The last few days have been tough for For Kathleen Edwards, as she continues her fight to see the last moments of her husband’s life at the Brevard County Jail Complex, two years after his death.
The recent video of George Floyd’s death while in police custody triggers emotional feelings of her own similar situation. The widow has not been allowed to watch Brevard County Sheriff’s December 9, 2018 surveillance video that will show her exactly what happened to her husband while he was in custody.
Gregory Lloyd Edwards, 38, got into a confrontation with correction deputies. He was then left in his cell for nearly 16 minutes before he was found unresponsive.
Edwards suffered swelling, bruises, and remained unconscious while he was handcuffed to a hospital bed. The Army combat veteran died the next day.
The case is now closed and has been ruled “reasonable and justifiable” by the state attorney’s office after a review of the sheriff department’s own investigation. A practice that raises many concerns.
“I just want justice. I feel like the state attorney, and the sheriff have taken advantage of me. I’m a disabled veteran, and they know this,” Edwards said. Her personal requests to see the video have gone unanswered. “They won’t release the video of what happened to my husband. It’s like there is no humanity. How would they feel if this happened to one of their loved ones?” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Typically, police dash camera, in-car, or bodycams are public records and released by investigating agencies upon request by family.
However, when Florida Today asked the sheriff’s office to release the surveillance footage, the state attorney cited its longstanding policy of not releasing surveillance video and based the block on the agency’s reading of FS. 119.071(3), 281.301, which covers the exemption of material under a provision involving security systems.
Edwards is now raising her two small children alone and has decided to speak at Saturday’s March for Justice rally in Rockledge. One of several rallies that have been organized locally in response to George Floyd’s May 25 murder. The town will also have a town hall that will include local law enforcement representatives. “She decided she wanted to speak. When all of this happened, no one stepped up for her husband,” said Vickey Mitchner, one of the organizers of the march that will take place in Rockledge and Cocoa, Florida Today reports.
Not only does Edwards want to see the video, but she also wants accountability from the sheriff’s office, as she demands an independent agency outside of Brevard County to investigate her husband’s case.
“Its really an authority issue. The cops are not working for us when things like this happen. It’s not ‘we the people’ who are in charge. It’s like they’re not working for citizens when things like this happen.”
