James Stallworth, 48, dies in March. John Gipson, 50, dies in December. In both cases, the details of the two mens deaths are not being released. This includes injuries, autopsy reports, etc. Pensacola News Journal, our local newspaper that never covers the issues that need to be covered, and always sides with the police, ran two short articles on the death of Gipson. The last article can be read here:
http://www.pnj.com/article/20101222/NEWS01/12220332/Details-of-Escamba-jail-inmate-s-death-released
As you can see by reading that article, the tone is apathetic and has no teeth, it doesn't pose the real question(s) that need to be asked, which are:
1. If Gipson was in such bad shape after allegedly being attacked by another inmate(whose name we of course do not know), that he had to be taken to the infirmary, why is it that he appears to have been left alone from 1am to 5:35am? It is the stated policy of Escambia County Jail to check on inmates in the infirmary every hour, so the odds that staff didn't notice Gipson dead until almost 5 hours later are small. Odds are, Gipson was left alone the entire time, or not adequately checked upon every hour.
2.If Gipsons injuries were so severe that they ended up causing him to die(?), why was he not taken to a hospital where he could have gotten proper medical attention? Surely if it was a guard or staff member attacked, they would have been rushed to a hospital? John Gipson might possibly be alive today had he been taken to a hospital.
In 2009 the Department of Justice announced an investigation into patrol operations of the jail and the Sheriff's Office. Though the official report of that investigation is still pending, there have been a few additional changes at the jail. One being an influx of an additional 163 cameras, which makes a total of 200. Of course, we of the revolutionary stripe know that these cameras are for no other use but to keep greater tabs on prisoners of the State. Point is, there is video footage somewhere of what happened to Mr. Gipson and Mr. Stallworth. With 200 cameras, at least one caught footage of something happening.
James Stallworth was found dead in the jail back in March. Of course there were very little details printed or published about his death. Having done plentiful research into this incident, there is yet to be any follow-up on the original report of his death which can be found here"
http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/local_news/escambia-county-jail-inmate-found-dead
A search of his name along with the words "inmate" or "pensacola" any other number of words that are relevant to him and his death, comes up with little or no results. Unfortunately, because of this lack of access to critical information, there cannot be much to say about his death. What is known is that he went to jail for failure to appear in court, a small "crime", and left in a body bag.
People of Pensacola, there have been 12 DEATHS IN ESCAMBIA JAIL SINCE 2006. That is a dozen people dead in 5 years at the hands of the police or as a direct result of being imprisoned by police in unsafe conditions without access to proper medical care, etc
What does it take for our community to become concerned? Do we wait until the number reaches 20,30, 40 dead? Or until it is one of us at a friend or relative's funeral?
We live in a community with a reputation for having violent and oppressive police and jails. Just last year Victor Steen, 17, was killed by Jerald Ard, who is still wearing the uniform of oppressor, still carrying the same taser used to shoot out of his window at Steen, possibly driving the same car that ran him down and dragged him 30 feet, dead within minutes.
Police and jails are the symptom of a much larger problem, that of Capitalism and the State. Capitalists are hiring workers to build cages for other workers who cannot or refuse to, keep up with the demands of this economy and the police that protect it. Poverty breeds violence and drug addiction. As does lack of access to education, employment, proper healthcare, and an environment that nurtures growth through support and understanding, not forced adaptation to a society that more and more kills our spirits and exploits our bodies and minds.
In a society without Capitalism and the State, there are no prisons and no jails. This is often seen as a suicidal idea, that people ought not be locked up for crimes committed most of the time out fincancial scarcity and desperation. The reality of it is that this system creates, breeds, and relies upon crime. This system, that creates and causes poverty, needs prisons and jails to justify the further exploitation and imprisonment of poor communities. It needs a "War on Drugs", intentionally set up to cover up for the building up of the prison-industrial complex that currently enslaves over 2 million people in the U.S. This is the highest prison rate in the world, and it increases everyday.
It is up to us to organize to expose the corruption and violence inherent in the prisons and jails, and in the system that needs us to build them. We need a movement that seeks collective liberation from this society, so that we may build a society that provides for all, at the expense of none.
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