Knoxville, Tennessee – On Saturday, local activists, supporters, and volunteers of the pro-White advocacy group, the National Justice Party (NJP), marched to demand justice for Lisa Edwards, an elderly White woman who was openly mocked and neglected by Knoxville Police as she suffered from a life-threatening stroke. Due to institutional negligence, she tragically died the following day.

Carrying signs that read “Knox PD KILLED LISA” and “DA Charme Allen must PROSECUTE or RESIGN,” NJP activists began their picket in front of the Knoxville Police Department’s downtown headquarters, eventually marching toward the intersection of Howard Baker Jr and Woman’s Basketball Hall of Fame Dr.

Full video footage of the protest is forthcoming and will be published when available.

The protest lasted over an hour, with pro-White advocates, led by seasoned activist, Carson Kilgrey, dominating physical space that went completely uncontested by Police or leftist agitators. On-the-ground estimates reported approximately twenty activists in total.

“Public support for Lisa Edwards and our calls for her justice was tremendous,” said Carson Kilgrey. “We distributed a lot of promotional material, and many people asked us for more information, as they were shocked they had never heard of Lisa’s death.”

“The National Justice Party demands that the officers involved be charged for their part in her death and that if DAG Charme Allen continues to refuse, she should immediately resign,” read the official telegram page for the Tennessee regional branch of the National Justice Party. According to Kilgrey and other NJP activists, the tragic death of Lisa and the system’s incompetence has been a “criminally” underreported story.

“We brought public attention to a criminally underreported death at the hands of the anti-white system,” he continued. “As long as racial double standards exist, you can expect the National Justice Party to show up and put this system on blast for what it does and doesn’t do for common White people across this country.”

According to Kilgrey, the protest was well received by locals but he hopes the NJP’s actions continue to serve as inspiration for others to get involved, fight for Lisa Edwards, and ultimately, make their voices heard by those in power.

“We hope that more Tennesseans stand up to champion Lisa’s Law: a sworn law enforcement officer must render medical aid to the public they are sworn to protect and serve, even at personal risk. We will always remember Lisa Edwards.”

Edwards, who was kicked out of Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center on February 5th for refusing to leave due to an ongoing stroke, was allegedly manhandled by a group of police officers under the command of KPD Sergeant Brandon Wardlaw. Wardlaw—who is Black—was caught on police bodycam downplaying Edwards’s suffering while openly commenting on his desire for “coffee and oatmeal” on “the lord’s day” as his team struggled to shove a dying Edwards into the back of a police van.

“As long as racial double standards exist, you can expect the National Justice Party to show up and put this system on blast for what it does and doesn’t do for common White people across this country.”

NJP activist and organizer, Carson Kilgrey

“Listen to me! This is the lord’s day,” shouted Wardlaw to a struggling Edwards. “All I want to do is get some coffee and some oatmeal. I’m not going to deal with your mess this morning!”

The 60-year-old Edwards had told police multiple times during the ordeal that she was undergoing a life-threatening stroke and had difficulty breathing. Despite the desperate pleas for medical attention, KPD officers continued to ignore her. When officers failed to get her into the van for transportation to the local jail, they instead stuffed her in a prone position in the back of a police cruiser.

At one point during the video, an officer can be heard telling Edwards, “now you’re starting to piss me off,” and referred to her as “dead weight.”

The officer in charge of transporting her to the lockup, Officer Timothy Distasio, further delayed medical treatment by conducting a routine traffic stop on their way to the detention center. Not long after, Officer Distasio noticed Edwards was totally unresponsive in the back seat. He then called for an ambulance to take her back to Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center. She was pronounced dead the following day.

“Listen to me! This is the lord’s day. All I want to do is get some coffee and some oatmeal. I’m not going to deal with your mess this morning!”

KPD Sergeant Brandon Wardlaw to A dying Lisa Edwards

An autopsy conducted later determined Edwards cause of death as an “ischemic stroke due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” proving that Edwards really was suffering from a stroke. All of the officers involved have since been placed on administrative leave. In an alarming statement, Knoxville District Attorney, Charme Allen, has already taken criminal charges off the table for those involved, claiming that there are no legal grounds to charge the police or the hospital for their negligence.

Wardlaw, who was by and large the officer responsible for providing adequate care to Lisa Edwards after she was detained, was once honored on the Knoxville Police Department’s Facebook page to commemorate Black History Month. The entry has since become a dumping ground of community ire in the wake of Lisa’s death. “Oh yeah, the guy who values coffee and oatmeal more than a human life,” read one comment. Another simply read, “This is a sad excuse of someone to celebrate.”

The full list of Knoxville police officers who were involved and are now on paid administrative leave is listed as follows:

• KPD Sergeant Brandon Wardlaw
• KPD Officer Adam Barnett,
• KPD Officer Timothy Distasio
• KPD Transportation Officer Danny Dugan

The grueling footage, which is over an hour long and shows Edwards in a state of duress as she wheezes, gasps, and appears confused during the entire ordeal, was released to the public on the 23rd. The video clearly shows the KPD’s callous treatment of a dying Edwards and has flared tempers across the community ever since.

“The officers bullied, tortured, and killed Lisa Edwards,” said Shannon Lee, taking to the social media platform, Facebook, to vent her rage. “They took a woman struggling to breathe and put her in the back of a police car, wedged against the door…That is the cause of death.”

The Edwards family has also publically expressed outrage over the tragic mishandling of Lisa, claiming the behavior of the KPD has left them “absolutely disgusted.” Lisa’s daughter-in-law, August Boylon, even commented, “To anyone who continues to disrespect our family, hell has a special place for you…right next to the officers and security guards who tortured her!”

The family is now pursuing legal action against the hospital, as well as the Knoxville Police Department.

The National Justice Party joins this deafening chorus of dissent, taking to the streets to advocate for Lisa Edwards and her family. In 2023, the NJP’s White advocacy efforts have already been put on display when they marched in solidarity with the victims of the environmentally disastrous East Palestine Train Derailment. Their protests and demands—that Ohio Governor Mike DeWine resign for his “criminal” mishandling of the disaster—have been widely commented on by both sides of the political spectrum.

The Justice Report will continue to provide details on the Lisa Edwards case and the National Justice Party’s efforts to raise awareness as they become available.

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