North Charleston, SC – Monday, December 29, marked the three-year anniversary of the death of D’Angelo Brown, and organizers with the Lowcountry Action Committee (LAC) honored the day by gathering in remembrance of him and the more than 20 other lives stolen by Al Cannon Detention Center.

Brown, who suffered from schizoaffective disorder, was murdered by medical neglect at the jail in 2022. His death was ruled a homicide and, according to LAC members, is part of a larger pattern of abuse and neglect at the facility.

“Over 20 people have died at Al Cannon since 2015 and most of them have been Black and struggling with mental health issues like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or addiction,” said Erica Veal, co-founding member of LAC. “Mental health is not a crime, but for people detained at Al Cannon it’s a potential death sentence. That’s not right and we want to see the jail shut down immediately.”

At the vigil, organizers poured libations and read the names of 24 people who died at Al Cannon. One of the names was that of Jamal Sutherland who was tasered to death by corrections officers on January 5, 2021 after being transferred to the jail from a mental health facility. In the aftermath of his murder, which was also ruled a homicide, LAC members formed part of the Justice for All Coalition to demand accountability.

Brown and Sutherland were both Black, but the jail’s most recent victim was white. Mary Brucato was murdered at the detention center on August 11, 2025 and it took nearly six months for her death to be ruled a homicide due to medical neglect and complications from withdrawal. Brucato had been struggling with substance use disorder.

“Mary Brucato, D’Angelo Brown and Jamal Sutherland should still be with us today,” said Shaquille Fontenot, a co-founding member of LAC. “We are here to honor lives taken by police violence and to speak the names the system tries to erase. This vigil is not an ending, but a checkpoint in a longer struggle for justice and community control.”

Alfred Peeler, LAC Solidarity Network member explained to the crowd that community control means the community determining how they are policed and by whom. “The community decides if it wants to shut down a jail that is under DOJ investigation for medical neglect while there are still people literally right to this day dying from medical neglect in it.”

He went on to say that the community “should have a say if it wants a portion of the police budget to instead go to attacking real material concerns like food deserts and afterschool care,” all of which are known to reduce violent crime, according to Peeler.

On the same day as the vigil, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office announced they would no longer publicly release information on inmates who die in the county jail from natural causes. “It just screams coverup,” said LAC Solidarity Network member Matt Colburn. “Hopefully this will push more families to open up and trust in us to support them in their demands for justice for their loved ones. Accountability is not symbolic,” Colburn said. “True community safety requires honesty, transparency and consequences. We will continue to fight until these families find justice.”

#NorthCharlestonSC #SC #InJusticeSystem #PoliceCrimes #KillerCops #Jail #LAC #Incarceration

This opposition is due to issues regarding mass incarceration, police and state violence, redlining, housing insecurity, immigrant safety, and the outrage caused by city council approving a morgue in the Brentwood neighborhood. This morgue was built despite Brentwood residents’ objections toward the construction of a morgue, and it was built less than 500 feet from a school.

Since 2024, when Councilman Ron Salem formed a committee to discuss the funding and relocation of a new jail, the council has made its best attempt to keep this project quiet and out of the public sphere. It is for this very reason that the JCAC has been adamant about keeping this campaign front and center for all to witness and have a say.

The JCAC stood alongside Take ‘Em Down Jax (TEDJ), Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network (JPSN), Metro Gardens Neighborhood Association, Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance (JIRA), Jax Tenants Union (JTU), and The Red Alliance.

Wells Todd, a veteran activist, TEDJ front-runner and respected Jacksonville elder, stated, “These jails are built not only to oppress us and use us for free labor, but also as an alternative to providing communities their needs.”

Attendees also heard from Metro Gardens lead activist, Lydia Bell, about how the demands of Brentwood are being ignored, which is a direct reflection of the council’s intent to pursue financial gain at the expense of Black and brown communities. The jail is a continued representation of the council’s desire to save the best for themselves, while regular working class people are forced to pay the price.

City leaders have been vague about the location of this new jail. There is discussion of its construction on either the Westside or the Northside. The Westside is representative of many white working-class neighborhoods. The Northside is representative of many historically Black neighborhoods that continue to struggle against redlining and systemic racism.

After making it clear how far-reaching an issue the jail is for every aspect of community health, Jacksonville residents filed into the chambers to make their voices heard, yet again proving to be the collective majority.

Residents argue that the funds would be better invested into an all-encompassing “People’s Budget,” focusing on housing, education, food access, and more. JCAC member Ash Chatmon stated, “We want to see our money go to programs and institutions that meet our needs. Mass incarceration is a parasite that sucks the life and resources out of our community, and it fails to solve any of the underlying issues. This is not a jail issue, this is a policy issue; this is a manufactured problem.”

Despite these concerns, Jacksonville City Council has made it clear that they are most focused about the possibility of what could develop where the current jail sits – an ideal riverfront property with a central location.

A resident stated, “We no longer come to city council to try to appeal to council members’ morality, as they have proven to be lacking. We speak to them in words they understand: Reallocation of votes and funding. When our rights and needs are held over our heads like a carrot on a stick, we refuse to chase false promises and instead turn to face our neighbors and community at large.”

As succinctly stated by activist and community member Denise Scott, “The power of the people is greater than the people in power.”

The Jacksonville Community Action Committee says the fight in opposition of a new jail is ongoing, and they plan to be at all upcoming city council meetings to make their voices heard.

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #InJusticeSystem #Jail #JCAC #PeoplesBudget