Demand Justice for Akinola Gonzalez!

Tyrone Jackson, Dean of Students and Bart Evans, Police Chief at Hinds Community College

Akinola Gonzalez, a Black engineer student, was arrested on campus in Raymond, MS at Hinds Community College as a result of an alleged dress code violation: sagging his pants. On campus where he pays tuition and stays in the dorms, campus security harassed him after dinner, asked for his identification, then subsequently arrested him on 'failure to comply' charges.

Prior to the arrest, the campus officers, Martin D. Wilson and chief Christopher J. Heard, yelled, cursed, mocked and belittled Akinola, calling him “stupid” and “broke”, stating he would not be able to get out of jail for a few days because he “was broke.” When Akinola told the officers he would report them to the dean, the officers were unflinching, smiled and said “ain’t nobody going to do anything.” Akinola was arrested, strip searched and held captive overnight in a detention facility in Raymond, MS. He was later transferred the next day to a penal farm to “work off his bond” if his family didn’t pay. 

The family hired a bondsman and after an incredible amount of runaround with the detention center, Akinola was released at 3:30pm on Wednesday, Sept. 3rd. The arresting officers never filed an affidavit so the next steps of court or the charge are unclear. Verbally attacked, strip searched and arrested for an alleged dress code violation, Akinola has to return to an unsafe campus to continue his studies and an absolutely absurd case looming over him indefinitely.

How Akinola was dressed or his alleged failure to produce identification on a campus where he resides and pays full tuition results in discriminatory policing and incarceration which is tied to the practices of [militarized] campus police across the country where young Black and Brown students are racially profiled, targeted, and incarcerated for minor infractions without transparency or accountability.

The family of Akinola Gonzalez demands:

1. A full apology to Akinola Gonzalez by the offending officers; and
2. Officers Heard and Wilson to be held fully accountable (including being FIRED); and
3. Any policy resembling zero tolerance or culturally biased, racist student policies need to be eradicated immediately; and
4. The campus commit to a healthy learning environment for Black students including a full review of campus policies and practices to ensure Black students are not further profiled and arrested (or even threatened with arrest) and are instead made to feel safe on campus.
References:

To: Tyrone Jackson, Dean of Students and Bart Evans, Police Chief at Hinds Community College
From: [Your Name]

After spending over 22 hours in a detention facility for an alleged violation of a dress code, an incredible amount of harassment, verbal assault and trauma, we are very concerned about the environment created for Akinola, the message to other students and the wanton power of arrest and disrespect by the campus police that has been allowed.

We urge you to take swift action to hold these officers accountable, commit to a healthy and safe learning campus environment for Black students, and follow through on the family's demands for justice.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]