HOW MANY MORE MUST DIE?
# 2009-3,Another Living Testimony From the Valdosta-Lowndes County Jail 1989-2009. This an Interview I took at my home on August 10, and others 2009, Monday 11:45am.
CHECK THESE LINKS OUT LATER BUT DO CHECK THEM OUT:
Copy and Paste: http://jailinmatesspeaksout.blogspot.com/
Copy and Paste: http://williejameswilliams.blogspot.com/
Copy and Paste: http://wjwdeath.blogspot.com/
Copy and Paste: http://jaildeaths.blogspot.com/?zx=88fcc08c8e59f795
(Video of A Chorus of Fear and More)
Copy and Paste: http://lowndesjaildeaths.blogspot.com/
Copy and Paste: http://666change.blogspot.com/
Copy and Paste: http://jdeaths.blogspot.com/
Copy and Paste: http://www.geocities.com/altpptla/pTribunal/index.html
(This is a must SEE)
August 10, 2009
TO: To Whom It May concern
INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY: George Boston Rhynes (229-251-8645)
1.GEORGE: I am at my home in Valdosta, Georgia. I have in my presence two human beings, what is your name? ANN: Ann XXXXXX, GEORGE: What is your name my brother? HENRY: Henry Calhoun.
2. GEORGE: Mr. Calhoun is a witness and we are sitting around a table that is not round but we are going to come out with some very round subjects and hopefully we want to solve them OK.
3. GEORGE: Now you called me this morning about 8:00 am. ANN: Right, I called you this morning. GEORGE: We are going through this very slowly. Will you give me your name, address, and telephone number? ANN: My name I Ann XXXXX, address and phone number available upon request
4. GEORGE: And why did you call me this morning? ANN: I read in the Valdosta Daily Times your excerpts and I went further and went on line and read until I could read no more and tears filled my eyes. I wanted to know more about you. GEORGE: And so when you called me this morning----Well, we are now here as a result of you contacting me---am I correct? ANN: That’s Correct.
5. GEORGE: OK first of all I want you to tell me what kind of work do you do before you had the encounter with the Lowndes County Sheriffs Department? ANN: I have a Masters Prepared Registered Nurse Practitioner.
REAL WORLD OF EXPERIENCE INHUMANE CONDITIONS:
6. GEORGE: Tell me what happened from your home until you got inside the Valdosta-Lowndes County Jail and STOP. Don’t go inside of the jail please?
ANN: I was lying in bed, it was about 4:00 am on December 13th, and about six cop cars pulled up and had a warrant for my arrest. For taking some medication that I had picked up for my mother. And the detectives handcuffed me and then took me to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Jail.
7. GEORGE: So what led up to this? Did you slap someone or shoot at some one or what?
ANN: NO, I AM NOT VIOLENT. I picked up my mothers medication and she is Bipolar and has a lots of issues with memory and she put that medication was controlled and she told the coops that I had taken all of that medication.
8. GEORGE: And they believed her?
ANN…. Yes they believed her. Yet no blood was ever drawn, no DNA was ever drawn to determine blood levels in my system. Had I taken the number of pills, which was 60 in two days in which she said? I would have been dead.
9. GEORGE: So, So now, what did they charge you with?
ANN: Possession of an illegal substance.
10. GEORGE: Now we are going inside of the Lowndes County Jail and I just want you to tell me your experience. And if you get emotional we will just STOP and cut the tape off. But I just want you to tell us what actually happened. I want it short but I want it to be detailed from the time…. OK let us just begin. Wait, one other thing, do you mind me using this information to draw attention to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Jail inhumane living conditions and the approximately 19-27 deaths that I highlighted in the paper. Do you have any problem with me using this information? I will promise you that I will do everything I can to be truthful and not to violate your right as for as I know. Ann…. No.
11. GEORGE: Ok give me your name, address, and telephone number once again?
ANN…My name is: Ann XXXXXX, address [WITHHELD BUT AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST] and phone number available upon request.
12. GEORGE: Ok begin telling your story. I have many of them but I need yours to add to the list?
ANN…. When I got to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Jail, I am searched processed, placed into a holding cell where a bunch of very intimidating females came up to me. This was the only cell they had open, they put me in a cell with this girl that was HIV Positive, did not want a roommate and she told me she was not careful especially when she was on her menses cycle. I went to Officer Givens and told her I did not want to be in that cell with her because there were multiple Bio-hazards issues including the spread of her HIV along with any other possible blood borne diseases
13.GEORGE: How did you know there were bio-hazards present?
ANN. I am a Nurse Practitioner, and I know HIV is spread through blood. She was also a drug user. Officer Givens said she was not privy to that information so she moved me to another cell block.
