This letter is an attempt to get three organizations dedicated justice for poor, blacks and persons with mental illnesses to work together to eliminate solidarity prison cells for persons with military illnesses.

Dear Coalition for Justice, Milwaukee NAMI, MICAH/ Wisdom,

I write to you as organization devoted to justice, “black lives matter” and human rights for persons with brain illnesses. Please read below and respond.

Ever since a young African American male send me the horrifying video of Natasha Mckenna’s, an African American woman with a brain illness of schizophrenia, being taken from her county solitary confinement isolation jail cell by sheriff deputies, five in biohazard suits, to her death, I have had one dominating thought of “What can I do about it”? (See video at Natasha McKenna’s Last Words ‘You Promised You Wouldn’t Kill Me’ Caught On Horrifying Video or Sheriff Kincaid Releases Natasha McKenna Video )

My deceased son, Peter, and his friend, Loren, both had mental illnesses breakdowns and were locked in the ‘isolation’ solidarity confinement cell maintained by Sheriff Clark in the Milwaukee County Jail An isolation cell for persons with a mental health episode is more torturous than a regular solitary confinement cell. A person is stripped down and spends 24 hours in this padded isolation cell with nothing to do. For my son it left a lasted scar on his mind and fear of returning to this cell was overwhelming. Peter and I were sitting in our backyard one day wondering what happened to his friend, Loren, who the police had arrested after he had a brain illness attack about five days earlier. Loren, after five days in custody was finally able to make a phone call and called me crying, requesting that I bail him out of this torture chamber. It was late Friday, so Saturday morning, after jumping through some hoops the Sheriff had put in the way I was able to bail him out of jail.

After this incident I tried to lobby County Executive’s (Walker) and County Sheriff’s office about these ‘isolation cells’ for person with brain illness breakdowns. I got no way.

Now with the deterioration and the closing of the Mental Health Complex, with hospitals not willing to treat poor persons with brain illness and the increased incarceration of African American males more and more persons living with the stigma of mental illnesses are facing jail and prison time in these cells rather than treatment. Our jails and prisons have become our mental health facilities.

Alone we are voice crying in the wilderness but together we can make a difference and stop this torturous treatment of persons with mental illness.

Your organizations are dedicated to justice for all, especially Black young men, for eliminations of solitary confinement and providing treatment to persons with mental illnesses. Can one of you three groups take the initiative to bring together all three groups, other organizations and individuals into a united front willing to take nonviolent action to stop this injustice to the most vulnerable in our Society? Together we can make a difference and close these padded isolation cells in Milwaukee that only enhance a person’s illness.

Please respond, organize and act together,

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