According to a report by Huanqiu.com on June 27, a white couple living in West Virginia, USA, have been charged with more than a dozen charges for adopting black children for forced labor.
The white couple has been charged with crimes such as child trafficking, civil rights violations, use of underage children for forced labor, and child neglect.
Whiteface (left), Lantz (right)
It is hard to imagine that in the 21st century, there can still be discrimination against black people in the United States, which is really jaw-dropping.
When the evil deeds of the couple were exposed, they also ushered in a lot of scolding, and the specific details given by the American police made people feel numb.
The content described in this article is based on official and reliable sources, which are repeated at the end of this article.
The course of the case
Screenshot from CNN
According to a June 27 report by CNN, in West Virginia, in the southern United States, an enthusiastic neighbor reported to the local police that he found two black children locked in the barn of a nearby home.
Police quickly arrived at the scene to investigate, and they found that the owners of the house were a white couple, 63-year-old Lantz and 62-year-old Whitefester.
A barn where black children are held
Lantz and Whiteface appear to be an ordinary elderly white couple, but they have adopted five black children, ages 6, 9, 11, 14 and 16.
When the police entered the barn, the first thing they saw was a 14-year-old black boy and a 16-year-old black girl, two children in ragged clothes and with a foul smell.
Photo of the interior of the barn
The girl was wearing shoes, while the boy was barefoot, and both were already showing signs of ulceration on their feet, and according to local police investigations, the two black children were forced to work for at least 12 hours a day or else they would not be deprived of food.
Two black children were forced to work in the fields, but were not allowed to wear shoes, and their food was just scraps, and their sleeping place was the floor in the barn, where they were subjected to violence if the children did not behave well or upset the Lantzes.
CNN 报道Screen
In addition, the police also found a 9-year-old black child in the residence of Lantz and Whitefeather, and three hours later, Lantz arrived with an 11-year-old black boy, while Whiteface brought back a 6-year-old black girl from an acquaintance.
These children thought they would live the life they wanted when they were adopted by a wealthy elderly white couple, but the harsh reality was like a nightmare, and they struggled to survive in hell.
Lantz
With the in-depth investigation of the case, the police found that Lantz and Whiteface had adopted these five black children in the previous 8 years, and they not only abused the children, but also forced the black children to work, and simply treated them as "slaves".
On the day of the incident, the white couple, 63-year-old Lantz and 62-year-old Whitefeather, were arrested by the police and will face as many as 17 serious charges, including child abuse, forced labor, human trafficking and other crimes.
White Feather
During the arraignment, U.S. Thirteenth Circuit Judge Maray Aix said, "I don't think I've ever seen an indictment like this, and I've never seen such egregious charges." ”
Aix said that Lantz and Whiteface adopted these children as "slaves", and the reason why these five black children were chosen by the Lantz couple was because of their race and skin color.
Photo of the interior of the barn
According to the court's findings, the five children, who had been working since they were adopted, would be locked in a room of only 20 x 14 feet when they slept at night, and would have no windows, no running water, and no way out in the event of a fire.
Mr. and Mrs. Lantz refused to allow adopted black children to enter the house, and even beat and scolded them when they were in a bad mood, which made the life of the five black children very difficult, like "black slaves".
Garden screen
When the incident was exposed, the case caused a huge shock and outrage in the local and even in the United States, because it not only exposed the cruel reality, but also reflected that there are still racial problems and child protection loopholes in American society.
Faced with conclusive evidence, the Lantzes pleaded guilty, but after selling their property and paying bail, they left Washington State and were not detained again until prosecutors raised the bail to $500,000 each.
Garden screen
Assistant Attorney Madison Tucker of Canawa County, West Virginia, told CNN that the Lantzes will be treated with the harshest possible treatment after they are re-arrested, and the final outcome of the two will be the end of their trial on September 9 this year.
It is unimaginable that such an outrageous case can still occur in the United States today, because in well-known American movies, it has long been proved to the world that the United States is an open, free and democratic country.
