Nightmare. Been working w/ local organizers & people imprisoned in Michigan since COVID. Things are dire. Sharing some recent updates from colleague. "He just tried to kill himself. Told me he was suicidal. Bought him a book. Said it helped. Not enough apparently." #letMIPeopleGo
"Justin has fluid on his lungs. We lost Doc a couple of days ago. Rutikanga is likely going to be killed. I’m not joking. He called me late last night and basically said he loves me and he’s sorry but there’s a more serious hit on him since he dodged the last one." #LetMIPeopleGo
"Everyone is locked down, everyone is hungry. The guys in temporary segregation just tried to do a mass suicide." #LetMIPeopleGo
"The Michigan Reformatory is so fucked right now. They have had these guys in goddamn animal cages for 8 months. It is fucking insane. They cant even do sit-ups in them, they are that fucking small. I know how small they are down to the half-inch." #LetMIPeopleGo
"They have nothing, no single thing to distract them and they are going crazy. They are hanging themselves, lighting fires, going fucking nuts. They need out of there goddamnit." #LetMIPeopleGo
COVID outbreaks in Michigan have taken over 12 different state institutions with close to 5,000 current positive cases and one of the highest infection rates in the country.
Meanwhile, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) has refused to use her pardon or clemency power at all.
Local prosecutors like Kym Worthy in Wayne County, which includes Detroit, continue to charge and demand pretrial detention and prison time, and stall the resentencing of juveniles unconstitutionally condemned to die in prison. themarshallproject.org/2020/06/03/sen…
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Is there a single governor, mayor, sheriff, district attorney, police chief, or judge in the country doing anything close to sufficient to prevent or stem COVID outbreaks, infections, & death in their jails/ prisons? I don’t think there is one. But please prove me wrong.
Governors could issue mass pardons & clemencies and decarcerate by the tens of thousands with the stroke of a pen.
Mayors could also order significant releases in their localities & call on their police forces to stand down & district attorneys to decline to prosecute and/or advocate for mass releases.
Indifference to suffering inside jails & prisons is not bound by political party. While so-called “progressive” leaders tout efforts to protect residents from COVID, they've ignored CDC guidelines, blocked access to care, & undermined COVID responses behind bars. Pay attention.
In New York. Your "hero," Governor Cuomo, only believes some lives are worth trying to save:
In Chicago, "liberal" Mayor Lori Lightfoot & Sheriff Tom Dart, have let the jail population explode again. Up 1000+ since the summer. Cassandra called 132 times to try to save her husband back in April. Ignored. Fighting ever since for others. Ignored.
Brandon Bernard. Sentenced to death at 18 as an accomplice. Attorneys declined opening statements. Called no witnesses at penalty stage. 11 of 12 jurors were white. 5 of them now don't want death. His prosecutor has called for mercy. Bill Barr wants him executed on Dec. 10. More:
Before this year, no federal execution had taken place since 2003. In July 2020, Barr & Trump resumed federal executions. Since then, they've killed 8 people. Brandon Bernard has now received an execution date. He is currently scheduled to be killed on December 10, 2020.
Brandon was just 18 when he was convicted as an accomplice-did not pull the trigger-in a murder in Texas. Didn't realize that anyone was going to get shot. He was arrested, convicted, & sentenced to death all within 1 year. On death row since 2000. He's almost 40 now.
Chris. Father of 3 in Chicago. Couldn't even go outside bc of electronic monitoring. No walks. Errands. Not even the doctor when his son broke his arm. In August, his mom had to go to hospital so he *had* to pick up kids. Arrested. Now jailed. During COVID.themarshallproject.org/2020/11/22/whe…
During COVID, the alternative to jail for disproportionately Black & Brown communities: "Expanded use of home confinement & electronic monitoring, especially for pretrial defendants who have not been convicted & who would not be confined at all if they could afford bail."
"In Chicago, an epicenter of the rise in surveillance, the number of people on electronic monitoring jumped from 2,417 before the pandemic to 3,365 by mid-June and has remained in that range. At one point, the agency ran out of ankle bracelets."
NYT: “Moral & public health failure.” While many jails saw population drop during first few months, the numbers of people in jails began climbed again over the summer. In 88 counties, jail populations are *higher now* than they were before the pandemic. nytimes.com/2020/11/21/opi…
“More than 196,600 coronavirus infections had been reported among state & federal prisons. More than 1,450 of those died. The case rates among inmates are more than 4x as high as those of the general public, & the death rate is more than twice as high.” Just reported cases.
“The real numbers are assumed to be higher. The virus ripples outward from these hot spots, engulfing the families and communities of inmates and workers. The coronavirus does not respect prison walls any more than it respects state or national borders. It will not be confined.”
Imagine. You’re locked in a confined space w/ dozens. 23 hrs movement restricted. No masks. Forced to share toilet. Either no soap or soap you can’t afford. Many likely have symptoms. Complain: you’re retaliated against. Medical care denied. This is US jails/prisons right now.
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.