1,000 signatures reached
To: Justice Officials
Bring Robert Home
#BringRobertHome
Robert Thomas Senior barely survived COVID while incarcerated in North Carolina. It's time to bring him home. He is a native of Asheville, has had no infractions since his incarceration in 2012, and is scheduled for release February 2022. But Robert Sr. suffers from chronic health conditions and is at great risk of becoming seriously sick again. He needs to be released to the care of his family, which includes his son, Rob Thomas, an inspiring leader for justice and racial equity in our community.
At 59 years old, Robert Sr. suffers from cardiomyopathy, diabetes, and high blood pressure, and he uses a CPAP machine at night. Robert is in prison at Neuse Correctional Institution, the location of the biggest COVID outbreak of any prison in NC. Three men from Neuse have died of COVID thus far. On April 29th, the Thomas family’s worst fears came true when they learned Robert Sr. had been transported to a hospital where it was confirmed he had COVID and pneumonia. Five days later he was moved to the ICU where he remained for two weeks on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma. Remarkably, he survived, and Robert was transferred back to Neuse in mid-June where he remains today with weakened lungs and poor health as a result of his battle against COVID.
Robert Senior’s family lives in Asheville, and they are ready to provide a home and care for him. He is also a Marine Corps veteran with access to benefits at the VA Medical Center in Asheville.
We, the members of Robert’s community, sign this letter urging the justice system to allow him to complete the remainder of his sentence in the community or commute his sentence to time served. This conviction was Robert’s first and only felony, and as a community we believe in second chances. Based on his extraordinarily high risk for life threatening illness due to his medical conditions, he must not remain in prison custody.
Why is this important?
*Now that Robert has had COVID, he is even more fragile medically and is at risk of getting it again or contracting other life threatening illnesses.
*Robert’s family and his advocacy team have been working for his release since early April, before he got sick with COVID. We need community support to strengthen our efforts.
*One of the best ways to combat the spread of COVID in prisons and jails is to release people.
*More 20 people have been granted early release from prison during this pandemic across the state. This includes James Eric Swinton from Buncombe County.
*Additionally, the NC Department of Corrections has granted Extended Leave of Confinement (ELC) to more than 420 individuals allowing them to complete their sentences at home.
*Robert is a great candidate for early release or ELC because he has had absolutely no infractions in prison, and he has a stable home plan for re-entry.