Sunday, August 23, 2015

Bernard Johnson Dying in Custody

1.  Bernard Johnson was arrested during a bipolar crisis in Johnson City, Tennessee on June 24, 2015. He is interned in Washington County Detention Center and is warehoused in solitary confinement. His bail was set at $50,000 but was raised to $51,000 after more charges were added when Johnson allegedly broke a jailhouse window with a paper cup. Three women who love Johnson met with us at "Human Rights Demand" Blogtalkradio channel on August 22, 2015, to inform us about Johnson's dire circumstances as a mentally and physically sick inmate in solitary confinement who is denied visits. For some reason, that interview is not allowed to show in our lineup of shows at "Human Rights Demand." Let us hope that is not because Johnson has already been killed. Listen at the below url to "Bernard Johnson Dying in Jail" (I hope I exaggerate).
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/humanrightsdemand/2015/08/22/bernard-johnson-dying-in-jail

2.  The initial judge to whom Johnson's case was assigned said that Johnson did not belong in jail and ordered that he be hospitalized. The district attorney REFUSED, and another judge was appointed to the case. Johnson's criminal attorney, Kyle D. Vaughn, motioned for a bond reduction. The district attorney objected, saying that Johnson's release would endanger the community although Johnson had no prior arrests and did not hurt anyone at all during his bipolar crisis. Johnson was screaming at his fiance, urging her to hurry to the car because they planned to go apartment-hunting. A neighbor called police, and Johnson was arrested for assault. Johnson is a Black young man, and his fiance, Jeana, is Caucasian.

3.  Johnson was five years old when he fell from his apartment building in Pennsylvania onto his head, causing traumatic brain injuries. He was airlifted to a hospital and underwent extensive treatment. Johnson lived in residential housing for brain damaged children until after his high school graduation. A lawsuit against the building where Johnson fell resulted in a trust fund for him. Lacy Hayes, Jr., Esq., of Pennsylvania, was appointed the trustee. Johnson receives supplemental social security benefits and $5,000 per year from his trust fund, which is only a small part of the interest. Otherwise, Johnson's trust fund was debited around $2,000 once for dental work. Hayes REFUSES to release the $5,100 to pay Johnson's bail, although Johnson is dying in jail and should have hundreds of thousands in his trust fund.

4.  Johnson has bleeding ulcers and is experiencing extreme stomach pain. He had blood in his stool weeks ago, and now Johnson reports that he has not defecated in two weeks. Johnson is in pain and afraid to eat because of his constipation. He is growing weak. In addition to stomach ulcers, Johnson was shot in his abdomen by another bipolar young man who also lived in residential housing. The shooting was accidental.

5.  Johnson's mother, grandmother, and fiance are very concerned about him and have not heard from Johnson in four days. Ms. Mary, Johnson's grandmother and his trust fund conservator, made arrangements with Vanderbilt University Hospital to admit him for physical and mental health evaluations and treatment, but the family does not have Johnson's $5,000 bail money, which Hayes refuses to release from Johnson's trust fund. Apparently, Hayes has grown attached to Johnson's money and considers it his own, if he still has it. The trust account has never been audited in the 20 years since it was established. Johnson's family reports that Hayes also refused to release any of Johnson's trust fund when Johnson was homeless.

6.  Johnson's trust fund stipulates that it is not to be used for medical expenses. It is "rainy day" money that was appointed to a little boy who fell and hurt his head very badly. The trust was established because Johnson was expected to be mentally dysfunctional after his catastrophic injuries, and he is. Johnson's arrest in Washington County Detention Center while experiencing a physical and mental health crisis is significantly more than a "rainy day." His abusive arrest in tortuous solitary confinement with visits from loved ones denied is a Katrina event, but Hayes disallows Johnson's use of his own trust fund. This writer will read the trust to see if it mentions what happens to Johnson's money if he dies without using more than a few thousands per year of the interest on the trust fund. Johnson's death appears to be the plan.

7.  Quanda, Johnson's mother, said the trust attorney was appointed by the lawyer who sued the building for Johnson's family after the child fell from the window. Johnson's family was not consulted regarding the choice of trustees. She has asked for her lawsuit files numerous times, but the lawyer claims the file is in the basement to his law firm "somewhere" and has never responded with his former clients' records. The trust states that any attempt to remove the trust fund from Hayes will result in a legal battle that will be paid for out of Johnson's trust fund.

