Jeffrey Pendleton went to jail on a marijuana charge and never made it out alive. According to reports by New Hampshire Union Leader, Pendleton, 26, was arrested last week on a misdemeanor marijuana charge.
When he went before a judge, his bond was set at $100. However, it was an amount that was too expensive for Pendleton to pay since he was homeless. So, Pendleton remained in jail over a few marijuana seeds. On Sunday, Pendleton was found unconscious in his jail cell. He eventually died about 20 minutes after his body was discovered.
Some believe that foul play was involved, considering that Pendleton won lawsuits against the police. With lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union, Pendleton was able to prove that he was harassed by police officers when he was ticketed for panhandling on a public property. He won $7,640.
He also spent 33 days in jail after being arrested in a park when police told him to leave. Pendleton won $10,310 after government officials in Nashua, New Hampshire decided to settle with him instead of going to court to face a lawsuit. He died nearly one year to the date when he received the money.
His death sheds light on the issue of Blacks dying while in jail and how the poor are mistreated in court. In the summer of 2015, Sandra Bland made headlines after she died in her jail cell while in police custody. Her death revealed how easily racist police can create a detrimental environment for Blacks.
Moreover, Pendleton should not have been forced to remain in jail for nearly one week over a small marijuana violation. It was apparent that he didn’t have the money to pay bail and should have been released due to the insignificant charges.
His death occurred one day before the Justice Department sent letters to judges nationwide asking for the poor to be treated more failrly. The letters revealed how incarceration based on poverty is a violation of the 14th Amendment.
An autopsy will be performed on Pendleton and the ACLU will investigate to see if police or an inmate did physical harm to him before his death.
