Justice for Irvo Otieno Townhall
PRESS RELEASE
The Family of Irvo Otieno and Attorney Benjamin Crump will be holding a Justice for Irvo Otieno Townhall: Advocating for Black Mental Health in Our Communities and Policy on Wednesday May 24th from 6pm to 8pm at the Virginia Union University Claude G. Perkins Living & Learning Center at 1500 N. Lombardy Street Richmond, VA 23220. The event is convened by Initiatives of Change USA, Inc and is open to the public and must register at bit.ly/irvotownhall.
On March 3, 2023, Irvo Otieno was seeking medical attention at his home in Henrico, VA. He was experiencing a mental health crisis. He was taken to Henrico Doctors Hospital, where police pulled him out of medical care and took him to jail.
While Irvo was in jail, we have seen video evidence of police brutality on March 6, 2023, and finally that same day we saw on video 7 Henrico Sheriff Deputy’s and 3 State Hospital workers pinning Irvo down for more than 11 minutes and killing him in a room full of medical professionals in Dinwiddie, VA.
How is it no one took the time to preserve his life in a health facility? What happened to Irvo Otieno could happen to many within our community who have mental health struggles.
Come share your story and hear how we are asking for a new just system to honor the life of Irvo Otieno and many of our loved ones who are living with mental health illnesses.