Joy Powell

{{short description|American Pentecostal pastor and community activist}}

{{BLP sources|date=December 2016}}

{{Infobox person

| alt =

| birth_name = Joyce Powell

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1962|03|05|mf=yes}}

| nationality = American

| known_for = Community activism

| criminal_charge = Murder, 2nd degree; burglary, 1st degree

}}

Joy Powell (born March 5, 1962) is a former community activist and Pentecostal pastor from Rochester, New York, whose career consisted of fighting against gang violence and police misconduct.{{Cite web|url=http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/ppnews_freedomarchives.org/2011-April/003343.html|title=[Ppnews] May 3rd: Rev. Joy Powell court date - political prisoner for resisting police abuse|website=freedomarchives.org|access-date=2016-12-05}}

After allegedly being raped by a correctional officer in 1995 and having the authorities refuse to investigate her complaint she began coordinating local protests and calls for police accountability which she routinely organized until her arrest in 2006.{{Cite web|url=http://www.blogtalkradio.com/empresschi/2011/06/12/nu-day-resurrection-and-liberation|title=NU Day Resurrection and Liberation|website=BlogTalkRadio|date=12 June 2011 |access-date=2016-12-05}}

During her career Powell ran local charitable events in the area and operated a youth homeless shelter out of a salon she owned. She also started organizing candlelight vigils for victims of neighborhood violence after her son was killed as a bystander in a gang shooting in 2000. After the shooting of a mentally ill man, Powell's activism led both to the creation of an "Emergency Response Team" to deal with mental health situations and additional training for Rochester Police Department officers to handle the mentally ill.{{Cite web|url=http://resistancebehindbars.org/node/220|title=Support Rev. Joy Powell {{!}} Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women|website=resistancebehindbars.org|access-date=2016-12-05}}

In 2006, Powell was arrested{{Cite web|url=http://foxrochester.com/story|title=Story|publisher=Sinclair Broadcast Group|date=2013-02-12|website=WUHF|access-date=2016-12-05}} and charged with felony assault and burglary after a pawn shop broker gave police a description matching Powell as one of the people who sold him stolen property.{{Cite web|url=http://www.twcnews.com/nys/rochester.html?story_type=2&rnews_story_type=18&id=42712|title=TWC News - Rochester - Finger Lakes, Batavia|website=www.twcnews.com|access-date=2016-12-05}} Powell maintains the charges were not only false, but also politically motivated due to her attempt to have criminal charges filed with the Attorney General of New York against several deputies of the Rochester Police Department. Powell alleged the deputies assaulted and threatened her after she tried to file a complaint with internal affairs that a member of her congregation was the victim of racially motivated harassment by the police.{{Cite web|url=http://freejoypowell.org/articles/activist-claims-her-arrest-was-retaliation/|title=Activist claims her arrest was retaliation {{!}} Free Political Prisoner Rev. Joy Powell|website=freejoypowell.org|access-date=2016-12-05}}

Several members of Powell's congregations testified at trial that Powell was leading a Bible study class at her church at the time of the pawn shop's burglary and assault.{{Cite web|url=http://rochester.indymedia.org/node/3179|title=Character Assassination by Local Corporate Media {{!}} Rochester Indymedia|website=rochester.indymedia.org|access-date=2016-12-05}}

Powell was found guilty by an all-white jury in 2006 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

In 2009, while serving her sentence for assault and burglary, Powell was arrested for the June 6, 1992, shooting death of James Rutledge after a jailhouse informant claimed to witness the decades-old homicide and identified Powell as being involved.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/latest-headlines/anti-violence-activist-charged-with-17-year-old-murder/198916045|title=Anti-Violence Activist Charged With 17-Year-Old Murder {{!}} RochesterFirst|website=www.rochesterfirst.com|access-date=2018-10-05}} In 2011, Powell was convicted of second-degree murder based on the informant's testimony and received a sentence of 25 years to life. Powell was set to serve the sentence to upon the completion of her 16-year sentence for assault and burglary.{{Cite web|url=http://orleanscounty.wgrz.com/news/crime/former-anti-crime-activist-powell-gets-25-years-murder/57827|title=Former Anti-Crime Activist Powell Gets 25 Years For Murder {{!}} WGRZ-TV|website=www.wgrz.com|access-date=2018-10-05}} Powell is currently being held at The Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women and will be eligible for parole in the year 2045 when she is 84 years old.{{cite web|url=http://nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov/GCA00P00/WIQ3/WINQ130|accessdate=5 December 2016|title=NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision}}

Many social activists and black power groups believe Powell's case is a clear example of injustice.{{Cite web|url=https://wespac.org/2016/01/27/evening-of-political-prisoner-and-trans-prisoner-support-at-wespac/|title=Evening of Political Prisoner and Trans Prisoner Support at WESPAC – WESPAC Foundation|access-date=2016-12-05}}{{Cite web|url=http://afgj.org/politicalprisonersusa|title=Political Prisoners in the USA|date=2018-08-21}}