Black men, especially in the South, are not hanging themselves from trees.

Yet, this is what the police are saying about 21-year-old Kyle Bassinga. Bassinga was found dead and hanging from a tree in a Cobb County park in Georgia after being reported missing from Atlanta.

Witnesses say Bassinga entered the area alone on Valentine’s Day. The body was found on February 15th. This was enough for the police department to declare no foul play.

Look, I don’t know the details. I haven’t seen an autopsy report, but I am a teacher. I’m around Black boys and young Black men all the time. I’ve dealt with mental health issues and suicidal ideation. It is a real issue, and a growing one, based on my experiences. We need to do more to fix this.

However, even at a young age, these boys understand the implications of Black bodies hanging from trees. At the very least, they would not take that action randomly.

I don’t know what Bassinga was going through. I feel for him, no matter the reason he is no longer here; however, we cannot ignore the most likely reason for his death… an old-fashioned lynching.

The torture, murder, and displaying of dead Black people was basically an American pastime. The abuse of Black people didn’t stop after slavery, and these unjustified lynchings became a common way to punish Black people for daring to exist.

Although these acts finally declined during the decades in which I was raised, we’ve seen how racism and hatred are once again glorified in a post-Trump America. We see how violence is sometimes not only considered the answer, but it is also celebrated when enacted against minorities.

Bassinga isn’t the first young Black man to be found hanging from a tree in recent months. Demartravion “Trey” Reed was found in Mississippi. The police again ruled it a suicide, even though the family allegedly received conflicting reports from the police.

One family member said,

“First officer said they found Trey Reed in his room unconscious, and it was a possible suicide," said one family member. "Then we got a phone call and said he done hung himself. I can’t understand that”

I started writing about this topic then, but I held off. People are grieving. We don’t have all the information.

Two months later, another Black man, Torrance “Tory” Medley, was found hanging from a tree on a golf course in Wisconsin…yes, a golf course…feels like they are telling on themselves. Again, the police immediately ruled it a suicide before completing their investigation.

Now, just a few months later, Bassinga is found dead. Is it possible that Bassinga did this himself? Yes, but it is such an unlikely story. Why would he travel 30 miles from his school? Why would he choose this method? Why would he make himself a strange fruit?

At the very least, do a proper investigation.

These deaths are too suspicious to ignore. Help these families find answers, even if they are answers they do not want to hear.