BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held a news convention Thursday morning with Broward County Public Defender Gordon Weekes to discuss the deaths of a lot of inmates in Broward County jails.
A complete of 21 other people have died whilst being held in jails throughout Broward County since 2021, in keeping with officers.
“The NAACP is horrified by the continued injustice that Broward County families have been forced to endure,” Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO, mentioned in a remark. “Make no mistake, every jurisdiction is responsible for the safety and well-being of any detained persons in their custody. The Broward County Sheriff’s Department has failed its community. Now, it’s time for our Justice Department to intervene, and ensure that this tragic pattern of negligence is addressed, and any bad actors are held accountable. The NAACP is unrelenting in our work to ensure that justice prevails, and every person is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
“Everybody wants answers and we expect to get those,” mentioned Marsha Ellison, president of the Broward County department of the NAACP. “We won’t get those from an internal process, we need an external entity.”
Authorities have showed that 4 of the inmate deaths have come inside the remaining month by myself.
It’s been simply over per week since Christina Kirk’s brother, Joseph Kirk, 34, died whilst he used to be an inmate at the Broward County Main Jail.
“Sometime very shortly after being introduced to the jail, he (Joseph Kirk) was found to be unconscious and transported over to the hospital and subsequently expired,” Weekes advised Local 10 News remaining week.
Joseph Kirk used to be arrested two weeks in the past on a misdemeanor fee after deputies mentioned he resisted arrest with out violence.
While at the prison, he used to be going via a detox procedure moments earlier than he used to be pronounced lifeless. Weekes says his demise can have been because of flawed detox protocols or an overdose.
“I do know that at 2:30 a.m. on Monday, they said my brother walked out of that cell, got breakfast, took his meds, whatever they were, and came back in. By 8 a.m., my brother was gone,” mentioned Christina Kirk. “What happened in that timespan?”
Joseph Kirk’s uncle used to be some of the family members of the deceased inmates who spoke at Thursday’s press convention.
“It’s horrible,” Anthony Kirk mentioned. “Like the one individual that was suffocated for two minutes. It took them 21 minutes to get to him. Why not a minute and a half? Why not two and a half? Where’s the videos? Who’s responsible for this? I mean, I don’t care what happens as long as we can prevent this from happening to anyone else.”
Janard Geffrard, who used to be pronounced lifeless after deputies mentioned he used to be choked out and crushed for 20 mins by means of his cellmate remaining December. His father, Jeff Geffrard, used to be emotional when talking about his son Thursday.
“I love my son and I miss my son,” Jeff Geffrard mentioned.
“To know we haven’t heard anything from Gregory Tony, the sheriff’s office that holds everybody accountable, I’m heartbroken,” mentioned Amanda Wright, Janard Geffrard’s aunt. “What happened to care custody and control? Where is it?”
Local 10 News has discovered that more than one suicides had been reported in jails throughout Broward County, along with experiences of detainees being bodily abused by means of deputies and pregnant detainees who’ve allegedly given delivery in cells by myself in spite of cries for lend a hand.
“They have to have videos and have to know what’s going on,” mentioned Anthony Kirk, Joseph’s Kirk’s uncle. “We have to stop this stuff.”
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