Families of Dayvion Blake and Samuel Lawrence, who both died in jail, to sue county amid growing inmate casualties
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis reported more than 60 inmates died at the Fulton County Jail between 2009 and 2022, the most of any Georgia facility during that time.
The families of two Black men plan to sue a Georgia county after their loved ones died in jail within days of each other.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dayvion Blake’s family gathered in front of the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta on Wednesday to announce their intention to launch a lawsuit against the county, a news conference held the day after Samuel Lawrence’s grieving kin revealed similar plans.
The pair of families are demanding answers and justice following the deaths of their loved ones, who are among 10 inmates who have died in Fulton County Jail this year.
“We are sick and tired of coming out here almost every month talking about another death at the jail,” said Blake family attorney Michael Harper. “Mr. Blake had not been convicted of any crime. He really was just waiting for his day in court.”
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said Blake died on Aug. 31 amid “a dispute between a group of inmates” that ended with multiple stabbings around the facility. Four others were injured.
Harper said rival inmates stabbed Blake on a cellblock where the locks don’t work. The defense lawyer alleged the sheriff’s office knew inmates were going after Blake, citing a March incident report in which he told a detention officer he feared for his life and asked to relocate to another area.
Blake was arrested on Jan. 25 and faced charges including cocaine possession and battery. Court documents show he was denied bond on Jan. 26 but granted a $15,500 bond on June 20.
Sheriff’s office reports show several incidents involving Blake after his arrest, including three other stabbings. Detention officers occasionally observed Blake’s mental state and requested his transfer to the mental health unit for assessment.
Lawrence was found unresponsive in his cell on Aug. 26, only days after filing a civil rights complaint against the facility.
Six people face murder charges in his death.
A stabbing in the jail’s lockdown zone on July 5 revealed to detention staff that prisoners could unlock and close cell doors by manipulating a manual override mechanism. The incident report notes that inmates “are no longer protected” from other inmates due to the security breach, which gives “criminals” easy access to open the cell doors.
The AJC reported that over 60 Fulton inmates died between 2009 and October 2022, the most of any Georgia jail during that period.
State and federal officials are now investigating the facility. In July, the Justice Department initiated a civil rights inquiry into conditions there. A Georgia Senate committee formed earlier this month will investigate congestion, a backlog of cases and unsafe conditions.
Since entering office in 2021, Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat has petitioned commissioners for a new jail, claiming the present detention complex, located in northwest Atlanta, has been overcrowded since its 1989 opening.
The sheriff’s office is now seeking to fill 30 detention officer positions, a job requiring a high school diploma or GED, and offering a salary between $54,000 and $70,828 annually, plus medical, dental and vision benefits and a 401(k) plan.
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