(VIDEO) Black Man Arrested and Charged in the Hanging Death of Black Woman as Democrats Sound the Alarm About “Modern-Day Lynchings” in Letters to DOJ

A black man has been arrested and charged with murder in the death of Tasia Fortune, a black woman who was found hanging from a tree sparking unfounded claims of a potential lynching case, fueled by leftwing media and Democratic politicians.

The tragic scene unfolded when Fortune, a 29-year-old mother of four, was found hanging from a tree on August 3rd in Jackson, Mississippi. Now, her murder is being politicized and used by sick people to further the Democrats’ agenda.

Early in the investigation, CNN was quick to paint the incident as racial terror, with CNN’s Omar Jimenez reporting that “the raw imagery of a Black person hanging from a tree in the American South evokes a very painful history.” Meanwhile, as the Gateway Pundit reported, Jimenez omitted the fact that a person of interest, Tasia’s black boyfriend, who has since been cleared in the case, was already in custody.

Via CNN:

Now, it’s being reported that charges have been filed against 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff, a black man, for the murder.

Via WLBT3:

This, ironically, comes as House Democrats have spent the past two weeks pushing the narrative that blacks are being lynched by whites across the country.

In a September 2 press release, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) announced that she sent a letter to the Department of Justice, demanding an investigation into “an alarming pattern of Black Americans found hanging from trees across the country.”

“America spent generations allowing Black people to be lynched while institutions with the power to intervene stood by and did nothing,” Crockett said in a statement. “We cannot repeat that history. DOJ has the authority, the resources, and the responsibility to determine whether these deaths are isolated tragedies or evidence of something far more sinister. I am demanding that they use them.”

Throughout the letter, Crockett claims that “modern-day lynchings” are occurring in the South, likening police and correctional institutions to “slave patrols,” and calling the police “racist.” At one point, she highlights the death of Tasia Fortune as one of a “slew of suspicious deaths” in Mississippi.

Then, this week, Squad Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) led a coalition of 59 progressive lawmakers who sent another letter to the DOJ demanding federal investigations into the “growing number of black people found hanging from trees in numerous states throughout the country.” The investigations are asked to include “an independent autopsy, an audit of local and state law enforcement investigations, review of physical and testimonial evidence, and a final report submitted to Congress explaining the agency’s findings.”

“Black folks are being found hanged in America. This is a national crisis and we CANNOT stand by while strange fruit hangs from trees across the country,” Pressly wrote in an X post shared by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

AOC wrote, “I’m proud to have signed onto @RepPressley‘s letter to address these widespread modern-day lynchings and put a stop to this racial terror.”

This year, there have already been 10 reported hangings of Black people in the U.S.

I’m proud to have signed onto @RepPressley ‘s letter to address these widespread modern-day lynchings and put a stop to this racial terror. https://t.co/ISo20mbLyg

— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) September 10, 2026

Per the Grio:

“The series of deaths raises significant suspicion of foul play, given the role of lynching in our nation’s history,” reads the letter signed by nearly 60 Democrats, including U.S. Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). “Each of their deaths should be treated with the utmost seriousness and investigated without bias by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of  Investigation (FBI).”

The letter continued, “We know there is a long history of neglecting to prevent or investigate deaths of Black individuals. For decades, the DOJ and FBI ignored widespread lynchings, which motivated more killings. Inaction by the federal government is tantamount to complicity. This is part of the legacy of racial terror in the United States, and this neglect has long-term consequences.”

Congresswoman Pressley, who has introduced bills to restore President Joe Biden’s orders on diversity, equity, inclusion, and H.R. 40, which would create a commission to study U.S. slavery and create reparation proposals, told theGrio of the letter, “In this moment of anti-Blackness and emboldened white supremacy, we cannot stand idly by while the strange fruit of Black bodies hang from trees across the country.”

She added, “The federal government must conduct thorough and transparent investigations and get these families the answers and healing they deserve.”