Outbreak Yakima County Jail

This letter was reposted with permission. It describes conditions taking place right now all over the United States...


To Whom This May Concern..........

I am reaching out to you today as a concerned inmate here of the Yakima County Jail.  On, or about June 26, 2020, the Corona Virus hit two tanks in the annex. One of those tanks housed the trustee workers who handle the food for this jail.  I was in the annex, and everything seemed fine until June 29, 2020, the day our tank was called one by one to be tested for the COVID 19 virus.  Minimal precautions were taken to protect us inmates, "considering the seriousness of this virus and the pandemic that it's causing.”
Issues of sanitation, being, thirty-four inmates were tested and only one glove was changed after each testing, by the nurse. Although our results of that day all came back "NOT DETECTED", the next day half the tank either had symptoms, or was bedridden and sick. No one got up for days unless it was for med-line, to express their symptoms, or to get their meals. Within days, SO many people were sick, you could just SMELL the sickness from the sweat on their clothing, sheets and blankets, by just a couple feet away from them.
We were restricted from movement once the Corona Virus hit the annex, " no inmate leaves or enters”, so we won't bring the virus back to our tank. But somehow the COVID 19 was brought to the US.  On July 7, 2020, we were tested again, and over two-thirds of the thirty four inmates TESTED POSITIVE for the COVID 19 virus. The night the results came back I saw a grown man cry when he thought no one was looking. "THE FEAR IS REAL IN HERE."
It is unknown how long we've been exposed, but those of us who didn't test positive were moved to a different floor. Nine of us to be exact, and one more the next day. TEN OUT OF THIRTY-FOUR.  In the annex, every bunk surrounding mine tested positive for the CoronaVirus. Our bunks are roughly two feet apart, and unfortunately "more people than NOT" coughed openly without covering their mouths, LET-ALONE, wear their masks.
I figured, to ensure we didn't carry the virus with us, I requested a change of clothing, sheets and blanket - but was denied by the classification officer, reason being, " WE'VE ALREADY BEEN EXPOSED ANYWAYS, SO THE CHANGE WON'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE."
Also, upon intake of our new tank, no one was screened, being asked if they either HAD, or WERE experiencing any symptoms.  Just days before, two out of us ten that got moved were sick in bed and explained more than once in med-line, while in the annex.  It is my belief, the lack of screening only spread the virus even more. Along with having no spray bottles to sanitize our surroundings or clean, until the next day. The ten of us were tested on July 13, 2020. I sent a kite to medical on July 15th voicing my concerns about those who DO happen to come back with positive results, If any moves will  be made to protect the ones who aren't positive for the COVID 19 virus. The response to my kite is quoted: " WE HAVE PROTOCOLS IN PLACE TO ADDRESS THE ABOVE ISSUES".
The results came back on July 16th, 2020. Seven out of ten came back positive for the CoronaVirus.  I am one of the last three inmates to NOT test positive for the COVID 19 virus, and where a protocol was supposedly in place to address this issue, nothing has been done, and no move has been made.
THREE OF US LEFT, OUT OF THIRTY-FOUR. Those odds weigh heavily on my mind, week after week.  Not only am I witnessing first hand what the CoronaVirus is doing to my fellow inmates here at the Yakima County Jail, I also see what it's doing to the WORLD, every night when I watch the NEWS.  I have lost all faith in the protocols the Yakima County Jail has in place to ensure my safety while I am in their care.  It is my opinion that we are ALL being treated with DELIBERATE INDIFFERENCE for the lack of precautions taken, and lack of protocols to ensure our safety and Constitutional Rights.
I am a federal inmate with just two months left on my sentence. Tomorrow brings a new week, and probably another test. I can only pray that I don't get those NEW results.  There are those of us who are paying our debt to society, and BESIDE us, are those who are INNOCENT until proven guilty.
I believe we have EVERY right to leave this jail in the same healthy manner as we came in.  On a final note, My fellow inmates and I, "along with my wife, family, friends and loved ones", FIRMLY BELIEVES, that inmates' lives matter too......
                                  Respectfully,
         
                                 Roger Benson