SPRING HILL, Fla. – Arnett Doctor, a key figure responsible for securing reparations for victims of the Rosewood massacre, has died in the Tampa Bay area following a long illness. He was 72.
A St. Petersburg funeral home says Doctor was found dead in his Spring Hill home Monday.
The 1923 massacre started in the north Florida town after a married white woman accused a black man of beating her, prompting angry whites to burn nearly every building in Rosewood. At least six blacks and two whites were killed, although some descendants say there were dozens more.
The Tampa Bay Times (http://tinyurl.com/p6eguvs) reports of Doctor helping a reporter in 1982 expose the story.
In 1993, the Florida Legislature approved a bill giving survivors and descendants $2.1 million.
A memorial is planned for April 11.
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