'I still see Black men being shot, Black bodies lying in the street. I still smell smoke and see fire,' 107-year-old survivor Viola Fletcher testified before members of a House Judiciary subcommittee last year.
WASHINGTON -- Viola Fletcher was 7 years old when she witnessed one of the worst acts of racial violence the US has ever seen.
"I still see Black men being shot, Black bodies lying in the street. I still smell smoke and see fire," Fletcher testified."I still see Black businesses being burned. I still hear airplanes flying overhead. I hear the screams. I have lived through the massacre every day." "I am 107 years old and have never seen justice. I pray that one day I will. I have been blessed with a long life -- and have seen the best and worst of this country. I think about the terror inflicted upon Black people in this country every day," Fletcher said.
"I remember running outside of our house. I ran past dead bodies. It wasn't a pretty sight. I still see it today in my mind -- 100 years later," she added. The lawsuit claims that the racial and economic disparities caused by the massacre created a public nuisance and an economic blight that remains. It says local government and agencies failed to help the neighborhood rebuild.
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