Remembering Shali Tilson Joseph

A Family Seeks Justice in the death of Shali Tilson Joseph

• May 19, 2018
  By Jacques Jean-Baptiste

On an early morning in March 2018 Shali Tilson Joseph was arrested on a misdemeanor and taken into custody at the Rockdale County Jail. That would be the last time his family would ever see or hear from him. Less than two weeks later Shali was found dead in a cell. .

His family waited months for answers from the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, only to receive a half hearted report determining that Shali had died from dehydration which led to blood clots in his lungs. A family's worst nightmare had continued to grow darker.It was great to see how the timeline of Haitian history was on point! The film includes distinguished guest speakers.

Shali was 22 years old, bright, talented, motivated and an ambitious young man who dreamed of being an entrepreneur. He started his own business called Urban Perspective; a media company that shared the stories of city youth reaching for their goals.

Before his tragic death he interned with Lakol Magazine and spoke of creating his own publication. All of those dreams were snuffed away by the careless regard for human life once again at the hands of law enforcement.



Note: Attorney Mawuli Davis of Davis and Bozeman Law firm, Shali’s family and community supporters hold the first of many press conferences to get justice for Shali Tilson Joseph. Since Shali’s death in March, another inmate was found dead at the Rockdale County Jail almost 3 months apart.