Protest Against the Jail and Police Brutality in Richmond

If you are looking for information on the October 22nd protest, click here.

At least 30 Virginia protesters gathered at Richmond City Hall on Friday to demonstrate against the inhumane conditions in Richmond City Jail and police brutality in general. This came after said jail experienced its second inmate death in less than a week last month.

Before leaving City Hall, two speakers discussed the sweltering heat inside of the jail, the improper medical treatment of prisoners (including handling medication), the beatings that take place in the jail, and its overcrowding issue. They also spoke out in solidarity with Oscar Grant, an unarmed man killed by Oakland police last year. The speakers called for all prisoners in the City Jail to be released.

"With people actually dying, you have to break out of your bureaucratic constraints and do something," said Mo Karn, an organizer of the protest.

The protesters then marched down to the City Jail chanting "It's time to liberate, end the police state!" Once they reached the jail one could hear inmates yelling out in support of the protest. Armed police officials gathered at the entrance of the jail. The protesters boldly stood in front of them and chanted, "No justice, no peace, fuck the police!" They also chanted for prisoners rights.

On the trip home, The Partisan talked to a former inmate who wished to only be called Tony. He had this to say:

"It gets hot in there. I had to sleep on the floor in the shower room for three months when I was doing time. Believe it or not, they used to have air conditioners in there, but they took them all out. They have a warehouse full of air conditioners though. I'd know because I used to be a trustee in there."

Richmond City Jail is built to house a little over 800 inmates. It now contains double that amount. One inmate, Grant Sleeper, died from heat exposure in the jail recently.

It has been said that at least 21 people have died in the Richmond City Jail over the years, but there is no way of knowing how many have actually died because there aren't enough records and the prison officials try to cover up the deaths. Some estimate the number of dead prisoners to be anywhere from 30 to 50. Bureau of Justice statistics show that from 2000 to 2007 more than 8,000 people died in jail nationwide.

According to local news sources such as CBS 6 and Fox 12, most of the prisoners in Richmond City Jail are non-violent offenders. One man who was interviewed on the news stated that he spent several days in the hot jail for a driving offense in which nobody was harmed.

It's time for a new and humane system of rehabilitation and consequence. In theory, prisons are supposed to contain those who are "too dangerous" for the world and reeducate those who aren't. However, you can't do this when people are dying, being treated like animals, and being exposed to people and mentalities that are much worse than most new inmates.