The phones at Ben Crump Law are ringing off the hook. Besides his Tallahassee office, which is home when he gets there, Crump has offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Washington, DC, Orlando, and Dallas. The DC office is open 24 hours a day. In theory, Crump is a personal injury lawyer. When he began his practice in Tallahassee after graduating from Florida State University (FSU) and receiving his law degree from FSU College of Law, he took whatever cases came along. Now, he’s a lawyer for justice, fighting for the rights of the small against the powerful. His offices offer a free consultation; you never pay unless he wins. The phones are ringing off the hook.
I’m sure Crump is an excellent lawyer, though I’ve never seen him in a courtroom. When his cases go to trial, he has an outstanding record. He only takes cases he believes he can win. He won $411 million in damages for Duane Washington, who was paralyzed in a car accident. Crump successfully argued before the Massachusetts Supreme Court in a reparations case against Harvard University. Ben Crump is good in court, but that isn’t where he makes the bulk of his money. He usually gets settlements for the families and groups he represents when the other side doesn’t want all the facts disclosed to the public.
You know Ben Crump because he’s been involved in dozens of major cases, usually involving wrongful deaths or racial injustice. He helped reach a $641 million settlement for the children of Flint, Michigan; $27 million for the family of George Floyd; $12 million for the family of Breonna Taylor; and over $200 million in banking discrimination cases. You know Ben Crump from Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, Michael Brown, and the family of Malcolm X. I used to wonder if there weren’t any lawyers out there besides Crump to take these cases.
I’ve reached the point where I’m annoyed to see Ben Crump step to a podium. Not that I begrudge him getting paid. I’m happy to see someone sign a big contract or rightfully earn a lot of money. I’m angry because when I see Ben Crump speaking, it’s because we have to say another name or that a family, group, or entire city has been discriminated against. I’m mad there’s no end to it, and his phone keeps ringing off the hook.
Crumps' most recent case is representing the family of Sonya Massey, who called 911 to report a prowler, and when the police arrived, she was shot fatally in the face. This happened shortly after an officer threatened to shoot her “in the fucking face.”
Related: Why is Sonya Massey Dead?
Crump came to the podium, made his statement, and soon hopped onto his private plane to the next wrongful death case or community with knowingly contaminated water. I ain’t mad at Ben; I admire him. But I long for the day when his phones stop ringing or he at least needs to shut down a few of his offices because of lack of demand. I want Ben to be able to take a month-long vacation or even retire. Wouldn’t it be nice if America didn’t have to see Ben Crump at a press conference for a good long while? I think so.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium. And if you dig his words, buy the man a coffee.