November 16, 2021
DES MOINES BLACK LIBERATION MOVEMENT STANDS WITH THE FAMILY OF MICHAEL WILLIAMS
Michael Williams was violently lynched on or about September 12, 2020 in Grinnell, Iowa. The Des Moines Black Liberation Movement stood in solidarity with the family of Michael Williams then, and we stood with them today at the courthouse in Sigourney, Iowa when a guilty verdict was announced. The details and evidence that we have learned of in this case were horrific and clearly displayed a pure hatred for the life and identity of Michael Williams.
Michael Williams was “clubbed,” hung with a rope, and put on display for white men to see. His murderer and their friends ate in front of Michael’s dead body. His murderer wrapped Michael’s body in plastic and then dumped and burned his body in a ditch in rural Jasper County. Michael Williams death is a part of the legacy of lynching in this country, where white men feel entitled to murder Black men for whatever reason they see fit and do so in ways which align their actions with centuries of white supremacist violence against Black people.
Steven Vogel is Michael Williams' murderer. He is a white man whose trial began last week in Sigourney, Iowa, a small, white town. All courthouse agents were white; the witnesses, jury, lawyers, court clerks and the judge. The absence of people of color in Stevens’ trial depicts a legacy of white supremacy.
To imagine that jury members in a courtroom could come to any conclusion that would grant justice to the life and death of Michael Williams and the pain that his family will eternally endure is out of touch with reality and is insulting to the centuries of crimes against Black people in this country for simply existing.
Acknowledging all of these facts means bringing to light the heinous actions that took the life of a father, grandfather, brother, son, nephew and cousin.
The family of Michael Williams asks that community members continue to stand in solidarity with them, as their pain will be everlasting and this murder will continue to impact our communities and our state. The family will continue to need community support as the accomplices of Steven Vogel are also tried in court. The Des Moines Black Liberation Movement will share details about court dates and times on our social media for those who are able to attend in support of the family.
The Des Moines Black Liberation Movement would also like to address the incompetence of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP Branch. At a press conference following the discovery of Michael Williams’ body, their statement was “...The NAACP sees no indication that Mr. Williams was targeted because of his race.” To have seen the details of this brutal and cruel murder of a Black man in a rural, white community and have immediately dismissed the possibility of it being a race-based crime was irresponsible and dangerous.
The result of such negligence impacted the family, the community's response, and the news coverage this case deserved, but never received. The Iowa-Nebraska NAACP Branch has failed time and time again at protecting, supporting, advancing and advocating for racial justice in the ways that Black Iowans deserve. The Des Moines Black Liberation Movement calls for swift leadership changes at the top level of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP Branch in order to ensure adequate representation for Black Iowans in this state.
We are holding Michael Williams in our hearts, speaking his story, standing in solidarity with his family and demanding a better world than the one we woke up in. Our deepest wish is that you join us.
#JusticeForMichaelWilliams