House Republicans slam treatment of Jan. 6 defendants held at D.C. jail

WASHINGTON – Four House Republicans held a press conference Tuesday to complain about poor conditions at a District of Columbia prison that held inmates related to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol were charged with violence.

But a District of Columbia prison reform advocate said in an interview that the DC jail and one more prison had been in dire condition for years and received little attention when mostly local black inmates were affected.

A 2015 report by civil rights attorneys documented “appalling” conditions in the facilities.especially given its disproportionate impact on African Americans. “

The press event, which took place in the US Capitol, was attended by two GOP members who were deprived of their committee duties by votes in the House of Representatives – MPs Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia and Paul Gosar from Arizona.

Action was taken against Greene after Social media posts surfaced calling for violence against democratic leaders.

Gosar in addition was censored by the Democrats F.or posting an online anime-style video showing him attacking MP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y.

A third Congressman at the press conference, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, is being investigated by the Justice Department to investigate allegations of sex trafficking to see if he violated federal law by making payments to a 17-year-old girl in exchange for sex has.

The fourth, Rep. Louis Gohmert of Texas, has run for his state’s attorney general.

Greene at the issued press event a report during her visit to the two DC prisons where she spoke to some of the more than three dozen inmates awaiting trials for their part in the January 6 riot.

A mob of thousands of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol that day to prevent Congress from confirming the 2020 presidential election. All four members of the House of Representatives at the press event on Tuesday supports at least one objection to count the votes of President Joe Biden.

Five people died on January 6, including one police officer, and four police officers died of suicide in the aftermath of the riot.

Greene said those detained in connection with the attack on the Capitol will not be treated like other inmates. “The January 6 defendants are treated differently on an entirely different level,” she said.

“These prisoners suffer from long isolation from the outside world,” said Gosar. “They are denied the right to go to the chapel in worship, not even to take communion. Many have described burning their hair using harsh chemicals to trim it. “

Detainees must be vaccinated if they want to receive communion or have their hair cut.

Gaetz joked that he was glad that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, removed Greene from her committees so she could work on what he called “the most rigorous report Republicans have written in the 117th Congress “Designated.

“This report will be a signpost for the ongoing Republican oversight efforts in Congress,” said Gaetz.

He added that if the GOP pulls back the House of Representatives in the 2022 midterm elections, the Republicans will Subpoenas and supervise.

“The idea that the Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives and that we will hold hands with the Democrats and the legislature in the warm spring rain is ridiculous,” said Gaetz.

All lawmakers called for the inmates to be released on January 6th.

A jury of three judgess, in a District of Columbia Appeals Court ruling, dismissed charges for rioters charged with violence, such as: B. those who “actually attacked police officers and breached windows, doors and barricades, and those who supported, conspired, planned or coordinated such actions are in a different category of danger than those who fueled the violence or entered the Capitol after others had cleared the way. “

The Justice Department did calculated almost 675 people who were involved in part of the uprising. But only a few are held in DC

Greene’s report did not take into account the other 1,400 inmates of this prison and another in the District of Columbia. It focused only on those who participated in the January 6 uprising.

The two prisons are the Central Detention Facility, known as the DC Jail, and the Central Treatment Facility.

Those involved in the uprising are the Central Treatment Facility, which, according to federal officials, is considered the more appropriate of the two facilities.

A report from the US Marshals Service found the CTF to be less egregious than the DC Prison.

The CTF facility also provides medical services and visits to families.

The dire conditions at both DC facilities aren’t new, but with the arrival of the 40+ people involved in the uprising, there’s now a revitalized interest – though Washington supporters have been raising concerns for years.

In 2015 the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs published a report which condemned the treatment of prisoners in prisons.

“The appalling detention conditions in DC prison facilities, especially given their disproportionate impact on African Americans, are a central issue of criminal justice and civil rights in Washington DC,” the report said.

A local task force launched one in February to plan to close both prisons and to open a new main facility.

Patrice Sulton, the director of the DC Justice Lab – an organization committed to criminal justice reform – helped prepare the task force report.

She told the States Newsroom that she was particularly frustrated that conditions in DC prisons were drawing attention with the arrival of the insurgents.

“Having a handful of whites in the nicer of the two facilities is a concern, and having such a strong local response is an incredible insult to the value of black life,” she said.

Sulton said while the change is welcome, she hopes it will get the DC Council to implement the task force’s recommendations.

“There is no humane place to imprison people,” she said. “We can do a lot better than before.”

House Republicans slam treatment of Jan. 6 defendants held at D.C. jail