The family and
friends of inmates at the Westville Correctional Facility are inviting other
concerned citizens to participate in a drive-by protest from 12 to 2 p.m.
Tuesday, April 28, “to communicate their disgust regarding the current
conditions that prisoners in Westville are being forced to live and die in.”
On April 16, the
Westville Indicator reported that COVID-19 cases at the prison spiked from
11 to 90, including one fatality, and that inmates are complaining “of going
weeks without masks, lack of cleaning supplies, and conditions that could
lead to an extensive outbreak.”
The organizer of
the protest on Tuesday, Angela Grable, has received similar reports from an
inmate who she and her husband have befriended, that the guards are wearing
masks but none issued to inmates, that there isn’t hot water for bathing and
hand-washing, and that 76 inmates in a dormitory of 77 tested positive for
the virus.
The familes of
other inmates are reporting sick inmates who have neither been tested nor
isolated, and a general lack of concern and urgency among prison healthcare
staff.
“This is a time of
action in correcting the problems as we are aware of,” Grable said. “No one
should be treated inhumanely, and not taking the virus and guidelines
seriously has ramifications well beyond the prison: first for the staff and
their families, and in turn for all of society as it continues to spread. A
thorough investigation needs to be done, and accountability should be had by
those involved.”
Folks are urged to
contact Gov. Eric Holcomb at (317) 232-4567 or at Office of the Governor,
Statehouse, Indianapolis, IN 46204-2797
Meanwhile, the
Porter County Jail has reported 33 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among inmates
there and the infection of two jail officers as well. Those inmates are in
medical quarantine and the officers self-isolating at home.