Fort Lauderdale, Florida, May 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MEDIA ADVISORY
WHAT:
Nexus Services Inc., a leading provider of services and resources to help detained persons; and Nexus Derechos Humanos Attorneys, Inc., a pro bono civil-rights law firm committed to holding public officials accountable, will jointly announce the funding and filing of a federal lawsuit against the Broward County Sheriff, a Broward County Judge, and Broward County Prosecutors for torturing Zachary Cruz, violating his constitutional rights, and engaging in an extortive campaign of intimidation because of the identity of his brother.
Cruz, the younger brother of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz, was arrested for nothing more than skateboarding on school property. After he posted his $25 bail, authorities conspired to hold him in custody, reset his bond to an excessive $500,000, and then engaged in a campaign of intimidation and torture once he was in the Broward main jail facility. This bail amount was in clear violation of the 8th amendment prohibition against “excessive bail”. To put that in perspective, one can buy a 2-bedroom home with a garage and a swimming pool in Parkland, Florida for the same amount of money as Cruz’s bail.
The sleep deprivation tactics, including the use of intimidating and harassing behavior by guards, the use of a restraint vest 24 hours per day, and the use of 24-hour intense lighting are procedures that amount to torture under the Geneva Convention, and are behaviors we do not permit soldiers to use in the battlefield. It is therefore unconscionable for the Broward County Sheriff and his staff to use such tactics against prisoners in the county jail. Given the impossibly high bail, coupled with dehumanizing treatment in jail, Cruz was ultimately and unjustly forced to accept a guilty plea, just to escape the horrors of custody in the Broward main jail facility.
Zachary Cruz has now been arrested for a probation violation, with affidavits attached to his arrest warrant from command staff in the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. Zachary’s rights must be protected by the Federal Courts to insure his safety and security, and to guard against constitutional rights abuses that erode our basic ideals of liberty and justice.
WHEN:
Thursday, May 3, 2018
1:30 PM
WHO:
Mario Williams, Civil Rights Chief, Nexus Derechos Humanos
Dallas LePierre, Attorney, Nexus Derechos Humanos
Mike Donovan, President and CEO, Nexus Services Inc.
WHERE:
Broward County Justice Center
555 SE 1st AveFort Lauderdale, FL 33301
*Contact Jen Little, Director of Public Relations for the specific location.(540) 255-9492 / jlittle@nexushelps.com
Nexus Derechos Humanos Attorneys, Inc. is a pro bono civil-rights law firm committed to holding public officials accountable for placing money or politics above the lives of human beings, protecting due-process rights to be free from government coercion and demanding justice and enforcement of hard-won civil rights. http://www.ndhlawyers.com/
Nexus Services, Inc. is a leading provider of immigrant bail securitization and electronic monitoring. The organization funds Nexus Derechos Humanos Attorneys, Inc. as a part of its corporate giving to increase access to justice for disadvantaged people across the United States. http://www.nexushelps.com/
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*MEDIA ADVISORY* PRESS CONFERENCE: NEXUS SERVICES FUNDS LAWSUIT BY ZACHARY CRUZ AGAINST BROWARD OFFICIALS, ALLEGE TORTURE, ABUSE
Brother of Parkland Shooter Targeted, Harassed, and Tortured at the Hands of Broward Authorities, Files Federal Lawsuit to Protect and Defend His Rights.
| Source: Nexus Services, Inc.