When two black men were found dead hanging from trees in California, authorities first called them suicides.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Authorities have changed their view of the death of a black man in California.
A four-year investigation started in 2011 by the U.S. Department of Justice found housing discrimination in Palmdale aided by the sheriff's department against black residents.
And in recent weeks, amidst nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, there has been at least one shooting death of a black man at the hands of a sheriff deputy in the area.
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NAJEE ALI: I find it very strange they were hung within days of each other in Palmdale and Victorville, an area that we know is frequented by skinhead and white nationalism, who definitely want to hang on to that white supremacy.