As one of her final official acts in office, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price charged nine Alameda County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) deputies and two medical staffers with felonies in the death of Maurice Monk:
Deputies Donall Chauncy Rowe, Thomas Mowrer, Ross Burruel, Robinderpal Singh Hayer, Andre Gaston, Troy Hershel White, Syear Osmani, Mateusz Laszuk and Christopher Haendel, as well as Wellpath nurse David Everett Donoho and Alameda County Forensic Behavioral Health Dr. Neal Edwards were all charged with dependent adult abuse and neglect. The defendants were named in an article by Nate Gartrell, Bay Area News Group, 11 sheriff’s deputies and medical professionals charged in Alameda County jail death Sheriff conceded ‘mistakes’ but opposed charges.
There are “seven active sworn” ACSO deputies of the nine charged. This is according to the article by Lisa Fernandez, KTVU Fox 2, Criminal charges pending in Santa Rita Jail death of Maurice Monk: memo, sister.
Deputies Troy Hershel White, Syear Osmani, and Robinderpal Singh Hayer were charged with Falsification of Official Document.
I am not confident that Pamela Price’s successor3whoever that might be—will pursue the path of accountability and justice that Ms. Price has initiated and that Maurice Monk deserves. Alameda County certainly does not have a history of holding law enforcement accountable when they have killed, abused, or grossly neglected one of our community members.
An attorney for the deputies’ union, David Mastagni, stated, “It is lawfare and all of the deputies are going to get acquitted.” When law enforcement are charged with elder abuse and falsifying an official document for the deliberate indifference in their duty to protect one of our community members and we as a community fight back with peaceful and legal means, they call it “LAWFARE.” We call it “JUSTICE.” This was not a “mistake.” This is part of the culture at SRJ.
Again, 11 sheriff’s deputies and medical professionals charged in Alameda County jail death
Sheriff conceded ‘mistakes’ but opposed charges
Maurice Monk’s case has received a fair amount of media attention for a few reasons: (1) his family will not stop seeking justice; (2) civil rights attorneys Adante Pointer and Ty Clarke will not abandon Maurice’s family; and (3) WE ALL SAW THE VIDEO FOOTAGE….the approximately 15-minute one (that no longer exists online)…of how the Alameda County Sheriff’s deputies and employees of the jail’s medical provider, Wellpath, or other medical staff literally let Maurice die. For days, these deputies never opened the cell door….even when Maurice did not respond. His food was thrown on the floor through the food slot along with his medication…which landed on the floor, too. These individuals had absolutely no regard for his humanity.
Let’s look at the short version of this video (see below). View some of it for yourself.
Question #1: Why did it take so many days (approximately 3) for an Alameda County deputy to open Maurice Monk’s cell door and physically check on Maurice Monk’s wellbeing?
Question #2: Why didn’t the pill nurse—who most likely was a registered nurse—not strongly urge the deputies to make sure Maurice was ok? This nurse has a moral and ethical duty to care for her patients.
I will answer these questions. What happened and what is currently happening inside Santa Rita Jail has to do with the CULTURE. A culture which teaches seasoned deputies that once these men and women are booked inside that jail, they no longer are treated nor viewed as human beings. We become animals and chattel slaves not worthy of empathy, kindness, or compassion. It’s not only the video evidence that is damning in the Monk case. If you pay attention to D.A. Price’s charging instrument, there is a charge against each of three deputies for “falsification of official document.”
However, we also want to raise the public’s awareness about another scandal at Santa Rita Jail (SRJ) which has been basically forgotten about. In 2017, four Alameda County deputies were charged in a case where they recruited a convicted murderer by the name of William Epting to throw fecal matter and urine on detainees who were specifically targeted by deputies. No one died in that case, although Rubin Febo did commit suicide on account of the trauma he experienced at the jail because of Epting. What was remarkable is that former D.A. Nancy O’Malley was supportive and aggressive in pursuing charges against the deputies in the Epting case. WHAT MAKES MAURICE MONK’S CASE DIFFERENT? WHAT MAKES MAURICE’S LIFE LESS VALUABLE THAN THE DETAINEES WHO EPTING THREW FECES AND URINE ON?
We have the Alameda County Coroner stating that Maurice Monk died by “natural causes.” Isn’t that convenient? Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez also operates as the Coroner for Alameda County. Now do you believe given the video evidence that there was no “elder abuse” or “falsification of official document”? Maurice Monk may have died due to his medical condition, but we don’t believe it was a “natural cause”; most likely it was “man made” because he wasn’t given the proper emergent medical care that he required due to deputy and medical staff deliberate indifference. Smells like an adjustment of the facts to avoid liability.
Listen to me carefully. Maurice Monk lay in his own body fluids for a few days. Those waste fluids soaked through his jail clothing. These deputies and medical staff members exhibited deliberate indifference, willful neglect, and reckless disregard for human life. Approximately 12 or more detainees have died at SRJ since Maurice’s death. There have been no firings or indictments until now. Our independent nonprofit news organization reached out to Alameda County Sheriff’s Public Information Officer, Captain Tya Modeste. We asked the following questions:
- Through our research, we have noticed that jail deputies have been alleged to have falsified logs and other documents at the jail, i.e., Vinetta Martin case. What changes has Sheriff Sanchez made in order to ensure that deputies keep accurate logs when monitoring detainees at the jail?
