▁mot ives . ▁Many ▁obser vers ▁believed ▁that ▁this ▁case ▁was ▁a ▁representation ▁of ▁the ▁still ▁heavily ▁rac ist ▁Southern ▁United ▁States ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 7 0 s , ▁and ▁the ▁various ▁under hand ed ▁methods ▁pro sec utors ▁were ▁willing ▁to ▁util ize ▁to ▁obtain ▁conv ict ions ▁against ▁African ▁Americans . ▁The ▁Charlotte ▁Three ▁were ▁vict ims ▁in ▁the ▁eyes ▁of ▁some , ▁of ▁an ▁American ▁South ▁that ▁was ▁still ▁re eling ▁from ▁w ides p read ▁integration ▁and ▁general ▁m istr ust ▁in ▁Black ▁affairs . ▁The ▁men ▁were ▁held ▁against ▁their ▁will ▁incorrectly ▁not ▁for ▁cr imes ▁that ▁they ▁did ▁not ▁commit , ▁but ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁social ▁change ▁they ▁worked ▁hard ▁to ▁att ain . ▁Finally , ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 9 , ▁North ▁Carolina ▁Jim ▁H unt ▁comm uted ▁all ▁three ▁men ' s ▁sentences ▁after ▁a ▁vig orous ▁campaign ▁by ▁state , ▁national , ▁and ▁international ▁activ ists ▁on ▁their ▁beh alf . ▁ ▁Charlotte ▁▁ ▁Charlotte , ▁North ▁Carolina ▁had ▁a ▁reputation ▁as ▁a ▁forward - th inking ▁city ▁in ▁that ▁it ▁wasn ' t ▁supposed ▁to ▁have ▁the ▁same ▁ra cial ▁disc rim ination ▁that ▁the ▁cities ▁in ▁the ▁Deep ▁South ▁had . ▁Charlotte ▁was ▁called ▁a ▁" New ▁South ▁city " ▁but ▁many ▁of ▁its ▁residents ▁still ▁har bor ed ▁the ▁same ▁ra cial ▁disc rim ination , ▁and ▁" cl ung ▁to ▁Jim ▁Crow ▁seg reg ation " ▁as ▁strongly ▁as ▁residents ▁of ▁Mobile , ▁Alabama ▁and ▁Jackson ,