Demitrius is in a crisis pain and jaundiced, but Judge Judith Levy will not release a suffering black man.
From the Petition Campaign:
Save Demitrius Manderfield! Release him from Milan Federal Correctional Facility so he can receive proper treatment for his chronic illness!
Why is this important?
Demitrius Manderfield is being tortured in a Michigan jail and may potentially die if he does not receive help. Demitrius is 20 years old and is suffering from the painful and chronic illness sickle beta thalassemia. He has not been convicted of any crime, yet has been caged behind bars for three months now. To make matters worse, he’s jailed at Midland Federal Correctional Facility and they have been denying him access to proper healthcare for three months now. His judge, Judith Levy, promised that she would release him for treatment if his medical needs weren’t being met in jail. But it’s been weeks and nothing has been done. His health is steadily declining and his family desperately needs your help.
Jails in the United States are known to be danger zones for people with disabilities — especially Black folks. Sandra Bland, Darren Rainey, and Ralkina Jone have all died behind bars because jail workers and jail health practitioners have no empathy for Black people who are perceived as criminals. By refusing to provide chronically ill inmates with medical treatment, jails are literally sentencing people to the death penalty before a judge has even charged them with a crime.
Demitrius’ court date is in 14 days, but his mother and family worry his illness may not even allow him to live long enough to stand before Judge Levy again. [From the petition campaign created by his mother, Tia Sumner.]
When Manderfield was 6 weeks old, he was diagnosed with sickle beta thalassemia, a serious genetic condition that requires him to get blood transfusions every three weeks. In addition to the transfusions, he needs to take a particular type of medicine, called Jadenu, which gets the iron out of his liver, a common side effect with chronic transfusion patients, his mother explained.
However, Manderfield has not had any blood transfusions done; nor has he been given his medication in the past four months, Sumner says. His last transfusion was on Dec. 24, 2016, Sumner told The Root.
Two Petition Campaigns for Demetrius
Two petition campaigns support Demetrius. 75,036 people have already signed the first one:
Hearing Today?
Demitrius was supposed to have a court hearing today, March 31, 2017, but I have not been able to find the results. I will update this story when that becomes available.
Community
This story is a community project of Support the Dream Defenders.
Update: 3 Comments
JoanMar: “Demetrius Manderfield is charged with sex trafficking. It’s alleged that at age 19 he “pimped” out a 15-year-old runaway. That’s a very serious charge and not to be taken lightly. But he’s not being convicted of the crime. He’s still presumed innocent and should be treated as such. It is cruel and unusual punishment — and indeed torture — to withhold medical care from someone who is so clearly in danger of dying without it.”
asterkitty: “Both petitions signed, the second one with this message: ‘I watched a friend die from thalassemia when we were only 19 years old. It is a horrible and painful way to go. Nobody deserves to go without necessary medical care for whatever reason. To deny life-saving treatment for this young man is to be complicit in his possible death.’ ”
Saru: “I suffer from chronic pain and insomnia due to fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and several other ancillary conditions. This story is horrifying. I know what happens to me if I miss any of my various meds. It's absolutely torture. I don't care what this young man is accused of, this is unconscionable. I signed the petitions and now I'll go cry. I'm reminded that I'm lucky enough to have access to excellent health care and I have the financial means to get everything I need. The only time I miss my meds is because I get flighty and don't get my refills in time, not because some sadistic asshole is withholding them just because they can. Fuck this.”
Thank you, my friends.