General Discussion

tblue37

(65,399 posts) Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:44 PM Jul 2015

Five black women this month alone!

Raynette Turner: Mother of eight becomes fifth black woman to die in US custody this month

Raynette Turner, a 43-year-old black woman, died in police custody while waiting for her arraignment on a shoplifting charge in a jail cell in Mount Vernon, New York.

As reported by the New York Daily News, Ms Turner was arrested on 25 July on suspicion of shoplifting at a restaurant supply store.

Two days later, while waiting to be read her charges in court, she died.

Her husband, Herman Turner told the paper that he waited all day in the court waiting for his wife's arraignment, and was told to come back the next day when the court closed. He returned home, and the next day two detectives arrived to tell him his wife had died.

<SNIP>

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/raynette-turner-mother-of-8-becomes-fifth-black-woman-to-die-in-us-custody-this-month-10425698.html

10 replies

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Highlight:

Five black women this month alone! (Original Post) tblue37 Jul 2015 OP

k&r uppityperson Jul 2015 #1

Five this month alone. sheshe2 Jul 2015 #2

"Every single case must be investigated by the FBI.." I agree completely, yes whathehell Jul 2015 #5

This is from the thinkprogress.com article on Turner and the other three: tblue37 Jul 2015 #3

Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow! tblue37 Jul 2015 #4

Isn't the mayor the chief executive and over the police? DamnYankeeInHouston Jul 2015 #10

How very stained is the American soul! emsimon33 Jul 2015 #6

"Hunted" is the precise word, I think. nt tblue37 Jul 2015 #8

I would like to add the name of Sarah Lee Circle Bear, a Lakota woman who died in jail on July 6 enough Jul 2015 #7

Yes, I agree. They abuse minorities, and in parts of the country where tblue37 Jul 2015 #9

uppityperson

(115,677 posts)

1. k&r

Reply to tblue37 (Original post)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:51 PM

Jul 2015

sheshe2

(83,786 posts)

2. Five this month alone.

Reply to tblue37 (Original post)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:51 PM

Jul 2015

Every single case should be investigated by the FBI. NO internal investigations to white wash.

whathehell

(29,067 posts)

5. "Every single case must be investigated by the FBI.." I agree completely, yes

Reply to sheshe2 (Reply #2)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 07:20 PM

Jul 2015

Very frightening.

tblue37

(65,399 posts)

3. This is from the thinkprogress.com article on Turner and the other three:

Reply to tblue37 (Original post)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:53 PM

Jul 2015

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2015/07/28/3685435/fourth-black-woman-found-dead-jail-cell-since-mid-july/

At Least 5 Black Women Found Dead In Jail Since Mid-July

On Monday morning, police in Mount Vernon, New York discovered a 44-year-old woman dead in her cell. She is the fifth black woman, at least, to die behind bars this month.

According to Mayor Earnest Davis, Raynetta Turner was arrested and locked in a holding cell Saturday afternoon on shoplifting charges. Some time after her arrest, Turner informed Westchester County police that she had numerous medical problems, and was eventually brought to Montefiore-Mount Vernon Hospital Sunday evening. She returned to the holding cell briefly that night, before she was taken for fingerprinting at 2 a.m. She was found dead 12 hours later.

The mayor has since explained that Turner’s medical history included hypertension and bariatric surgery. No official cause of death has been determined.

. . . 18-year-old Kindra Chapman committed suicide in an Alabama prison. She was arrested for stealing a cell phone. Joyce Curnell was arrested on shoplifting charges and found dead in her cell on July 24. On July 26, officers found Ralkina Jones dead in the Cleveland Heights City Jail, two days after she was arrested for a physical dispute with her husband. Like Turner, she was brought to a medical facility after a staff member observed Jones was lethargic — then returned to the jail. Prison officials say they conducted several check ups on the night she returned, but found her unresponsive around 7:30 the next morning. An investigation is currently underway.

<SNIP>

At the very least, even if they are not abusing their prisoners, the cops are not paying enough attention to their well-being while in custody, even when they have been informed that a person has significant medical issues of the sort that should mandate careful monitoring.

tblue37

(65,399 posts)

4. Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!

Reply to tblue37 (Reply #3)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 06:58 PM

Jul 2015

This was posted (by ms. Moore herself) as a link in the comment section on the thinkprogress.com article I excerpt above:

http://www.oneagleswingsfearnoevil.com/arrest.html

DamnYankeeInHouston

(1,365 posts)

10. Isn't the mayor the chief executive and over the police?

Reply to tblue37 (Reply #4)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 09:19 PM

Jul 2015

I hope she is able to at least fire the jerk.

emsimon33

(3,128 posts)

6. How very stained is the American soul!

Reply to tblue37 (Original post)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 07:30 PM

Jul 2015

Frankly, I do not know how I could remain sane if this country hunted and harmed "white" Americans as it does African Americans. What must it be like to be unsafe in your home, on the street, in a car ... everywhere. To be presumed guilty of ... everything.

What must it be like to live in the shadow of death day in and day out?

What must it be like to fear for the life of your child each time your child leaves the house?

If there were no other white privilege than the privileged that we white Americans do not live in that shadow day in and day out, minute by minute, that would be blessing enough. But we have institutionalized our privilege and we have institutionalized the shadow of death, the marginalization, the blind eye that we turn to the suffering of those who are denied our privilege.

Enough is enough! That we have not taken to the streets to end this horror only further stains our souls.

tblue37

(65,399 posts)

8. "Hunted" is the precise word, I think. nt

Reply to emsimon33 (Reply #6)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 08:43 PM

Jul 2015

enough

(13,259 posts)

7. I would like to add the name of Sarah Lee Circle Bear, a Lakota woman who died in jail on July 6

Reply to tblue37 (Original post)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 08:00 PM

Jul 2015

in North Dakota. She was not a black woman, but a woman of color. I hope this isn't seen as improper in this thread.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/07/28/manning-sarah-lee-circle-bear-died-while-police-custody-family-seeks-justice-161204

snip>

But a lesser known story regarding a beautiful young Lakota woman is just as worthy of our attention. On July 6, 24-year-old Sarah Lee Circle Bear of Clairmont, South Dakota, was found unconscious in a holding cell in Brown County Jail in Aberdeen. Circle Bear was jailed on a bond violation.

Witnesses stated that before being transferred to a holding cell, Circle Bear pleaded to jailers that she was in excruciating pain. Jail staff allegedly responded by dismissing her cries for help, telling her to “knock it off,” and “quit faking.” Witnesses say that inmates cried out for the jail staff to help Circle Bear, to which they eventually responded by picking her up off of the floor, dragging her out of the cell, and transferring her to a holding cell. Circle Bear was later found unresponsive in the holding cell.

snip> more at link

tblue37

(65,399 posts)

9. Yes, I agree. They abuse minorities, and in parts of the country where

Reply to enough (Reply #7)

Thu Jul 30, 2015, 08:45 PM

Jul 2015

the cops are more likely to encounter Native Americans or Latinos, then those are the minorities they most often brutalize.

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