“I personally think he was too good for this Earth” said Justine Crook, who celebrates her 30th birthday today but for the first time without her twin brother, Justin, who was one of at least 10 people who died last year in Pima County Jail.

Full story: unicornriot.ninja/2021/the-death… Image
In late May 2021, Justin Crook (J-Mac Tha Coldest) had a seizure in a Lyft on his way home from work. The Lyft driver called 911. Tucson police arrived & beat, tased, & arrested Crook. Less than 24 hours later, he was found dead in a Pima County Jail cell. unicornriot.ninja/2021/the-death…
10 people died in Pima County Jail in 2021—more than in any single year in at least the last decade, acc. to info released by the Pima Co. Sheriff’s Dept & a @Reuters investigation. Families have come together in support & to push back on the violence inflicted on their families.
After his death in jail, Justin Crook's mother, Jennifer Graham, said Pima County Jail officials and the sheriff “acted like it was my fault that my son was dead.”

She's since filed a $10 million medical neglect claim against the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Image
In Tucson, Arizona on November 27 & December 31, 2021 groups of dozens of family members and their supporters gathered in front of the Pima County Adult Detention Complex to hold vigils in memory of their loved ones and to demand change.

Full story: unicornriot.ninja/2021/the-death… ImageImageImageImage
As is the case with most people who die within this country’s sprawling apparatus of jails, prisons & detention centers, the details of Crook’s death remain opaque-the role of government agents in his death obscured behind legalistic & bureaucratic jargon. unicornriot.ninja/2021/the-death… Image
The autopsy report in Crook’s case found evidence of numerous “blunt force injuries” that substantiate Crook’s statements to medical staff about having been beaten by TPD officers during his arrest. Details of his arrest are uncertain and TPD refused to release information. Image
Justin Crook’s family members report that when he had seizures, he would come out of them disoriented and upset, a situation that could contribute to a dangerous encounter with the police if they respond, as they so often do, with aggression rather than medical care. Image
The medical examiner’s autopsy & toxicology reports state Crook’s body contained many times the average single dose of methamphetamines - According to the findings, Crook consumed enough meth for the medical examiner to rule that he died of “acute methamphetamine intoxication.” Image
The Pima County Medical Examiner ruled Crook’s death an accident. His mother doesn’t accept that explanation: “How do you overdose from methamphetamine intoxication when he was on their property for 30 hours? That makes no sense.” She doesn’t think the jail’s story adds up. Image
Nearly a year before Justin Crook died in Pima County Jail, he punched a guard and was subsequently beaten. This is video of Crook punching the guard and the guards reactions. The video also features Crook's interview with a deputy after the incident. vimeo.com/658911301
[CW: Violence] Justin Crook's mother believes that her son’s death in Pima County Jail in 2021 may be related to Crook being beaten in the jail in 2020 after he punched a guard in the face.

“They ended up beating the crap out of my son...Put him in the hospital” said Crook's mom Image
Crook punched the guard because he disrespected his friend Anthony Garrett [pic] who was killed by security guards in '19.

Crook said to a deputy: “I miss my friend. I’m not gonna be cool with nobody disrespecting his presence. I’m willing to die for that. OK? So I almost did.” Image
As a result of the altercation at the jail, Crook was charged w/ “Aggravated Assault on a Corrections Employee,” a class 5 felony.

In December 2020, Crook pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of “Attempt to Commit Aggravated Assault on a Corrections Employee,” a class 6 felony. Image
“He could just sit there all day & read a book,” said Justine Crook, Justin's twin sister. “He was the smartest person I’ve ever known.”

“I feel like God took him because he was way too good to walk this Earth.”

Justin Crook would have turned 30 today.

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More from @UR_Ninja

12 Jan
Lawmakers in #Florida introduced a 15-week abortion ban today--the first day of the state’s annual legislative session. Lawmakers previously introduced a 6-week ban in late September 2021, which had its first reading today in the House Professions & Public Health Subcommittee.
To read the new 15-week ban bill, HB 5, in full: myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills… | To read the older 6-week ban bill, HB 167, in full: myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills…
We have been covering the past and current state of reproductive rights in the U.S. To get a broad overview with some historical context, check out our in-depth article-->unicornriot.ninja/2021/abortion-…
Read 4 tweets
6 Jan
unicornriot.ninja/2021/d-c-riots…
Numerous “patriots” from Minnesota followed incitement from President Donald Trump and took part in the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. on January 6.
Many January 6 participants featured here have been present at most of the weekly Hold the Line protests in Saint Paul, and many were seen at Back the Blue protests throughout the summer of 2020 and re-open protests in April 2020.
unicornriot.ninja/2021/d-c-riots…
unicornriot.ninja/2021/the-build…
“The Building’s Yours” – Search for Clues in Capitol Riot Reveals a Stand-Down Moment - “We have the building. […] They’re withdrawing. There’s nobody else inside. […] We just extracted. This is the cops. The building’s yours.” — Off-camera commentator
Read 7 tweets
5 Jan
#Ohio: In an attempt to outlaw all abortions, House Bill 480 was introduced on November 2, 2021 to protect "unborn persons," making it the most extreme bill to move through a state's legislature in the recent string of bans popping up across the country.
Other laws like Ohio’s new “Born-Alive Infant Protection Act” are also on the rise to further restrict #reproductiverights and spread “pro-life” ideologies.
On the other side of the aisle, a group of clinic escorts in Toledo work to protect patients and the freedom to access healthcare.

Learn more in our newly published article---> unicornriot.ninja/2022/64276/
Read 25 tweets
1 Jan
On NYE last year, prison abolition advocates from across #Colorado demonstrated outside Englewood Federal Correctional Institution, joining in the int'l annual tradition of bringing cheer to prisoners inside and ringing in the new year with them. unicornriot.ninja/2020/prison-ab…
FCI Englewood had one of the highest outbreaks of Covid-19 per capita in the federal prison system, 13% of the inmates were infected as of December 30, 2020 (118 inmates), and over 100 prison staff were also infected.
Political prisoner #EricKing was one of the inmates who was infected. Local advocates highlighted the outbreak, while also showing solidarity for all those inside, particularly King.
Read 15 tweets
30 Dec 21
#NEW: A pastor is leading the charge of reclaiming an abandoned school and creating a community-and-trades center on the east side of Indianapolis.

Evolve Education Center: Abandoned Indianapolis School Reclaimed >> unicornriot.ninja/2021/evolve-ed… <<
Pastor Denell Howard’s vision of The Evolve Education Center is slowly coming to fruition after years of planning, praying & a community effort to fix the building up. The center needs the broader community to generate enough resources together to open. unicornriot.ninja/2021/evolve-ed…
A volunteer named Stan, who spent months cleaning up an abandoned school, gave Unicorn Riot a tour of the reclaimed building in July 2021. We heard from Stan & Pastor Howard about their vision for the Evolve Center & the work they’ve done up to that point.
Read 20 tweets
30 Dec 21
Ruby Montoya is doing whatever she can to lighten her punishment after publicly admitting to a string of arson and sabotage attacks against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in 2017, including potentially cooperating with the FBI. unicornriot.ninja/2021/ruby-mont…
According to a recent article in The Economist, “Montoya agreed to cooperate with the FBI” in fall 2020. During such FBI debriefs, agents typically attempt to solicit information on other activists and pressure co-defendants to testify against each other.
Since summer 2021, Montoya’s lawyer, Daphne Silverman, has repeatedly filed motions on her behalf asking the court to allow her to file documents under seal.

A practice typically avoided by those facing political charges in an effort to be transparent.
Read 8 tweets

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