I made these photographs in Jasper, Texas, in 2006, while looking at the landscape and landmarks related to the murder of James Byrd, Jr. on June 7th, 1998.
I’m posting them again here, ten years later, after being reminded of the tragedy by the late Chantal Akerman’s brilliant documentary “Sud”, which was filmed in Jasper in the months following the murder.
Early on the morning of June 7th, 1998, Shawn Berry was driving around Jasper, Texas, with his two white supremacist friends, Bill King and Russell Brewer. James Byrd, Jr., an African-American who didn’t own a car, was walking home from a party when he passed this restaurant, Casa Ole, a short distance from his house. Shawn Berry offered Mr. Byrd a ride, which according to the police report, “upset Bill King”.
Mr. Byrd got in the flatbed of the truck, but Berry and his friends didn’t drive him home. They drove to a convenience store where Bill King took over the steering wheel. According to testimony, the four drove out of town, down a rural road to the east. King pulled over the truck and King and Brewer began violently assaulting Mr. Byrd, while Berry ran a short distance away.
