To: Alabama Governor, Alabama Attorney General, Alabama Department of Corrections, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Alabama Legislature

We, the undersigned, demand justice for Steven Davis, a 35-year-old man who died on October 5, 2019, after a brutal and fatal beating by corrections officer Roderick Gadson and others at Donaldson Correctional Facility in Alabama.

On October 4, 2019, Steven Davis was assaulted by multiple officers. Officer Gadson used deadly force—beating Steven with a baton, stomping on his head with such force that it bounced off the concrete, and slamming him to the ground. Every bone in Steven’s face was broken. He was taken off life support the next day. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head.

Despite this, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office declined to prosecute, and the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) deemed the use of force “justified.” Witnesses have stated that Steven was unarmed at the time of the assault, directly contradicting official claims.

We demand:

·        A federal investigation into Steven Davis’s death and the conduct of the officers involved.

·        Immediate termination of Officer Roderick Gadson on the grounds of murder and falsifying official reports.

·        Permanent disqualification of Gadson from ever working within ADOC or any correctional institution.

·        Independent oversight of the Alabama Department of Corrections and its internal investigations.

·        Comprehensive reform of use-of-force policies within Alabama’s prison system.

Steven Davis is not the only person who suffered abuse at the hands of Officer Gadson. Multiple lawsuits have been filed against him. Shockingly, shortly after Steven’s death, Gadson was promoted twice and now holds the rank of Lieutenant at St. Clair Correctional Facility. This is not only a moral failure, but also a public outrage.

We, the taxpayers, are funding his salary of 200,029 in 2024, not ADOC, not the legislature. We refuse to be complicit in paying for brutality and injustice.

Steven’s murder has become a symbol of systemic abuse and the lack of accountability in Alabama’s prison system. His story was featured in the HBO documentary The Alabama Solution, which exposed the deep-rooted failures within ADOC.

 We demand action now.