03-16-2024 - Northwest ICE Detention Center - Tacoma WA
A vigil was held on Saturday to support hunger strikers inside and outside the NWDC @laresistencianw
Recently, Charles Leo Daniel is believed to have calmittedd sewwisseyed (sp) on March 7th. Charles had been held in solitary confinement for years. Charles had served the second-longest stretch of solitary confinement of any person in ICE custody since 2018. Charles had a long history of mental illness, and had been previously convicted of second-degree murder of Raymond Lindsay aka Ras Bongo, a known Seattle reggae musician. Charles was from Trinidad and Tobago and Raymond was from St. Catherine (Jamaica)
On Saturday the weather was warm and attendance was lively. Many people spoke on topics of immigration and prison reform. We had previously visited the NWDC around two years ago and while the area seemed the same surrounded by fences, pavement and razor wire, one thing we didn't expect was a new clear pattern of aggression by GEO Group employees entering and exiting the facility. Exiting employees quite literally speed their way out of the gate absent of caution or regard, as the same with employees entering at a high rate of speed. No caution for those who might be crossing using a public sidewalk. On two separate occasions we were informed that GEO Group likely employs white supremacists, possibly explaining their hasty attempts to avoid being seen including those with out of state plates.
The NWDC is a private for profit immigration prison operated by GEO Group. NWDC has been in the headlines a countless amount of times on topics such as a recent fire at the facility, self dispatching attempts from inmates, denying medical aid, other inmate deaths, and denying entry to state labor and health agencies, despite hundreds of complaints. Locally, the Tacoma City Council recently approved $10,000 to help fund the 50 cent per minute cost for inmates to make phone calls, which had likely been preventing inmates from getting legal support.
The number of serious concerns with this facility is difficult to summarize. Last week conflicts continued over House Bill 1470, which has recently been ruled unenforceable despite being signed into law. House Bill 1470 would've afforded certain legal protections to inmates, allowed state agency oversight actions including health inspections, and prohibited solitary confinement.
#NWDC #ICE #Tacoma #TacomaWA #FreeThemAll