January 01, 2002: The Groveland Rape Trials
On the night of July 25, 1949, outside the small town of Groveland Florida, a white farmer named Willie Padgett and his wife Norma were driving home from a dance when their car broke down. Hours later, Padgett reports to the Lake County sheriff that four black men stopped to help, then abducted his wife and raped her. A posse is organized and three black men are arrested for the crime. For Free Speech Radio News, Sally Watt tells the story of the Groveland Rape Trials.