed during the course of this investigation, recalled dealing with b?c . seg 5 [tt her store in Money, Mississippi, “...when you’d buy somethin’, you know, she’d drop the money in your hand and she never would touch your hand or nothin’, you know...” ”...She never would allow you to touch her hand.’”° 2. Negro Law: In the Mississippi Delta, a de facto institution of separate justice was in place for whites and blacks. The white population could rely on the normal vestments of 7 government and call on the Jocal sheriffs department for assistance in criminal matters. This was not the case for blacks. The black population was dealt with in a manner which some historians Hugh Steven Whitaker, “A Case Study in Souther Justice - The Emmett Till Case”, (Master’s Thesis, Florida State Misc o/s University, 1963), 2 to 15 , '* Personal experiences of members of the investigation team and anecdotal evidence related to investigators by persons interviewed and/or interacted with during the investigation LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE ; This document contains acither recommendations nor conctusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI and is loaned to your agency; it and its contents are not to be distributed outside your agency. i