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The notorious William Zantzinger is dead
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But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears,
Take the rag away from your face.
Now ain't the time for your tears.
"The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," by Bob Dylan
The devil has finally paid his due. William Zantzinger survived 45 years after his notorious killing of Hattie Carroll at a charity ball in Baltimore on Feb. 8, 1963. A politically well connected white man had no trouble manipulating the justice system at that time. Zantzinger was convicted of a lesser charge and given a six month sentence. Hattie Carroll a 51 year old mother of 11 was black and expendable as far as white society was concerned.
Zantzinger beat her with a cane for not filling his drink order fast enough, telling her. “I don’t have to take that kind of stuff off a nigger.” Hours later Carroll, who had a history of high blood pressure, collapsed and died. The injustice was memorialized in the “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” by Bob Dylan. The song became an anthem recounting in vivid detail the real state of affairs in the “home of the free”.
Zantzinger was not unlike the defenders of the killers of James Byrd in Jasper, Texas who did not consider dragging a black man behind a truck an act of hate. President George W. Bush, who knows a little something about the drunken condition, vigorously opposed having the crime described as hate-motivated. So the struggle continues as we wait to see if the election of an African-American is a step towards a better society or simply a step away from a president that most Americans consider embarrassing.
Zantzinger lived out his years as a slum lord and Chamber of Commerce member. Despite his notoriety he was allowed to live out his days as a well-liked member of his community. In 1992, he was sentenced to 18 months in the Charles County jail and fined $50,000 for collecting rent on shacks he no longer owned. The sentence was three times longer than that imposed for killing Hattie Carroll.
The story of Hattie Carroll is important as she was simply a worker struggling to provide for her family. Today workers are facing similar pressures as union busters, who continue to advocate for Zantzinger’s values, are attempting to make sure the future Hattie Carroll’s understand the price that can be paid if they don’t simply step and fetch it. Zantzinger was a member of the Chamber of Commerce which has budgeted 10 million dollars to make sure future Hattie Carroll’s are kept away from the bargaining table.
It is yet to be determined if our times are really changing.
More About:
Employee Free Choice Act ·
Unionbusting ·
Bob Dylan ·
Hattie Carroll ·
William Zantzinger ·
Chamber of Commerce ·
Union busters
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