I.
In-custody brutality and deaths threaten peace in the United States, yet they are becoming the modus operandi of murderous police officers. This is true presumably because they are easier to cover-up. Some media companies are attempting to fill the gap in reporting deaths by police, which the U.S. Justice Department deliberately leaves, but journalists should include deaths that occur soon after arrest in order to get a more accurate total. Increasingly, victims are hauled off to jail before killings, where police cannot be filmed by commuters. Some arrestees, like Freddie Gray and Kelly Thomas, are barely living shortly after their police encounters, and other doomed victims, like Larry Neal and Daniel Linsinbigler, live in custody for a couple of weeks. Many arrestees receive capital punishment in extrajudicial killings without any benefit of trial. In fact, numerous victims die before their first appearance in court. (The paragraphs in this article are labeled I through XXXV to discourage hackers. This article has absolutely NO empty lines. If any empty lines appear, they represent sabotage by hackers, and we will schedule more rallies.)
II.
In addition to jail deaths, America has an extremely high rate of deaths in prisons - 346 in Florida alone in 2014. The United Nations Committee Against Torture addressed the United States' high rate of in-custody deaths after its review last fall. Its findings and recommendations are below.
III.
DEATHS IN CUSTODY
22) The Committee notes with concern that 958 inmates died while in the custody of local jails during 2012, an 8 percent increase from the 889 deaths in 2010. During the same year, State prison deaths remained stable with 3,351 reported deaths. The Committee is particularly concerned about reports of inmate deaths occurred as a result of extreme heat exposure while imprisoned in unbearably hot and poor ventilated prison facilities in Arizona, California, Florida, New York, Michigan and Texas (arts. 2, 11 and 16).IV.
The Committee urges the State party to investigate promptly, thoroughly and impartially ALL deaths of detainees, assessing the health care received by inmates as well as any possible liability of prison personnel, and provide, where appropriate, adequate compensation to the families of the victims.
V.
RALLY AT THE GEORGIA STATE CAPITOL, Mondays Throughout August
On August 3, we will hold a rally at the Georgia Capitol from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. against brutality and deaths in custody and bring awareness about a congressional bill, H.R.2646. Notices about the rally were censored. Therefore, each Monday throughout August after August 3, rallies will be held from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Georgia Capitol Building (August 10, 17, 24, and 31). More than half of the victims of violence by police and corrections officers are mentally ill people. Over 60 percent of the prisoners enduring torturous solitary confinement are also mentally challenged. Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill planned the August rallies in commemoration of the "Wrongful Death of Larry Neal" and other victims. August 1 marks the 12th anniversary of Larry Neal's kidnapping and death in Memphis Shelby County Jail, which happened in 2003. We also plan to bring awareness to H.R.2646 "Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act," a federal bill introduced by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Eddie Denise Johnson (D-TX), which has provisions that should help reduce mass incarceration of persons with serious mental illness.
VI.
There is little to no effort to "investigate promptly, thoroughly and impartially" any deaths of arrestees and U.S. prisoners, and unfortunately, in-custody deaths engender even less accountability by law officers and guards than public shooting and Tasing episodes. Without videos and witness statements by onlookers, the American public usually has only the word of law enforcement and prison officers as to what caused the deaths. Generally, families are told the victims killed themselves or were found in their cells unresponsive. Occasionally, the victims' fellow inmates provide witness statements regarding overuse of force, and some in-custody deaths are ruled homicides by medical examiners. Even then, there is seldom any prosecution.
VII.
Whenever police departments or correctional facilities are perceived by the public as having done inexcusable crimes against humanity, the U.S. Justice Department is pressured to investigate and prosecute. Unfortunately, the Justice Department is itself criminal and has a tendency to conspire with officials who, like any other criminals, are most interested in hiding their crimes and avoiding prosecution and financial liability. Therefore, correctional institutions in the U.S. share similarities to the War on Terror camps where detainees suffered excruciating torture and some died. It is important to note, however, that whereas Guantanamo Bay detainees are/were allegedly terror suspects, most persons in U.S. jails and prisons are American citizens, a great number of whom have never been to trial for the criminal charges associated with their arrests. Such persons have a right to be presumed innocent.
VIII.
