Talk:Michael Donald

Similar Execution in 1913

Does anyone know which White person was executed for the murder of a black person in 1913?

Smb2a (talk) 17:15, 15 August 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.151.110.72 (talk)

A photograph of the street sign at http://www.splcenter.org/news/item.jsp?aid=185 named after Donald, would greatly contribute to the article.

This need a lot more about the investigation, Beuleah, the trials etc. Rich Farmbrough 16:45, 24 November 2005 (UTC)

removing image

i'm removing the image of him hanging from a tree its direspectful, however if someone wants to add it back just say so here and i'll will leave it alone untill then i'll continue to remove itLotharsrevenge (talk) 09:47, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

More discussion, yes

I concur. Morris Dees' autobiography is a good place to start on the civil suit. But there are, as yey, no scholarly discussion of the Donald case(s). There were 5 court cases involved, so the study is complicated. The Mobile Register has covered the case admirably in the last six months as the renaming process occured. Also, Michael Wilson's five articles, June 1-5, 1997, leading up to Henry Hays' execution are also very good and re[present the most original research done on the case to date.

Bennie Hays?

The first or second sentence says "Bennie Hay's son" as though we should know who Bennie Hays is. This seems like an editing oversight, but does anyone know the significance of this Bennie Hays person? Also, this article lists Michael Donald as the last lynching in American history. The article Lynching in the United States considers the murder of James Byrd a lynching, which occurred in 1998. So I am adding a "contradicts another article" tag to this piece. --Natalie 01:44, 19 July 2006 (UTC)

He was a Grand Dragon in the United Klans and his middle name was Jack. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.12.252.122 (talk • contribs) 21:10, 7 December 2006

How did you find out Donald's DOB, personally I believe that the death penalty was a slight overreaction, just a personal opinion, what do you think? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.12.252.122 (talk • contribs) 22:08, 7 December 2006

Respect

This article should be written with more respect for the Donald family, Michael's mother died after he got killed and with respect to the Hays family, Hays' did wrong but the fact he was executed doesn't make it any easier for his family.

82.20.21.73 11:04, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

Surviving Relatives

Does anyone have any information relating to the surviving members of the Donald family or Hays family?

82.20.21.73 11:05, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

How old was Bennie?

How old was Bennie Hays, the closest I could find on the social security death index was a guy who died in 1984 registered to Jackson, Missouri.

82.20.21.73 11:08, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

Images

• Donald on an autopsy table

• Is the lynching picture used in this article (and others) really needed, it seems insensitive...Mwv2 08:24, 21 August 2007 (UTC)
• I completely agree. I was shocked when I saw this graphic image.
  • Wikipedia:NOT - Wikipedia is not censored. BTW it is common to see photographs of other incidents - i.e. see Lynching in the United States WhisperToMe (talk) 01:24, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Confusion over Hays

At first, this article states that Bennie Hays died before his trial began. Then there is this:

The elder Hays was tried some years later but the first case ended in a mistrial. Hays died of a heart attack before he could be retried.[

Did Bennie Hays die before his first or second trial?

God bless. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.147.242.164 (talk) 02:23, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

Unnecessary image. Removed. It is disrespectful.86.155.10.250 (talk) 09:13, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

• It is not "disrespectful" - It is a historical image that is crucial. Look, we have other photos of lynching incidents in these articles. Wikipedia is not censored. I say that showing what happened shows people the gravity of such incidents. You know what Emmett Till's mother did, right? She showed people what happened to her son. WhisperToMe (talk) 01:37, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

Is it really necessary to have a picture? Does it add to the article? Can we not have an external link instead?--Vindicta (talk) 01:19, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

Image

I don't think the photo of Donald being hanged needs to be there. I know Wikipedia is not censored, but consider that the title of the article does not give any clue as to what might be in it (unlike Lynching in the United States, which is pretty obvious). A person who innocently clicks on the link is going to be faced with a very disturbing image. We want to encourage people to read about the subject, not close the window in disgust. A hypertext link to the file would at least allow the reader to make a decision about viewing the image. ... discospinster _talk 03:37, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

i disagree i think the picture needs to be there. when i first saw the pictured i cried. i think it shows how far blacks have come. people need to know the truth. Micheal Donald was my father's uncle. so I guess he was my great uncle. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.214.43.248 (talk) 05:20, 22 March 2009 (UTC)

the image of Michael Donald needs to be here. It is tragic that this happened as recently as 1981, and still happens in the U.S. As i understand it, the Donald family wants the picture here to show what happened to their family. I cried when i saw it, but this happened, it will not go away just because it isnt something pretty in Mobile history. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.134.11.246 (talk) 19:39, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

I'm not disagreeing that it's tragic, but it's also a punishment to casual Wikipedia readers to see such an image with no warning beforehand. Anyway, the point is moot because the images was deleted. ... discospinster _talk 22:54, 20 April 2009 (UTC)

Lynching

Why is Michael Donalds death described as a "lynching"? Lynchings are extrajudicial punishment for proved or accused crimes. If someone is plucked off the street and killed, that is a regular murder, not a "lynching". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.105.170.98 (talk) 04:02, 20 June 2009 (UTC)

Agreed. The term "lynching" is inaccurate and should be removed from the article. Hays and Knowles were never charged with lynching; they were charged and found guilty of murder.Richardkeefe57 (talk) 11:12, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

This certainly was not a lynching although it appears that at least one AP article called it that. An encyclopedia should not be sensationalistic and calling this murder a lynching is being that. Testimony at the murder trial indicated that Donald was strangled with a rope and had his throat cut before he was ever hanged by the 2 men. To be called a lynching, one necessity is the involvement of a mob and 2 people doesn't qualify as a mob.--TL36 (talk) 22:27, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

Deleting sentence that says Hays confessed

Not only is this unsourced but according to the NY Times, Rev. Bob Smith only made the claim that a confession had been made to him after Hays was executed and thus incapable of refuting it. I'm not suggesting there is doubt to Hays' guilt by my deletion.--TL36 (talk) 22:16, 29 August 2009 (UTC)