News Roundup

As the Winston-Salem Journal reports, the death of John Neville at the Forsyth County Detention Center continued to animate calls for justice and accountability in Winston-Salem this week after surveillance video footage of the circumstances surrounding his death was made public.  People gathered in Bailey Park in the city’s downtown for a vigil honoring Neville where they sang songs and listened to remarks from three speakers.  Keep reading for more on this story and other news. Neville.  Roughly 45 minutes of video footage was made public and is posted on the Winston-Salem Journal’s website.  The footage shows detention center staff responding to Neville’s cell where he had apparently suffered a seizure and fallen out of his bunk.  He is disoriented and repeatedly tries to get up while officers hold him down and tell him that him that he is having a medical incident and that they are there to help.  Eventually they place him in handcuffs and transport him from his cell in a wheelchair.  A nurse checks his blood pressure while he continues to be disoriented and struggle against his restraints. Part of the footage shows several detention officers struggling to remove handcuffs from Neville while he is restrained face down in a holding cell following the medical emergency.  During the ordeal, Neville repeatedly says “I can’t breathe” and calls for help.  While Neville calls out, an officer tells him to calm down so they can remove the cuffs.  Eventually a key breaks inside the cuffs and a protracted process [...]