- Since the implementation of the Babu Consent Decree (February 7, 2022), there have been approximately 11 in-custody deaths at the jail. Has Sheriff Sanchez fired or meted out any discipline to deputies involved in any of these deaths?
- Considering the horrible track record of jail’s health care provider, Wellpath, does Sheriff Sanchez and her staff intend on re-visiting Wellpath’s contract and possibly choosing a new provider that will have a stronger commitment to providing quality health care to our community members?
Ladies and gentlemen, in what industry do they ignore loss of life and do not hold people accountable? Answer: Only within America’s jail/prison system is this allowed. I often wonder if the people dying at SRJ were rich tech executives, would we be begging for accountability and justice?
Wellpath LLC, the jail’s medical provider, is operating inside SRJ, Monterey County Jail, San Luis Obispo County Jail, and San Diego County Jail. I’ve been tracking Wellpath’s trail of death and misery for approximately three years. What’s ironic is that San Francisco based law firm, Rosen, Bien, Galvan & Grunfeld, LLP (RBGG) is also operating in most of these jails I mentioned. They (RBGG) are supposed to be protecting the interests of the incarcerated people housed at these jails. Perhaps more journalists and community activists should contact RBGG and ask if they would like to comment on Wellpath’s deplorable track record. You can call: (415) 433-6830 or email Kara at kjanssen@rbgg.com; santarita@rbgg.com.
This article quoted Kara Janssen of RBGG stating, “in light of the deaths it’s ‘urgent’ that a federal judge sign off on a legal agreement called a consent degree between her firm and the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, scheduled for next month.” – November 18, 2021 article by Lisa Fernandez, KTVU Fox 2 entitled, “2 deaths at Santa Rita Jail, including longshoreman killed days before his release.” We all know how much “protection” the Babu Consent Decree provides…NONE! The Babu Consent Decree was implemented on February 7, 2022. Since then there have been approximately 12 deaths at the jail.
PATTERN RECOGNITION
When human beings die in the custody of law enforcement agencies in California and beyond, it is important to engage in what I call PATTERN RECOGNITION. Specific questions must be asked in order to formulate a comprehensive pattern analysis: (1) in what manner are community members dying inside these jails or while in police custody; (2) what explanations or excuses do respective sheriffs or public information officers provide to the public?; and (3) specifically, who are the legislators or politicians that continue to remain silent while the body count grows?
NEWSOM, BONTA & MILEY: PAY ATTENTION TO PATTERNS
Now, all of you see why Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez asked the US Marshal Service to get me the hell away from SRJ. I’m a journalist and when I sink my teeth into a subject, I don’t know how to let go.
We all know about the Maurice Monk case. But what about Devin West? Oh, you thought I forgot? Devin West died on the same day as Maurice Monk at SRJ. West was also a Black man suffering from chronic hypertension. You see, ladies and gentlemen, a “pattern” exists here. We are of the opinion that Wellpath and ACSO conspired with one another to cover up the gross medical neglect that leads to lost lives.
2 deaths at Santa Rita jail, including longshoreman killed days before his release
Gale has sent numerous emails to federal trial attorneys with the DOJ Civil Rights Division. She begged them to investigate the deaths that continue to occur inside SRJ. Gale and I have collaborated on numerous letters to California legislators, like Senator Aisha Wahab, Nancy Skinner, Toni Atkins, and more. The editor of the Davis Vanguard, David Greenwald, heard our pleas and published our open letter to Rob Bonta.
Open Letter to Rob Bonta Re: In-Custody Deaths at County Jails in San Diego and Alameda:
Open Letter to Rob Bonta Re: In-Custody Deaths at County Jails in San Diego and Alameda
We pleaded with Nate Miley to do something and he has ignored us. I can’t even tell you how many emails and letters that we’ve sent to Pamela Price and her staff about conditions inside SRJ. We applaud Pamela Price’s efforts to hold these deputies and medical staff accountable. It’s about time that somebody got indicted. But what will all this mean after Pamela Price is gone?
Does anyone think that the new US Attorney General appointed by Donald Trump will come riding in on a white horse to save detainees at SRJ? Don’t hold your breath, folks! We as a community are going to have to get loud and active on the local and the state levels. The new incoming “regime” doesn’t give a damn about your civil or human rights. I want all of you to analyze and take a good look at how the US government is about to go after undocumented human beings. Just watch them closely. It’s going to be ugly and it is important that our undocumented community members and the activists who support them start organizing their underground networks of solidarity. Don’t wait for DHS and ICE to kidnap your loved ones and throw them into a death camp like SRJ. START STRATEGIZING NOW
Malik Washington is a freelance journalist and Director at Destination: Freedom and Destination Freedom Media Group.
