This happened in or near the little town of Jasper, in SE Texas. I grew up in Beaumont, just a few miles away.
For many years there were billboards on the highway coming into Jasper that read:
NIG#GER, DON’T LET THE SUN SET ON YOU IN VIDOR.
I’m ashamed to now say that I never paid much attention to these billboards. That just the way things were back in the 40’s and 50’s.
There are obviously still some very mean men in Jasper. I hope this guy fries in Hell.
NIG#GER, DON’T LET THE SUN SET ON YOU IN VIDOR.
You lie...or are very confused. Vidor is near Beaumont on I-10. Jasper is 60 miles north of Beaumont.
Why would there be a sign in Jasper about Vidor.
I live in Jasper! I've never seen such a sign...ever!
BTW, Brewer was visiting Jasper that weekend and was the ring leader in this deal. The Jasper boys were much younger and went a long.
Several local blacks were witnesses for Shawn Berry because they had grown up playing with him and didn't consider him a racist.
King was a racist because he was raped in the pen by a gang of blacks.
The night the dragging took plac they were all drunk and doing drugs.
They rode around for a while, Byrd went along willingly...and this would not meet the criteria for a hate crime.
I grew up in East Texas and have heard that old BS about this infamous but fictional billboard, except it was either Mineral Wells or Mexia or Gladewater.
Having run up and down that road between Jasper and Beaumont many times, it ain’t just a few miles between and VIDOR sure as heck ain’t next door. In 66 years never saw or every heard of your dream billboard. You need to walk this back!!
As late as 1965 things were very evil in Fern Park, Florida, as this page from Life Magazine, August 27, 1965 reported (scroll the image at the link up a little).
I suddenly remembered reading the article at the time, so I googled, and there it is!