As their frustration with what they see as delay on charges involving former Detroit detective Barbara Simon grows, protesters gathered outside Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy’s office yesterday once more. Simon was accused of utilizing unethical and unlawful tactics while she worked with Detroit’s homicide division in the 1990s and early 2000s. The Metro Times claims that these cases resulted in the wrongful convictions of innocent Black males.
After the Detroit City Council recently approved a $8.5 million settlement in a lawsuit against Simon, calls for Worthy to take action have only gotten louder. The prosecutor’s reported failure to meet with families and evaluate Simon-related cases despite assurances and the compilation of a database to examine possible cases for reconsideration is cited by protesters as the source of their continued grief. The protesters held placards with slogans expressing their dissatisfaction and calling for impartial investigators.
One of the four persons cleared in Simon’s examined cases, Mark Craighead, founder of the advocacy group Freedom Ain’t Free, was outspoken in highlighting the need for immediate action.He claimed to have contacted Worthy for a meeting, but after her initial response, she has not responded, according to WWJ Newsradio. Launched with exoneree Lamarr Monson, his company seeks to right miscarriages of justice by offering legal services to persons who have been unfairly imprisoned.
Marlon Taylor, whose brother Damon Smith is still behind bars, participated in the demonstration to draw attention to his brother’s innocence claim in a case involving Simon in which she allegedly falsified testimony and evidence. Since his conviction in 2000, Smith has been incarcerated for more than 20 years.According to Metro Times, Taylor conveyed a deep-seated need for Simon’s accountability and for Worthy’s action, emphasizing the emotional toll on families. The prosecutor’s office spokesperson, Maria Miller, has responded by saying that arrangements are being made to meet with demonstrators. Because of the prosecutor’s hectic schedule, no date has yet been confirmed.
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