14. GEORGE How long were you in there with her?
ANN: About 15 minutes at the tops, and she moved me to a cell Block 5, which was extremely loud and this was in late December 13th 2007. And I was on multiple medications and one of these medications was for seizures, and I also have a back injury. That was caused from an assault a year and a half earlier. And they took me up to medical to have them look at that. And they kept me in medical for two days and with no mediation--- told that if I had seizures I had to prove it. And I was not allowed any Tylenol. I was put in about a 3 by 4 foot cell where the lights were kept on constantly. I could not tell if it was day light or dark as there were no windows, no clocks, no way of knowing even what day or month it was. There was a little flap that they looked through and they slammed every thirty minutes along with banging on the door, sleep was impossible. And asked if you were a male guard he would bang loudly and ask if was alright. This went on for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After 48 hours of that I requested to be moved and signed a waiver. That if my back was injured because I left Lowndes County would not be held responsible
So they took me down to cellblock 6. I spent approximately 8 days down there. The toilets, 90 percent of them did not work. The doors are supposed to be locked at night for the safety of inmates. There is supposed to be a guard that comes by every 30 minutes. During the entire stay, I do not hardly ever recall maybe once or twice out of the six months I was there that a guard came by and checked on people. There was no EMERGENCY BUTTON; there were cameras that did not work. If someone got into trouble, if someone got into a fight if someone was choking or seizing there was no way to get out of the locked cell for help. During the day if there was an emergency, we just had to pray a guard was walking by in the hall and could hear our cries for help by banging on a cement wall. There were 4 and 6 people in a room. That was maybe a 6 by 8 cell, and if somebody had a problem, tough you waited it out until a guard came in and especially at night your requests would go unanswered. About two weeks it was on December 23rdh I remember watching television. I had been moved back to Cell Block 5, because the cell mates in Cell Block 6 were complaining about my hallucination. I was moved to Cell Block 6, up stairs, and I got to where I could not STOP pacing even at night. I would pace and I did not know where I was. I was having hallucinations and delusions. I saw things on television that wasn’t there, like helicopters coming to my rescue, I could hear my husband and children’s voices crying out to me outside of the cell and I could not reach them. I saw things floating in the walls and was convinced someone was trying to enter my mind and destroy me. I was told by other inmates I screamed constantly profanity and kicked o the wall to try to get out. This is not who I am, I was withdrawing from KlonopinThis medication is used for many purposes and it can cause fatal seizures when rapidly withdrawn.
15. GEORGE: With tears running down Ann’s cheeks I asked Ann. So how many children do you have?
ANN…. And I kept hearing my husband calling my name. The Lieutenant came up to do his general yelling of the day. And I don’t remember this! But they say I went up to him, and really told him that I was in a lot of trouble. That I was in danger; I did not know where I was. I didn’t know who I was, I did not know who he was, but I knew that my children were in danger and I needed to get to them. And I was told by the other inmates. That he told me that if I did not sit down that he was going to put me in the hole for a week. Which I never saw that but to my understanding it was not a pleasant place. So Ah, on December 23rd, they moved me to Cell block 8, which is the place where they held the offenders that are the most violent, the trouble makers as they are called. It’s a lock down unit, where every body is locked down for like 18 out of 24 hours a day. I was put in a Cell Block by myself and again people are suppose to, guards are suppose to walk by ever 30 to 45 minutes to do Cell Checks to see if people are ok. Because we have no way of notifying, well I was in a cell by myself because they say I went absolutely wild. That I was crazy and that I looked like a crazy person and it was the medication----the seizure medication that I was coming off of.
16. GEORGE: Did you have the name of that medication?
ANN: , I know and I have had three psychiatrists to tell me that Klonopin causes fatal seizures when with drawn inappropriately . The night I had the seizure I fell from the top bunk onto the floor face first. I was told this. I don’t remember it. But they told me that I must have fallen from the top bunk, in the middle of the night. At 4:00 in the morning when they served breakfast, I was not awakened for that, no one checked on me.. At Ah, 7:00 there is roll call no one checked on me for that, at 11:00, there is lunch, no one checked on me for that. And finally Sgt Jackson checked on me. When she was angry---- when I did not come out of my cell and she could not get me aroused. To come out of my cell in spite of inmate yelling, “She is down, she is bleeding, and she is shaking,” and Sgt Jackson came in and what I understood, that was when they found me in a pool of blood, with blood all over my chest and several teeth laying about. Blood covered my face, chest and arms (dried blood). I was not breathing well. I was not responding with what’s called the STERNAL CHEST RUB, which is the knuckles against your sternum, which is extraordinarily painful. I was not responsive to light, I was not responsive to smelling salt; I did get one of the psychiatrist nurses that I talked to up there to show me my records. My blood pressure was 30 over palpable which mean they could get a top number-----but they could not get a bottom number. My respirations were 4( normal is 16-20) when EMS arrived. My blood pressure was so low, EMS could not get a line in me. Once I reached SGMC a line called a PICC line was inserted. This line goes from the brachial artery straight into the heart. I never knew anything. My records stated I was having multiple seizures so I was intubated, put on a respirator and sent to ICU.
