Published November, 2016
Open Letter to Dallas County District Attorney Regarding the Arrest of Lacresha Craig (2016)
Dear HIV Advocates and Stakeholders:
A Dallas woman, Ms. Lacresha Craig, was recently arrested and charged with four felonies for spitting on Dallas police officers and paramedics. Were it not for her HIV positive status, Ms. Craig would most likely not be facing these charges. The criminalization of PLWHA has to stop. For details: Ms. Craig’s arrest reported on WFAA.com in an article entitled, Police: HIV-positive woman arrested for spitting on paramedic on September 22, 2016.
Presently, Texas advocates from the PJP Texas HIV Criminalization Working Group are working to assist in Ms. Craig's case. In addition to providing assistance to Ms. Craig through her court-appointed attorney, the Working Group is also publishing an open letter to the Dallas County DA requesting that Ms. Craig's case be reconsidered and the charges dropped. The Center for HIV Law and Policy is also supporting these efforts. Co-chairs of the group are actively seeking audience with the Dallas County DA, and it is the Texas Working Group's hope that any HIV advocate and/or stakeholder reading this will take the time to add their signature to the letter. Ending HIV criminalization occurs only with each other's support; when we all pull together. Please sign on to the letter. Thank You!
UPDATE 12/08/16: The open letter signing period has ended. The letter is in the process of being delivered to the district attorney. See link below to view pdf of letter. Thank you for your interest!
If you have any questions about this letter or are interested in more information about HIV criminalization or actively participating in the PJP Texas HIV Working Group, please contact
Stephen Williams: [email protected],
Stacie McNulty: [email protected], or
Venita Ray: [email protected].
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