The Illuminati doesn't control the planet, the US government isn't spraying "chem-trails" in the sky, and the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary wasn't staged.
False conspiracy theories happen. We've all witnessed it: someone suggests something mysterious occurred based on a few minor details and eventually the theories are disproved when new facts emerge.
But sometimes conspiracy theories can be damaging to the people involved. In December 2016 a man fired a gun at a pizzeria in Washington DC after he heard the restaurant was home to an underground child molestation dungeon where elite billionaires and celebrities went to engage in immoral deeds. The man was eventually sentenced to four years in prison.
You can now add Houston Congressional Representative Sheila Jackson Lee to the list of people throwing gas on far-fetched Internet-based conspiracy theories.
Earlier this week a rumor spread in Houston that a black man was lynched after news broke that a decomposed body was found hanging from a tree in the Fifth Ward. The conspiracy theory was quickly debunked when the deceased man was revealed to be a Caucasian-Hispanic with a history of mental health issues. The family of the deceased announced that he was suicidal. They do not suspect foul-play and the police investigation could find no proof of a struggle at the time of his death. Suggesting he was killed by some racist hate mob is inaccurate and misleading.
Enter Sheila Jackson Lee, notable race-baiting politician and COVID19 Congressional task force leader (for some reason).
Apparently SheJack didn't get the news. She's now pushing the conspiracy theory that an epidemic of lynchings is spreading across the country after cherry-picking various vague reports about suicide incidents involving ethnic minorities. She's not the only person entertaining this theory, but she's definitely the only person in Congress who seems to believe the confused social media users pleading with her to call for a Federal investigation, so that's exactly what she just did.
SheJack says, "These deaths are part of a string of deaths of black and Hispanic men found hanging in the United States. These cases must be thoroughly investigated and proven beyond a reasonable doubt."
SheJack sent a press release where she erroneously said the man was black. He's not, she was wrong, and now she's spreading disinformation.
It doesn't sound like Sheila has even tried to research any of the suicide cases she's alluding to while making this proclamation. Yes, suicides occur and right now we're witnessing a spike in suicides all over the country because of the economic recession we're experiencing. It affects all races, religions, and genders. Report after report of the handful of cases SheJack appears to be referencing give clear evidence that no struggle ensued and authorities suspect no foul play. In some cases we have video evidence that nobody was attacked or killed.
Suicides specifically by hangings have also spiked in recent years. Men, in particular, are more likely to commit suicide by hanging than women.
By calling for a national investigation into alleged black lynchings, SheJack is accusing hundreds of police departments and coroners of participating in a widespread, far fetched cover-up that makes the 9-11 conspiracies look pale by comparison.
Based on her reckless behavior and inaccurate statements, Rep Sheila Jackson Lee appears to be trying to start another violent riot in her hometown of Houston, Texas.
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, listens during a markup on H.R. 7120, the "Justice in Policing Act of 2020," in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, June 17, 2020. The House bill would make it easier to prosecute and sue officers and would ban federal officers from using choke holds, bar racial profiling, end "no-knock" search warrants in drug cases, create a national registry for police violations, and require local police departments that get federal funds to conduct bias training. Photographer: Sarah Silbiger/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images