17. GEORGE: OK! Would you like to take a break here?
ANN: .I am good. When I got to (SGMC) strange things happened. I remember, I remember a CODE being called, and then that was it. I don’t remember anything else. I remember a mask being placed on my, over my face. And I don’t have any recall any memory recall at all of what happened at South Georgia Medical Center, nothing. The only thing I know is what I read in the medical notes. That the nurse, the Psychiatric Nurse that came to talk to me let me read. Ah, (SGMC) I was on a ventilator for 4 days, SGMC sent me back to the Lowndes County Jail. After taking the tubs, the ventilation tubs out of my mouth. When you usually stay 7 or 8 days in the hospital after being in the hospital after being taken off the ventilator. Ah, Louise Brown one of the nurses up there told SGMC, they did not want me back because of my high risk. But they kind of come and dumped me there. And how I kept asking questions. I was paranoid, I was extremely paranoid. I kept asking questions. After I woke up it was a seven-day period, I woke up in medical again. And I had a big bandage under my right forearm and I tore it off. And there was a big needle hole there that was really large. And things began to come back to me, piece by piece. It was, it was almost like----I could, I could see the CODE going on. It was like a near death experience, and I kept asking, did I go to the hospital? Did I go to the hospital? And all they would tell, that I had, had a seizure.
They CODED ME FOR 29 MUNITES. They pulled the curtains. I had a time of death. I heard that. It was almost like though an angel part of me was standing on the outside watching. I was not floating, but I wanted to go. I wanted to leave that broken body; and I heard a voice say. It is not time, and then I felt an electric shock go through my body again, and I was back. And it all came back to me when I was at the Valdosta-Lowndes County Jail. And they kept me in solitary confinement isolation for 78 days.
18. GEORGE: 78 Days?
ANN: 78 Days. The only time I ever saw anybody is if they had to put them in there to hold them to have a physical or whatever. And I began to see things. I began to hear things. If the nurses, especially on the weekend, the nurses “Ms Jennifer, the other I cannot remember her name---she quit. I told Louise, I said, if when you come back on Monday. Please check into it; because they would not give me my medication. Ah, they were very, very mean. I asked for a complaint form and I handed it to them. And they would tear them up right in front of me. They said, this is what happens to complaint forms.
19. GEORGE: What did you say about this Jennifer?
ANN: Jennifer is one of the nurses that I kept begging for Tylenol because I had such a severe head ache. She would not give it to me. She said you can just do without until Monday and this was Friday. That happened several times. Ah,
20. GEORGE: Was there any other nurses other than Jennifer?
ANN: Ah, my memory is bad; but Ah, Louise I remember her, and Shirley Lewis, I remember her.
21. GEORGE: How was Shirley?
ANN:….When I first got there they were extremely mean to me. After I had that seizure Ah, I saw a nurse twice a day to get meds and that was it. Other times I saw a guard. I got a shower twice a week; Shirley was-----too busy to care. She was too busy to understand. She did not want to talk. She just kept telling me; she said, Ann you got a rough road ahead of you. No one ever told me what had happened to me. But when I woke up when my noise was split wide open. They did not even sew it up at SGMC.
22.GEORGE: Why Not?
ANN: Ah, they, I don’t know? They won’t give me any records and I don’t have the $200.00 to buy the records. No one at the jail would tell me what happened. I woke up to a large bandage on my arm and I pulled it off. I was confused when I saw the large bore needle hole. I started asking questions and the nurses kept saying it is better if you figure it out on your own. I had flashbacks until the psychiatric Nurse Practitioner showed me my records and I was right. I had been in the hospital----worst yet. I was coded and was pronounced dead. Only by the grace of God did my heart start beating again. The curtains had already been pulled. No one could understand how my heart began beating on its own. I remember hearing a voice and feeling a hand. The voice said not yet Ann. God intervened when no one else could or would.
23.GEORGE: Now you mean the records or the pictures?
ANN:….Records and pictures. They have pictures of everything. They have pictures of the tubes coming out of my arms. The have pictures of me in ICU. They have pictures of my nose. They have pictures of everything. (SGMC has the documents as well as the jail)
24.GEORGE: OK! I see somewhat of a scare a visible scar on your nose. Is that part of that?
ANN:….That’s where I broke it when, when I fell and seizure because I fell on my face, and ah, I had a large laceration inside my lip. And that’s where a lot of blood that I lost came from and your mouth bleeds a lot. I had ah, over $50,000.00 worth of work done on my mouth and bit out 10 teeth. It takes seventy-five thousand square pounds of pressure per square inch to bite out a tooth with your jaw. And that’s how strong the seizure was.