America in the movies
"Green Book" poster
In 2018, the American film "Green Book" was released, which vividly portrayed the segregation of the American South in the 1960s through a friendship that crossed racial lines.
The film is not just about a road trip between black pianist Don Shirley and white driver Tony Lip, but also a profound exploration of prejudice, understanding and human nature.
The finale of "Green Book".
The film cleverly uses the stark backgrounds and personalities of the two protagonists to show how whites and blacks can cross cultural and racial divides and forge genuine friendships.
The film deals with serious topics in a humorous and warm way, which not only shows the cruel reality of the society at that time, but also gives people hope and strength, and also allows people to build an equal society with an open mind.
"Hidden Figures" poster
In 2017, the American film "Hidden Figures" was released, which tells the true story of three black female mathematicians who worked in the rocket manufacturing sector in the early 60s of the 20th century.
This film shows the status of black people in the United States at that time, and also proves from the side that no matter how powerful a black person is, as long as he is under the same roof as a white person, there is no place for him in the bathroom.
In "Hidden Figures," black women are treated unfairly
Luckily, the three black women in the film show perseverance and use their shrewd minds to solve problems that white workers can't.
The performance of black women shocked their white colleagues, made them abandon their prejudices, and began to appreciate the black colleagues who were right next to them, and the rockets were lifted off and everyone came together.
Screenshot of "12 Years a Slave".
In addition to "Green Book" and "Hidden Figures", the American film "12 Years a Slave" released in 2013 is more realistic and shocking.
"12 Years a Slave" truly and brutally shows the cruel reality of slavery in the 19th century in the American South, and through the personal experience of Solomon Nossap, the audience deeply feels the inhumane treatment and deep suffering suffered by black people in that era.
The protagonist of "Twelve Years a Slave" is hung up and beaten by the farmer
Every scene in the film is filled with strong emotional shock, telling the story of Solomon's journey from being deceived into slavery from a free man, showing the dark side of human nature and the injustice of the system.
In the slave owner's estate, Solomon witnessed the physical and mental torture of the slaves, and these scenes are heart-wrenching, especially the whipping scenes in the long shots, which truly show the brutal nature of slavery.
The ending of "12 Years a Slave".
Fortunately, the director arranged a happy ending in the end, so that Solomon finally recovered his status as a free man and returned to his family after 12 years of exile.
But unfortunately, the experience of Solomon in "12 Years of Slavery" was staged again in real life in the United States, and perhaps it was the injustice suffered by black people in the United States that caused the "zero yuan purchase" incident.
America in reality
White police in the United States enforce the law
In the United States, the black "zero-dollar purchase" incident was ostensibly a series of smashing and looting incidents, but in fact it reflected the deep-seated problems and contradictions in American society.
This behavior exposes the reality of the widening gap between rich and poor in the United States, and economic inequality has led some groups to feel socially outcast, generating strong feelings of dissatisfaction and frustration.
U.S. "Zero Dollar Purchase"
Black Americans express their dissatisfaction and rebellion through "zero-dollar purchases", which reflects the persistence of racial problems in the United States, many of the participants are ethnic minorities, they have long faced systemic discrimination and unequal treatment, and accumulated resentment erupts in specific events.
In addition, the promotion of social media cannot be ignored, and the incitement of racial sentiments by many people on the Internet has caused many contradictions in the United States, which reflects the distortion of the values of some groups in the United States.
Combined with the above problems, the United States is not as beautiful as people think, and if it does not have enough strength, it will only become a stepping stone for others.
Fortunately, we now live in a peaceful country, and this also makes us deeply understand a truth, that is, "if you are backward, you will be beaten".
Resources:
1: Global Network, a white American couple used adopted black children as slaves: two teenagers were forced to work and could only live in a barn and sleep on the ground. （2024-06-27）
Screenshot of "Global Network".
2: CNN, a couple in West Virginia accused of trafficking adopted black children as "slaves," authorities said. （2024-06-27）
Screenshot of "CNN".