2006---George Hill Jr., Funeral/George Boston Rhynes attends (Tifton Georgia)

George Boston Rhynes President of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Branch of the NAACP attends George Hill Jr's Funeral in Tifton, Georgia an inmate who died while in the Lowndes County Jail.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION: THE HISTORY OF DECEASED JAILED INMATES WHO HAVE DIED IN OR SURROUNDING THE LOWNDES COUNTY JAIL FOR WHATEVER REASON.

TOO MANY CONCERNED CITIZENS CONTINUE TO ASK WHY NO LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY HAVE TRIED TO PUT A STOP TO THIS TREND OF DEATHS FOR WHATEVER REASONS.

THE LIST JUST KEEP ON GROWNING, AND GROWING, AND GROWING, AND THE PAIN OF MOTHERS, FATHERS, SISTERS, BROTHERS, LITTLE CHILDREN, AND A FEW OTHER PEOPLE WHO PEOPLE CONDEMN FOR BELIEVING IN A GOD OF LOVE.

THE LITTLE CHILDREN KEEP ASKING! MOM, DAD, WHY DO YAL VOTE FOR POLITICIANS WHO SIT DOWN, DO, AND SAY NOTHING. MOM, DAD, ARE THEIR ANY CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS, JEWS, OR GOOD PEOPLE IN THE WORLD ANYMORE?

MOM, DAD, IF WE ARE ARRESTED AND DIE WHILE IN JAIL FOR WHATEVER REASON. WILL YAL DO SOMETHING ABOUT US OR WILL YOU SIMPLY CONTINUE TO ATTEND CHURCH, MOSQUE, OR OTHER BUILDINGS AND PRAY TO GOD.

WHILE OTHER MOTHERS AND FATHERS CHILDREN CONTINUE TO DIE FOR WHATEVER REASONS. BUT YOU BURY YOUR HEADS IN THE SAND LIKE THE LEGEND CONCERNING THE OSTRICH.

MOM, DAD IT CANNOT BE TRUE THAT THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE HAVE DIED AND NO BODY SEEMS TO BE CONCERNED.

MOM, DAD! WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? OR WOULD HE CARE ABOUT THESE PEOPLE AND THER MOMA'S?

1-Willard McFarland, (BLACK), age 63, 01 April 1994 CAUSE OF DEATH: Post-arrest hypoxi encephalopathy to cardiac dysrhythmia, due to cardiomegaly with left ventricular hypertrophy.

2-Willie Lee Gaye, (BLACK), age 39, died 23 October 1995: CAUSE OF DEATH: Chronic Ethanolism

3-James N. Starling, (WHITE), age 63, died 1 May 1996: CAUSE OF DEATH: Coronary atherosclerotic disease

4-Willie James Williams, (BLACK), age 49, died 2 September 1998: CAUSE OF DEATH: Subdural Hemotoma

5-Ronzie Sonny Graham, (BLACK), age 48, died 13 July 2000: CAUSE OF DEATH: Uknown

6-Rosemary King, (NOT PROVIDED), Age 40, died 20 July 2001: CAUSE OF DEATH: High Blood Presure Hyper Tension

7-Richard William Oakley, (WHITE), age 27, died April 2002: CAUSE OF DEATH: Suicide/Hanging

8-Sandra J. Wallace, (BLACK), age 39, died 31 August 2002: CAUSE OF DEATH: Complications of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

9-Lisa Sanders, (BLACK), age 38, died 2003: CAUSE OF DEATH: Natural Cause

10-John Henry Dejonghe, (WHITE), age 49, died 21 June 2004: CAUSE OF DEATH: Seizure disorder in a background of chronic ethanolism

11-Amaruy Quinones, (HISPANIC), age 34, died 2 September 2005: CAUSE OF DEATH: Self Induced Staravation

12-Esavious Wright, (BLACK), age 29, died, 16 February 2006: CAUSE OF DEATH: Heart Attack

13-Bobby Stanford, (BLACK), age 55, died 23 March 2006: CAUSE OF DEATH: Aneurysm of Aorta

14-Clarence Fender, (WHITE), age 70, died 2 April 2006: CAUSE OF DEATH: Heart Attack

15. George Hill Jr., age 21, (BLACK), died 23 June 2006: CAUSE OF DEATH: Heart Attack

16.NAME NOT GIVEN: (But Available). Following the State of Georgia NAACP, Press Conference at the Lowndes County Jail on July 5, 2006 at 1:00pm by President Edward DuBose. Three family members and an associate of the family made another death known. This deceased inmate name is WITHHELD out of respect to the family. However, it is public record and has been verified.

What inmates said on May 5, 2005, is quickly becoming a reality. That more deaths had occurred in or surrounding the jail but not reported to the general public.

Moreover, it may be a good idea to check with the local News Media and verify the dates, and within what time frame these deaths identified by an (*) were reported to the public by the local media.

