Arrest Warrant Issued For Paralyzed Black Man Who Exposed Conditions In Memphis Jail With Cellphone Video

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office in Memphis, Tenn., has issued an arrest warrant for a man, not because he committed what any reasonable person would consider an actual crime, but, seemingly, because he exposed the conditions he experienced in a jail where he had already been detained.

According to WREG Memphis, Derrick McDonald, who is paralyzed, spent four days inside 201 Poplar, a jail in Memphis. In November, McDonald went live on Facebook to reveal video footage taken from his cellphone, which he said was not taken from him while he was being processed for charges related to old driving warrants, which he said were ultimately dropped, WREG reported. Although, according to Fox 13, he was arrested on a drug possession charge. Regardless of what he was arrested for, records show an active warrant has now been issued for McDonald’s arrest for a felony count of possession of contraband in a penal facility, as if he’s personally responsible for jail employees’ failure to take his phone.

“Roaches, bugs, gnats, fruit flies, like black mold everywhere, water everywhere. Dirty clothes and stuff laying all out in the hallway,” McDonald said in the video. “I asked them several times to change me, and they were like, ‘No’ and looking at me like they really don’t care.” He also claimed no one was monitoring, and a blind man, who he said was left wandering around the facility.

In November, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office released the following statement:

We want to inform the community about a recent incident involving the medical area at 201 Poplar and resulting investigations. Yesterday, a video was released on Facebook showing the medical area at the main jail at 201 Poplar.  That area is where inmates receive treatment.  Their care and treatment are covered by privacy protections and should never be filmed or shown to anyone. 

During the video, an inmate who is no longer in custody, used a phone to film himself and other inmates being treated.  In the video, he claimed he was not being treated properly and that conditions in the area were unsanitary. We are actively investigating these complaints to ensure accountability.

The Sheriff’s Office does not provide medical care in the jail. The Mayor’s Office contracts with a medical company to provide medical care to all County inmates.  We are working with the company and the personnel the Mayor has charged with overseeing inmate medical care to thoroughly investigate the complaints. 

An investigation is also underway to ascertain how the inmate came into possession of the phone.

Yeah — it just really seems like the investigation into why McDonald had a phone in jail has taken precedence over the investigation into the jail conditions he sought to expose with said phone. Has a warrant been issued for his arrest over contraband, or is it a retaliatory warrant issued because his videos made the detention facility look bad?

Questions that need answering.

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