As a pastor and a consistent activist against police brutality, violence and oppression in her community, Rev. Joy Powell was warned by the Rochester Police department that she was a target because of her speaking out against corruption. On many occasions, from 1995 to 2006, Rev. Joy had held rallies and spoke out against the police brutality and “police justifications” in Rochester NY. In 2006, she was accused and convicted of 1st Degree Burglary and Assault. Joy is sure the prosecution was politically motivated based on her activism through her organization, Equality and Justice For All.
An all-white jury tried her; the state provided no evidence and no eyewitnesses. Rev. Joy was not allowed to discuss her activism or say that she was a pastor. The person that testified for her was not allowed to tell the court that he knew Rev. Joy through their activist work and the church. Furthermore, Judge Francis Affronti promised he was going to give her a harsh sentence because he was biased against her. While serving a 16-year sentence for the conviction, a cold murder case was pinned on her. The trial was fraught with misconduct, yet she was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life. She is currently seeking counsel to file an appeal.
Joy on the 2020 Police Killing of George Floyd
We live in a system, which blatantly displays ‘White Justice and Black Laws’ with random killing of Black and Brown people based upon the color of their skin.
Some of the issues that I would address were, and still are, substandard housing for poor people of color, bleak economic conditions, unequal education, police brutality, and mass incarceration.
The ongoing existing tensions of racial profiling puts a narrative in the mins of people who already have preexisting biases. We have a U.S. President who openly boasts and acts like a white supremacist.
Wherein, the world is enraged after the traumatic news aired of an unarmed Black man named George Floyd being brutally murdered by a Minneapolis officer named Derek Chauvin who strangled him to death as his knee pressed in this unarmed victim’s neck while George was handcuffed on the ground.
This evil and diabolic murderer didn’t treat George Floyd with dignity and humanity. As he cried for his mother and screamed, “I CAN’T BREATHE!” As usual, the Police Department hired a Medical Examiner in attempt to thwart the attention on the perpetrator onto the victim. Putting out inaccurate, unproven statements to place unproven assumptions in people’s minds.
However, camera footage actually reveals the glaring discrepancies, unequivocally showing the victim begging for air as Chauvin’s knee was on his neck.
Thank God for the bystander filming the arbitrary and capricious, cold callous murder!! And where is the U.S. President? Oh yeah, he’s hiding, and plotting to have the people smoked by the National Guard due to his own fears.
Take Action
The Black Lives Matter movement has shown the world that police terror on the Black community is real and it needs to stop. Reach out to Joy directly to see how you can help support and ultimately free her: