Injustice of a freedom fighter

Injustice of a freedom fighter

Peace and blessings. I hope this message finds you well.

Since 2020 during the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor protest, I have been being targeted via the Virginia Beach Police Department and judicial system. We have several cases of injustice from that city here locally, including multiple Police involved fatalities.

On May the 31st 2020 as we peacefully protested, we were met with tanks, flashbangs, and riot gear.

On September 5th, 2020, things turned violent. We held a peace march for all the injustices in Virginia Beach. We were in the company of the families of Demario Joyner, India Kager, Matthew Rushin, Champ Turner, and victims of the Virginia Beach police department and judicial system. I was violently arrested by Officer Solomon Simmons, and thrown in jail.

I was charged with obstructing free passage, drunk in public, and resisting arrest. I didn't have an ounce of alcohol. I never resisted, I just braced myself from having my face slammed into the pavement. I was placed in a keylock hold and had a knee placed in my back. I had to go the ER where they determined that my injustices came from an assault.

We held a protest the next day upon my release. After the protest, over half a dozen Virginia Beach squad cars surrounded JaPharii at a poorly lit gas station and administered a bogus field sobriety test, which I passed with flying colors. Officer Solomon Simmons was present. An attorney filed a FOIA request to hold the officers involved accountable, but the FOIA was denied.

In April of 2021, we stood against the injustices surrounding the murder of Donovon Lynch and DeShayla Harris. The Virginia Beach Police Department unleashed another wave of charges on me for allegedly stepping into the trolly lane during the peaceful demonstrations... Yes ... the trolly lane. They again charged me with obstructing free passage which carries up to 365 days in jail + fines. The families involved held a press conference to speak out about the injustices to their loved ones in which I was present with my son. After the press conference the Virginia Beach Police accused me of misdemeanor eluding. They claimed they followed me after the press conference and I refused to stop. This charge never even saw a judge, but I had to turn myself none the less on this charge and the obstructing free passage charge.

For all of the charges listed above they threw out the drunk in public, and the misdemeanor eluding was thrown out.

On June 5th 2022 I witnessed 3 stop and frisk like stops on the Virginia Beach oceanfront. I stopped to record and inform the individuals of their rights. When I attempted to get the officers information to file a FOIA I was ignored and they refused to give me their information. I had some choice words with officers on the scene. A few months later I was informed that I had been charged with criminal slander/libel charge from the officer. The maximum penalty on this is a $500 fine.

Recently I received a letter in the mail stating that they were violating me , and holding a show cause hearing to lock me away for a year. That date is set for March 27.

This entire process has caused a significant financial and mental strain on my family and I. I'm the father of two children. I have been in and out of court for almost 4 years with no end in site. In this time passed we have been focused on putting boots on the ground to help find missing adults and children, reuniting a few families with their loved ones. I also drafted a bill called the Codi ALERT to help find missing children, and it has made it all the way through the Virginia General Assembly unanimously. It's just the governors signature away from being passed.

We have been able to effect significant change and advocate for justice, including getting 2 men free from prison, the conviction of a law enforcement officer who murdered an unarmed 18-year-old, Juneteenth recognized as a statewide holiday, and the removal of confederate monuments across the state, among other things. We've also received rewards from the local radio station 103Jamz, and the city of Norfolk awarded us an U.P.L.I.F.T. for continually uplifting the community despite the pandemic.

We put boots on the ground to help find missing persons, and we have actually reunited a teen with her family, and 2 adults with theirs. We put boots on the ground for Ashanti Billie and had a small hand influencing the Ashanti Alert, which is now a national law, to help find missing adults.

We have volunteered thousands of hours and traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to fight injustices not only in Virginia, but in DC, New York, Connecticut, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois, and beyond. Of all the places we’ve ventured, we have only been abused in Virginia.

We are currently championing various social justice campaigns. We have ventured to Mexico via Del Rio to help with the Haitian border crisis, which was a global news story. We have adopted a village in Togo West Africa as well but, all of this progress has come with a price. Thank you so much for your consideration.

If you re more comfortable, please CashApp $JaPharii

Sincerely, Aubrey "JaPharii" Jones president of BLM757