On December 9th 2018, 38 year-old black Army combat medic Gregory Edwards died in Brevard County Sheriff custody. He was an unarmed black man, a father, a husband and a decorated veteran. Suffering from combat-connected PTSD, he had an episode at a local Walmart where he became erratic and was arrested. At the time of his arrest, his wife (9 months pregnant with their second child and a military veteran herself) explained he was having a PTSD episode and needed medical assistance. Instead of getting much needed medical help, he was taken back to the jail and beaten, tased, maced, and left alone, restrained in the 'devil's chair' until unresponsive, and put on life support. He was pronounced dead the next day.

The Sheriff refused to release the video of what happened to Gregory Edwards, citing 'security concerns' . Our local investigative newspaper, FL Today sued Wayne Ivey to release the video, stating his 'bad boys' style Facebook videos, like 'Behind The Bars' clearly shows the jail in great detail, including the holding cell in which Gregory suffocated in, covered in pepper spray and his own mucus under a spithood.

Florida Today won their case against the Sheriff, and the video was released today, November 13th, 2020. The full 2-hour video can be found here. (Along with several articles breaking down the video). I have to warn you, it is hard to watch. It also raises so many questions:

- Why was a combat veteran in a PTSD break left alone in a locked room for 37 minutes?

- Why did only one deputy escort him out of holding initially while he was visibly agitated, without handcuffing him, and without assistance?

-  Why was Gregory Edwards left alone in the 'devil's restraint chair' over 16 minutes to suffocate in pepper spray and mucus under a spithood?

- Why were the taser barbs left in his back? (After being tased 6 times in 90 seconds)

- Why was there no medical assistance when he arrived, or while he was restrained in the 'devil's restraint chair', and why didn't anyone perform CPR? (Protocol requires continuous monitoring for blood flow issue/breathing)

- Why won't the Sheriff recognize Gregory's PTSD? Not a single statement has he discussed this illness, and this is alarming considering we are a military community full of combat veterans.

This video has only raised more questions than it answered.

Here is what we do know. Sheriff Wayne Ivey refused to release this video, but the Judge ruled there is a compelling need for public access to know the truth. On the eve of its release, he attacked the free press on his Facebook page and blocked all commenters who disagreed with him. He commended his deputies for how they handled Gregory Edwards, although it is well documented that they broke at minimum 14 of their own protocols, which would have saved Gregory's life. He has been referred to as a caged animal, and his PTSD has never been recognized by the Sheriff, and felt he 'got what he had coming'.

So, what will signing this petition do? For starters, we would like the FBI to investigate this case, as current protocols in Brevard County changed under Ivey's rule allow this Sheriff's department to investigate themselves, and our FDLE only conducted a review of his internal assessment (on himself). This combat veteran deserves a complete and thorough third party investigation for civil rights violations, malfeasance, incompetency and a depraved indifference to his health while in their care. We also need to address the family's suffering and all veterans with PTSD who feel less safe today in Brevard County.

Please sign, please share and lets get justice for Gregory Edwards, so another resident or veteran suffering PTSD does not have to die in our Brevard County Jail.

#BlackLivesMatter #JusticeForGregoryEdwards