So much attention has focused on the violent encounters between police and unarmed African-American men during the past year that the hashtag #SayHerName was created to illuminate the fates of black women at the hands of law enforcement, as well as acts of violence against transgender women. Sandra Bland and Kindra Chapman died while being held in local jails. A black woman in Louisiana ended up spending two weeks in jail due to a case of mistaken identity— and fortunately for her, she has lived to tell about it.
When Jacqueline Renell Charles was pulled over for speeding on November 18 near New Orleans, the police officer informed her that there was a warrant for her arrest in Mississippi. The officer told her that although he had to arrest her, she could probably just pay a fine and go home. That ain’t what happened.
Charles spent a week in the St. Charles Parish jail and was then extradited to Mississippi’s Jackson County jail. Once there she saw the paperwork for her arrest, and discovered the person in question had a different middle name. She also had a different social security number, birthdate, and fingerprints. The woman in question also had a tattoo; Jacqueline Renell Charles has none. However, authorities refused to release Charles for another week.
Although inconvenienced—and scared—Charles has been able to return home, unlike many other African-American women held in custody this year. Her case is not as horrendous as many we’ve encountered in the news, yet it could have been avoided.
Photographs of persons with outstanding warrants, in addition to as much information as possible, could help.
Sounds simple, doesn’t it?