Correctional facilities warehouse hundreds of thousands of defendants who are jailed awaiting trial, mostly due to a lack of bail money, as well as convicted persons who plea bargained. Maya Schrenwar, managing editor of "Truthout," advises that the nation should eliminate bails altogether. Being coerced to waive trial and plea bargain is customary for defendants who lack the money for bail and a proper defense. Coercing plea bargains is particularly offensive regarding juveniles and mentally ill defendants. More than half of the nation's prisoners are actually Americans with mental disabilities, roughly 1.25 million inmates, most of whom were denied mental health care or treatment for drug and alcohol addictions until they were accused of crimes.
IX.
The high rate of in-custody deaths, especially among persons who were recently arrested, should alarm all Americans. Law officers can detain anyone up to a few days on mere suspicion without the need to actually file criminal charges. In addition, persons who have actually broken no laws are regularly booked on "resisting arrest" even without any evidence that the persons were initially subject to arrest. It is particularly disturbing when young women like Sandra Bland die in custody after what began as a traffic stop, something that can happen to anyone.
X.
It is apparent that nobody in the indigent or working class has a right to life that is actually protected in the United States, especially not people who are African Americans or mentally ill. Overuse of force incidents that used to target African American men now increasingly demand the lives of African American women and children. Caucasians who were largely exempt from overuse of force incidents and in-custody deaths until recently now seem to have lost their "white skin privilege." Even middle class whites like former college student Cameron Redus are killed by police, and white homemakers like Eileen Dinino inexplicably die immediately after arrest. Police brutality and in-custody deaths threaten everyone and deserve the attention of human rights advocates.
XI.
One media company that is involved in an effort to fill the gap in reporting the number of deaths by police is The Guardian. I received an email invitation to share information about deaths by police and responded in the nine (9) paragraphs copied below:
XII.
Response to The Guardian re “The Counted” - People Killed by USA Police
1. Increasingly, police arrest victims before killing them. That happened in 2003 in Memphis, Tennessee to my brother, Larry Neal. Larry was a schizophrenic heart patient who irritated police with his loud singing and panhandling in public places. In mid-July, he was secretly arrested, and police denied having him in custody when Larry's family and social worker made inquiries and completed the missing person report. However, police did nothing to help find the harmless middle aged mental patient, because they knew exactly where he was. After 18 days of secret arrest, Larry died. To this day, Larry's family is denied knowing the circumstances of his death: (a) sudden cessation of heart drugs, (b) restraint chair or table, (c) starvation, or (d) brutality. [Mentally ill inmates were killed by all of these methods in recent years.]
XIII.
2. The Memphis Shelby County Jail and the United States Department of Justice refuse to release the information about this American with mental and physical disabilities, because his "arrest" was actually a kidnapping, and his death was actually a planned euthanasia. In fact, Larry's brother had been told two weeks before Larry's kidnapping that police were "getting tired of fooling with Larry Neal." Larry had suffered numerous arrests in Shelby County Jail for disturbing the peace and other charges related to his severe mental illness, so it is impossible to believe he could not be matched with his fingerprints and the missing person report.
XIV.
3. Increasingly, killings of mentally ill Americans have become the nation's new eugenics program. From the 1930's to the 1970's, African Americans, very poor whites, and the mentally ill of all races underwent enforced sterilization to control their numbers. Today, these same groups are either killed under the color of law or mass incarcerated throughout their childbearing years, which also accomplished eugenicists' intention of population control among those groups.
XV
4. There continues to be a huge cover-up about Larry Neal's kidnapping and murder, because Shelby County Jail was operating under a Settlement Agreement with the USA after lawsuit for inmate abuse. Under the terms of the Agreement, the jail had an obligation to file an inmate fatality report with the feds for anyone who died in custody, but the USDOJ denies having received any information whatsoever related to Larry Neal's fatal arrest. Nevertheless, the USDOJ refused to investigate the cover-up. Years after being informed about Larry's murder, the Justice Department allowed Shelby County Jail to enter records in court hearings regarding its release from federal overview that again omitted Larry's death in custody.
XVI.
5. The hearings happened after the feds had communicated with me extensively about Larry Neal's in-custody death and after having received records of his demise. Therefore, the federal cover-up is definitely intentional. Three main parties are involved in the cover-up: Shelby County Government, the U.S. Justice Department, and The (Johnnie) Cochran Firm, which contracted with the Neals to act as Larry's wrongful death attorneys. The Cochran Firm's responsibility in the conspiracy was to keep Larry's murder out of the media and out of court, which the firm did through defrauding Larry's family as our wrongful death attorneys.
