ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Nearly 20 years after a community activist was first convicted for crimes she says she didn’t commit, her supporters continue to rally around her and push for the systemic changes she argues were why she was targeted by the legal system to begin with.
Rev. Joy Powell, an inmate, pastor and activist against police brutality, violence and oppression in her community, works behind bars to continue her advocacy. Powell says she was warned by the Rochester Police Department that she was a target because of her speaking out against corruption through her organization, Equality and Justice for All.
Powell was convicted of burglary and assault in 2006 and again five years later for a cold case murder from 1992, offenses Powell maintains she did not commit, and is serving 25 years-to-life at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility…