On the evening of Friday, May 1st, people in Unit B of Bristol County ICE custody were assaulted and pepper sprayed in the middle of a pandemic, further endangering their lives and vulnerability to COVID-19. The attack was personally led by Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson. Attorneys and community members with loved ones detained in Unit ICE B at Bristol County House of Corrections received terrifying phone calls from the inside, in which people desperately begged for help as they were attacked by officials after advocating for their safety amid the COVID-19 crisis. During the assault, guards pepper sprayed people at close range and unleashed an unknown toxic gas that left people unable to breathe, choking from the chemicals in the air, while some fainted and others whose skin reacted immediately after being sprayed.
Three people from the unit were hospitalized and many more were injured and forced into solitary confinement. No one has been able to communicate with their loved ones or their attorneys. According to a statement from Sheriff Hodgson, some will be facing criminal charges. This violence took place in the middle of an ongoing class action lawsuit filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and Yale’s Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic (WIRAC), in which several forms of abuse have been publicized, including the placement of individuals in solitary confinement for advocating for their safety.
On Monday, May 4th, people recently released from Bristol County ICE Custody, legal advocates, justice organizations, and families with loved ones who remain detained at Bristol will join together to share what they have witnessed inside Bristol County and lift the veil on the ongoing violence people experience while fighting for their lives. They will also be sharing updates of what we have learned since Friday, and the ongoing efforts to free those who remain on the inside.
WHO: Connecticut Bail Fund, The FANG Collective, Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network, New Haven Legal Assistance Association, other legal advocates, people formerly detained at Bristol Jail and family members with loved ones detained.
WHAT: Press conference to share first hand accounts from people who witnessed the assault and share updates about what we have learned since Friday. Spanish translation will be provided by conference call and Spanish speaking panelists will be translated into English.
WHERE: This press conference will be held on Zoom and broadcast live on the Facebook pages of Connecticut Bail Fund and The FANG Collective.
WHEN: 4pm EST on Monday, May 4th, 2020
RESOURCES: Below are statements released from people incarcerated and detained and incarcerated in Bristol County:
Three people from the unit were hospitalized and many more were injured and forced into solitary confinement. No one has been able to communicate with their loved ones or their attorneys. According to a statement from Sheriff Hodgson, some will be facing criminal charges. This violence took place in the middle of an ongoing class action lawsuit filed by Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and Yale’s Worker and Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic (WIRAC), in which several forms of abuse have been publicized, including the placement of individuals in solitary confinement for advocating for their safety.
On Monday, May 4th, people recently released from Bristol County ICE Custody, legal advocates, justice organizations, and families with loved ones who remain detained at Bristol will join together to share what they have witnessed inside Bristol County and lift the veil on the ongoing violence people experience while fighting for their lives. They will also be sharing updates of what we have learned since Friday, and the ongoing efforts to free those who remain on the inside.
WHO: Connecticut Bail Fund, The FANG Collective, Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network, New Haven Legal Assistance Association, other legal advocates, people formerly detained at Bristol Jail and family members with loved ones detained.
WHAT: Press conference to share first hand accounts from people who witnessed the assault and share updates about what we have learned since Friday. Spanish translation will be provided by conference call and Spanish speaking panelists will be translated into English.
WHERE: This press conference will be held on Zoom and broadcast live on the Facebook pages of Connecticut Bail Fund and The FANG Collective.
WHEN: 4pm EST on Monday, May 4th, 2020
RESOURCES: Below are statements released from people incarcerated and detained and incarcerated in Bristol County:
- May 2, 2020 - First hand account of someone who was assaulted during the Sheriff’s attack
- April 7, 2020 - Statement signed by 17 people incarcerated at the Ash Street Jail detailing inaccuracies about Sheriff Hodgson’s sworn testimony related to the Sheriff Departments response to the covid-19 crisis.
- March 24, 2020 - Statement signed by 52 people in ICE detention detailing demands and concerns amid the onset of the covid-19 crisis
- March 20, 2020 - Statement signed by 51 people in ICE detention raising health concerns amid the onset of the covid-19 crisis.
- July 19, 2019 - Statement from two people incarcerated in the Women’s Unit detailing inadequate health care at the facility.
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