Boston Activist Suspended For False Arrest

On Saturday, 12/12, prominent and beloved Boston activist and co-founder of local social justice and mutual aid group Freedom Fighters Coalition of 2020 Ernst Jean-Jacques (Shimmy) was wrongfully arrested while peacefully protesting in Swampscott, MA for an assault that didn’t happen—immediately after having been assaulted himself. 

https://twitter.com/NateLiterally/status/1339041370560978948?s=20 #FREESHIMMY: A Thread 

While awaiting his pre-trial hearing (scheduled for Wednesday, 2/24 at Lynn District Court), Shimmy was suspended without pay by his employer on Thursday, 12/17. This is his first and only arrest. 

Despite video and photographic evidence of Shimmy’s innocence, the Essex County Assistant District Attorney Danielle Doherty-Wirwicz has chosen to pursue charges and neglected to arrest or charge the self-incriminated aggressor of the actual crime. This is a civil rights violation, a constitutional violation, and an obviously racially charged accusation. 

Shimmy is selfless. He has been organizing mutual aid and community service projects in Boston for years, such as holiday toy drives for underprivileged children, coat drives for Boston’s unhoused population, and “family feasts” to offer home-cooked meals to those in need.

Shimmy is passionate. He is a key voice in Boston’s social justice movement, successfully organizing and leading dozens of nationally recognized peaceful protests over the last eight months. 

It is clear to anyone who knows or knows of Shimmy that he is not capable of committing the crime he is being accused of, but the US justice system’s ongoing efforts to silence and punish Black activists for exercising their constitutional right to protest has led Shimmy into the unthinkable position of wrongful unemployment.

Shimmy’s community is rallying around him to raise enough money for him to cover his necessities for the next 3 months: rent, utilities, car payment and insurance, and student loans. These expenses total about $7,000.

Although your social media feeds may have gone back to normal, Boston’s fight for racial justice has not died down. Shimmy has persisted, dedicating himself to this cause day in and day out, and he is now being punished by this country’s historically cruel and unjust governmental system. If you have been fortunate enough to maintain a steady income throughout this tumultuous year, please consider supporting Shimmy through this disturbing miscarriage of justice.