Community Members: “Accountability for Dewayne Jones” & “Justice for Sheldy!”

When: 11:00 AM to Noon EDT. Monday April 12^th.
Where: 36^th District Court building 421 Madison Street. Detroit, MI 48226.

Detroit, MI – Members of Detroit Residents Advancing Civilian Oversight (DRACO), and others, will be holding a News conference, promptly at 11:00 AM this Monday, to express their displeasure with the injustice surrounding the August 2018 beating of hospital patient Sheldy Smith by then-Corporal Dewayne B. Jones. Community members will continue to picket outside the courthouse until Noon.

Jones was convicted of assault and battery in connection with the beating, but received a promotion to the rank of Sergeant by the Detroit Police Department. His penalty for the assault was probation, but he could still be tried for a felony misconduct charge because it was dismissed without prejudice on January 15^th 2019. Activists are calling on the Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to reintroduce those charges given the large amount of video evidence that surfaced, and the fact that Jones still had a badge and a gun while on probation.

On March 23^rd Dewayne Berran Jones had a motion hearing to be discharged from probation. District 4 CAC Chairperson Scotty Boman (who founded DRACO) is concerned that Dewayne Jones may be trying to get the conviction reversed.

“He should be in prison, but was promoted instead. Meanwhile his victim, Sheldy, is being held captive indefinitely, without having a chance to fight for her freedom.” Said Boman. “It is up to us to be Sheldy’s voice and call out a system that promotes violent criminals, and imprisons their victims.”

The actual hearing may be virtual, but concerned community members will still meet and protest outside the 36^th District Court building. Organizers feel it can be the symbolic location of the hearing, which is scheduled to be held in the “Court room” of Honorable E. Lynise Bryant on Monday, April 12^th, 2021 at 11:30 AM. This is a “Motions Hearing” for Case No. 1806106901. Dewayne Berran Jones. Assault and battery case. Anyone can look up the court schedule here: https://www.36thdistrictcourt.org/online-services/case-inquiry-schedule