'Never again': Stoughton woman whose cousin was wrongfully imprisoned wants seat at table

STOUGHTON — One local woman is running for a seat on the Governor's Council after a court ruled her cousin was wrongfully imprisoned for 27 years — fueling her campaigning and fight for justice and equality for all.

Tamisha Civil is not like your ordinary candidate. If elected, she would be the first Black woman in the state's history to sit on the Governor's Council , she said.

"My goal is to make sure we have fair and impartial judges that sit on the bench that understand what mental health and substance abuse looks like and putting people into the treatment they need instead of incarceration," said Civil, one of four Democrats and one Republican vying for the vacant Second District seat — which represents dozens of communities including Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Randolph, Stoughton and West Bridgewater.

The four Democrats will face off in the upcoming primary on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

According to the state's website, the Governor's Council has a low-profile but a mighty job — the Council must give its advice and consent on pardons and commutations, judicial nominations and gubernatorial appointments to a host of boards and commissions, including the state Parole Board.

Civil, who was born in Boston but has lived in Stoughton for more than 14 years, is passionate about the disenfranchised Black and Latino community that makes up a large percentage of the "population of the prison system," said Civil, who is a probation officer.

"We get charged criminally, charged more than our counterparts in the legal system. I want to create an equal playing field. Judges have the power to make decisions on your life for the good and the bad, so it's vital to have fair and impartial judges who will not violate the rights of the constituents of the commonwealth of Massachusetts," Civil said.

Why should we care about the Governor's Council?

To Civil, young people and residents in the area should care about who gets elected to the Governor's Council because it impacts their lives, whether they know it or not.

"People in Brockton should vote because the council has been overlooked for so long, and it's important. The judges impact the lives of people they serve in the community. Having judges on the bench who have empathy and compassion is needed. It's an important race. A lot of people only focus on the Presidential election, but it starts on a local level," Civil said.

As for her cousin, he is a free man but will never forget those nights in a small jail cell, wondering if he would ever get out, but her family never stopped believing in his innocence, Civil said.

"My cousin spent 27 years in jail for a crime he didn't commit, and I want to make sure no family has to go through what we went through," Civil said.

Want to skip the lines on election day? Where to vote early, in-person in Brockton area for upcoming primary

What is the Governor's Council?

The Massachusetts Governor's Council , also known as the Executive Council, is composed of eight individuals elected from districts, and the lieutenant governor who serves ex officio. The eight councilors are elected from their respective districts every two years. The eight elected members convene every Wednesday at noon for live-streamed meetings. The meetings are chaired by the lieutenant governor. In case of a tie, the lieutenant governor casts the deciding vote.

Which cities and towns are in Second District?

The Second District is made up of Ashland, Attleboro, Avon, Bellingham, Bridgewater, Brockton, Canton, Dover, East Bridgewater, Easton, Foxboro, Framingham, Franklin, Halifax, Hanson, Holliston, Hopkinton, Mansfield, Medfield, Medway, Milford, Millis, Milton, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Norton, Plainville, Randolph, Sharon, Sherborn, Stoughton, West Bridgewater, Whitman and Wrentham, as well as parts of Braintree.

'Redemption and mercy' Why so many people fought for Brockton man's freedom

Who else is running for Second District seat?

There are four Democrats vying for the vacant Second District seat in the Sept. 3 primary: Tamisha Civil of Stoughton, Muriel Kramer of Hopkinton, Sean Murphy of Bridgewater and David Reservitz of Needham.

There is one Republican vying for the seat, Francis T. Crimmins Jr. of Stoughton, who will face off in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5, against the winner of the Democratic primary.

Exoneration turned into family healing

According to media coverage at the time, the charges against Civil’s cousin were tossed out by a Suffolk County Superior Court judge in 2021 because a former Boston police detective who participated in the case was part of a sprawling corruption scheme in the 1990s that involved lying and tampering with evidence — leading the judge to say it was clear “justice may not have been done” in the case.

Civil has asked that her cousin not be identified in this story due to pending civil litigation.

"Often in marginalized communities, you're guilty first and innocent later when going through the criminal justice system, and one of the things that happened was his mother passed away, and he couldn't visit his mother before she passed away or even during the funeral," Civil said.

Being locked up for a murder his family says he didn't commit ate away at Civil's cousin as he sat in jail, she said. Money was a massive factor in his case when it came to finding good representation, Civil said.

"When you don't have enough financial support, that is the cause of having a lack of representation from attorneys. We had a lot of attorneys looking through the case but didn't finish the job," Civil said.

Fortunately, The Innocence Project helped advocate for him, Civil said. The family was excited about his release and has helped him steadily rebuild his life to normalcy, she said.

"I know what it means to be overlooked because of your skin color, and I know what it feels like not to be heard as a person of color in the community, and I plan on changing that, "Civil said.

Who is Tamisha Civil?

Civil is a probation officer in the courts, so she knows what a fair and impartial judge looks like, she said. She hopes to confirm these types of judges to the bench.

"One of the things I want to make sure is that everyone is given a fair chance and fair opportunity when they go before a judge and making sure I'm a voice for those who have been voiceless in the justice system to stand against injustice and to make sure our system is fair for everyone in Massachusetts and be a voice for change," Civil said.

Civil wants to share her story "to make sure this never happens again," she said.

When is primary election?

The primary is Tuesday, Sept. 3. Early in-person voting is also an option and is already underway in communities across Massachusetts.

When is the general election?

It is too late to register to vote in the primary, but there is still plenty of time to register to vote in the general election. The last day to register to vote in the general election is Saturday, Oct. 26.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: 'Never again': Stoughton woman whose cousin was wrongfully imprisoned wants seat at table