During the post-Katrina fiasco, Jamil was arrested, along with three of his employees, in relation to a police officer being shot in the head, Kevin Thomas, at a Chevron station around the corner from Jamil’s home.  Although Louisiana law requires an arraignment must take place within 90 days of arrest, they were held in captivity for more than a year without being formally charged or arraigned. With the assistance of Joyner's attorney, he and two others were released in 2006 with one remaining in jail, Sye Carter, pending an investigation of whether or not he violated his probation when he crossed the river for shelter during Hurricane Katrina.

 

While in jail Sye Carter was formally charged with gun possession but testimony from Officer Thomas' partner, Officer John Mitchell, was allowed where he testified against him positively identifying Carter as the one who shot Officer Thomas. The prosecution loss this case due to lack of physical evidence, Sye Carter was released and the prosecution turned it’s attention to Jamil; not because the physical evidence pointed to him but because it's easier to get a jury to believe that a young black male is capable of committing such a crime.

 

Some time in 2008 instead of the DA contacting Jamil’s attorney to advise that they were ready to formally charge him, they chose to illegally send bounty hunters after him, who harassed his family and friends using scare tactics following them around, kicking doors and threatening to put them in jail. They caught up with Jamil and Vincent Walker in January of 2009.

 

Irrespective of Louisiana Law, Jamil was unlawfully detained again in Orleans Parish jail for yet another year without a formal arraignment. In fact, he was arraigned the first day of his trial on January 11, 2010; after the trial date had been set and the jury was already selected. The jury was held back from entering the courtroom while Judge Alacorn went through the formality [at this point] to formally arraigned Jamil minutes before the trial started. Jamil and Walker were both tried on two counts of attempted first degree murder of a peace officer. Despite no physical evidence linking either of them to the crime, despite the fact that the fingerprints from the gun identified as the weapon used to shoot the officer didn’t match either of the defendants, the result of the trial by jury was Walker was found innocent on both counts and Jamil was found guilty on one count – specifically relating to the shooting of Kevin Thomas - by a non-unanimous vote of 10-2. Its important to note that Louisiana and Oregon are the only two states that operate off a non-unanimous vote which, by the sheer nature of the fact that two jurors voted not guilty proves there is still reasonable doubt; which is a direct or indirect violation of constitutional rights.  

 

One of the 10 jurors who voted guilty sought out Jamil's attorney and signed an affidavit stating she felt pressured to come back with a first degree murder vote which also stated they don't believe a just verdict was reached.You will find an account of what went on in the courtroom on page entitled, January 2010 Trial and the Case Inconsistencies page sites the numerous inconsistencies in this case that points to conspiracy to obstuct justice and falsifying/rewriting reports on the part of some NOPD officers, the New Orleans District Attorney's office and Jefferson Parish officers. Click here to review the 158 page report from the US Justice Department on the corruption throughout the New Orleans Police Department noting systematic violation of civil, federal, statutory and constitutional rights that are approved and ratified up the chain of command, with a blatant bias on every level and in every category against African Americans in particular and people of color in general. Also click here to review the amicus brief which challenges the constitutional validity of the non-unanimous vote. This brief cites statistics, historical references and the underlying purpose [and/or result] of the non-unanimous jury vote is to silence the voice of the minority juror and hide the 'racial use of peremptory strikes'.We cannot afford to sit idly by and allow such injustices to continue against young black males, especially those with a good history like Jamil. He represents the type of young man we all want our sons to grow up to be. The request for appeal has already been submitted, and we will continue to fight this injustice.