Thread by @ScottHech

If only our leaders listened. In April, four men caged in Miami tried to save Charles Hobbs. Guards ignored them. He died. Today, as COVID again explodes, leaders across the country still ignore those incarcerated. They spoke out then. I hope we listen now:

Follow me: The violence and indifference inside courts and jails, built to silence people, blocked by physical walls of jail/prison, and insulated by the legalese of the daily process in court, is largely invisible even though it’s no less real. Even more so during the pandemic.

Back in April and continuing to today, there was no cell phone footage inside Metro West Detention Facility in Miami where thousands are caged pre-trial. No photos. Loved ones had long been cut off from visiting and phone calls were not happening.

Charles Hobbs' sister first heard of his near-death condition--comatose--when he was already at the hospital and they called her to ask whether she had the power to sign a “Do Not Resuscitate” order.

Witness audio of the death of Charles Hobbs, the first to die of COVID in Miami jail, was only available bc the jail hadnt stopped calls w/ attorneys & witnesses were willing to speak even tho they knew it wouldn't help them. And likely to lead to retaliation. Committed to truth.

But today 7 months later prosecutors still ask for bail. Judges still cage them. A federal judge ruled against all those incarcerated despite powerful litigation supported by sworn declarations. The numbers in jail are still in the thousands. Business-as-usual despite everything.

The story these courageous men told of the violence, cruelty, inhumanity, & racism inside the Miami jail & the inaction of those with the power to do something is emblematic of the conditions of jails/prisons & way our system actors continue to operate across the country today.

Our systems, system actors, prosecutors & judges, & our laws, lawmakers & leaders, across the country have largely done nothing to respond to human suffering inside jails/prisons even in a pandemic. Even in this remarkable time, it is strict adherence to the cruel status quo.

Leaders like @NYGovCuomo, @NYCMayor, & @LoriLightfoot responding w/ urgency to COVID for those outside, choose to ignore human suffering inside jails and prisons where social distancing is impossible, soap and sanitizer is denied, and medical attention is abysmal.

Across they country, the vast majority of federal judges hearing cases about COVID in jails/prisons remain unmoved, falling back on traditional legal outs like "exhaustion," taking jails word for it, ignoring sworn declarants. If/when they do anything, it’s not close to enough.

The reality: Number of people caged in jails & prisons are up significantly from during the first wave of the pandemic. Just this week there are more new cases in prisons than during the entire pandemic: 13,307. In Michigan there were 1006 positive cases in one day 2 days ago.

Going back to April: On same day that Charles Hobbs died, Miami jails appealed a federal judge’s order requiring them to provide soap & detergent, & take other actions to make people safe inside. They argued that they would suffer “irreparable injury” if forced to do so. Then:

Less than a week after Charles Hobbs died in Miami jail after being left to suffocate, a federal appeals ruled that Miami jails would be “irreparably injured” if required, among other things, to provide soap and disinfect to people incarcerated.

COVID has exposed the cruelty of the criminal legal system in unprecedented ways. Calls for accountability & action from organizers, activists, advocates, & those caged have been clearer than ever. When will our leaders listen & start caring about human suffering & death?

Please consider donating to the incredible organizers at @Dreamdefenders who are helping to lead the fight for accountability, fairness, & decarceration in Miami. dreamdefenders.org

Please also learn more about & give to FemPower (@fempowermia), a "collective of queer feminmists fighting fascim through cultural confrontations in Miami." They've been organizing for years & on the frontlines in the fight for decarceration. fempowermia.org