No One Is Above the Law

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Stand in support of Darlene McDay, a mother seeking justice for her son, Dante. Ask the US Attorneys to reconvene the grand jury & indict the officers responsible for the death of Dante Taylor before the statute of limitations ends on
Oct 6th, 2022.

October 6th, 2022 will mark five years since corrections officers (COs) at Wende Correctional Facility in Buffalo, New York assaulted Dante Taylor, son of Darlene McDay, disfiguring his face beyond recognition.

If no further action is taken before October 6th, 2022, the officers will evade criminal consequences as well, signaling that state officials can abuse incarcerated people with impunity.

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Time is running out for accountability!

Tell these US Attorneys you want them to reconvene the grand jury and hold these officers accountable before the statute of limitations runs out on October 6, 2022!

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Subject: Stand in support of Darlene McDay, a mother seeking justice for her son, by reconvening the grand jury & indicting officers responsible for the death of Dante Taylor before the statute of limitations ends on Oct 6, 2022

Message:

Dear Assistant Attorney General Clarke and United States Attorney Ross, October 6th, 2022 will mark five years since correctional officers at Wende Correctional Facility in Buffalo, NY assaulted Dante Taylor, son of Darlene McDay, disfiguring his face beyond recognition [1]. Instead of providing Dante – just 22 years old at the time – with the care that he needed during his medical emergency and after the brutal assault, officers left him in a solitary confinement cell to die, disregarding his pleas in the last hours of his life to call his Mother. Dante's death was directly triggered by the vicious beating, solitary confinement and lack of mental health care. Since that day, Ms. McDay has been denied closure and the opportunity to heal without even a glimpse of accountability – let alone justice – for the death of her only child. The NYS Department of Corrections’ own investigators found that COs Timothy Lewalski, James Horbett, Dylan Janis, Melvin Maldonado and others assaulted Dante and engaged in an attempted cover-up, lying about the events in written reports thereafter [2]. Yet beyond the requirement that one CO pay a $1,500 fine, no officer has faced any repercussions in the last five years. Those responsible for Dante’s death have faced no professional consequences despite recommendations that some officers be fired. In fact, many of the officers continue to work in the same facility, including Sgt. Timothy Lewalski who joined the Oath Keepers, an anti government extremist group, while employed as a Sgt. with DoCCS [3]. The continued employment of violent COs leaves other incarcerated individuals vulnerable to abuse and even death. If no further action is taken before October 6th, 2022, the officers will evade criminal consequences as well, signaling that state officials can abuse incarcerated people with impunity. We are deeply concerned with the perception of impunity for state officers. We appreciate your office's commitment to upholding the civil rights of all and in the spirit of that mission, we are asking that, with just one month left, the DoJ reconvene the grand jury to secure the indictment of the officers that investigators have confirmed are responsible for Dante’s death. We cannot allow another family to be denied justice and accountability in the face of state violence. The cycle of impunity allows these grave violations to persist, tearing apart the lives of too many families. Please let the voices of the people be heard; reconvene the grand jury so that the choice to hold these officers accountable is in the hands of a jury of their peers. Ms. McDay deserves closure and the ability to begin the process of healing. We are at an inflection point in our nation’s history; it has never been more imperative to signal that no one is above the law. [1] Photos of Dante: https://bit.ly/3x6HjRy [2] NYS CoC Report: https://bit.ly/3B3acQ1 [3] Buffalo News: https://bit.ly/3TR08lE

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Time is running out for accountability!

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