BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held a news conference Thursday morning with Broward County Public Defender Gordon Weekes to discuss the deaths of numerous inmates in Broward County jails.
A total of 21 people have died while being held in jails across Broward County since 2021, according to officials.
“The NAACP is horrified by the continued injustice that Broward County families have been forced to endure,” Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO, said in a statement. “Make no mistake, every jurisdiction is responsible for the safety and well-being of any detained persons in their custody. The Broward County Sheriff’s Department has failed its community. Now, it’s time for our Justice Department to intervene, and ensure that this tragic pattern of negligence is addressed, and any bad actors are held accountable. The NAACP is unrelenting in our work to ensure that justice prevails, and every person is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”
“Everybody wants answers and we expect to get those,” said Marsha Ellison, president of the Broward County branch of the NAACP. “We won’t get those from an internal process, we need an external entity.”
Authorities have confirmed that four of the inmate deaths have come within the last month alone.
It’s been just over a week since Christina Kirk’s brother, Joseph Kirk, 34, died while he was an inmate at the Broward County Main Jail.
“Sometime very shortly after being introduced to the jail, he (Joseph Kirk) was found to be unconscious and transported over to the hospital and subsequently expired,” Weekes told Local 10 News last week.
Joseph Kirk was arrested two weeks ago on a misdemeanor charge after deputies said he resisted arrest without violence.
While at the jail, he was going through a detox process moments before he was pronounced dead. Weekes says his death may have been due to improper detox protocols or an overdose.
“I do know that at 2:30 a.m. on Monday, they said my brother walked out of that cell, got breakfast, took his meds, whatever they were, and came back in. By 8 a.m., my brother was gone,” said Christina Kirk. “What happened in that timespan?”
Joseph Kirk’s uncle was among the relatives of the deceased inmates who spoke at Thursday’s press conference.
“It’s horrible,” Anthony Kirk said. “Like the one individual that was suffocated for two minutes. It took them 21 minutes to get to him. Why not a minute and a half? Why not two and a half? Where’s the videos? Who’s responsible for this? I mean, I don’t care what happens as long as we can prevent this from happening to anyone else.”
Janard Geffrard, who was pronounced dead after deputies said he was choked out and beaten for 20 minutes by his cellmate last December. His father, Jeff Geffrard, was emotional when speaking about his son Thursday.
“I love my son and I miss my son,” Jeff Geffrard said.
“To know we haven’t heard anything from Gregory Tony, the sheriff’s office that holds everybody accountable, I’m heartbroken,” said Amanda Wright, Janard Geffrard’s aunt. “What happened to care custody and control? Where is it?”
Local 10 News has learned that multiple suicides have been reported in jails across Broward County, in addition to reports of detainees being physically abused by deputies and pregnant detainees who have allegedly given birth in cells alone despite cries for help.
“They have to have videos and have to know what’s going on,” said Anthony Kirk, Joseph’s Kirk’s uncle. “We have to stop this stuff.”
Watch the news conference below: