A mother's outcry for justice reverberates through Georgia after her son became the target of prison extortion at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison (GDCP). Fears escalated when Kimberly Industrious, learned of her son, Charles Williams, tied up and assaulted by fellow inmates. Industrious recounted her harrowing ordeal to FOX 5, where inmates demanded $500 after Williams allegedly broke another inmate's contraband cellphone, a claim beginning with a desperate call for help from her son.
Williams was transferred to GDCP following a parole violation, related to his prior conviction of aggravated assault and cruelty to children stemming from 2016 charges. Feeling cornered, Industrious sent $250 on Sunday and, by Monday, faced threats to her son's well-being if she failed to pay the remaining balance. "He’s going to have a tooth missing every ten minutes. I don’t get my money, man," Industrious told Fox 5 that intimidating voices commanded over the phone, which family members recorded. The scare mother obliged, paying through Cash App out of fear for her son's life.
Nonetheless, Williams ended up hospitalized for his injuries. Industrious lambasted the prison authorities for their oversight, wondering aloud during her Facebook post, "Where are the guards? So, you're just letting inmates take over this place?" These same sentiments mirrored her concerns about her son's safety within the prison facility.
In the wake of the assault, Williams's plight is mobilizing the community. Industrious spearheaded a rally at Forsyth Park, as announced in her Instagram post, urging a collective stance against the injustices pervading the prison system. "It's time to put a stop to INJUSTICE and STAND for what is right!" echoed her call to action for the December 8th event.
Industrious also launched a Change.org petition, which again demands justice and points out that Williams suffered as many as 25 stab wounds.
The Georgia Department of Corrections has officially launched an investigation into the case, addressing the issue of contraband cellphones. "The GDC does not condone extortion or any type of criminal activity," the department wrote in a statement reviewed by Fox 5.
