Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has been touring America over the last year making a name for himself as Donald Trump’s favorite cop. He welcomes any opportunity to be the black voice of the GOP, parroting a bunch of hateful rhetoric about deporting immigrants, Black Lives Matter being a hate group akin to the KKK, and threatening violence against his critics on social media. Of course, his hypocrisy knows no bounds. He is registered and holds office as a Democrat—despite behaving like a desperate lap dog of the Republican Party, who is all too happy to have him as evidence that they are not a bunch of racists. He also seems to be content to ignore the horrendous way the inmates are being treated in the Milwaukee County Jail. In addition to pregnant women being forced to give birth in shackles while incarcerated, it appears that inmates under his watch are dying of dehydration.
[Terrill] Thomas started the weeklong stretch at the Milwaukee County Jail belligerent and loud, the result of an untreated mental illness, prosecutors said. But as the days wore on, he grew weak and dehydrated. He lost nearly 35 pounds and turned quiet, never asking for or receiving medical attention.
Barely two hours into his eighth day in solitary, jail staff found Thomas, 38, dead on his jail cell floor, the result of profound dehydration.
Prosecutors began an inquest on Monday to question witnesses in front of a jury before they file criminal charges. In this case, the jury may determine whether there is probable cause to file charges, though prosecutors are not required to follow the jury’s verdict. And let’s hope that no matter what the jury recommends, they hold someone responsible for Terrill Thomas’s death.
In his opening statement, Assistant District Attorney Kurt Benkley said surveillance videos show three corrections officers cut off the water in Thomas' cell – a disciplinary measure after Thomas flooded another cell – and never turned it back on. The same officers never documented the water cutoff or notified supervisors, leaving fellow corrections officers in the dark.
Not only does it appear that corrections officers actually cut off the water in Thomas’s cell, it also seems that they did not bring him drinks or water with his food for the duration of the week. This seems like the very definition of cruel and unusual punishment. But there’s more: Because Thomas suffered from mental illness, prosecutors contend that he was unable to tell anyone about his deteriorating condition.
In theory, Thomas could have caused a commotion over his lack of water. But Benkley said the evidence will show Thomas' bipolar disorder – which the jail's staff knew about – made it apparent he "was unable to tell people about his basic needs." Thomas was in jail following an arrest on charges that he shot a man, drove to the Potawatomi casino and fired two rounds inside the building. Family members said he was in the throes of a mental breakdown.
This is most certainly not an acceptable way to treat prisoners with mental illness or any way to treat prisoners, period. Just exactly why was his water turned off? And why did no one bring Terrill Thomas water or drinks with his food for an entire week? What is going on in the Milwaukee County Jail and who is accountable? This is one of four deaths to occur in a six month period in 2016 at the jail. Perhaps it’s time for Sheriff David Clarke to do his job and stop running around the country sucking up to Donald Trump and his Republican buddies.