Thank you! There are plenty of real issues and it is a distraction to waste our time and focus on invented issues that ultimately will not help us.
Recently I received texts from people that I know well on a Sunday evening, passing on outraged reports of the Glendale Jail not giving a detainee food or water for 24 hours. It didn't sound right. Being on the Glendale Police Chief's Advisory Panel, I was able to email a friend who is a captain on the force to find out the source of the story and the reality. He called me back 930 at night. He had personally called to point person at the jail on the issue and said that they had food and water within an hour of being checked in. The detainee's attorney had made the accusation to the city council on the Tuesday before. But when investigated, the reality was that the detainee had not eaten for a period of time before the arrest in Santa Ana, and after the arrest while in ICE custody, ICE had indeed been negligent during the many hours it took before the detainee arrived at Glendale Jail. So yes, there was abusive behavior, but it was not at the hands of the Glendale Police Dept. Once the detainee was at the jail, they were treated well. But it is more difficult for the attorney to fight ICE, so they raised the issue with the City Council. I was able to reach out to the friends who had gotten this info to try to stem the incorrect story.
Often reports lack nuance as well. There was a lot of media attention on Glendale terminating its long time contract with ICE for use of a portion of the jail. There was a lot of outrage regarding how long it took to make that decision. Chief Cid approached the council some months back and asked whether the council wished to review this contract that had been in place since 2007. Some federal funds were used in building the new GPD building, and part of that resulted in this longstanding contract. The Glendale Jail is extremely nice (so I am told and of course all things are relative). The reason that Glendale has been taking so long to make a decision on the contract is the well being of those detained by ICE. They were never detained there for longer than 6-24 hours (in theory), but while there, they had access to a phone and medical and legal services. There are visitation rights. The detainees are not locked into cells but have free movement within that particular "pod" of the jail, with TV etc and can interact with other prisoners. During this time it would be easier for local friends and family to visit them and sort out their legal options. The city council knew that if they terminated the contract, the detainees would be held at worse locations with few options for assistance. Being held at Glendale was far better than being shipped to a private prison in Texas or Missouri, etc. where it would be too far for visitation from local family, and it would be far more difficult to access legal assistance. But unfortunately the City Council had to consider the optics of the contract with ICE. Too many people did not understand the nuances of the choice, and the city did not want riots of protesters protesting about a decision that was more complicated than they understood. So the contract was terminated, and the detainees will have a more difficult time as a result. It is really important to fully understand things before we dive into our outrage.
Such a great list. I always channel my AP history teacher when I am vetting stuff: “make sure you cite scholarly sources, not just anything you find on the topic.” I check to see where they get their info, and if that source is credible. Citing anonymous or unclear sources is always a red flag. 🚩
Always. Even when using an AI tool, I use Perplexity which cites its sources, and I’m only going to focus on info where I know the source is a credible one.
Thank you! There are plenty of real issues and it is a distraction to waste our time and focus on invented issues that ultimately will not help us.
Recently I received texts from people that I know well on a Sunday evening, passing on outraged reports of the Glendale Jail not giving a detainee food or water for 24 hours. It didn't sound right. Being on the Glendale Police Chief's Advisory Panel, I was able to email a friend who is a captain on the force to find out the source of the story and the reality. He called me back 930 at night. He had personally called to point person at the jail on the issue and said that they had food and water within an hour of being checked in. The detainee's attorney had made the accusation to the city council on the Tuesday before. But when investigated, the reality was that the detainee had not eaten for a period of time before the arrest in Santa Ana, and after the arrest while in ICE custody, ICE had indeed been negligent during the many hours it took before the detainee arrived at Glendale Jail. So yes, there was abusive behavior, but it was not at the hands of the Glendale Police Dept. Once the detainee was at the jail, they were treated well. But it is more difficult for the attorney to fight ICE, so they raised the issue with the City Council. I was able to reach out to the friends who had gotten this info to try to stem the incorrect story.
Often reports lack nuance as well. There was a lot of media attention on Glendale terminating its long time contract with ICE for use of a portion of the jail. There was a lot of outrage regarding how long it took to make that decision. Chief Cid approached the council some months back and asked whether the council wished to review this contract that had been in place since 2007. Some federal funds were used in building the new GPD building, and part of that resulted in this longstanding contract. The Glendale Jail is extremely nice (so I am told and of course all things are relative). The reason that Glendale has been taking so long to make a decision on the contract is the well being of those detained by ICE. They were never detained there for longer than 6-24 hours (in theory), but while there, they had access to a phone and medical and legal services. There are visitation rights. The detainees are not locked into cells but have free movement within that particular "pod" of the jail, with TV etc and can interact with other prisoners. During this time it would be easier for local friends and family to visit them and sort out their legal options. The city council knew that if they terminated the contract, the detainees would be held at worse locations with few options for assistance. Being held at Glendale was far better than being shipped to a private prison in Texas or Missouri, etc. where it would be too far for visitation from local family, and it would be far more difficult to access legal assistance. But unfortunately the City Council had to consider the optics of the contract with ICE. Too many people did not understand the nuances of the choice, and the city did not want riots of protesters protesting about a decision that was more complicated than they understood. So the contract was terminated, and the detainees will have a more difficult time as a result. It is really important to fully understand things before we dive into our outrage.
Ugh that sounds like an absolutely no win situation, Paul, and with so much nuance :(
Such a great list. I always channel my AP history teacher when I am vetting stuff: “make sure you cite scholarly sources, not just anything you find on the topic.” I check to see where they get their info, and if that source is credible. Citing anonymous or unclear sources is always a red flag. 🚩
Always. Even when using an AI tool, I use Perplexity which cites its sources, and I’m only going to focus on info where I know the source is a credible one.