Valley Watch Network with Faith in the Valley has launched a campaign called “All People are Sacred” to put pressure on the Kern County Board of Supervisors to address the public health violations at the California City Detention Center.
Nora Zaragoza-Yanez is a program manager with Faith in Valley and oversees the Valley Watch Network. She explained that through the campaign, they hope to remind people of the community members in the detention center and that they deserve humane treatment.
“It’s really just talking and bringing back humanity to our community members that are in detention centers. And we use the term community members broadly, because if someone is brought here and they’ve lived here, even just for a couple of hours, they’re part of our community. They’re integrated in our community,” said Zaragoza-Yanez.
She continued to say that everyone deserves dignity and respect.
“We all deserve dignity. We all deserve respect. And we deserve that our rights, again, that are protected under the Constitution, regardless of immigration status,” said Zaragoza-Yanez.
During the Kern County Board of Supervisors meeting on May 12, Valley Watch Network and other community members spoke during public comment, stating that they have both a legal and moral obligation to check the facility. Abby Rodella, a community organizer with Faith in the Valley, stated Kern County voters are also concerned.
“Senate Bill 1132 gives you, as county leaders, the power and responsibility to ensure everyone here in these centers is treated with respect and dignity. Faith in the Valley has heard from hundreds of Kern County voters who are deeply concerned about the conditions in these four private detention centers. Mind you, Kern County holds of half of the amount of detention centers in the entire state of California,” said Rodella.
Chairman Philip Peters asked the county counsel to elaborate on the efforts the supervisor has already made and what they can do. Council stated they have sent letters to agencies that oversee health facilities, but have not heard back, nor have they been told that they must go in. She stated that they have concerns about showing up to do the inspection because the detention center does not have to let them in.
Peters responded by saying they don’t have the authority to make changes. Zaragoza-Yanez stated that the concern of not being able to enter isn’t a valid excuse to not try to do an inspection.
“It is not a valid excuse. Absolutely not. I feel like it’s just a cowardly way cop out, honestly,” said Zaragoza-Yanez.
Lewis Gillum, a legal observer with Valley Watch Network, spoke about health issues he’d heard about within the detention center.
“The stories include that of one man who witnessed two untreated heart attacks inside California City. Another who’d lost 20 pounds in eight weeks because the food was so spoiled, water so dirty it burns the throat and cramps the gut. Being thrown in the hole for speaking up about any of it. Just this morning, I spoke with a released community member who told me that he had spent the past four months of confinement walking in circles in his cell because it was the only way to get any exercise and the only thing to do,” said Gillum.
He explained the difficulties people face when they are released from the center and how the organization helps.
“Last Thursday, a 72-year-old man very frail who needed the use of a roller walker to make the few steps from the front door of the ISAP office on Chester to the DHS van that was waiting for him that then dropped him off outside the bus station on Truxton, leaving him to fend for himself. He had no money, no way to contact family, no way to purchase a ticket. So, we do what we do. We did what we do. Contacted family, arranged for a ticket, arranged for lodging so he could rest for the night. He’s now on his way home,” he explained.
Community member, Ellen Schaffhauser, stated her support for Valley Watch Network and called for the supervisors to assist with funds to help those released from the detention centers, so that it does not all fall on volunteers.
“These releases create both a humanitarian concern and a public health and safety issue. When vulnerable people are dropped into the community without resources, the burden falls on volunteers and private donors to meet urgent needs,” said Schaffhauser. “That should concern all of us as supervisors. As supervisors, you oversee county funding for public health and public safety. Yet today, private citizens are carrying responsibilities that should not rest solely on volunteers organizing a public need. I urge you to consider allocating county funds to support the work already being done by Valley Watch Network or to establish a county program that ensures released individuals can contact family, access food and medications, and return home safely.”
Rodella stated that it is important for the community to understand that the issues within the detention center not only affect those detained but also their families, friends, and others in the community.
“These violations are happening while we continue our day-to-day lives, and their people. Right? And especially in a society where certain bodies, certain people are considered not as sacred as others. It’s important that we pay attention to this, because I’ve met people from Latin America, from other countries, like Sudan, Egypt, India, China, all over the world who had a home here, and families. So, this is something that is everyone’s issue. Should be everyone’s issue,” said Rodella.
To support the campaign, community members can sign this petition on change.org.