25.GEORGE: Did you have seizures before you went into the jail?
ANN: YES!
26.GEORGE: So you do have a history of seizures?
Ann: Yes!
27.GEORGE: Hold your point please, OK, OK. Did they give you some type of prescreening survey as to if you had seizures, high blood pressure diabetes or some other commutable disease or anything like that?
ANN: No! The only thing they did is they said are you on any medication, and I told them the medication that I was on. And they said. Well we don’t give up in here because it is a controlled substance. I said it also controls my seizures, and they said, well you’ll just have to wait for three weeks, for our doctor to find something else for you to be on. I said by then it will be too late.
28.GEORGE: OK, get back on track if you like?
ANN: Ok, so once I spent the 78 days in consolidated confinement, by then, I was hearing things and I, Louise would put newspapers under my door. You have to understand that I had no TV. I had no communications with the outside world and they would not let me use the phone.
29.GEORGE: For how many days?
ANN: For the entire time I was in there the 78 days. I was there in isolation. Because all my phone numbers was cell phone numbers. I did not have any land line to make collect calls. And ah, they did not notify my family that I was in ICU and that there was a potential that I was brain dead and they said I had the wrong phone numbers. And I just don’t understand how they knew where to go to arrest me but could not send a cop car to let my family know that I was dying? (Ann was NOW sobbing)
30.GEORGE: So you did not have any visitation while you were out there at all?
ANN: No, and when I woke up. I did not even see my court appointed attorney----until 96 days after I had been there.
31.GEORGE: If you don’t mined----what was his or her name?
ANN: Her name was Britney Long.
32.GEORGE: How along did you feel out there?
ANN: I felt completely left alone. I had no way of getting in contact with my family. My brother came and tried to see me but after those seizures it messed me up so bad. I was afraid to leave my cell. I would just sit in that cell and cry and rock. I turned down; this was after like 80 days I guess. I turned down a visit from several family members. I turned down a visit from my attorney. I turned down a visit from my psychiatrist. Why couldn’t somebody get to the point, why would I be sitting in jail and not want to go see my attorney, or go see my brother?
I had a traffic ticket that I had not paid and it was due and of course, I could not pay it because of the situation I was in, and Sgt.Troy dumped a 5 gallon cooler filled with ice and water over my head because I wouldn’t get up for court. I was still in a confused state and was afraid he would hurt me, so I missed a court date and it was rescheduled.
33.GEORGE: Was he an Officer?
ANN: Yes, as I said he is now in Quitman
34.GEORGE: I remember him, he use to be here in Lowndes County Jail.
ANN: Oh, Yea, He was in Lowndes County too.
35.GEORGE: Yes I know I can get his name later.
ANN: After people have a seizure they go through what is called post ictal syndrome. They could not wake me up, they could not arouse me. And I had to go to court about that traffic ticket. And he poured that cooler of water on me. The whole five gallons of ice water and all the ice because I would not get up, into that wheel chair and go to court. HE left me like that because I still would not get up. He left me wet and cold He took all my blankets, and I just took my hand wiped off the bed and I crawled up in the fetal position and the next thing I know, I woke up and it was Monday morning-----and this was Friday afternoon. And Louise came in, and I must say that after I had my seizure. IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR HER; SHE COULD HAVE, I MEAN SHE COULD HAVE CHECKED ON ME MORE. BUT IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR HER; I DON’T KNOW WHAT I COULD HAVE DONE--BECAUSE SHE SAW TO IT THAT…. (Interrupted).
36.GEORGE: Sorry for interrupting-----but who is Louise?
ANN: Louise is a nurse there. She brought fresh fruits in because I would not eat that food with roaches crawling across the floor, and on the food. I lost over 45 pounds in that amount of time. But I had what they call Vertigo as a result of the seizure. I saw three levels of floor to walk on and it was like walking in quicksand. If I didn’t hold onto something I would fall. I could not walk straight, after that seizure and on several occasions I fell because the guards was yelling at me hurry up, hurry go get some water if you want it. Hurry up, if you want it. And it got to the point where it was not even worth it----because I was bruised from head to toe from falling. And they did not even have water in that medical room for me to was my hands, after I went to the bathroom I couldn’t wash my hands. If I needed something I would knock politely and all I ever heard was a very mean “What do you wasn’t’ usually followed by “Tough, you’ll maybe get it when I have time. This was primarily a weekend problem. We were suppose to voice our needs to the guards that came around every thirty minutes, a lot of good that did. They just slammed the flap on the door for the most part and go away. I had my period, if they provided sanitary napkins; they would not stay put because they did not provide bras or panties, under wear or nothing like that. (Ann started crying and sobbing)
37. GEORGE: Ann was crying and sobbing.
ANN: And my jump suit I had on was a man jump suit. It was a large and that’s all they would give me. So excuse me, but there was blood everywhere-----all the time. And I just didn’t know what to do.
