We Go Together, We Leave Together, Period!
Nolan Wells lost his life over the holiday weekend in Mississippi. Photo courtesy of Christine Wonsley via Facebook
Black Americans have been traumatized so much... it is completely understandable to believe there was foul play involved in the death of Nolan Wells. We have seen this movie before in real life with tragic results. We warn our kids when they are "the only one" in a group to exercise caution. We try and learn as much about our kid’s friends and their families before we send them out the door. All of these feelings are valid, and other people will just have to understand that this is what 400 years of slavery, plus Jim Crow, plus every horror movie Hollywood ever made, plus Presidente Diablo Naranja being in the White House for a second time does to a group of people.
“I remember going to play with our neighbors at the park or walking to the corner store. One phrase that was always stated...YOU GO TOGETHER; YOU LEAVE TOGETHER! I knew no other way,” says Jermany Dorsey, who runs a travel website. “Same thing when I host group trips! If you travel with me, ain't no way I'm leaving without you! Nah, sis, I'm staying for answers and explanations. Travel insurance and E&O insurance will make up the difference. But to fly home, having to face family, police, friends, and public scrutiny...I just can't process it.”
Dorsey is asking the same questions and expressing the same concerns that most Black Americans have with this case. There are just certain common sense safety rules, we will call them, that Black Americans follow. Like when you drop a friend off at home at night, you don’t drive off until you see them physically go inside the house and indicate they are safe by flicking the light switch or waving at you from the window.
“How do you return home with your travelmate's phone, say they are missing, deactivate your social media accounts, can't recall a thing, and lawyer up?” she asks.
That said, the incident could also just be a terrible accident. The area Wells’ body was found in is known for strong rip currents, similar to what we have with Lake Michigan, from the Indiana to Wisconsin shorelines. The island is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore and is known for being a remote, undeveloped barrier, according to journalist Milly Wanjiku Ndirangu. The National Park Service warns that the area itself lacks staff, drinking water, or communication facilities. The popular area was also crowded with many boats and many people consuming alcohol for the holiday weekend, according to multiple reports. Wells became separated from his cellular phone at some point, and the friends he was with could have assumed that he was still with a female he met, now identified as Katie McCormack.
I am happy to learn that Wells’ family has retained Attorney Ben Crump as of this writing. This will increase the chances of a more transparent investigation by law enforcement and nationwide coverage by the media. While I don’t always like Crump’s techniques and sometimes, in police use-of-force cases, he intentionally leads the community into a narrative that simply isn’t true, I do appreciate his willingness to take risks. Being in this business for over 25 years, I know the police lie or spin a false narrative to the media in some high-profile cases. We all have valid concerns because this tragedy took place in Mississippi, a state with a horrid history of racial violence that continues to this day.
I am concerned that the sheriff came out and immediately said there was no foul play shortly after the body was recovered. The coroner said the body showed no signs of injury. That is a far leap to no foul play because we don't know if the victim consumed anything. That can only be revealed in toxicology tests. I would have preferred if law enforcement would have simply stated, "We have a full investigation going on at this time to find out what exactly happened, and we are committed to the case until we get answers.” By immediately dismissing even the slightest suggestion of foul play, the police unsettled the public for the reasons I mentioned earlier.
"[The friends] left [Horn Island] and went back without Nolan," Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said. "From what we understand, he chose to stay there."
McCormack, the young woman Wells left his friends for, has retained a lawyer but is fully cooperating with police. I would do the same if I were her. in a high-profile case like this. Media reports indicate when she and Wells parted ways, he was on his way back to the shore and she just assumed he made it back safely on a different boat that she and her family took. I doubt this young woman, whom Wells met that day, had anything to do with his death, and she is just as shocked and scared as the rest of us as to what happened.
I am in favor of a full investigation and letting the science tell the story of what happened. I am also understanding of those who are highly suspicious of this case. Yet, we must all remember that a mother and father lost their son. Well’s friends, football teammates, and others who knew him are in mourning. He is not coming back. A young man’s life was lost. This is a fact we can all agree on, and it is sad.