Hello, I am Patricia Spears Jones I am updating this fundraising campaign for my sister Gwendelyn F. Jones and her son W. Lamont Jones. Your donations were instrumental in getting Lamont bail so that he could leave the Cross County Jail in Wynne, Easter week. And my sister is grateful for the support, but the court system which claims that Lamont is a flight risk has constantly demanded his appearance at the court house to prove that he is still around. My nephew is unemployed. He has no money and my sister is a Public School Nurse, a working woman in her 60s. They have used the funds from the initial fundraiser to pay these ridiculous fees; to get help from a good public defender, but this is on top of just trying to get groceries.

Northeast Arkansas is a dangerous place for Black and Brown people and "justice" is rarely achieved. My nephew was basically driving while Black, got pulled over and his licence was found to be suspended, but he had not received an announcement of that fact. This is the kind of thing that you get a ticket for and should be sent on your way, but charges were escalated and now he is enduring that harsh treatment. Everyone was incredibly generous and I know this is a challenging time but anything that you can contribute will be well used.

ORIGINAL STORY: The bail was set at $2000 which is outrageous and the policy in Arkansas is to demand full payment, not a percentage which is the norm. Our family even collectively don't have the means to bail him out. Moreover, my sister is trying to get a good public defender and medical attention for Lamont. Your support will go directly to my sister so that she can get her son out of that jail and secure any medical attention he may need as well as getting decent legal counsel. If you have the means, please help my sister Gwen, who is a school nurse, a minister, mother and grandmother help her only son in this awful situation.

Arkansas like too many states is part of the prison industrial complex and cities and counties make their budgets off of policing--speed tickets, drug arrests, driving while Black and Brown so my nephew is yet one more Black man caught in the greedy jaws of a system that rarely serves citizens.