XVII.
6. The success of covering up police murders by first arresting victims has inspired increasing use of this method. Victims are arrested then eliminated after a short period in custody, i.e., Freddie Gray and perhaps Sandra Bland and Chavis Carter, and many others. Arresting people before killing them, as opposed to shooting or Tasing them to death before commuters with cameras, prevents public knowledge and outcry when videos are published, as happened after the killings of Oscar Grant, Eric Garner, Kelly Thomas, and many others. Cover-ups regarding in-custody killings are not foolproof, however. Witnesses who were jailed with Daniel Linsinbigler exposed his murder when Clay County Jail officials had falsely told his mother that the teenager was "found unresponsive in his cell." Linsinbigler's death was later ruled a homicide. Darren Rainey's murder by hot shower was also exposed to the media by fellow inmates.
XVIII.
7. Larry Neal's murder cover-up is most pathetic in that the federal government joined the conspiracy to cover-up his kidnapping and death rather than demanding justice. Larry's family has experienced significant surveillance, censorship, and financial persecution for attempting to expose the murder, obtain records, and due process of law.
XIX.
8. Thank you for conducting this survey of police killings. I hope you recognize that your findings will not be complete unless you include persons who were arrested first and killed within hours or weeks after arrest. That is the new modus operandi. For many more killings of mentally challenged Americans, I invite you to our blog, "Dog Justice for Mentally Ill," athttp://DogJusticeforMentallyIll.blogspot.com - More information and evidence is under the “documents” tab at “Wrongful Death of Larry Neal” website athttp://WrongfulDeathofLarryNeal.com/ - If you have questions about any of the deaths by police therein, I will be happy to try to put you in touch with the victims' families. You must be persistent if you call or email me. Both modes of communication are hacked, and police refuse to address the violations against my First Amendment rights. Email MaryLovesJustice@gmail.com(The Guardian will not publish this news. The media helps the U.S. Government to cover-up certain wrongful deaths by police. Where did you think the missing trillions went?)
XX.
9. Link to my response to The Guardian:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JylrZrpoZ1enXcZpTp-xxBykvx8Wn3XyDA-uz7uyPzU/edit?usp=sharing
XXI.
ENCOURAGEMENT.
We congratulate journalists and human rights advocates for their interest in making America more "true to what she said on paper" (MLK). Documenting deaths by police is a good place to start. Our principle goal should be to have a nation where everyone's right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness are honored and protected. Fortunately, many police officers recognize the importance of better police oversight, including Blacks in Law Enforcement of America (BLEA).
XXII.
We are pleased that the largest association of sheriffs, NSA, supports assisted outpatient treatment (AOT) programs for mentally ill Americans, which provide subsistence assistance and mandated psychiatric treatment. In 2014, the International Association of Chiefs of Police also endorsed AOT programs to promote treatment before tragedies. We congratulate Congress for recently appropriating $15 million to fund AOT programs. AOT is included in H.R.2646 "Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act." It is encouraging that the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) recently issued a letter in support of H.R.2646 The congressional bill has bilateral support in the House but needs greater advocacy by the general public to make it law. Journalists are asked to please give H.R.2646 as much news coverage as other health care bills receive. Treatment can help reduce mass incarceration, and therefore deaths in custody, of mentally ill Americans.
XXIII.
The U.S. Congress reduced the chances that anyone reading this article will have relatives "disappear" and die in jail without the in-custody deaths being reported, which happened to Larry Neal. The "Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013" became law on December 18, 2014. ("There was a Death in Custody law on the books, but it somehow was allowed to expire in 2006. Why? Who knows?" - NonprofitQuarterly.com)
XXIV
PARTICIPATION.
Together, we can see that this nation follows the United Nations' recommendation that the government "investigates promptly, thoroughly and impartially ALL deaths of detainees, assessing the health care received by inmates as well as any possible liability of prison personnel, and provide, where appropriate, adequate compensation to the families of the victims." Moreover, we can reduce the number of victims by applying due diligence. If you are able, please join us at the Georgia Capitol rally August 3 during lunchtime to learn more about in-custody brutality and deaths such as my mentally, physically disabled brother experienced.
