Carroll Foy Hosted Community Conversation With Black Leaders, Including Wayne Lynch, Father of Donovon Lynch, and Jeffrey Foy, Calls for DOJ Investigation

Yesterday, Jennifer Carroll Foy hosted a community conversation with Black men focused on issues facing the community, and her positive vision to uplift all Virginians. Carroll Foy has been deeply committed to tackling the inequities in the economy, health care system, criminal justice system, and more that have disproportionately hurt and harmed marginalized communities. 

“Too often, Black men have gone unseen, unheard, and now is the time to ensure we elevate and escalate their conversations and their concerns,” said Carroll Foy. “Black men are more than criminal justice reform, they are more than the police brutality we are seeing on on our screen…It’s important that we think holistically about how we’re going to uplift Black men.” 

“There shouldn’t be people telling you what’s important to you. It should be you telling the people that you’ve [sic] elected into office what’s important to you, and then holding their feet to the fire to make sure that our communities are uplifted.” 

Carroll Foy also announced a new letter she wrote to the Department of Justice to open a federal investigation into the fatal police shooting that took the life of Donovon Lynch in March in Virginia Beach. In her letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, Carroll Foy raises lingering questions around the case, including the use of the police’s body camera. Carroll Foy’s letter also urges the Department of Justice to open an investigation into the assault of Lt. Caron Nazario by Windsor police, first reported earlier this month.  

Carroll Foy joins Congressman Bobby Scott and the Lynch family in requesting a federal investigation. Her letter comes after the Department of Justice announced it would open investigations into the Minneapolis Police Department following the killing of George Floyd and into the Louisville Police Department for the death of Breonna Taylor.

“As an attorney, concerned citizen, and mother of sons myself, I am asking you to ensure accountability and transparency on this tragedy — and more importantly, for the federal government to continue to play an active role in addressing fatal police-involved shootings,” Carroll Foy writes in the letter.

Carroll Foy was joined in the community conversation by her husband Jeffery Foy, Project Manager, ACTION in Community Through Service, Delegate Joshua Cole, Wayne Lynch, Honorary Partner at the Community of Destiny, LLC and father of the late Donovon Lynch, Rev. Dr. Eric Majette, Senior Pastor, New Life Church, Whalan McDew, Fresh Start Job Readiness Coordinator for Center for Child and Family Services, and Cameron Bertrand, CEO & Founder, Violence Intervention & Prevention of Newport News.

Carroll Foy was also pleased to discuss her proposals for the Civilian Review Boards. Among those proposals are:

• Create a commission to study the best practices of Civilian Review Boards across the Commonwealth to make concrete recommendations to localities on the best ways for localities to effectively implement police oversight boards and restore confidence to communities. 
• Press the General Assembly to pass legislation creating a statewide Civilian Review Board to ensure that the citizens of localities that are unable or unwilling to set up a civilian review board will still be protected via the statewide CRB.
• Press the General Assembly to pass legislation to allow Civilian Review Boards to include investigations of not only local police departments but also of sheriff’s offices that are currently exempted from the purview of these boards.
• Continue to ensure the state government actively reviews localities’ Civilian Review Boards for effectiveness.