THREAD: In Hildago County, TX last week, a 24-year-old was arrested & then caged in the jail during a pandemic & a historic winter storm crisis for being *40 minutes late for his curfew.* His fiance called terrified: "It’s been over 72 hours he’s been sleeping on the floor."
"He was doing okay about 6 days ago. Living at a halfway house. Went for a walk. The time for him to return passed about like 30/40 minutes. He asked if he could go back. They said no. He was crying to me and I told him to just call your parole officer. They locked him up."
I called up there & said "Can he at least get a mat? It’s been over 72 hours sleeping on the floor." They said: "I don’t have any mats & I’m not going to move him until a bunk becomes available. You know there’s nothing you can do about it so that’s just what’s gonna happen."
More to come. Quick note: the fiance called @TxJailProject, like so many others seeking any kind of help throughout Texas in times of "ordinary" cruelty, & even more so during these crises. They are an extraordinary, small organization doing Herculean work right now. More:
"They're giving him like a 3 to 4 minute courtesy call in the morning. He can’t purchase food. They’re giving him a shower but it’s like once & it’s very cold water. It’s just inhumane conditions. He’s being treated like an animal."
"None of them have at least a blanket and you know we have this freeze over Texas right now you know it’s cold everywhere so the waters frozen in the county jail and they don’t have any water in there and it’s cold in there and he’s sleeping on the floor."
"I don’t know what to do you know. I’m scared. I told him, 'You’re not alone you got me. I’m right here. You’re no alone.' And he’s like 'I know but I don’t know what to do I don’t know what to do.' He was just… 'I just wish somebody, I wish he had somebody to talk to.'"
"He was staying clean he was doing everything he was supposed to do. Then they just took it from him." The criminal legal system has always been this cruel. COVID & natural disasters only underscore how cruel it is. How much transformation is needed. Visit:texasjailproject.org
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