XXV.
Everyone is invited to enter the fight to eliminate racism, class consciousness, and health discrimination from the legal system. If you are unable to attend, you can still participate by sending photographs and brief information about victims of in-custody brutality and deaths to me by email, preferably on one page. A donation for printing, copying, and distributing the information at the Capitol is needed. See XXVII below, entitled "Your financial assistance "
XXVI.
Local and state governments are encouraged to participate in reducing police brutality before and after arrests by ensuring that respect for citizens' rights and ethics are taught in police academies and enforced through prosecution of offending officers. Cover-ups only encourage more in-custody brutality and deaths. Local governments should also offer crisis intervention team (CIT) training to police and corrections officers. More funds should be allocated for AOT programs for persons with serious mental illnesses, especially prisoners who are reentering society. AOT program participation reduces homelessness, arrests, hospitalization, and future incarceration by over 85 percent, which means a significant increase in community safety and a substantial reduction in the budget for fighting crime and incarcerating offenders.
XXVII.
Your financial assistance is also invited. My computer equipment is regularly attacked by persons who disagree with the concept that all persons deserve equal protection under the law. My operating system was destroyed on July 3, after I informed the public that United States District Court, Central District of California, determined that neither The Cochran Firm nor any of its district offices qualify to be called "a law firm." You can help promote justice by contributing to the MaryLovesJustice fundraiser for a new computer and phone service three ways:
XXVIII.
a) GoFundMe at at http://gofundme.com/ys9shks
XXIX.
b) PayPal donations to MaryLovesJustice@gmail.com
XXX.
c) Purchase "Bloody Toombs," by Bob Darby. Darby is an excellent writer and a lifelong human rights advocate, peace activist, and founder of the Atlanta chapter of "Food Not Bombs." Read a free preview at Amazon.comhttp://www.amazon.com/Bloody-Toombs-Allegory-Bob-Darby/dp/1512301981 . The "Food Not Bombs" Atlanta chapter won an important federal court victory to feed homeless people in public places, including parks. Darby's memoir and allegory covers recent American history from the Jim Crow era to present. This brilliant man has bipolar disorder that has been in remission for over 20 years. He has always fought against racism, class consciousness, and avoidable wars. That caused many conflicts with his family and their affluent friends and guarantees interesting reading. The book is also available at CreateSpace https://www.createspace.com/5512374 - It will soon be released as a Kindle ebook.
XXXI.
Thanks in advance for your contributions to my communications fundraiser. Hackers often sabotage my individual articles, radio shows, and social media posts as revealed at channel jkempp703 at YouTube and "Justice Gagged" blog at http://JusticeGagged.blogspot.com - My computer's operating system was damaged beyond repair on July 3. Unfortunately, there is still a conspiracy to avoid disclosure and accountability for Larry Neal's 2003 kidnapping and arrest and to curtail my advocacy for similarly situated Americans.
XXXII.
Our rights under the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are actually goals. The fact that the Justice Department is complicit in Larry Neal's wrongful death cover-up proves how important it is for U.S. citizens to endeavor to make America true to her ideals. During release hearings for Memphis Shelby County Jail to exit federal overview, I notified the judge over the release hearings, the U.S. Attorney's office, and the USDOJ in Washington about Larry Neal's kidnapping and murder in that facility, and the crime was ignored by all parties, who entered the conspiracy of cover-up instead. Officials conspired against the USA by allowing fraudulent records into federal release hearings that deliberately omitted the in-custody death of an American with disabilities, and I have been sorely persecuted ever since in order to keep their crimes contained.
XXXIII.
This writer cannot say whether federal officials are paid by abusive police departments and correctional facilities to disregard their oversight responsibilities, as was alleged in the criminal indictments against former U.S. Vice President Dick Chaney and former U.S. Attorney General Antonio Gonzales in 2008, but one thing is certain: Abusive police departments and correctional facilities actually have no reliable oversight except by the People. Even China chastises America for its human rights abuses. Your participation is needed.
XXXIV.
Note: I had to number these paragraphs because parts of this article were missing on my view when I completed it.
XXXV.
More references will be added.Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013
https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/1447
Congress Passes New Death in Custody Reporting Act
http://nonprofitquarterly.org/2014/12/24/congress-passes-new-death-in-custody-reporting-act/
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