By Malik Washington, Destination Freedom Media Group
When San Francisco Mayor London Breed suggested the allocation of $25 million for the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), the proposed injection of cash came with a mandate: clean up our city streets!
We’ve watched various police agencies to include the California Highway Patrol and even the National Guard descend upon the City of San Francisco in order to confront gangs and others who sell Fentanyl and other illicit drugs on our streets. People need to know that the San Francisco County Sheriff’s Department (SFSO) is charged with housing the people arrested by the SFPD. The SFSO did not receive any part of the $25 million in order to hire new deputies who can staff the County’s overflowing jails. This point, in and of itself, was overlooked by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (SF BOS).
We’ve heard about the violence inside the County’s jails; we’ve heard about the understaffing, but no one has talked about the lives being saved because Mayor London Breed, the San Francisco County Health Department, and the SFSO’s Sheriff, Paul Miyamoto have prioritized health care for detoxing detainees housed inside the SFSO jail.
I know firsthand what happens to a human being who is in the throes of addiction and, after being arrested, thrown in an isolation cell ignored and neglected. Withdrawal 
symptoms can kill. I spent approximately 18 months inside the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office’s (ACSO) Santa Rita Jail (SRJ) in Dublin, California. Approximately 10 people died during my stay at SRJ. Human beings were degraded, mistreated, and abused by ACSO deputies working for the County of Alameda. Some of the deaths inside SRJ were attributed to overdoses or the lack of quality health care for those suffering from alcohol, Fentanyl or other drug withdrawal.
Alameda County’s health care contract for SRJ’s medical services is with Wellpath LLC (Wellpath). I’ve written extensively about Wellpath and the deaths inside SRJ. My journalism and advocacy are driven and fueled by my passion to give a voice to those who have no voice. Destination Freedom Media Group and the Davis Vanguard have helped me reach thousands and for that I am eternally grateful. The readers who share our articles also help amplify our struggle. The fact that Alameda County’s provision of health care for the incarcerated is flawed has already been established.
Today, I am providing the public with a closer look about what is happening inside the County jail in downtown San Francisco. This jail which is operated by SFSO is known as County Jail #2 (CJ#2) or 850 Bryant. I arrived at 850 Bryant around 3:30 p.m. on June 3, 2024. I took a commercial flight from Las Vegas, Nevada to San Francisco and was escorted by two U.S. Marshals. Once my photo was taken and I was fingerprinted, I was placed in a holding tank with newly arrested detainees.
Many of the men I was housed with were in various stages of detox or withdrawal. Their drugs of choices were Fentanyl, Meth, alcohol, or other drugs. These men came from a diverse mix of races and ethnicities; some were young and some were old, but none of us were very affluent. I observed vomiting (some profusely), some suffered from uncontrollable diarrhea, noses running, sneezing, and coughing. As the night progressed, the holding tank became full and bodies were strewn across the floor.
I personally have been clean and sober for nearly three years, so my observation skills are a little bit keener than the average detainee. It doesn’t hurt that I’ve been a journalist for over 12 years. I can say that these men, who were obviously suffering, were not left to fend for themselves (unlike at SRJ – Alameda County). The SFSO has teamed up with the San Francisco County Department of Public Health (SFDPH) (their mission is to protect and promote the health of all San Franciscans) in order to provide robust health care, monitoring, and treatment for detainees experiencing volatile withdrawal symptoms.
I was shocked at the stark difference of what I experienced inside SRJ as compared to what I was seeing inside 850 Bryant. Some people take for granted the care that they are provided in San Francisco County. But after seeing so much death inside SRJ, I acknowledge a blessing when I witness it firsthand. The one key difference I noticed between the San Francisco County jail system and the Alameda County jail system was that the deputies in San Francisco do not have any say-so as to who receives and doesn’t receive health care or treatment. Those decisions are strictly left up to the trained medical personnel who work for the SFDPH.
SFSO deputies provide security for health care workers from a safe distance, but do not interfere with the medical professionals. Within 24 hours after arriving at 850 Bryant, I was moved upstairs to F Pod (intake housing unit for general population detainees). While on F Pod, I was housed with approximately 70 other detainees. I noticed health care professionals arriving on the pod at all hours of the day and night conducting welfare checks on the numerous detoxing detainees housed at the jail. Nurses took vitals, dispensed medication, and even passed out ice for those struggling to cope with their withdrawal.
I can say with conviction that the SFSO is on the front line of the Fentanyl epidemic in San Francisco. They are doing the best job they can considering the resources they have been provided. I want to be very clear about something. I will never be an advocate for jail over treatment options nor will I be used or manipulated into being a spokesperson for policy that promotes mass incarceration. However, I will speak the truth, even when that truth is unpopular and inconvenient. SFDHC and SFSO are providing care for detoxing detainees AND THAT’S A FACT!
On April 1, 2023, I sat on my bunk in a solitary cell inside SRJ. Outside over 150 people protested; they banged on drums and screamed “CARE NOT DEATH” into bullhorns. I silently shed tears on my bunk that day because people heard my voice and they cared about those who society has thrown away and forgotten about. On that day we were seen.
I am currently housed at the San Francisco County’s San Bruno Jail (CJ#3). I am participating in an amazing program for incarcerated military veterans known as C.O.V.E.R. (Community of Veterans Engaging in Restoration). For me, the “self-work” has begun.
Stay tuned ladies and gentlemen, because I will soon be reporting on what some incredible VA volunteers and the Veterans service organization, Swords to Plowshares are doing to help heal some willing members of our community.
Malik Washington is a freelance journalist and Director at Destination: Freedom and Destination Freedom Media Group.
