The Death of Another Soul Who Should Still Be Breathing
The grim discovery unfolded in the crisp Monday morning air at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, where the lifeless body of 21-year-old Demartravion "Trey" Reed was found suspended from a tree near the campus pickleball courts at 7:05 AM.
The stark scene immediately triggered a multi-agency investigation, with DSU Police Chief Michael Peeler emphasizing no evidence of foul play while calling in reinforcements from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Bolivar County Sheriff's Office, and Cleveland Police Department. The campus fell silent as administrators canceled centennial celebrations and shuttered operations for the day.
Bolivar County Deputy Coroner Murray Roark delivered a blunt assessment to the Mississippi Free Press, stating his belief that Reed's death was "self-done," though he refused to elaborate on his reasoning while the investigation churns forward. Officials also moved quickly to dispel social media whispers about broken limbs, with Roark confirming he "saw no broken limbs" during his examination.
The tragedy has ignited calls for deeper scrutiny, with civil rights attorney Ben Crump stepping into the fray on behalf of Reed's grieving family, demanding transparency and rejecting "vague conclusions." U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson has pressed for FBI involvement, arguing federal investigators possess the necessary tools for an unbiased probe.
Reed's family painted a portrait of their lost son as a "quiet light" - sweet-natured and generous-hearted - while pleading for prayers as they navigate this devastating chapter. The investigation continues to unfold, with authorities promising a Wednesday news conference to address the mounting questions surrounding this young man's final moments.
The Events Unfolded
• Monday, 7:05 AM - Delta State University police notified of a Black male's body hanging from a tree near the campus pickleball courts
• Monday morning - Body identified as 21-year-old student Demartravion "Trey" Reed
• Monday - Campus closed for the day; centennial celebration events canceled
• Monday - DSU Police Chief Michael Peeler holds press conference, states no evidence of foul play, requests assistance from multiple agencies (Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, Bolivar County Sheriff's Office, Cleveland Police Department)
• Monday - Bolivar County Deputy Coroner Murray Roark examines body, disputes social media rumors about broken limbs
• Tuesday - Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announces he's been retained by Reed's family for independent investigation
• Tuesday - U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson calls for FBI investigation
• Tuesday - Reed's family releases statement describing him as a "quiet light" and asking for prayers
• Tuesday - University President Dr. Dan Ennis releases statement expressing condolences to family
• Wednesday (planned) - News conference scheduled with state and local law enforcement agencies
• Ongoing - Multi-agency investigation continues into Reed's death
The Rope's Return: How Every Tree Hanging Reopens America's Bloodiest Wound
The photograph sears itself into collective memory before we even see it—a Black body suspended from a tree branch, and suddenly every ancestor's scream echoes through time. When 21-year-old Demartravion "Trey" Reed was discovered hanging from a tree at Delta State University, it wasn't just a tragedy; it was a knife twisted in America's oldest wound.
For Black Americans, trees aren't just part of the landscape—they're monuments to terror. The gnarled branches that once bore the weight of over 4,000 lynched Black bodies between 1877 and 1950 still cast shadows over every similar discovery today. Each rope, each branch, each "mysterious" death reawakens the trauma encoded in our DNA, passed down through generations who survived by knowing that justice was never guaranteed and safety was always an illusion.
The immediate rush to label such deaths as suicide before thorough investigation feels like salt in generational wounds. How many times have we heard "no foul play suspected" only to later discover evidence was ignored, witnesses silenced, or investigations deliberately botched? The Black community has learned through bitter experience that the first explanation offered is rarely the complete truth.
When officials quickly dismiss concerns, when they discourage questions, when they ask us to "move on" before answers emerge—every Black family feels the chill of recognition. We've seen this script before. We know how it ends when we don't fight for transparency.
The psychological toll reverberates through entire communities. Black parents grip their children tighter, wondering if college campuses are safe havens or hunting grounds. Black students questioMy Thoughts: n whether they belong in spaces that might harbor those who see them as less than human. The mere image resurrects every bedtime story never told, every history lesson sanitized, every lynching photograph our grandparents hid from us to preserve our innocence.
This is why Ben Crump's involvement matters. This is why Rep. Thompson demands FBI oversight. This isn't paranoia—it's pattern recognition honed by survival. When a Black person is found hanging from a tree, the community's skepticism isn't unfounded hysteria; it's informed vigilance born from centuries of betrayal.
The tree becomes a symbol of everything wrong with American justice—the quick conclusions, the dismissed concerns, the expectation that we should accept explanations without demanding evidence. Every hanging echoes through Black churches, barbershops, and dinner tables because we understand what others refuse to acknowledge: in America, Black death has always been cheaper than Black life.
Until every question is answered, until every stone is turned, until transparency replaces opacity, the community will demand more than bureaucratic assurances. We've earned the right to our suspicion. History has taught us that our skepticism might be the only thing standing between truth and another cover-up.
Trey Reed deserved better than to become another statistic. His family deserves answers that can withstand scrutiny. And the Black community deserves investigations that match the gravity of our historical pain.
My Thoughts:
I am sick of the senseless violence and loss. Each life that gets lost, each life they take, is more they take away from us. And they want it. They want to erase us, the minority, the queer, the trans, the progressive thinking. And killing is ok to them. Killing and taking life , the very law that their own God and their own Savior Jesus condemns, is completely ok to them. This trans woman is fucking tired of it. I’m done watching beautiful lives just get taken away. DONE.
Thanks Wendy, this was tastefully done, informative and enlightening. I’m crying right now.
This is fantastic. This is work that is so important and done so well.