Local advocates and Kevin’s Desir’s loved ones appeal to the courts for the release of the videos of him being beaten to death by BSO staff inside the North Broward jail.
LAUDERHILL, FL – On September 27th, Chainless Change, The Florida Courier, and the Desir family are appealing to Judge Fabienne Fahenstock of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court for court-ordered release of multiple videos which captured the violent incident that led to Kevin Desir’s untimely death. Kevin, a resident of Pompano Beach, was beaten into a coma by Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) staff while detained at the North Broward Bureau Detention Center in January of 2021.
Per their own reports, BSO staff punched, choked, tased, and pepper sprayed Kevin while he was handcuffed. He sustained severe injuries, and permanent brain damage that led to his death. BSO concluded that their staff’s use of force was “reasonable” – no corrective actions have been taken against the officers involved.
For more than a year, BSO has used exemptions to Florida’s public records laws to withhold related videos and other pertinent information from the public. Although their own internal investigation ended in May of 2022, much remains unknown and unseen. The hearing will appeal to Judge Fahenstock to deem videos of the incident a matter of public interest that should be made available to the general public.
Asilia Law and the National Police Accountability Project are representing the plaintiffs. The hearing is set for 1:30 PM on Tuesday, September 27th at the Broward County Courthouse. The hearing is in Courtroom WW14170.