38.GEORGE: What doctor did you see----while you were up there? Who came to see you?
ANN: I saw a doctor and his name; I don’t remember but he was an African doctor. And he put me on a medication called Klonopin for my seizures and this was about three weeks after I had come out of my seizure and I was to the point where the nurse was telling me that they were poising and I believed them. Shirley did, Louise was the only one I could take my medicine from at first. I would not eat anything because they were telling me that they were poising me.
39.GEORGE: Who told you that they were poising you?
ANN: The Nurses…
40.GEORGE: Why do you think they would tell you that?
ANN: I don’t know because I tried so hard not to be a problem. I just wanted something to drink and decent to eat, preferably without mold or roaches. And I got to the point where I could not take any more. So I just stacked them up on the side of the bed. And two weeks of sandwiches sat there until the bugs were crawling and it stunk so bad. But I didn’t care. I just wanted to die. (Crying and sobbing).
41.GEORGE: So you had no idea how your mother felt during this time about your brother or children at this time? So you felt as if you were locked out of the entire world?
ANN: I was locked out of the entire world. They would not let me make a phone call from a land line. The thing that hurt so much is----they have no right, to make the decision on whether I live or die. I was in ICU on a ventilator. My family had a right to know. What is the purpose of filling out the emergency sheet if they are not going to use it? And I could not talk to my children; I could not talk to anybody. And ah, I was so confused. They took me down the next week to that court hearing for that speeding ticket or whatever ticket it was. They put me in a wheel chair. I remember getting in a wheel chair, and I was so confused, and my right hand felt like it was drawn up against my chest, I couldn’t feel it much less use it. I had some right side paralysis after that seizure.
When they told me it was lying in my lap. But I felt like it was up here, and the judge tried to get me to sign some papers and I told her. I did not know what she wanted me to do. I did not understand, and I told her, that I wanted my attorney---and I had no clue as to what I was going.
She asked me who was my attorney, and I told her JUDGE JOE BROWN. And that was such a stupid response. But I was not being stupid or funny but the hold court room just lost it and started laughing. The point was that I was incapable of understanding anything, and they went on with it anyway. And without an attorney, without anything, and I saw my court appointed attorney once, and then, after about----I say it was 78 days, but it was close to 90 days because it was three months because it was after my birthday. My birthday is March 6th. And they let me go back to general population----after worst, they thought maybe, that inner-acting with some people would help. I could hardly stand up, so I had to hold on to walls and the girls down there. They did try and act to protect me, but there as this girl down there. She was a SCHIZOPHRENIC, and she weighed over 400 pounds and she would not take her medication and me being a nurse, I did everything I could to help whoever needed it, and I was beginning to come back around as to who I was. But I had just given up. I though VLCJ was my life. I though I would spend the rest of my life----three. I thought that was it. I thought that was just it. And ah, I took that girl. She would not bath. I asked for some gloves and some clean cloths and I took her and bathed her.
Well, the day before I was to go home and go to court. She had been in lock down because she had been threatening to attack people. And Officer Gibbs came in to let the maintenance man in. She let Eunice out of her cell and that is when she attacked me. Officer Gibbs was on the top tier and I was able to let out a blood for help. And every body but a couple of people were outside and they were all in their cells.
Now I am only 125 pounds at this time, I was a hundred pounds at this point, and they just put in steel tables, with steel stools to sit on. She pushed me. She turned on me, she turned me around, grabbed my shoulders and turned me around, shoved my face first into the table----until I screamed to the officers. I need help!
I got my hands up because I knew my head could not take much more of a blow. I was squashed between her and the table and she was just banging my head up and down and had my hair in her fist and she kept saying. I am going to kill you. I am going to kill you. Each time my face just hit the table and after about three hits I blanked out. I was grateful that I blanked out----because it hurt so bad. And the maintenance man tried to pull her off of me. And HE was a big man too. He was probably topping 350 pounds. So I had 750 pounds penned against me and that table. And they said that my forearm dropped by did nothing to provoke her. The Maintenance man was fixing her toilet and I asked her if she wanted to use mine, that is when she went into attack mode and the maintenance man got her off of me. Officer Gibbs grabbed my arm to pull me out from between them. She pulled me off the stool----and I hit my head on the concrete from a sitting position from about this high, about 2 ½ or 3 feet off the floor, straight down on the concrete. And they said I had another really bad seizure.
