Scott Hechinger Profile picture
Oct 21 17 tweets 4 min read
I need you to read & share this.

A story about a mother *this week.* forced into a cage in Houston, TX. 8 months pregnant. When her water broke guards discarded her on the street. Thankfully advocates were there to get her help. Gave birth that night. “Pro-life.”

Testimony:
The following is testimony of Krish Gundu (@kinsngops). Head of Texas Jail Project (@TxJailProject). Her team saved this mothers life. Gave this testimony w/ moms permission. She would’ve herself but too traumatized. At a hearing to give *more* money to jails.

Trigger warning:
Good afternoon Commissioners & Judge Hidalgo,

My name is Krish Gundu. I am the co-founder & executive director of Texas Jail Project. 

But today I am here to speak as a tax paying citizen of this county and Precinct 4. 

And more importantly as a mother.
I want to share a story, more like a nightmare, that unfolded in front of us outside Harris county jail Thursday. A story that perfectly encapsulates the intersection of community & maternal health, abject failure of the jail & the costly waste of their actions.
Carol (not her real name) was 8 months pregnant when she was arrested on a misdemeanor warrant. In an already overcrowded jail where 22 people have died in custody this year, she sat in the booking area on a chair for 3 days before she could be processed.
Carol had no access to timely food, water, showers or medications.
Carol was eventually released last Thursday, two hours after her water had broken. Yes, her water had broken. With no phone, not a dollar on her, she was sent out in obvious distress. 

How do we know this?
My team (@TxJailProject) was the first to meet her. They gave her water, food, phone calls and a ride while I called all the doctors I knew to organize her care at a nearby hospital. She gave birth later that evening. The baby was breech.
If law enforcement budgets had any correlation to safety, Harris county would have its lowest crime rate in history. For too long, systems of punishment have hijacked our county’s resources at the expense of meaningful public safety.
To folks in this court who are considering supporting increases to Constables' budget, please remember Carol. And her baby who's fighting for its life in the hospital. Carol needs supportive housing, baby formula, medical care.
But most of all, Carol and all the other moms in this county, like her, and I, need to know that you're here to protect us and our children.
And Commissioners Cagle & Ramsey, I hope you enjoyed your golf game yesterday while we were out here with our community, fighting for our basic needs.

Thank you for listening.
Krish wanted to give the above testimony in person. She was there before the Commissioners. She started telling Carol’s story and they cut her off. Told her to submit her story in writing. She asked for 30 more seconds. They said “15.”
22 people have died in Harris County (Houston) jail just this year. They cage people who are pregnant. Mental health issues. Veterans. People w/ disabilities. So crowded, they shipped hundreds off to private jails in Louisiana and other parts of Texas
What happened to Carol — and the various forms of state violence happening to thousands in Harris County TX jail is happening despite what we know: Freedom not only is good for families & health, but it maximizes safety too. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
The most extraordinary advocates at Texas Jail Project (@TxJailProject) are fighting right now in Houston against armed cops & jail guards to beg the County Commission not to reward them for the violence & death they're causing inside & out of jail.

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More from @ScottHech

Oct 22
You can't deter addiction with arrest. Period.
You can't deter poverty with arrest. Period.
You can't deter mental health issues with arrest. Period.
Read 9 tweets
Oct 22
In San Francisco now. Visiting in-laws. Beautiful, calm streets. Coffee, brunch. Normalcy. No difference from the last 20 years I’ve been visiting. Not denying crime exists here like anywhere. Or substance/mental health. But what’s needed: Thoughtful responses. Not war on people. twitter.com/i/web/status/1… ImageImageImage
A) Your nearly $1 billion police force *is arresting “dealers.” B)The drug war’s been arresting “dealers” for 50 years. Look where it’s gotten SF. C) Most dealers sell to support their own habit. Suffer from substance issues themselves. D) Arrests, prisons exacerbate. Not solve.
“Not denying crime exists here like anywhere. Or substance/mental health. But what’s needed: Thoughtful responses. Not war on people.”
Read 8 tweets
Oct 19
Proud to sponsor this critical conversation. Law students see tension between abolition & public defense. "Why should we invest in a career that works within a system we want to dismantle?" Among other reasons: Bc people are jailed right now & need fierce advocates to free them. Image
"Why should we invest in a career that works within a system we want to dismantle?" Among other reasons: Bc 100,000s of people everyday are targeted & violated by police & need fierce advocates to challenge this state violence in court. Public defenders are first line of defense. Image
"Why should we invest in a career that works within a system we want to dismantle?" Among other reasons: While fighting for individual justice, defenders witness systemic injustices no one else sees, at volume & scale. To expose & fight outside of court to systemically dismantle. Image
Read 6 tweets
Oct 18
THREAD: When we talk about crime, we tend only to focus on police *arrest data*. “Felony arrest” sounds scary. But what actually happens to those cases? I crunched some numbers.

*In 2021, 86% of all felony charges in NY were ultimately dismissed.* Read on for why this matters.
For context, as a public defender for close to 10 years, I saw how routinely people I represented arrested on a “felony” were overcharged. Near always: Dismissals, pleas to lesser charges, simple infractions.

But people still felt the pain. Rikers, violence, reputational harm.
While outside of court, I heard constant fearmongering over “felony arrests,” I knew that for the most part, “felonies” weren’t serious offenses. And prosecutors did too.

Police/prosecutors “upcharge” to gain bargaining leverage. Nothing to do w/ “public safety.”
Read 24 tweets
Oct 16
A thing I learned as a public defender: First Amendment protection is at its *pinnacle* when protesting police abuse. While important to be aware of illegal police repercussions for this kind of speech, cursing & insults are strongly protected under the U.S. Constitution.
A thing I learned as a public defender: First Amendment protection is at its *pinnacle* when protesting police abuse. While important to be aware of illegal police repercussions for this kind of speech, cursing & insults are strongly protected under the U.S. Constitution.
A thing I learned as a public defender: First Amendment protection is at its *pinnacle* when protesting police abuse. While important to be aware of illegal police repercussions for this kind of speech, cursing & insults are strongly protected under the U.S. Constitution.
Read 7 tweets
Oct 15
Thread: As press continues to amplify NYPD lies about bail reform know this: The NYPD *orchestrated an attack* on 100s of protestors in June 2020 in the Bronx. Used the curfew to trap, assault & arrest. Mass human rights atrocity. NYPD called it “restraint.hrw.org/news/2020/09/3…
Human Rights Watch (@hrw) conducted an investigation. Based on videos, mapping tech, hundreds of interviews. Found NYPD planned a coordinated assault. Trapped them 10 minutes before curfew to justify attacking them for being out past curfew. All on film.
"About 10 minutes before curfew scores of NYPD surrounded & trapped protesters–tactic called “kettling”–as they marched peacefully. W/o warning, they moved in, wielding batons, beating people from car tops, shoving, firing pepper spray into faces before arresting more than 250."
Read 17 tweets

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