8.  Learning about Johnson's circumstances is particularly alarming for the Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill (AIMI) director, who will file a lawsuit on behalf of neglected, abused, and murdered mentally ill claimants, their victims, if applicable, and their families or survivors. Johnson's circumstances are dire, but he cannot access a few thousand dollars of his trust to gain jail release and seek treatment. Mary Neal designated that one-third of every living mentally ill claimants' award from International Court, if the lawsuit is successful, will be paid into a trust account established by and for the claimant and that trustees must be attorneys or an insurance companies.

9.  Because of Johnson's circumstances, AIMI will also supply the language on the trust funds, which will have a stipulation for audits every five years and give claimants the opportunity to change trustees if desired. Families will find a trustee willing to comply with the terms of the trust fund as written by AIMI and will also have the option to choose AIMI as their trustee. We must apply every protection for our mentally challenged claimants. Americans with mental disabilities are considered future prison commodities or target practice for police officers who abuse their power in this system, which is apparently still practicing eugenics based on Americans' race and health status. Read the plans for AIMI's portion of the award, if granted, from the "AIMI vs. USA" lawsuit at item number 3 at "AIMI vs. USA for Justice" at
http://aimi-humanrights.blogspot.com/2015/05/aimi-vs-usa-for-justice.html

10.  Americans are many times more likely to die in custody than battlefield soldiers are to die during military conflicts. This is especially true of Americans with mental disabilities, who comprise over half of the victims of police violence. Some of the deaths in custody have been ruled homicides, but considerably fewer than should have been. Denial of appropriate care resulted in death for Virginia State Senator Deed's son, Gus, and Elliot Rodger, the son of a Hunger Games producer, and long-term incarceration for Cameron Douglas, the drug-addicted son of actor Michael Douglas. Therefore, even being Caucasians with money and clout cannot save persons with mental illness and drug addictions from homelessness, prison, and death in the United States of America. There is a need for mental health care reform, such as proposed by "H.R.2646 - the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015." See information online about the bill by Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA), who introduced the bill in U.S. Congress along with Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). (Access the link about this bill in the upper right margin of "Dog Justice for Mentally Ill" blog).

11.  In addition to reforming America's mental health care system to decriminalize mental illness, We the People must become more proactive about LIVING prisoners like Bernard Johnson in order to save lives rather than awaiting deaths like Sandra Bland's to launch protests. Johnson's family is hopeful that lawyers from a disability rights organization will rescue Johnson from his torture in Washington County Detention Center during the early part of the week ending August 29, 2015. Meanwhile, AIMI and other human rights advocates are planning a protest at the Washington County Correctional Facility in Johnson City, Tennessee to insist that Johnson is transferred to a hospital, like his family and fiance plan. Everyone who cares about neglected, brutalized and murdered prisoners should plan to meet there on Saturday, August 29, unless the disability rights organization does indeed extract Johnson from the district attorney and other prison investors' clutches. 

12.  Families dread receiving negative news about their vulnerable loved ones, such as the deaths of elderly or frail relatives. Families of mentally ill Americans have additional valid fears about their relatives' increased of chances of incarceration. They are also concerned about their sick relatives' increased risks of becoming victims of police. violence. Relatives of 1.25 million mentally ill inmates in America fear that their son, daughter, brother, sister or parent might be the next jail casualty. Such deaths happen frequently due to gross negligence and actual murders but are seldom answered with appropriate action. 

13.  When Johnson's grandmother, Mary, contacted Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill for help, I initially believed there was no need to schedule radio shows and write articles to solicit help from the public. Johnson is unlike most AIMI clients in that he has money. I thought that would make a difference. Therefore, I called and emailed an attorney whose professionalism I admire, in hopes that he would insist that Hayes release Johnson's funds for bail and apply with Johnson's family to administer the trust fund in Hayes' stead. After waiting a week, I again called the attorney, because we had not received a call from him since I emailed him more information that I could not record on my brief phone message, and I attached Johnson's trust fund documents. The attorney said he had listened to my phone message but never received the email I sent to him. He checked his spam mail as well as his inbox. I have the receipt stating that the email was sent, so I assume hackers prevented delivery. 

