🚨🔥🚨🔥YOU DID IT. WE DID IT. Just heard from his civil rights attorney & family that we’ve officially raised the $85,000 to bail out Anthony Swain & pay medical expenses. 1600 individual donors got us to $68,970. Then a generous soul we’ll share later donated remainder. More...
Despite this good news, Anthony Swain in still jailed. His civil rights attorneys and family are working on transferring the funds & remaining incoming funds to the bailbondsman who has already agreed to help bail him out. But it’s a process. That’s in process. He needs out ASAP.
Despite the good news, Anthony Swain is just one of thousands, who remain jailed in deplorable conditions (before & during COVID) in Miami. And he was as sympathetic as you get. And prosecutors & judges were still so entrenched in status quo? It’s alarming what we’re up against.
Before COVID, Anthony Swain had already been jailed pretrial for 4 years. Abhorrent alone. On a drug charge. More abhorrent. On $650,000 bail. More abhorrent. While paraplegic & wheelchair bound. More abhorrent. He should never have been jailed in the first place. And then...
COVID started spreading in Miami. And Anthony Swain was concerned about how the conditions in his jail would allow for spread & infection of him & others. He spoke up. Agreed to be lead plaintiff in a lawsuit. Filed a sworn declaration. Miami fought it. Then people started dying.
Charles Hobbs suffocated in a cell of men infected in Anthony Swain’s Miami jail. The men tried saving his life. Guards ignored them like Miami ignored Swain m. He died. Those men bravely spoke out. These are their voices. Hear them:
Miami still fought back against Anthony Swain. And then his & family’s worst fears were realized: He contracted COVID. Hospitalized . Begged not send him back. They did. He ended up sitting in his own defecate, in isolation, w/ no shower. Lawyers begged.
Anthony Swain was granted an emergency hearing for release first in federal court. Prosecutors claimed he was lying about his treatment. Judge refuses to release. Only asked prosecutors to “look into” claims of mistreatment. His attorney & advocates at @Dreamdefenders didnt stop.
Anthony Swain & pushed for another emergency hearing. This time with the State Attorney General’s office. The morning of the meeting with prosecutors, we, you, & @Dreamdefenders collected over 3000 signatures. Delivered. Prosecutors “wanted to think” on it.
Prosecutors took 6 days to think on whether to release or even just lower bond for a single paraplegic wheelchair bound man, COVID positive, immunocompromised, w/ full family support, already caged 4 years. They rejected him.