SEE THE WHAT POSITION OU ONLY NEWS PAPER TOOK AND HOW THEY REPORTS ON THE JAIL NUMBERS:

http://www.valdostadailytimes.com/local/local_story_189231440.html

2006----No Water In Jail, Councilman Wright Responds to George Boston Rhynes, who responded to Inmates and parents!

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From: George Rhynes, Valdosta-Lowndes County NAACP
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 12:50 PM

TO: All TV Stations, and Valdosta Daily Times our only local daily News paper (Mayor and Council members Respectively)
Subject: No Water For Inmates to drink (calls received)

Valdosta-Lowndes County Georgia, NAACP, Aug 16, 2006
Valdosta, Georgia 31605

TO: Local News Media Outlets (South Georgia Media) TV Stations and newspapers

It has been brought to our attention and other organizations that inmates in Jail Cell A2, in the Lowndes County Jail water fountains does not work. The cooler that was providing water was removed from the cell. Therefore, inmates had no water to drink. We were told that they became outraged and were put on a two-day lock down, and cannot have visitation for two weeks.

I am not sure if this is true or false at this time as I just received several calls. However because we are in office to answer member’s complaints a request is made that some valid attention be given to this complaint. Both parents, and inmates called requesting help in this matter. Since you have access to more areas than parents, organizations etc. I am notifying you of this serious matter as was related to us.

We know nearly seventeen deaths have already occurred in this facility since 1994, for whatever reasons. We also understand that too often inmate’s complaints are without substance. However, because of the high heat we must act before something more serious happen.

I thank you for your time, efforts, and attention to this matter on behalf of the parents, inmates, children and others within our community. Again, on behalf of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Branch of the NAACP. Thanks...


GEORGE BOSTON RHYNES
President, Valdosta-Lowndes County NAACP
A concerned citizens and brother of humanity

COUNCILMAN WRIGHT DRAFTED THIS LETTER TO THE MAYOR, COUNCIL, AND CITY MANAGER AND HE SENT ME A COPY OF THIS COMMUNICATION: HE IS THE FIRST LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL TO SEND ANY REQUEST IN WRITING CONCERNING THESE DEATHS IN THE LOWNDES COUNTY JAIL.

James Wright wrote: August 16, 2006

Dear Mayor, Council and City Manager

This issue touches on a sensitive issue for me. The City of Valdosta pays the county to house our inmates. According to reports and news articles, the last thing that my brother (Esavious Wright) did at the jail before he died was asked for a glass of water. In fact, Captain Yeager stated in the newspaper and to me personally that my brother ask for a glass of water, was not given any, turned around collapsed and died.

I have since learned that my brother would often wake in the middle of the night -in pain- and ask for water to drink. He would drink water until he felt better. Would water have saved his life? I don’t know. I do know that he asked for water and did not get it, nor was any available for him.

It is time that we began to deal with the pain these types of problems have created in our community. I urge this Mayor and Council to please find a way to provide these people with water to drink.

Sincerely

Councilman Wright

MY LETTER BACK TO COUNCILMAN JAMES WRIGHT

TO: Valdosta Councilman James Wright, All South Georgia News Media Outlets, Concerned Citizens, Parents, Inmates and beyond

I am deeply humbled Councilman Wright by this information concerning your late brother Esavious Wright who died in the Lowndes County Jail. If your brother needed water and did not receive any. I as a tax-paying citizen of this city and county would like to say that I am sorry. Sorry, for not fighting harder to insure that Judge Hugh Lawson Court Order and Consent Decree in 1997 was not complied with to resolve the 105 violations that came from a 1989 Civil Suit #89-54-VAL. .

As I said in my earlier request to local media that I do not know if the allegations are real or not. However, I do know that too many inmates have perished for whatever reason without any local governmental agency doing anything of value to stop this trend. Moreover, there is a strong indication that local media in South Georgia did not do a good job in reporting at least two known deaths in the jail.

In addition, I have asked them the dates when these inmates were reported to the public but have not received even a courteous reply. Therefore, your request to the Mayor and Council may find something to assist inmates, parents etc. That may reduce the pain of other relatives in our community.

Then there was Mr. Joseph McFadden an inmate that I was given information on in (JUNE 2006), but I have not reported much on this former inmate. Why? You may ask. I allowed our local media to take their time because we wanted to see if they would report to the general public what we already have in or archives. But they have not responded and so we informed them in our original correspondence that if they did not---WE WOULD!

Therefore, when I received the information from several inmates, parents and another member of another local organization. I sent this information to beatified Local News Media Outlets in our community informing them of what we had received.

The NAACP, from its early history in 1909 has always refused to turn its back when real needs are going lacking in a community. So in conclusion, I am once again sorry for the death of your LATE brother.

And while I cannot feel your pain by hearing of this water situation in the jail. I say to you with the Spirit of the Living God. That HE, and no one else will make Luke 4:18, and Galatians 6:7 a reality in our beloved community. And all the people of GOD will say. AMEN!



GEORGE BOSTON RHYNES
A concerned citizens and brother of humanity
President, Valdosta-Lowndes County Branch (NAACP)

PS AS OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2006 I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING CONCERNING THIS MATTER