The Soviet-style conditions in which January 6 arrestees molder By Andrea Widburg
Every totalitarian regime has foul prisons in which they confine people who dared to oppose the regime. Sadly, in the Age of Biden, it turns out that America is no different. George Parry has written about the conditions at the D.C. jail in which those arrested for the January 6 riots are confined, and what he writes should horrify every person who believes in the Constitution and Due Process of Law.
To fully appreciate what’s happening in D.C., here’s a quick reminder about the rights Americans have before, during, and after being arrested:
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
[snip]
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Many of the January 6 defendants were arrested after dawn raids on their homes, with the FBI stripping them bare (both homes and people). They’ve been held for 11 months in appalling conditions (more on that in a moment), without bail and without trial. Because they are in D.C., when they are finally brought before a judge after months in Gulag-like conditions, they have the choice of either a biased judge or a biased jury. Because most are poor, they seldom have competent counsel and, I have read, often have court-appointed attorneys who despise them.
Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Louis Gohmert managed to force their way into the D.C. jail in the January 6 detainees are being held, and they produced a hair-raising document entitled “Unusually Cruel—An Eyewitness Report From Inside the DC Jail.” But there’s more going on than just terrible conditions (bad as they are).
As George Parry spells out in detail, the woman in charge of the jail, Kathleen Landerkin, is a fanatic who hates Trump and Whites. Going back years, her tweets drip with bile for the people who would dare support Trump, while repeating the party line about 2020’s “peaceful” riots:
“Replying to @realDonaldTrump Give it a f–king break. White men are more dangerous than immigrants.”
[snip]
“Replying to @realDonald Trump You’ll be in jail soon.”
[snip]
In regard to the jailed January 6 Capitol Hill protesters, she approvingly retweeted, “Every prison needs a MAGA wing.” And, in response to the tweet “DC Jail is run by DC Govt agency. Id bet good money no fox news is being shown,” she tweeted “Nope. No Fox News.”
Not long after that last tweet, Landerkin had placed in her care scores of January 6 detainees.
On November 4, Greene and Gohmert, along with their staff, were finally able to bully their way into the jail. What they discovered would have made Stalin proud: Critical Race Theory being taught to Black prisoners in clean rooms, while the January 6 detainees are in cells that have walls dotted with feces, blood, and dirt, filthy showers; no access to their families and attorneys; no access to razors as punishment for being unvaccinated; outdoor time only twice a week; inedible food; no religious services; no medical care; and more.
Our Republican politicians have been shamefully, disgustingly, embarrassingly quiet about this. They are cowards and quislings. They like cute tweets and poll-tested statements for Fox News but will do nothing for these men. Indeed, Sen. McConnell just threw his weight behind the January 6 committee’s Soviet-style show trial. If we have the political class we deserve, America is a dead country walking.
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