LaShawn Thompson was in jail last summer on a $2,500 bond for a misdemeanor. He could have been diverted from jail to an outside program because of his mental health, but wasn’t.  Upon booking, LaShawn was transferred to a psychiatric ward after jail officials confirmed his mental health diagnosis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.  

In the early morning of Sept. 13, 2022, jail staff found Thompson lifeless on the floor of his cell, his body covered in feces and ravaged with insect and bedbug bites. Thompson's family suspects he died because of Fulton County Jail’s widespread neglect and squalid conditions. A criminal investigation is underway, but immediately following Thompson’s death, Sheriff Patrick Labat did nothing. Now that photos of Thompson’s insect-covered body and filthy jail cell were released to the public by his family’s attorney, Sheriff Labat is requesting resources to clean up the jail. Yesterday, Atlanta City Council voted to take $5.3 million from the reserves for emergency  improvements to the jail.

Let's be clear: LaShawn Thompson should be alive. According to a jail incident report, just three days earlier on Sept. 8, a guard voiced concerns about Thompson’s condition to both mental health staff and a sergeant. One week prior to that report, another guard requested medical staff and asked the same sergeant to move Thompson to the Medical Observation Unit. Both requests were ignored. 

For too long, Fulton County Jail staff have abusively subjected incarcerated people, the majority of whom are Black, to unclean and vermin-infested conditions. Now the Fulton County Board of Commissioners is considering building a new $2 billion jail – an astronomical waste of money. The solution is not more jails and more incarceration; it is smarter, more sensible justice policies and investments that will reduce the jail population and expand public safety for all.   

Fulton County puts its residents behind bars at a rate nearly three times that of other urban counties. In addition to overcrowding, there are widespread reports of malnourishment and an over-reliance on pre-trial detention. Thompson’s case had been pushed back in the court four times. His next hearing was scheduled to take place five days after the day he died. 

A significant number of people incarcerated in Atlanta have not been charged with a crime, while others behind bars are too poor to afford bond.

Sheriff Labat would like the public to believe that each of the 10 confirmed deaths that happened last year at the jail, as well as the cultural, staffing and managerial issues there, are beyond his control. That simply is not true. Sheriff Labat must take immediate action to reduce the Fulton County Jail population.  

Black people should not die in custody. Too many Black people are locked up because of a disproportionate number of interactions with police officers. We have the resources to invest in comprehensive public safety measures, significantly reduce jail populations and close more jails. 

Here is the Petition:

Dear Sheriff Patrick Labat,   

What happened to LaShawn Thompson is devastating. He should be alive today.

That's why we are looking for you to take action and order the following changes immediately: 

○     Reduce Atlanta's Fulton County jail population by releasing:

○     Anyone incarcerated simply because they cannot afford bond.

○     Anyone incarcerated under a misdemeanor charge.

○     Anyone eligible for a diversion program.

○   Allocate additional funds for an independent health assessment of Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail.

○   Move people who remain in custody to clean and safe facilities. 

Sheriff Labat, you have the power to mandate these changes. We are demanding that Atlanta’s Fulton County Jail make significant changes to ensure such callous disregard for someone's life doesn't happen again!