Shame On All of Us -- A Poem Dedicated to My Clients in 5B and M8 of Santa Clara County Jails

Lara Wallman - SV De-Bug - August 3, 2020

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Covid-19 has now rippled through our county jails

It is the storm before the tsunami

And we all know it’s coming

Just like San Quentin

It’s coming

It’s coming into our own city

Our own community

In the heart of Silicon Valley

In the “leftist” bay area

At the center of democracy

It’s coming

And we are all at fault

It’s the guard’s fault

Who was too lazy to wear a mask

Who thought it was uncomfortable

And only put it on when his sergeant was around

It’s the nurse’s fault

Who saw only a criminal complaining of symptoms

And told the patient to shut up

And to stop complaining

It’s the jail employees

Who denied the Covid-19 patients

The ability to take a shower for 10 days

Only to use a bucket

When they were feverish or shivering

And begging for mercy

It’s all our fault

It’s the judge’s fault who denied bail

Even though the patient was considered high risk for complications

Who was more afraid of the “Persky” effect

Than the humanity of the patient

It’s the district attorney’s fault

Who fought hard against bail

Under the auspices of “public safety”

When the patient’s own safety had been jeopardized

By those responsible for him

And it’s also my fault

For failing to convince the judge and district attorney

To see my client as a human being

To see him for who he is

Not for the mistake he may have made

Shame on us all

Sometimes we forget what this new uproar is about

Why people are getting tear gassed in the streets in protest

It’s about humanity

It’s the notion that people who have been historically marginalized

Deserve dignity and respect

It’s not political

And it’s not novel

But it is this humanity which we have lost sight of

There is a Covid-19 outbreak at our county jails

Is it really going to take someone to die

For the rest of us to step in

And demand better

These men and women are presumed innocent

And some are in jail without bail

And without the hope of having a trial anytime soon

It’s indefinite incarceration

Which is the antithesis of what our constitution demands

But even if this was death row

What makes us a democracy

What makes us human

Is treating each other with dignity and respect

It’s taking social distancing seriously

It’s wearing a mask when you go to work

Especially when thousands of inmates have no ventilation

Are crammed in small spaces

With no ability to social distance

And are wholly dependent on you to keep them safe

It’s about nurses listening to their symptoms

As if they were in an actual hospital

It’s about the doctors taking the time to see each patient

And sending them to the hospital

In an abundance of caution

And not when it’s too late

Our clients deserve better than a potential death sentence

When they enter our county jails

If we are a democracy

If we care about humanity

Then let’s start here

Before it’s too late

Written by

Lara Wallman

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