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Framed and Forgotten: Demand Action for Raleigh’s Wrongfully Incarcerated!

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To: City of Raleigh Officials, District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, and the Citizens of Raleigh, NC

We, the undersigned, demand justice and accountability from the City of Raleigh and its law enforcement.

It deeply troubles us that the City of Raleigh employs police officers who, according to records, have allegedly engaged in egregious misconduct, including kidnapping and framing at least a dozen individuals—predominantly Black—on false charges of selling or trafficking heroin. The city's decision to settle related lawsuits for over $2 million speaks volumes about the gravity of these allegations.

Background:

At the heart of this scandal is a confidential informant, Dennis Leon Williams Jr., who, despite his dubious past—including a 2018 arrest for selling fake drugs—was approved by the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) in 2019 as a paid informant for its Vice Squad. In 2022, Williams once again presented fake drugs (brown sugar) as heroin, resulting in the wrongful arrests, jailing, and financial ruin of numerous innocent people. Many of these individuals spent months behind bars, lost their jobs, or suffered severe personal hardships due to these false charges. One victim was jailed during cancer treatments, while another was incarcerated just days after the birth of his daughter.

Most disturbingly, there could be countless individuals who are still incarcerated due to these trumped-up charges, continuing to suffer under a justice system that has failed them. This egregious miscarriage of justice must be addressed immediately to prevent further harm to those who have already lost so much.

Officers Implicated:

Only one officer, Omar Abdullah, has faced any consequences, being fired and sentenced to a mere 38 days in jail and two years of supervised probation. Meanwhile, the following officers were named in a dismissed lawsuit against the City of Raleigh, NC, yet remain uninvestigated and employed:

  • Lieutenant Jennings Bunch
  • Sergeant William Rolfe
  • Officer Rishar Pierre Monroe
  • Officer Julien David Rattelade
  • Officer Meghan Caroline Gay
  • Officer David Chadwick Nance
  • Officer Jason Gwinn

These officers, along with others, were aware of the false arrests and wrongful incarcerations facilitated by Dennis Leon Williams Jr. and did nothing to prevent these injustices.

Demands: Given the severity of the allegations and the city’s financial settlements, we demand the following:

  1. Reopen All Cases: The City of Raleigh must reopen all cases involving the police officers listed above and any related confidential informants. Each case should be thoroughly examined for fraud and misconduct to ensure that no individuals remain wrongfully imprisoned or continue to suffer the consequences of these unjust actions.
  2. Comprehensive Investigation: An independent and transparent investigation must be conducted into the actions of the officers named, as well as the Raleigh Police Department's use and oversight of confidential informants. The public deserves to know how such egregious abuses of power were allowed to occur.
  3. Accountability and Justice: All officers found to have participated in, enabled, or turned a blind eye to these wrongful actions must be held fully accountable. This includes potential termination, criminal charges, and reparations to those wrongfully impacted by their misconduct.
  4. Oversight of Informants and Funds: The city must implement stricter protocols and oversight regarding the use of confidential informants, particularly in cases that involve the distribution of funds and drugs. A closer look must be taken into the distribution of money said to be used to fight the war on drugs. The current system, which lacks transparency and proper checks, raises serious concerns about the potential misuse of funds and the role of RPD in the proliferation of drugs and money on the streets of Wake County.
  5. Public Transparency: District Attorney Lorrin Freeman and other responsible officials must provide a full accounting of how these events transpired, including what steps are being taken to prevent such injustices in the future.

The citizens of Raleigh deserve a police force that serves and protects them, not one that endangers lives and liberty through misconduct and corruption. We urge the City of Raleigh to take immediate and decisive action to restore trust and ensure justice for all its residents.

This petition calls for the courage to confront systemic failures and the integrity to seek justice for those wrongfully harmed. We will not stand by while innocent lives are destroyed under the guise of law enforcement. The time for accountability is now.


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