After the girl (Eunice) attacked me, they got her in handcuffs, and they just took me for observation. The next day I went to Valdosta Radiology for X-rays, I never saw a physician .I had lots of bone bruises, but not fractures. When I woke up the next morning. I could not move. The nurses would give me Motrin if I was lucky. Louise was good about making sure I had Tylenol upon request when she was there. She was the only one that followed through. The post seizure headaches were debilitating, but nothing compared to after I got my face slammed into a steel table repeatedly. It was like a terrible whip lash injury. Even Sgt. Jackson made the comment this girl gets the hell beat out of her and the best they can do is Motrin. When I was going to meet the officer to transport me to Valdosta Radiology, she literally had to hold me up to keep from falling. The transport officer met me with cuffs and leg irons. Once he saw me he put them in the trunk of his car, took my arm and helped me to the car. I could not open my mouth and the next day I met with my court appointed attorney. And she explained---that she could not believe it because the girl that did it to me had told her court appointed attorney, and told her who it was, and then she in turn told her collogue Britney----my attorney. And she said I could not believe it when I heard it, and she said its time to get you out of here. And I left in the middle of June.
42.GEORGE: How did she get your out?
ANN: I Plea Bargain?
43.GEORGE: What was that Plea Bargain?
ANN: I plead First Offenders Act. Bargain was 4 years. Ah, like a $2,000.00 fine 4 year’s probation, and $2,000.00 fine with. They can come and search or whatever. I have not had any problems whatever and they said and if things to well through the end of July. They would take me off probation all together and the charges would be expunged
44.GEORGE: OK! But when you went to jail what died they tell you your charges were?
ANN: Possession of a dangerous substance.
45.GEORGE: But did you ever face that charge in a court of law?
ANN: No! I opted out of a jury trial because I had two detectives and my mother. They were going to get my mother to testify against me. And I was a told, that I had absolutely no chance of winning. I mean they had no pictures of me picking up the medication or anything else, but I had to get out of there and that was the only way that I could get out of there. I missed 4 trial dates because of that seizure.
46.GEORGE: Was you penalized for that? Or was that OK?
ANN: Well no body told the judge why I cold not come to trial.
47.GEORGE: Did you have a court appointed lawyer to represent you at that time?
ANN: I did not see her for about 90 days. So she did not know any of this. I could not get a hold of her. I tried to write her.
48.GEORGE: OK! So how did you feel when you read the article about the Valdosta-Lowndes County Jail abuses and inhumane living conditions in my opinion published in The Valdosta Daily Time? It was first published in the Moultrie Observer. Then I went to the times days later and ask why they had failed to publish the story. And that I was going to write about why they did not publish it. Because it seems to me that Valdosta Television, Stations, radio stations as well as news papers seems to not want this information to get out and I blame the media for that jail for being the way that it is today.
As well as the South Georgia Medical Center and I don’t believe people are putting enough pressure on SGMC as it was in the death of deceased inmate Willie James Williams that died in 1998. I wish their family would have filed a suit again the South Georgia Medical Center in the death of jailed inmate Willie James Williams. And I say that not softly but boldly and I say it loudly back in 1998 who died in the jail. SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS THAT. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT South Georgia Medical Center?
ANN: South Georgia Medical Center is going down with the Valdosta-Lowndes County Jail as far as I am concerned. I will speak out to anybody, everybody that is willing to listen. When I saw that article I broke down in tears. I went straight on the internet and I read until I could read no more and I called you as soon as I though you had time to get up and get dressed. And let me tell you something Channel 6, came through enough, five times while I was there, filmed, with video cameras. They came into our showers where lead paint, lead paint was pealing off of the walls. The commodes over flooded. They were there the day the commodes over flooded again. There are two tears of cells, and on the top tears, all of the sewage would come down. It was like a waterfall. They (WCTV Channel 6) were there.
49.GEORGE: No, No, No, No, you got to be lying? Are you telling us that in the United States of America, that WCTV Channel 6, in South Georgia saw that filmed but did not report on that? Is that what you are telling me? To any body that listens to this tape hold me accountable. These are the same words that former inmate Johnny Parker said on the other interview I took from him about three weeks ago and posted on the internet under the name of Former Inmate Johnny Parker.
The people of Valdosta and all the Christian Churches, and all of these elected officials. Somebody is lying to the people, and somebody wants to keep us deaf, dumb, and blind to the times. So where are the God fearing Preachers? And the Bishops, Imams in ISLAM? Where are the Rabbis in Judaism in our community? I am sorry my beautiful sister—go ahead.
