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John C. Barnett
National President, civil rights and personal injury attorney
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Atty Donald Temple
Reginald Green Esq.
Civil rights expert
Civil rights veteran, litigation specialist
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True Healing Under God.
Current Cases
Spencer Eckford
Anthoneil Williams II
Calvinitri White
Shanice Griggs
DC mother files lawsuit after teacher's aide uses hot sauce to punish autistic son
Spencer Eckford
Wrongful Death Case involving excessive force and tasing in jail booking room
ABERDEEN, Miss. (WTVA) — The family of Spencer Eckford and civil rights activists gathered outside the Monroe County jail Wednesday, one week after the 66-year-old died following a tasing during the booking process.
Eckford was being booked on charges of trespassing and public drunkenness when the Monroe County sheriff said he became aggressive and threatening.
A corrections officer tased him, and Eckford later died. The circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation.
ABERDEEN, Miss. (WLBT/WTVA) - A Monroe County Jail inmate died Tuesday night, the coroner says.
Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley identified the individual as Spencer Eckford, 66, of Aberdeen.
Authorities transported him from the county jail to the hospital, both in Aberdeen.
Hospital staff said Eckford showed no signs of life when he arrived, and a doctor pronounced him dead at 9:44 a.m., the coroner added.
MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – An investigation is underway after the death of an inmate being held in the Monroe County Detention Center.
According to Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley, 66-year-old Spencer Eckford of Aberdeen arrived at the Monroe Regional Hospital Tuesday night without signs of life, after being transported from the jail.
He was pronounced dead by 9:44 pm on Tuesday, July 21.
Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook says earlier that night Eckford was arrested by Aberdeen Police and charged with trespassing and public drunk.
The 911 call placed from the teenager’s phone last week reported a young person who may be brandishing a gun in an Austin, Texas, parking lot.
When officers arrived at a community park early Friday morning, they found 17-year-old Anthoneil Williams II, who suddenly appeared to lift his shirt and reach toward his waistband as officers told him to keep his hands up, body camera footage released by police shows.
Williams then raised both hands and extended them, with “his hands positioned together in front of him as if he was pointing a weapon at the officers,” police said in a statement Wednesday, citing a review of footage of the shooting.
AUSTIN, Texas — Grief and anger are resurfacing for families in Austin after 17-year-old Anthoneil Williams II was shot and killed by police late last month, prompting parents of people fatally shot by Austin officers to speak out and demand accountability.
Elizabeth Gonzales, whose son Alexander Gonzales Jr. was shot and killed by Austin police officers five years ago, said she cried for hours when she learned what happened to Williams.
“We don't even call the police no more. What for? All they're gonna do is either kill us, or I don't know. We're scared,” she said.
Sunday would have been Alexander Gonzales Jr.’s 32nd birthday. On that day, Elizabeth Gonzales returned to the place where she said Austin police shot and killed her son five years ago.
“There will be judgment day, okay? One day,” Gonzales said.
As the Austin City Council convened inside City Hall Thursday morning to take up the proposed budget, activists gathered in front of the building to demand better funding for mental health support services after the killing of Anthoneil Williams II.
Williams was fatally shot by Austin Police at a park last week after allegedly calling 911 to report a young man brandishing a gun. Responding officers fired dozens of shots at Williams after he lifted his shirt and reached for his waist band. Williams was unarmed.
The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis has characterized the shooting as potentially a “suicide by police.”
Anthoneil Williams II
Investigating the Austin, Texas police department for human and civil rights violations
Shanice Griggs
Ms White was falsely arrested and held in jail several days
Calvinitri White was arrested after a domestic call. Police say the complaint came from the children’s father. The neglect charges were later dropped.
White says she gave proof she had reported pest problems to the complex and nothing was fixed.
White is now suing the city of Shreveport, former officer Aaron Brown and two companies tied to Village Square Apartments.
Attorneys join lawsuit
Civil rights attorneys Malik Shabazz and John Barnett joined White Wednesday to offer their services and support in the suit.
“We shouldn’t even be here. We shouldn’t have to file court papers and go through a litigation process,” an attorney said.
Criminal charges against a Shreveport mother whose apartment was found to be unsanitary have been rejected, says Caddo Parish District Attorney James E. Stewart Sr.
Three counts of criminal neglect of family lodged against Calvinitri White were declined Monday, July 14, Stewart says.
“We were provided proof that Ms. White, an employed single mother of three small children, submitted three requests for service in the year 2025 to her apartment management, regarding insect problems inside the apartment,” he said.
“No drugs or firearms were found inside the apartment, nor any injuries on the children,” he added. “Help from volunteer community agencies for this family provides the best resolution of this matter.”
Calvinitri White says police ignored her repeated efforts to fix pest control issues and wrongfully took her into custody.MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – An investigation is underway after the death of an inmate being held in the Monroe County Detention Center.
According to Monroe County Coroner Alan Gurley, 66-year-old Spencer Eckford of Aberdeen arrived at the Monroe Regional Hospital Tuesday night without signs of life, after being transported from the jail.
He was pronounced dead by 9:44 pm on Tuesday, July 21.
Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook says earlier that night Eckford was arrested by Aberdeen Police and charged with trespassing and public drunk.
Calvinitri White
DC mother files lawsuit after teacher's aide uses hot sauce to punish autistic son
WASHINGTON (7News) — A D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) teacher aide has pleaded guilty after admitting in court that she used hot sauce to discipline a non-verbal student.
7News has reported on corporal punishment allegations within DCPS since the fall. At Boone Elementary School, a staffer was accused of body slamming a student over a book, and there was another incident reported at Wheatley Education Campus where a staffer allegedly force-fed a child.
READ | Corporal punishment allegations under investigation at Boone Elementary School in DC
In court Monday, an attorney called this latest incident at Nalle Elementary School "unusual."
30-year-old Nalle Elementary School teacher’s aide Imani Davis said she put hot sauce inside the child’s mouth because he “deserved it.” The student's mom, Shanice Griggs, told 7News he has autism and is non-verbal.
The incident happened last year at Nalle Elementary School. The aide admitted to sticking her finger coated with hot sauce into the mouth of a 9-year-old as a form of discipline.
The boy's mother, Shanice Griggs, has filed a civil lawsuit against the teacher's aide, Imani K. Davis, and her employer, the D.C. government. According to a police report, Davis stated that the child "deserved it."
She is calling for more accountability from D.C. Public Schools and better training for educators who work with students with special needs.
"I was heartbroken," Griggs said. "I’m hurt. I still am hurt. Because what type of person would do that to a child who can’t talk?"
Davis pleaded guilty to assault charges in connection with the incident and was given community service as part of a plea deal earlier this year.
The lawsuit accuses Davis and the D.C. government of assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The incident happened last year at Nalle Elementary School. The aide admitted to sticking her finger coated with hot sauce into the mouth of a 9-year-old as a form of discipline.
The boy's mother, Shanice Griggs, has filed a civil lawsuit against the teacher's aide, Imani K. Davis, and her employer, the D.C. government. According to a police report, Davis stated that the child "deserved it."
She is calling for more accountability from D.C. Public Schools and better training for educators who work with students with special needs.
"I was heartbroken," Griggs said. "I’m hurt. I still am hurt. Because what type of person would do that to a child who can’t talk?"
Davis pleaded guilty to assault charges in connection with the incident and was given community service as part of a plea deal earlier this year.
The lawsuit accuses Davis and the D.C. government of assault and battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
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