Marcie White just started a petition to Adams County Officer Brian Seyfarth to:

Go on the record about Gary White's Case!

Dear John,

I just started a petition titled "#JusticeforGary"

My son, Gary White, should be at home with his wife and his three little girls right now. Instead, he is serving a 20 year prison sentence after an investigation full of police misconduct that happened under supervising Officer Brian Seyfarth’s watch. One night while driving to the store, Gary accidentally hit a white woman named Megan Gunter Smith, who had just run straight into traffic. At first believing that he had hit an animal, Gary parked his car in a nearby Walmart parking lot before heading back to the scene. As soon as Gary realized he had hit a person, he called 911 for help. But once the police arrived, Officer Thomas Borum illegally drew Gary’s blood without his consent. He then stored that blood in a police locker for days, a clear mishandling of evidence. Officer Borum’s supervisor, Officer Brian Seyfarth, is running for election as Adams County Sheriff next week and intends to represent the people of Natchez, Mississippi. Yet, he has yet to make a public statement about why he allowed this police misconduct to happen under his supervision.

We must protect our communities from wrongful incarceration. Sign now to demand that Officer Brian Seyfarth go on the record about the police misconduct he allowed to happen in Gary White’s case.

When the police are allowed to mishandle evidence unchecked, we know that Black people pay the ultimate price. Before he was convicted, multiple drivers came forward in Gary’s defense to say that they had nearly hit Megan themselves. But because he parked for a few moments before calling the police, Gary was forced into a guilty plea of 2-3 years for “fleeing the scene of the crime.” In March of 2019, the courts used the blood that Officer Borum illegally drew from Gary to pile on additional charges, bringing his sentence from 2-3 years to 20 years. That isn’t justice. Mississippi has the 3rd highest incarceration rate in the country in a state where Black people make up 37% of the total population but represent over 56% of its incarcerated population. As someone running for an office that will be charged with making life and death decisions for the Black people in his jurisdiction, Officer Seyfarth’s actions are unacceptable. It’s time for him to go on the record about the police misconduct that he allowed to happen during Gary’s case today.

Will you sign the petition and forward this email to make sure your voice is heard? Add your name here.

This isn’t just about one incident. Gary’s conviction comes on the heels of two recent accidents in which Black citizens in Natchez were killed by motorists. In both cases, no one was brought to trial or even charged with a crime. But when a white woman was killed in an accident that several eyewitnesses have come forward to say wasn't Gary's fault, the punishment was swift, severe, and and completely life-altering. The message that this racial disparity in law enforcement sends is clear: Black people's lives matter less that anyone else's in Natchez, Mississippi. Let Officer Seyfarth know that no one who turns a blind eye to racist corruption in his own department is fit to serve in public office. Demand that Officer Seyfarth make a public statement about the mishandling of evidence that happened under his watch immediately!

The time to fight for our community members is now. Sign to demand that Officer Brian Seyfarth make a public statement about the police misconduct that happened under his supervision today.

Thank you,

Marcie White