InnerKwest Global Intelligence Team | September 17, 2025
Daylight and Darkness
On September 15, 2025, the body of Demartravion “Trey” Reed, a 21-year-old student from Grenada, Mississippi, was found hanging from a tree on the campus of Delta State University, a historically Black college. The discovery was made around 7:05 a.m. near the campus pickleball courts — an area designed for recreation, not secrecy.
Authorities moved quickly to state that “no foul play is suspected.” Those words landed heavily. For many in the Black community, they are not reassurance but repetition — the same refrain that has followed too many deaths that echo too much history.
History Does Not Let Go
For Black America, the sight — or even the report — of a man hanging from a tree cannot be detached from history. From Reconstruction through Jim Crow, lynchings were a form of terror designed not only to kill but to send a message: You are not safe, even in daylight, even in community.
That memory lives in our blood. When authorities call a public hanging a “suicide,” communities hear something else: closure without clarity.
Patterns of Deflection
Reed’s death does not stand alone. It arrives in a sequence of events that show how swiftly institutions reach for narratives that protect themselves, not the vulnerable.
- In the case of Charlie Kirk, initial suspicion targeted Black men until the truth broke through. The reflex was telling: blame first, verify later.
- Following Kirk’s death, female-led HBCUs were targeted with threats and forced into lockdowns, an intimidation campaign that extended trauma rather than seeking justice.
- Now, Reed is gone. Another young Black man found hanging. Another HBCU marked by violence, silence, and official hedging.
This is not a chain of coincidences. It is a cycle — suspicion, intimidation, dismissal — playing out in real time.
The Tree as Site and Symbol
The location of Reed’s death matters. He was not found in the privacy of a dorm room or alone in a vehicle. His body hung from a tree in a public space on campus.
That choice of site reverberates. Trees were historically selected by lynch mobs for their visibility. The absence of witnesses in a campus setting raises questions, not closure.
Officials have pointed to the lack of broken bones or external injuries as “evidence” against foul play. But physical absence does not erase coercion, staging, or psychological force. Nor does it negate the symbolic violence of a public hanging in the South.
The Noise Around the Narrative
Already, the story is being pulled into the vortex of online theater. Laura Loomer, a right-wing influencer with tens of thousands of followers, has implied that she “will do something if Trump does not.” The vagueness is deliberate. It provokes without clarifying, pouring gasoline on a fire while refusing to hold the match.
This opportunism is not new. Tragedy becomes backdrop for political performance, while families wait for truth.
InnerKwest’s Stance
At InnerKwest, our creed is simple: look inward before going outward, then strike with clarity.
That means we will not jump to conspiracy. But neither will we let superficial official language — “no foul play suspected” — serve as the final word.
- Such phrases are placeholders, not conclusions.
- Communities deserve independent forensic oversight, not only campus or local law enforcement.
- HBCUs — already under siege through threats, political targeting, and underfunding — must not become sites where Black death is normalized and waved away.
Selective Grief and National Silence
Grief in America is not distributed equally. Some lives are mourned loudly, with spectacle; others, quietly, with dismissal.
In recent days, Trump and J.D. Vance arranged for Air Force Two to transport Charlie Kirk’s body, treating his death as a matter of state-level dignity. Yet, since Reed’s death, neither Trump nor Vance has spoken a word.
That silence is not oversight. It is design. And in that design, we see the cold calculus of power: who is worthy of public mourning, and who can be left to hang in symbolic silence.
What Must Happen Next
The cycle must be broken. That requires action on multiple fronts:
- Independent Autopsy and Oversight — not a perfunctory local report, but a transparent, neutral forensic review.
- Clear Timeline — who found Reed, when, and how the scene was secured must be made public.
- Campus Safety Audit — HBCUs cannot be left vulnerable to threats or dismissals. Their students deserve visible protections.
- Family and Community Centrality — Reed’s loved ones must not be treated as footnotes. Their voices must be heard first, not last.
Daylight Demands More
Trey Reed can no longer speak for himself. What remains is our collective responsibility to ensure his death is neither reduced to a police cliché nor swallowed by the silence that has long muted Black pain.
Daylight demands more than circumstantial meandering. It demands courage, accountability, and empathy.
And so we return to the silence of leaders: Trump and Vance, who mobilized Air Force Two for Charlie Kirk, have offered not a syllable for Trey Reed. That absence of acknowledgment is not only a lack of care. It is a politics stripped of empathy, a deliberate partition of whose lives matter and whose grief is permitted.
The question is no longer whether the silence is accidental. It is whether this nation will keep allowing silence to stand in for justice.
Support InnerKwest: Powering Truth & Excellence with Bitcoin
At InnerKwest.com, we are committed to delivering impactful journalism, deep insights, and fearless social commentary. Your Bitcoin contributions help us execute with excellence, ensuring we remain independent and continue to amplify voices that matter.
Support our mission—send BTC today!
🔗 Bitcoin Address: 3NM7AAdxxaJ7jUhZ2nyfgcheWkrquvCzRm
Thank you for standing with us in pursuit of truth and progress!
