Andrew Joseph’s parents hold a sign of their son, who died after being ejected from the Florida State Fair by HCSO in 2014. Credit: Yvonne Gouglet A decade after the death of their son, Andrew Joseph III, Andrew Jr. and his mom Deanna continue the fight against qualified immunity , a legal doctrine that shields public officials, including cops, from liability for misconduct.
Every February, the Josephs—who in September 2022 were awarded $15 million in a lawsuit against Hillsborough Sheriff —spend a week re-energizing the community in the ongoing push to not only heal and honor lives lost, but work for justice and a better future.
Tickets for Sound of Justice: Ending Qualified Immunity Through Music happening Thursday, Feb. 6 are still available and start at $30.
This concert next Thursday is preceded by a Feb. 4 panel discussion with survivors of police brutality, a candlelight dinner, and masquerade dinner. More information is at andrewjosephfoundation.com . Readers are invited to submit their own events to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s things to do calendar.
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Weekend events will commemorate the death of a teenager after he was ejected from the Florida State Fair, and renew the call for answers.
They’ll be at The Riverview Raiders Athletic Complex on Saturday.
The Florida State Fair Authority is also a defendant in the upcoming trial, which is currently set for September.
The trial is expected to last until Sept. 22, and some activists said they will be in Tampa the whole time.
HCSO officers and legal team told conflicting stories today at the federal trial.
Retired Master Sergeant Todd Anthony said that Florida State Law about detaining children should be up to individual officers.
The judge in the federal wrongful death trial also clashed with HCSO’s legal team about interpretation of state law.
The witness gave an emotional testimony about the events leading up to Joseph’s death.
Today, a Hillsborough Sheriff representative was evasive when asked why Joseph was painted as a criminal.
‘They said I missed my court date and I was going to jail because of it.’
Qualified immunity was denied for Corporal Mark Clark before the trial, but HCSO tried again, and failed.
Jurors are now deliberating the verdict for the trial.
The Josephs said that their win is a ‘blueprint’ for families harmed by law enforcement.
After winning their case against Hillsborough Sheriff, the Josephs give others a blueprint for fighting police brutality
The family is hosting qualified immunity workshops, a play preview, and more.
This article appears in Jan 30 – Feb 5, 2025 .
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