‘Funeral Friday’ protest in Charlotte demands release of inmates amid COVID-19
A group of around 30 protesters dressed in black gathered in front of the Mecklenburg County Detention Center on Friday. They passed around bouquets of fresh flowers, sang “Amazing Grace” and held black coffins made from paper and cardboard.
On the ground lay stuffed black trash bags, resembling body bags.
The memorial service, called “Funeral Friday,” was to honor those who have died from coronavirus while incarcerated. A program given to attendees accused the county jail of “disregard for human life.”
Authorities say, as of Friday, there have been no COVID-19-related deaths among those in custody in Mecklenburg. But at least 59 total cases have been reported over recent months.
Across North Carolina, 10 inmates have died from the coronavirus while imprisoned. There are 16 active outbreaks among detention facilities in the state, according to N.C. health data.
In Charlotte, defense attorney Tim Emry and ACLU organizer Kristie Puckett Williams gave speeches urging for the release of people from the county jail and against incarceration as a punitive measure against crime in general. Then after a moment of silence lasting eight minutes and 46 seconds (honoring the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd), protesters walked around the jail three times followed by a shiny black hearse and a few cars.
The protest was organized by Decarcerate Mecklenburg — a local advocacy group consisting of activists, lawyers, public defenders and members of the ACLU — which has held near-weekly protests every Friday since April.
The group has demanded the Sheriff’s Office to test all inmates and asked Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police to issue citations instead of making arrests for misdemeanor crimes. They have also advocated for the release of people in the detention center who cannot afford bond, have six months or less to serve, or who are at-risk for coronavirus complications.
According to a recent press release, the sheriff’s office has instituted “mass testing” of its resident population. Employees are screened daily before entering the building, officials have said.
As of this week, 124 people inside the Mecklenburg jail are quarantined, officials say.
On Friday, there were three active positive cases among inmates and 14 among detention center workers, according to Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Dejah Gilliam. That’s a decrease since July 24, when the jail had 43 active cases.
Since March, a total of 62 employees have tested positive for the virus, Gilliam said.
COVID-19 inmate release
One man, released from jail on Thursday, said COVID-19 has led to frequent arguments inside the detention center. O’tis Carr, a 56 year-old electrician, said he was arrested for a misdemeanor charge and was in jail for 11 days.
In an interview, he said he had slept on a mattress on the ground in the dining area of a pod. The space was so crowded that he found himself sleeping under a table, he said.
“It’s kind of like being on a slave ship ... (or) a sardine can. It’s sort of like not being able to move ... not having any breath,” Carr said.
When Carr left the jail, he said he found the jail support station outside. There, he said, volunteers paid for him to stay in a hotel for two nights.
Puckett Williams in her speech also denounced the “criminalization” of the jail support station located across the street from the jail.
Since June, tensions between law enforcement and the volunteers who help run the station have lingered.
In June, sheriff’s deputies forcefully arrested dozens of activists who refused to move their tents and tables further away from the jail. Last month, Sheriff Garry McFadden accused the group of harassing detention center employees and preventing the arrest of man who was accused for assaulting a woman outside the jail processing area.
Some local officials have said they want the 24/7 jail support station removed.
This story was originally published August 8, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this story, the sheriff’s office had misstated the total number of employees who have tested positive. Later, officials corrected the number to 62 total.