14.  Hackers are employed by prison investors to stop advocacy that interferes with mass incarceration, especially of mentally ill Americans. Computer hackers also prevent public disclosure about covered-up murders, such as the secret arrest and wrongful death of Larry Neal. He was my mentally and physically disabled brother who was murdered in another Tennessee correctional facility in 2003 - Shelby County Jail -- after 18 days of secret arrest. My family is illegally denied any investigation, explanation, or due process of law for Larry's murder. In fact, a federal judge ruled it "immaterial" that we were defrauded by The (Johnnie) Cochran Firm, which pretended to act as our wrongful death attorneys throughout the Tennessee statute of limitations but actually did nothing (that is not unusual for The Cochran Firm since Johnnie's death and most of Johnnie's civil rights attorneys were replaced. This is one reason why The Cochran Firm received a federal court order that determined it to be ineligible to be called "a law firm" on May 15, 2015. Mainstream media does not announce that fact, because The Cochran Firm regularly defrauds African Americans to "keep wealth from black hands," a CoIntelPro objective). When one considers the complicity of mainstream news with The Cochran Firm fraud against African Americans, one might better understand (although certainly not agree with) Vester Lee Flanagan's assassination of ABC reporters.

15.  Arresting mentally ill Americans in large numbers and eliminating many of them are not accidental occurrences. Eugenics is happening in this country. African Americans, Caucasian people who lacked wealth, and the mentally ill of both races were subjected to enforced sterilization from the 1930's to the 1970's to prevent their population growth under the American eugenics program. Over 60,000 Americans underwent enforced sterilization, and so far, only North Carolina has set aside money for restitution for these victims, as far as I know. In the 21st century, people in these same categories are regularly killed by police or incarcerated long-term throughout their childbearing years. It behooves us who love justice to stand up for Johnson and all mentally challenged people of every age and race. Some people await coffins on which to grandstand but ignore people who can yet be saved. Save our neighbor, Bernard Johnson. "Love thy neighbor as thyself."

16.  AIMI is hopeful for Bernard Johnson. Mentally ill black men who Tennessee jails plan to kill are not usually taken through normal booking procedures. Larry Neal was "missing" for 18 days while Shelby County Jail continuously denied having him in custody but did nothing to assist his family and social worker to find the mentally ill heart patient. Apparently, Larry was taken into the jail through some back door. This is distressing, especially since Shelby County Jail had been sued for prisoner abuse by the USA and was operating under the U.S. Justice Department's direct overview. Neither the jail nor the USDOJ will release any information and records about Larry Neal's fatal arrest. http://WrongfulDeathofLarryNeal.com/main.html

MaryLovesJustice Neal
Director of Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill
"AIMI vs. USA"
http://AIMI-HumanRights.blogspot.com
Director of "Human Rights Demand" channel at Blogtalkradio
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/humanrightsdemand
Website: Wrongful Death of Larry Neal
http://WrongfulDeathofLarryNeal.com
"Dog Justice for Mentally Ill"
http://DogJusticeforMentallyIll.blogspot.com 
Email Addresses
MaryLovesJustice@gmail.com
Phone 678.531.0262
(Hackers refused to allow my email box to link.)

Paragraph 1 repeated: 1.  Bernard Johnson was arrested during a bipolar crisis in Johnson City, Tennessee on June 24, 2015. He is interned in Washington County Detention Center and is warehoused in solitary confinement. His bail was set at $50,000 but was raised to $51,000 after more charges were added when Johnson allegedly broke a jailhouse window with a paper cup. Three women who love Johnson met with us at "Human Rights Demand" Blogtalkradio channel on August 22, 2015, to inform us about Johnson's dire circumstances as a mentally and physically sick inmate in solitary confinement who is denied visits. For some reason, that interview is not allowed to show in our lineup of shows at "Human Rights Demand." Let us hope that is not because Johnson has already been killed. Listen at the below url to "Bernard Johnson Dying in Jail" (I hope I exaggerate).
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/humanrightsdemand/2015/08/22/bernard-johnson-dying-in-jail
Thank you for giving Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill.