ROSEWOOD, FLORIDA: David Emanuel, 62, was convicted by a jury on July 27 for all counts of committing racially motivated hate crimes against a group of Black men near the 1923 Rosewood Massacre site, as per the official website of Office of Public Affairs, Department of Justice. As per an earlier report by the DOJ, Emanuel was indicted on March 15 for willful intimidation and attempt to injure his victim, only referred to as FDD in the records, on September 6, 2022.
Emanuel tried to injure FDD using his vehicle — a pickup truck. It was also reported that the primary cause of his hatred was due to the victim’s race and color. Emanuel was charged with intimidating and interference with five additional victims, who were surveying land along a public road in Cedar Key, Florida.
What are the charges against David Emanuel?
Evidence at the trial showed that Emanuel found the six victims surveying land adjacent to a public roadway near the area of the 1923 Rosewood Massacre. One of them was the owner of the land. Evidence showed that when the accused saw the victims on the public roadway, he hurled expletives towards them and said, “[racial slur] get out of these woods” and drove the pickup truck towards the group, nearly hitting one of them.
During the trial, one of the witnesses said Emanuel admitted that he “came at those [expletives],” and that he “would have [expletive] up all those Black [expletive].” Video evidence after his arrest showed that Emanuel was complaining because he was “getting treated like this [expletive] over a [expletive] [racial slur].” Another witness testified that Emanuel came “within inches” of striking one of the victims and another victim “nearly lost his life that day.” However, no victim sustained any physical injuries because of Emanuel’s attack.
Based on the evidence, the jury in Gainesville, Florida, convicted Emanuel on all counts for committing the racially motivated hate crimes in September, 2022. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said, “This defendant is being held accountable for intimidating a group of men and weaponizing his vehicle to attack them,” adding, “As we marked 100 years since the horrific 1923 Rosewood Massacre, this verdict should send a strong message that violent, racially motivated conduct will not be tolerated in our society. The Justice Department is committed to aggressively enforcing our federal civil rights laws.”
Attorney Jason R Coody for the Northern District of Florida commented, “Despicable, hate-fueled crimes such as these have no place in our state or country,” adding, “The violence directed toward these victims, based solely on their race, is abhorrent and will not be tolerated. With the dedicated assistance of our law enforcement partners, we will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute civil rights violations to ensure justice for those victimized by hate.”
Assistant Director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division Luis Quesada opined, “Horrific acts of hate-motivated violence like this are devastating to families and communities. The FBI is fiercely committed to investigating civil rights violations and holding perpetrators accountable.”
Who are the victims?
As per the Miami New Times, Florida International University professor Marvin Dunn, a prominent historian of Black history, was one of the main victims. Dunn, his son Douglas, and four other Black men were attacked by Emanuel. Dunn co-owns the plot that he was examining with the other victims. The plot is located in Cedar Key near Rosewood, the small North Florida town which is infamous for a racially violent incident in 1923 where a mob of White people killed at least six Black residents.
After Emanuel’s arrest, Dunn reportedly said, “I'm relieved that this person has been held accountable by police. This has been a very difficult thing for me and the others who were involved.”