ANN: [The girl that was carrying the camera went into the bathroom vomiting and crying. “I cannot take it anymore]” NO, I listen they let Church people in and all this other sort of stuff. But to me it was a forest because these church people. They saw what was going on. They could have been our outside voice. We were not allowed to give them any type of message or ask them to call anybody. But there were certain churches that came in as they preached. But to me, it all felt on deaf ears. No I did not give up on God. He is what got me through this. He is the only thing that got me through this. But the thing is, it is hypocritical to go in and see a brother or Sister White, Black, Purple, Brown to be treated in such a manner and then go. Yea, I went, and saw their ministry to them, and for the news media to come in----to see it, and to be so sickened and deplored by the conditions----- that the camera person pukes and said that it would be on TV that night. I watched TV Channel 6, that night.
I asked my family if they had seen anything on channel 6 or anything in the newspaper. There were several writers they would not say where they were from. But they said they were from local newspapers there to write stories. They would bring people through put us out like apes on exhibits to do tours. I don’t know if it was to scare people off or what. But it was like if you don’t want to end up like these losers in here--- you better get on the straight and narrow. And I will never forget as long as I live, that when I was in my scared state of being killed in medical. I heard Louise tell a BUNCH OF SMALL 5th GRADERS right outside of my Cell Door. And yes, people do die here, and they die here---a log. But they have no business putting themselves here in the first place.
50.GEORGE: To anybody that listen to this tape since 1988, our local elected officials along with state and federal governments along with the United States Justice Department have all turned deaf ear to Valdosta-Lowndes County Jail problems/deaths. I cannot understand----why I put twenty years in the United States Armed Forces, traveled in foreign countries to protect the rights of foreigners. While my White, Black, Green whatever Citizens suffer under these inhumane conditions equal to Guantanamo Bay Cuba. And I still say where is the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, President of the NAACP, SCLC, NAN, and the rest of them? Where are they? Where are the local Black, White Pastors who claim they love Jesus? Where are President Obama and Attorney Eric Holder? Where are you? Yea, where are you? Where are you?
ANN: Squalor conditions, a squalor condition is the best way to put it that we lived in. And I am mad because they were there. They said they were going to do something and nothing has been done. Channel 6, they said they could not believe the conditions people lived in. The pastors were there. They ministered two or three times a week, had other people singing and clapping their hands. And I refused to take part because no body was doing anything. They saw the conditions. They could smell the conditions. They could tell that people were not allowed to take showers.....When I was in medical I was allowed two showers a week. A female, two showers a week? I went 7 months with no underwear, no bras, because I could not get a hold of my family, because I did not have any writing paper. I did not have any way of calling. I did not have anything, anyway of getting a hold of my family and telling them what was going on.
They said they should already know that they have to send money. But my family never had to deal with anything like this. They had no idea that if they send money, that I could order food that was actually decent to eat. I could order, I could order hygiene products, I could order bras; I could order stuff to keep myself in as good of a condition as possible. I had too wash, what cloths that people was kind enough to give me. I had to wash them out of the toilet bowl, out of dirty toilet water with ammonia, which I have asthma. I had to wash them out of toilet water, in order to have anything even decent. In the summer the temperatures reach over 110 to 115 decrees.
In the wintertime it gotten so cold that they say we had been bad. They took our blanket away. The out door temperatures were 30 degrees. I was sleeping under an open window on the floor on a half-inch think mattress; with nothing but a very thin sheet to keep me warm. I was in the room with a 28-week pregnant girl. She and I decided that we would get into her couch in order to STAY warm, and we were accused of having lesbian activity. And we were punished for that and told we would be separated the next day, even though we had been together for 6 ½ months and had become the best of friends. She was the only companion that I could trust. And lucky the guard that came on the next day----did not see it that way and we were given our blankets back. But the temperatures in those showers, it was so that I came out with blisters on my shoulders at times. And at other times it was so cold that I could not wait to get out. We got one towel and one washcloth, per week. That we could send out. It was our responsibility to get it back. And those wash towels and those towels; everybody knows that when something is wet it sours. We were not allowed to hang them up anywhere to allow them to dry. So after you wash, you smell just like sour towels. Then a lot of times you send your towels out, washcloths out. They never come back, so though luck until somebody left.
We got one cup, and one spoon, for the entire time we were there. I used a paper cup for 5 months, until the bottom finally went out. I used the same spoon for 4 months until it broke. And I was given food, and nothing to drink for 5 days before those items were replaced. And washing cloths out of dirty toilet water with no cleanser is just---phenomenal. And I just can’t imagine the lead content in that water, because the lead paint was falling from off the ceiling.
They came through and the guards would come through and through we were not allowed to save our carton of milk from breakfast for later on. And if they came through and caught our little cartons of milk in our coolers in our room. They would through them and burst them against the wall-----high enough up, so the stank rank smell of spoiled milk would be sure to fill the entire area. When we did not have anything else to drink out of, we were not allowed to keep milk cartons even if our cup busted. It was just too bad. You just had to get lucky to get the right guard to get you the right stuff----which was few and far between.
