Doing a heck of a job Baca (Pasedena Star-News)
Under renewed fire for freeing Paris Hilton, Sheriff Lee Baca faced racism charges Monday from the Rev. Al Sharpton, a lawsuit from a double-amputee incarcerated in the same jail as the celebrity heiress and a campaign to boot him from office.
Baca has survived a barrage of controversy since taking office in 1998, ranging from releasing dangerous criminals early to kowtowing to celebrities — including last year’s handling of actor Mel Gibson’s drunken-driving arrest and anti-Semitic tirade.
Let me switch to a more in-depth article on the double-amputee, Pamela Richardson
A former inmate at the Century Regional Detention Facility filed a claim against Los Angeles County Monday, alleging she was not given the same level of medical review and care provided to hotel heiress Paris Hilton during her time at the jail.
Pamela Richardson, a 51-year-old black veteran whose legs were both amputated, claims she was treated far worse than Hilton because of her race and disability.
Richardson was arrested by Los Angeles police Feb. 28 and transferred to the women’s jail in Lynwood. Richardson claims she was handcuffed to a gurney, which later overturned and caused a hernia.
In jail, deputies removed Richardson’s prosthetic leg and provided her with a wheelchair. The wheelchair did not fit inside the jail shower, and Richardson was unable to bathe herself for eight days.
"I’ve had to crawl at night to the toilet, had to be told to crawl to the shower, which was very humiliating for me. I felt I had my dignity taken away from me," Richardson said.
Sheriff’s deputies refused to treat Richardson’s hernia and denied her the medication she needed, she said. On March 21, Richardson was released from custody. She found her prosthesis was broken in several pieces, and was forced to hobble out of the jail facility, according to her claim.
In my one and only Paris post, I never mentioned a thought that I left in comments around the sphere, namely, how her treatment could lead to others filing suit as they languished in the LA County Jail, saying they are having mental issues, in an attempt to get out early. Little did we know that it would lead to the afformentioned case, which seems to be legitimate, especially since
Richardson was never charged with a crime, and is currently receiving medical care at the Veterans Administration facility in Westwood.
Never. Charged. With. A. Crime. And the talking legal heads on TV from both sides are saying that if even half of the allegations are true, Baca is in deep doo doo.
