Fundraiser for Shondo Moffitt's Family

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this fundraiser: you are truly part of our beloved community and we appreciate you. This fundraiser is now closed for donations, and we have kept the record up so that people can continue to lift up the memory of Shondo Moffitt.

On Monday, April 11th, Shondo Moffitt collapsed in his cell at the Cuyahoga County Jail and was declared dead at Metrohealth shortly afterwards. He was only 39 years old, and his death makes him the 15th person to die in County custody since 2018, and the second in 2022 alone. Like those that came before him, this tragedy could have been prevented. Shondo's attorney had filed a petition with Judge Kathy Sutula for medical release on personal bond two weeks earlier due to serious health issues he had been receiving treatment for before his incarceration, but had not even received a response at the time of his death. However, it would likely have been denied, as judges routinely deny these kinds of medical release requests for people being held pretrial.

 

While the press will generally only mention what he was charged with, Shondo was a husband, father, son, brother, and a working and upstanding member of our community. In the words of his wife Linda:

"Shondo was my heart, my Superman, the love of my life. We did everything together. My husband always said "I love y'all" when he ended his call. I replay our last call April 10th in my head everyday. There not a day that goes by my children and I don't think of him."

 

While Shondo's wife Linda and their four young children are still reeling from this senseless loss, we in the Cuyahoga County Jail Coalition have connected with them and are hoping to raise funds to ease their transition while they build a new life and catch up with the bills and expenses accrued over the months that Shondo was incarcerated and prevented from working.

 

After being forced to put her nursing degree on hold, Linda is now the sole provider for her four young children. While we were able to provide some of our coalition funding to help cover initial expenses, we cannot give the total amount that Shondo's family needs to recover, move forward, and thrive.

 

We are very proud of the community we have built over the last three and a half years and the spirit of generosity and care that has animated our fight for real justice in Cuyahoga county. On this occasion, we have the opportunity to help Shondo's family directly as they recover from a horrific loss. We know that these are difficult times for everyone, but please, if you have even a little bit to spare, we can come together to ease at least the financial burden that our County justice system has created for this family.