Public Defender Describes Vile And Illegal Conditions Of Baltimore Citizens Being Held In Jail

[sheshe2]

Photo courtesy of J.M. Giordano at the Baltimore City Paper

Public Defender Marci Tarrant Johnson posted this story on her Facebook page and asked it be shared widely. When citizens are being detained for days in unsanitary, overcrowded 'holding cells,' without being charged, and having to use slices of bread for pillows to cushion against the filthy concrete floors - the public needs to know. Some are being held simply for being out after curfew.

As many of you know, more than 250 people have been arrested since Monday here in Baltimore. Normally when you are arrested, you are given a copy of your charging documents and then you must see a commissioner within 24 hours for a bail determination ("prompt presentment&quot and given a trial date. If you are not released after the commissioner hearing, you will be brought before a judge for
a review of the bail set by the commissioner. None of this was happening, so we sent some lawyers to Central Booking yesterday to try to help. I heard, however, that only 2 commissioners showed up, and the correctional officers only brought about 9 people to be interviewed because the jail was on a mysterious "lock-down".

Today we were divided into two groups. Some of the lawyers were assigned the task of actually doing judicial bail reviews for as many folks as they could get interviewed and docketed. I was assigned to the other group. We were the "habeas team", and we were to interview folks that we felt were being illegally detained, so we could file writs of habeas corpus. Governor Hogan had issued an
executive order, extending the time for prompt presentment to 47 hours. We believed that this order was invalid because the governor has no authority to alter the Maryland Rules. As a result, all people who were being detained for more than 24 hours without seeing a commissioner were being held illegally.

Knowing all of this, I was still not prepared for what I saw when I arrived. The small concrete booking cells were filled with hundreds of people, most with more than ten people per cell. Three of us were sent to the women's side where there were up to 15 women per holding cell. Most of them had been there since Monday afternoon/evening. With the exception of 3 or 4 women, the women who weren't there for Monday's round-ups were there for freaking curfew violations. Many had not seen a doctor or received required medication. Many had not been able to reach a family member by phone. But here is the WORST thing. Not only had these women been held for two days and two nights without any sort of formal booking, BUT ALMOST NONE OF THEM HAD ACTUALLY BEEN CHARGED WITH ANYTHING. They were brought to CBIF via paddy wagons (most without seat belts, btw--a real shocker after all that's happened), and taken to holding cells without ever being charged with an actual crime. No offense reports. No statements of probable cause. A few women had a vague idea what they might be charged with, some because of what they had actually been involved in, and some because of what the officer said, but quite a few had no idea why they were even there. Incidentally, I interviewed no one whose potential charges would have been more serious than petty theft, and most seemed to be disorderly conduct or failure to obey, charges which would usually result in an immediate recog/release.

Please Read the Rest: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/30/1381508/-Public-Defender-Describes-Vile-And-Illegal-Conditions-Of-Baltimore-Citizens-Being-Held-In-Jail#

I have lost every ounce of faith in our "peace officers" and our so called "judicial system."

Revolutions are bound to happen when the people cry out for justice, and they are ignored again and again. And so, this revolution has begun.

[AuntPatsy]

1. It's everywhere.....that's the true horror

[sheshe2]

2. Sadly you are right, Aunt Patsy.

[City Lights]

3. WTF happened to the United States?

[AgingAmerican]

4. 90+ percent of police are Republicans

nt

[Vattel]

5. Things are even worse than usual right now

because Hogan declared a state of emergency and some in the BPD think that gives them carte blanche to ignore ordinary due process. Actually any curtailing of ordinary due process would, at a minimum, need to be shown necessary for the public safety. But such constitutional concerns don't matter to many who have the power to arrest and detain.

[Downwinder]

6. This needs to be restated again and again and again.

"I'll wrap this up by reminding everyone that all lives matter. We are all human beings. And we are Americans, and as such we are afforded protections under the law, the guilty and innocent alike. If one person is denied due process, we all suffer. If one persons rights and freedoms are trampled on, it's not only a reflection on all of us, but it puts our own liberty at risk. The moment we view some individuals as more important than others, we cheapen ourselves. At the very essence of our democracy is the right to question and stand up to authority. During these trying times, we should all keep that in mind."

[Cha]

7. Mahalo she

[sheshe2]

8. A slice of bread for a pillow....................

[Cha]

9. Weird and obnoxious. :(

[rhett o rick]

10. This is deplorable. "this revolution has begun." These are political prisoners.

Thanks for posting.

[sheshe2]

12. Yes the revolution has begun.

Here.... this may answer a question you asked me...or at least part of it.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025912655#top

[Ms. Toad]

11. So . . . Now that Daily Kos has copied it word for word,

it more credible than when I posted it directly from the public defender's facebook page on Thursday...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026595165



(Not annoyed, just amused since one of the few substantive comments I received seemed to be challenging the credibility - in response to which I provided more proof of who she was than the Daily Kos poster - who merely linked to her facebook page.)

[Downwinder]

13. Here is a similar one from New York.

"What happens after you’re arrested at a protest in New York."

https://medium.com/@noralev/what-happens-after-you-re-arrested-at-a-protest-in-new-york-975bb34fb47c

On Edit: Sorry, the @ breaks the link. I don't know how to correct that.

[cui bono]

14. k n r

[sheshe2]

15. Thank you cui.

[fadedrose]

16. How horrible

Doesn't sound like anything that the song, "America the Beautiful," was written about...

Thank you for reporting this. It sure makes things clearer to me about the great city of Baltimore and the hopelessness of the people. The more outsiders who get to see what's going on, the more likely things will improve. Somebody there has to get embarrassed enough to bring about change and remove their shame.

[sheshe2]

17. Me, I think we are at a tipping point.

I sure as hell hope so.

[malaise]

18. Exceptional my ass

Rec