Memphis activist Pamela “P” Moses remains locked in Shelby County Jail East, where she has been confined since her bond was revoked on December 10.
Shelby County Criminal Court Judge W. Mark Ward revoked Moses’ bond and she is on course to remain in custody pending a sentencing hearing scheduled for January 21.
Moses’ booking charges show multiple counts of “Illegal Registration or Voting” on days ranging from Oct. 5, 2015 to Nov. 6, 2018. She could be facing a maximum sentence of eight years in jail.
In 2019, Moses declared for mayor of Memphis. During her mayoral run, she was asked to provide proof that her right to vote had been restored following a 2015 conviction. It was not provided at the appointed time and she was declared ineligible.
After kicking off her campaign, Moses learned of her disqualification, subsequently suing the Shelby County Election Commission in an unsuccessful effort to be placed on the ballot.
Representing herself, Moses at one point sought an “Emergency Petition for Protective Restraining Order” against the Election Commission, which she asserted had taken retaliatory action against her for a separate judicial lawsuit “exposing them.”
Chancellor JoeDae Jenkins presided over that two-day hearing, ultimately denying Moses’ request for the protective order.
Impassioned pleas for the welfare of Moses were made on the evening of December 26 as the celebration of the first day of Kwanzaa was about to end at Dr. Carnita Atwater’s New Chicago Performing Arts Center in New Chicago.
Atwater, who has declared her candidacy for governor of Tennessee, called for direct action regarding unfair treatment of Moses.
Activist Karen Spencer McGee, aka “Mama Peaches,” said she has been in frequent contact with Moses.
“She’s being kept in isolation, and her cell is 20 degrees,” said McGee. “Moses has been denied visitors, or they tell people to come back on the wrong day. This continues to happen. She feels like she has been targeted for this mistreatment.”
Officials with the Shelby County jail said Moses had not been singled out for mistreatment.
“As part of the jail’s COVID-19 standard protocols, new jail detainees undergo a 14-day isolation period to ensure they are not sick before they are released into the jail’s general population,” said Lt. Dallas Wolfe.
“Ms. Moses went through this same COVID protocol, like all other detainees. She was released from COVID isolation after her 14-days. Our jail staff works to investigate and resolve detainees’ complaints, and we have done so with her. Her rights have not been violated.”
Salamander Price, another of Moses’ supporters, said, “Ms. Moses has been denied proper medical attention while at the women’s jail. … She was not given her asthma medication when she was having an asthma attack. They have her in a cell with black mold. That isn’t good at all for her condition. It only exacerbates it.”
After Judge Ward revoked Moses’ bond and ordered her held, Moses sought to have her attorney replaced, Price said.
“That judge told her she did not have the right to replace her attorney. … She wanted a hired attorney, and her mom was helping her pay.
“Moses wasn’t getting good representation. That’s how she felt. But she wasn’t allowed to replace her attorney.”
