Friends and Family of Lamar Johnson to “Walk for Justice” in Downtown Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE, La. - July 2, 2015 - PRLog -- BATON ROUGE, La. – On Monday, July 6, the family and friends of Lamar Alexander Johnson, the 27-year old man whose June 10 death while in police custody has sparked controversy about the series of events that led to his passing, will lead a peaceful protest in downtown Baton Rouge. The “Walk for Justice” will be followed by a candlelight vigil in Johnson’s honor.

The event, which will follow the North Boulevard downtown route to its Town Center before heading to the steps of City Hall, is in response to the controversy surrounding Johnson’s death as a result of a brain injury suffered while being held at the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison. While the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office has claimed Johnson hung himself from his isolated jail cell, Johnson’s family and friends have insisted that this could not have been the case, especially considering Johnson believed he was being held for minor offense.

“Lamar loved life,” said Adrienne Sandifer, Johnson’s fiance. “He was really looking forward to coming home to the kids, his family and his music. He was told the whole time that this was minor. So no, it makes absolutely no sense that he would suddenly decided to end it all.”

Johnson, a father of three who was engaged to be married, was arrested on May 26 after an officer pulled him over for a window tint violation. According to the family, Johnson admitted to the officer that he had an outstanding 2011 warrant for what he believed, at the time, was a failure to appear for a traffic violation. On May 30, when the family tried to inquire about Johnson’s status, they were informed he was in the hospital, after prison officials said they discovered him hanging from his bed sheet in his cell. Johnson’s family said Lamar had no history of mental illness or depression.

“Throughout the process, I stayed in touch with my son,” said Linda Johnson Franks, Lamar’s mother. “He kept assuring me that this was small potatoes and he’d either serve a few days or figure out how to pay whatever fines might be levied. This wouldn’t make sense in any situation, but especially if you knew Lamar? No way.”

Johnson passed away on Sunday, June 10 from a total brain injury due to lack of oxygen.

The “Walk for Justice” will take place at 7:00 P.M. While the EBRSO said it conducted an internal review of the incident that confirmed their original story, the family has called for EBR city-parish officials to sanction an “uninterested, third-party investigation” into the series of events that led to Johnson’s injury. An online, Change.org petition started late last week calling for the same had 2,933 signatures at the time of this release.

“We’re not making any accusations, we just want answers,” said Karl Franks, Lamar’s father. “And to get them, the investigated shouldn’t be conducting the investigation. That’s just common sense.”