Florida House of Representatives Minority Leader Bobby DuBose (D-Ft. Lauderdale) issued the following statement following the news of Groveland Four’s exoneration.
“In 2017, I was very emotional when all of my legislative colleagues stood with me as we passed a House Resolution acknowledging the grave injustices against the Groveland four. Today, as I sat there in the courtroom with my 17-year old son and the families of the victims, I was holding back my emotions again as I heard Judge Heidi Davis grant the motion. This is a historic day, that should be remembered by all Floridians, as an attempt was made to fix a terrible stain in our State’s history. I applaud State Attorney Bill Gladson for his efforts on this and my heart is with the families of Charles Greenlee, Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepherd, and Ernest Thomas. This motion is long overdue and is necessary on top of compensation funds that should be distributed to the victims families as a result of this racially motivated crime. We as legislators must continue to identify and correct racial injustices in our criminal justice system to prevent another Groveland Four case.”
