TROUBLED JAIL MINISTERS TRY TO EASE TENSIONS AT PITCHESS.Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer CASTAIC - More than 45 clergy members toured the Pitchess Detention Center A detention center or a detention centre is any location used for detention. Specifically, it can mean:
v. soothed, sooth·ing, soothes v.tr. 1. To calm or placate. 2. To ease or relieve (pain, for example). v.intr. To bring comfort, composure, or relief. tensions among inmates who have rioted for days, but only moments after the ministers left new brawls broke out at the maximum-security jail complex. The ministers, from jails and churches throughout Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County, met with several groups of inmates in the locked-down North County Correctional Facility North County Correctional Facility (NCCF) is a Los Angeles County Jail, run by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Located approximately 40 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, it is one of four jails located within the Pitchess Detention Center (named after former . Some 2,000 inmates rioted there Saturday, kicking off a series of race-related battles that flared again in the East Facility, one of four jails at the Pitchess complex in Castaic. Ambulances were called for the fifth time after blacks and Latinos sparred Thursday afternoon, only to be quieted by deputies using tear gas tear gas, gas that causes temporary blindness through the excessive flow of tears resulting from irritation of the eyes. The gas is used in chemical warfare and as a means for dispersing mobs. . No serious injuries were reported, though one man has died and dozens have been injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. since the fighting broke out over the weekend. ``The deputies can't communicate as well as we can,'' said prison minister Gary Honore, who bore tattoos and an edge earned from years on the street. He showed off an old identification card from a prison stay in his younger days. ``We're from the same place as the inmates. We know the lingo Lingo - An animation scripting language. [MacroMind Director V3.0 Interactivity Manual, MacroMind 1991]. of the streets. We're just here to bring a sense of peace to all of this.'' The violence has prompted lockdowns at all Los Angeles County jails, some of which are temporarily segregated in hopes of easing tensions among the races. ``We're asking you to bring the power of community,'' sheriff's Chief Marc Klugman told the clergy before the tour. ``They will listen to you. You'll see that many of them have been coerced into doing things they don't want to do.'' Klugman previously said the violence had been traced to the Mexican Mafia The "Mexican Mafia" (MM) or "La eMe" (eMe) is a Mexican-American criminal prison gang in the United States. History It was formed in the late 1950s by Chicano street gang members incarcerated at the Deuel Vocational Institution, a youthful offender facility located in gang issuing orders from outside the prison to target black inmates in retaliation RETALIATION. The act by which a nation or individual treats another in the same manner that the latter has treated them. For example, if a nation should lay a very heavy tariff on American goods, the United States would be justified in return in laying heavy duties on the manufactures and for the stabbing of a Latino inmate at Men's Central Jail last week. The clergy visit marked the first time such a large group has been invited behind the walls of the prison, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore. Once inside, the tension was palpable Easily perceptible, plain, obvious, readily visible, noticeable, patent, distinct, manifest. The term palpable usually refers to some type of egregious wrong, such as a governmental error or abuse of power. . ``It's just survival now,'' said one black inmate. ``They took away our toothpaste toothpaste, n See dentifrice. and toothbrushes and clothing. Just before you got here, they gave us these,'' indicating fresh pajama-like pants. ``We'd been wearing the same drawers for five days.'' The black inmates said the sheer number of Latino inmates - a ratio of 3 to 1 - makes any solution difficult. ``We're outnumbered Outnumbered is a British sitcom that aired on BBC One in 2007.[1] It stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner as a mother and father who are outnumbered by their three children. ,'' several said. ``A lot of them know a lot of us from the street, but they can't even say 'hi' in here,'' another inmate added. ``We got kids by Hispanics and have Hispanic friends, but in here, we can't even shake hands, even though we've been neighbors for 28 years.'' Black inmates said that during segregation efforts over the weekend, Latino inmates were moved into their cells and took personal items, including family pictures. ``Don't nobody want hatred,'' one black inmate said. ``But we'll fight if we have to.'' Allegations of delayed medical attention and skipped meals were made by the inmates, who added that their phone privileges were cut off arbitrarily, sometimes in the middle of a call. They also said Latino and white prisoners were given extra meals and the freedom to move about the facility while they remained locked in the day-room area. In an area where Latino inmates were segregated, fewer were willing to visit with the chaplains, staying closer to the back walls or sitting on bunks. One inmate did not speak, but held up a picture of a young woman holding a baby. All the men seemed to hold out a desire for respect from both their fellow inmates and the deputies assigned to guard them. ``If they tell you you're full of s--t, you believe you are,'' one Latino inmate said. ``The only solution is to get the shot callers from each side to sit down and work out a truce,'' said a clergyman who asked not to be identified. ``It's going to get worse before it gets better.'' Carol Rock, (661) 257-5252 carol.rock(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 6 photos Photo: (1 -- color -- ran in SAC edition only) An inmate at Pitchess Detention Center holds a journal of the weekend's events as he meets with ministers Thursday. (2 -- color -- ran in SAC edition only) Clergy member Leonore Solis wears her cross and a pass to enter the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic on Thursday. (3 -- 4 -- color -- ran in SAC edition only) Above, an inmate whose hand was injured during violence over the weekend at Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic speaks with clergy members who came to the facility Thursday. At left, an inmate reads a Bible during the ministers' visit. The jail is in lockdown Lockdown A specified period when an employee of a public company is barred from selling - and occasionally buying - their company's stock. Notes: These types of equity transaction restrictions can be imposed by securities regulators or underwriting firms if a company has after one inmate was killed during a riot Saturday, which has spurred continued violence throughout the week. David Crane/Staff Photographer (5 -- ran in Valley edition only) Clergy member Patty Smith listens to an inmate at Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic on Thursday during a visit from more than 45 ministers to the troubled facility. (6 -- ran in Valley edition only) An inmate at Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic shows the injuries he sustained during last weekend's violence. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion