This testimony was a declaration from the May 7, 2020 filing of a new class action lawsuit over jail conditions related to COVID-19 on behalf of prisoners at Santa Rita Jail against the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.
I am currently an inmate in Santa Rita Jail, the County Jail for Alameda County. I had been housed in Housing Unit (HU) 6E. On or about April 14, 2020, the jail took out six people from HU 6E. One of the inmates named Alonzo came back. The next day, April 15, 2020, I sat down and talked to Alonzo. He told me that the six were taken out because the doctor thought they all had the corona virus, but the doctor sent Alonzo back to the pod. The entire pod was quarantined, and they started taking everyone’s temperature around 8 a.m., and 5 p.m.
Wednesday night, when they measured my temperature, they told me my temperature was “a little bit high.” But they left me in the pod. Three hours later, at 8 p.m., I started getting severe pain in my bones. I have osteo-arthritis, so I thought it was something to do with my osteo-arthritis. I pushed the emergency button, and eventually, a nurse came with a doctor. When they took my temperature, my temperature was 100 degrees and my blood pressure was also high. So, they moved me to the Outpatient Housing Unit (OPHU), which is the medical ward, and put me in a cell with a bed on the floor. The cell was very cold, and I shivered all night.
The jail didn’t tell me anything, but I knew that everyone in C had tested positive for the corona virus. I am essentially in solitary confinement, with nothing for comfort, and no medical treatment. I have had no shower. I have no soap. I have none of my property. I have not been given any clean clothes. I received nothing for my cough. I received nothing for my body pains.
The next day, they moved me into Housing Unit 8A, where I received a nasal swab to test for the corona virus. The pod was very dirty. A nurse came and told me to get on my knees and stick my head through the food tray slot so they could take my temperature. I told them that I have osteoarthritis and that it is very difficult for me to kneel. The nurse said they refuse to open the door to take my temperature. After that the nurse never came back.
On Saturday, April 18, 2020, I was moved to Housing Unit 8C. The jail didn’t tell me anything, but I knew that everyone in C had tested positive for the corona virus. I am essentially in solitary confinement, with nothing for comfort, and no medical treatment. I have had no shower. I have no soap. I have none of my property. I have not been given any clean clothes. I received nothing for my cough. I received nothing for my body pains.