51.GEORGE: To anybody who listens to this tape and read what was published in the Valdosta Daily Times yesterday is nothing new. There is no need for anybody to be in shock about this that you hear today. Or what you read in the paper on Sunday. The Valdosta Daily Times has been going on since 1988. Willie James Williams died in September 1998, we did not get justice in that case and---nothing has changed. Judge Hugh Lawson ruled in June of 1997, found 103 violations and gave it. But nothing to my knowledge were ever done.
Representative Jack Kingston, I wrote him in 2003, went before Lowndes County Board of Commissions, Valdosta City Mayor and Council, wrote the Attorney General of the State of Georgia, United States Attorney General, Rep. Sanford Bishop, took a 50 care motorcade, went to Albany, went to Macon Georgia, still nothing has been done. We have had 19-27 known deaths. Not to mention the ones that inmates said they sent home to die. Yet! (I was interrupted by Ann).
ANN: That reminded me; of a young girl that was dying with aids. She was 18 years old. They kept her there under a misdemeanor drug possession charge, and they put me in the room with her and I had bronchitis. They put me in the room with her. I had a fever of 104 and she was so frail and so fragile and it was all I could do. I got in the tightest corner I could not to cough on her. They sent her home the day, before she died. They kept her there, until the day before she died.
52.GEORGE: That means that at least 28 deaths, because I don’t have her on my list. This is what inmates told me in 5 May 2005 when we were arrested for addressing the mayor and council on getting Barber Park renamed. My beautiful sister Ann! I thank you for reading the article. I thank the God of Creation for putting something in me----to be committed. And I will not quit sister; I know you are a White Lady, but I will not quit because it is not about race.
RESPONSE: I will never quit!
53.GEORGE: And I thank you for stepping forward and as we close, do you have anything else you want to say?
RESPONSE: Thank you!
54. GEORGE: Please, once again give me your name and your phone number and that you give me permission to use this to try and get somebody in here to do something since our local TV station, Channel 6, Channel 10, Channel ABC, NBC, CBS, Valdosta Daily Times, Newspaper, NAACP, and all the rest of these------people who seem to have turned deaf ear. Can I use it to try and get somebody in here to help the citizens of Valdosta and Lowndes County? Give me your name first, and do you grant me permission?
ANN: Yes! I give you that permission and I want to go wherever I can. My name is: Ann Simica,and I want to thank you. It was like God put that peace of paper in my hand. Because I never go buy the Valdosta Daily Times but I went and bought it yesterday even though---IT WAS BURIED DEEP INSIDE THE PAPER, BUT I FOUND IT.
55. GEORGE: How did you come across it? How did come by the paper since you don’t subscribe to the paper?
ANN: I had been looking for a job, and I was just reading through it and when I saw about Lowndes County on there and I saw a referral to the Internet. I went straight to it.
56. GEORGE: My beautiful Sister, I thank you, and Mr. Calhoun, WHAT do you have to say about what have you heard?
HENRY CALHOUN:….It is awesome man, and just something needs to be done about it. I am truly 100% behind any efforts to break down some of the violence and stuff, negligence that’s going on at the Lowndes County Jail, and the Valdosta Police Department.”
57. GEORGE: And once again what is your name?
CALHOUN: Henry Calhoun---Papa Jack!
58. GEORGE: Thank you both so much--Ah! We are a member of three. Ann told me that she was going to have her brother here. I wish he had been here. But he was not here, and I do hope to meet with your mother and your brother ANN. I cannot understand why in a democratic society our Television, Newspapers, Radio and others continuously seek to keep the people in Valdosta and Lowndes County deaf, dumb, and blind to the times, and unable to make intelligent decisions based on facts?
I want you to ah, promise me. That you will write up a statement and we are going to use that statement. I may, or may not script this interview out, but we are going to go back to TV stations again. We are going to see, if we can get them to do, what their heart, soul, and mind tells them is right. We are going to do that, and will you help us?
ANN: Absolutely, I will go home and script it out, write it out and like you to say; “LES STOP GETTING THE CATS OUT THE TREES AND LET’S START COVERING THE INHUMANE CONDITIONS AND ABUSE.”.
59. GEORGE: Thank you so much for your courage! God Bless America, and everybody else. Thank you!
SIGNED/DATED
Ann XXXXXX,
Victim
SIGNED/DATED
Henry Calhoun
Witness
SIGNED/DATED
GEORGE BOSTON RHYNES
Retired United States Armed Forces Veteran (Vietnam Active Duty Era Vet)
Interim President of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Branch (NAACP)
Single Parent of Three Successful Children
A concerned citizen and brother of (ALL) humanity
Copy and Paste: http://gacitizensignored.blogspot.com/
1. Ann, 2. Johnny, 3. Ms. Crowder, 4. Leigh and there are more!
Last update: 8/26-09
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