Alex Friedmann
Alex Friedmann was arrested on Jan. 4 after allegedly entering the new Downtown Detention Center disguised as a construction worker. The next day, he emailed two Scene reporters.
“I trust you’ve seen the news story regarding my arrest,” he wrote. He added that he wanted to “address the misinformation from the Sheriff’s office” but couldn’t comment further.
“That’s frustrating,” Friedmann wrote, “but is how it must be for now.”
He’d been charged with attempted burglary, possession of burglary tools and evidence tampering after the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office found him in the jail facility, which was scheduled to begin operating in April. According to police, he’d sneaked into the building with a cooler containing “bolt cutters, a key chit (used as a security measure to identify keys), and a schematic document of the building.” After he was caught, authorities say he tried to destroy the building plans “by ripping and chewing it.”
Friedmann had already taken an unusual route to becoming a well-known criminal justice advocate in Nashville and beyond. After spending six years in a prison run by CoreCivic (then known as Corrections Corporation of America) in the 1990s for armed robbery, he became a vocal anti-private-prison activist. He even purchased a small amount of shares in the company, which entitled him to bring his protest inside annual shareholder meetings. He became a prominent voice — regularly quoted in the Scene and elsewhere — in discussions about dangerous conditions inside prisons and jails.
The initial charges filed against Friedmann last month suggested that his activism had turned to zealotry. But all that paled in comparison to what came next. On the night of Feb. 18, Friedmann was arrested again on a felony vandalism charge and held on a $2.5 million bond.
“The bond amount in this case is one indication of the seriousness of his actions,” said Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall in a press conference the following morning.
After an investigation following Friedmann’s initial arrest, Hall said: “It was discovered that Mr. Friedmann over many months had developed and implemented an extremely deliberate and, in my opinion, evil plan. Understand, this plan went far beyond vandalism. Ultimately, it included planting various tools, weapons and security equipment throughout this facility — all designed to assist in a massive escape plan.”
Hall went on to say that Friedmann had “planted loaded guns with additional ammunition” inside the detention center. Police say they are trying to identify three men who can be seen interacting with Friedmann on surveillance video.
“The unprecedented nature of these crimes has created the need to delay the opening of this building even further,” Hall said, going on to explain that the detention center would not open until his office was confident that it was safe and secure.
Asked whether it was possible that part or all of the detention center might need to be torn down to ensure that safety, DCSO spokesperson Karla West tells the Scene, “That is not something we anticipate at this time.”
For the activists who have worked closely with Friedmann over the years, the news was shocking, upsetting and heartbreaking. His alleged actions stunned those who had participated in peaceful demonstrations alongside him; they stirred anger over the way they brought negative attention to the causes he’d worked for; and they saddened those who consider him a friend and fear that at age 50, he now faces the real possibility of heading back to prison for the rest of his life.
Following Friedmann’s second arrest, his attorney Ben Raybin — who has been representing Friedmann since the January arrest — released a statement.
“It is important to clarify that the new vandalism charge stems from alleged conduct arising last year, and not any recent actions occurring after his previous arrest,” Raybin said. “Mr. Friedmann surrendered himself immediately after being advised of the new charge last night. The keys were returned to the Sheriff’s Office several weeks ago through counsel. I am currently unable to comment on any of the factual allegations. Mr. Friedmann is presumed innocent and will respond through the appropriate legal processes.”
The sheriff’s statements about Friedmann placing weapons inside the detention center would seem to indicate that Friedmann will face charges more serious than vandalism.
Steve Hayslip, a spokesperson for Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk, tells the Scene only that “the investigation is ongoing, and that additional charges are certainly a possibility.”
