On Wednesday, members of the S.C. House Democratic Caucus held an emergency meeting following the release of footage showing the moments leading up to Jamal Sutherland’s death at the hands of Charleston police.
Jamal Sutherland died after being assaulted by Charleston County deputies in January. Sutherland, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, had been arrested from a mental health facility where he had been receiving treatment. He died less than two hours after being repeatedly tased and pepper-sprayed by two deputies who forcibly removed him from his jail cell for a bond hearing — an assault that was caught on camera and recently made public by Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano.
Wednesday’s meeting was organized by Rep. Wendell Gilliard and Rep. JA Moore of Charleston and North Charleston, respectively. The legislators, joined by Sutherland’s mother Amy Sutherland and North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess, shared their concerns regarding law enforcement’s mishandling of individuals with mental health disorders.
Rep. Marvin Pendarvis said the group’s conversation arose from the question of whether law enforcement officers should “be in the business of being social workers and…mental health professionals,” while Rep. Moore stated that accountability is necessary for the mental health facility and law enforcement officials who failed to adequately address Sutherland’s needs.
Pendarvis and Moore have both introduced legislation to address the concerning relationship between mental health and law enforcement, including bills that require mental health evaluations following arrests and limit the use of force by officers. The group additionally advocated for an increase in funding for mental health treatment at Wednesday’s meeting.
As of Tuesday, the deputies involved in Sutherland’s death had been fired. The group of legislators argued that more must be done, though, to ensure that similar cases do not occur.
“There’s a lot of work that we can do not only for justice for Jamal but for a system,” said Moore.