Moliere Dimanche (born November 7, 1987) is a Haitian-American artist, author, and prison reform activist. [1]
Moliere Dimanche | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Moliere Dimanche November 7, 1987 Orlando, Florida, US |
| Education | St. Johns River State College (associate degree) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Website | Official website |
Dimanche grew up under financial hardship in Orlando, Florida and attended West Orange High School. [2]
In 2007, at age 19, Dimanche received a 10-year prison sentence for theft, ultimately serving 8.5 years before his release. [1] In 2016, he was awarded a Pell Grant scholarship [3] to the Florida School of the Arts at St. Johns River State College, where he pursued a degree in Studio Art. During this time, he organized pop-up art exhibitions [4] throughout Florida's First Coast.
Dimanche entered local politics as a candidate for Mayor of Orlando in the 2023 general election. He also ran for the position of Interim Commissioner after Governor Ron DeSantis suspended Commissioner Regina Hill. [5] While running for Interim Commissioner, Dimanche publicly defended Hill, [6] suggesting the charges against her were politically motivated. [7]
In 2015, Dimanche was involved in Dimanche v. Brown [8] , decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The court reversed and remanded a lower court’s decision, establishing new precedent under the Prison Litigation Reform Act. The ruling clarified that inmates facing threats or retaliation from staff could bypass the institutional grievance process and appeal directly to an agency's headquarters.
Dimanche has produced investigative vlogs on YouTube, alleging abuse within the Florida Department of Corrections. [9] He has also traveled across the United States, delivering speeches that connect his artistic work to broader discussions about what he describes as systemic injustice in American prisons. [10]
Dimanche's Redemption series, a portfolio of drawings he made while serving time in prison, earned him a scholarship to the Florida School of the Arts [11] and has been featured in Folio, [12] Salon.com [13] and The Conversation. [14] [15]
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Dimanche v. Brown is a significant United States appellate court case concerning the rights of incarcerated individuals under the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. Decided by the United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, in 2015, the case established important precedent regarding the duty of prison officials to protect inmates from harm and to provide adequate medical care. The case has been widely cited in cases involving adherence to exhaustion of administrative remedies, taking judicial notice of agency records, deliberate indifference to medical needs and civil rights.
