THREAD: A 57-year-old houseless man named Israel Iglesias just died in the Houston jail on a $1,500 money bond. What happened to him is important, and it will make your blood boil. (1)
In October, undercover Houston cops went to a “homeless camp.” They gave Mr. Iglesias cash from the City of Houston and asked him to get them some meth. They say he got them 0.6 grams from another houseless man. They tipped him a few bucks and left. (2)
Four months later, in February 2021, the cops decided to arrest him for it. They took the case to the Harris County DA Kim Ogg, whose office decided to press charges. He was frail and had no money. (3)
The Harris County DA asked that Mr. Iglesias be caged even though he was presumed innocent. The judge required him to pay $1,500 cash. If he could pay 10% (or $150) to a for-profit bail company, he could get out. He couldn’t. He died. (4)
No media outlet has found it important enough to report on his death. (5)
The City of Houston just increased its police budget to almost $1 billion. They shot and killed 6 people in the 6 weeks before George Floyd's murder. slate.com/news-and-polit… (6)
Only the U.S. and the Philippines have for-profit bail bond companies. There are about 400,000 people in cages right now in this country because they cannot pay cash bail. (7)
Harris County cages over 5,000 people every night because they can't pay. Here is a poster local organizers make each week of the judges who are choosing to detain these human beings and separate them from their families: (8) 
The policies of the District Attorney and these judges are separating tens of thousands of children from their parents each year in Harris County, solely because the families lack cash. (9)
The Harris County jail is an overcrowded human rights catastrophe. What happens inside its walls is unspeakable cruelty.
https://twitter.com/TxJailProject/status/1362550628690628612(10)
Our lawsuits @civrightscorps are challenging this unconstitutional money bail system in Harris County and across the country, and groups like @FairDefense @organizetexas @txjailproject are working hard every day to fight these injustices. (11)
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