Mass Rally to Demand Answers for 100+ West Virginia State Jail Deaths
West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
MEDIA ADVISORY FOR: March 10, 2023
Contact: Michael Holloman, michael.holloman@berlinrosen.com, 757-955-5804
Phoebe Rogers, phoebe.rogers@berlinrosen.com, 914-343-9063
*MASS RALLY FRIDAY 11:00 AM EST*
Poor People’s Campaign, Families to Hold Mass Rally, Demand Answers to 100+ West Virginia State Jail Deaths
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Impacted families and advocates of all races demand accountability, justice following unexplained deaths in West Virginia state jails
CHARLESTON, WV – The families of individuals who died at Southern Regional Jail will join the West Virginia Poor People's Campaign and National Co-Chair, Bishop William Barber II at the West Virginia Capitol Building on Friday, March 11, to give Gov. Jim Justice a petition signed by thousands calling for a full federal investigation into local prisons by the Department of Justice.
Anna Shrewsberry lost her son, Alvis Shrewsberry, in Southern Regional Jail, where he was held for only 19 days. She states, “Our family, and the people of West Virginia, deserve answers. We have been pushed aside, our son’s name forgotten by the very people who were supposed to protect him. We demand accountability, transparency and an immediate investigation into Southern Regional Jail. As a mother, I refuse to stand by and allow this to happen to anyone else.”
Kimberly Burks, whose son, Quantez Burks, died at Southern Regional Jail shortly following his arrival, said, “In the private autopsy report that we had done, findings were consistent with being handcuffed while being beaten. Both of his wrists were broken, he had an arm broken, nose broken, and a leg bone broken.” When asked about whether an investigation was launched into the nature of his death, she adds, “We haven’t heard anything to this day of anything that the state has done. They have not acknowledged us at all, from day one. We will not let this injustice stand and we are never going to stop until we get justice for Quan.”
In the last year alone, 13 people of all races have died at the Southern Regional Jail in Beckley, a jail plagued by understaffing, overcrowding, neglect and other harsh conditions. Since 2018, the Southern Regional Jail has seen a 13-fold increase in deaths. Meanwhile, state officials refuse to thoroughly investigate these deaths or provide families with critical information on the premature passing of their loved ones.
“Equal protection under the law is not a suggestion or opinion. It’s a right. We cannot be silent while poor West Virginians of all races die under the watch of state jails, totaling hundreds over the years. West Virginia officials cannot continue to drag their feet on this urgent matter,” said Bishop William Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. “We demand a full, independent federal investigation into the conditions of West Virginia’s jails so that grieving families can get the answers, and justice, they deserve.”
WHO: Anna Shrewsbury, mother of Alvis Shrewsbury who died at Southern Regional Jail
Justine Shrewsbury, wife of Alvis Shrewsbury
Miranda Smith, daughter of Alvis Shrewsbury
Kimberly Burks, mother of Quantez Burks who died at Southern Regional Jail
Latasha Williams, fiancé of Quantez Burks
Pam Garrison, West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign State Chair
Stewart Acuff, West Virginia Poor People’s Campaign State Chair
Bishop William J. Barber, President of Repairers of the Breach and Co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Director of the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice and Co-Chair of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
WHAT: Mass Rally: West Virginia Mothers and Families Deserve Answers
WHEN: Friday, March 10, 2023 at 11:00 AM EST
WHERE: The West Virginia Capitol Building front steps, 1900 Kanawha Blvd E., Charleston, WV 25305
Link to RSVP here. Please contact phoebe.rogers@berlinrosen.com with any registration questions.
In the last decade, over 100 people of all races have died in West Virginia regional jails. In many of these cases, a person died shortly following their arrival, sometimes within 24 hours. While state lawmakers are considering a proposal to increase transparency in West Virginia’s jail system, families are still left in the dark, waiting months for investigations to conclude only to be left with unanswered questions.