People are seeking a pardon for Joe James, a Black man who was executed in 1908. Many argue that James did not receive a fair trial and was sentenced to death.
Joe James, a Black man, was asleep under a tree when he was grabbed, beaten and then arrested for the murder of a white man in Springfield, Illinois. Before he was put on trial and later executed, a white mob seeking vengeance for the crime James was accused of committing took out its hate and anger on other Blacks.