ODESSA, Texas — After 10 inmates at the Ector County Detention Center tested positive for COVID-19 while another ten are awaiting results, family and friends of inmates are taking a stand.
Alicia Vaughn put together Friday's protest because she wanted to bring attention to the fact that the jail wasn't doing enough to keep inmates safe from the virus.
"Even though they’ve done a crime, this is a medical pandemic, and a lot of people could die from this and they need to be taken care of. They need to have masks and they need to have cleaning supplies so that they can keep their area clean because most of it’s all-metal," Vaughn said.
Vaughn came out in support of her son and his fiancée to try and keep them protected from the virus. Not everyone is as lucky.
Leticia Medina has a daughter in the detention center who has tested positive for COVID-19.
"On June 23, she messaged me and said mom I’m very sorry. I am here to inform you that I became positive for the COVID. So I counted the days, it took 49 days for my daughter to get any kind of medical help," Medina said.
Medina is speaking out because she believes these inmates are being ignored.
"I am speaking on behalf of my daughter. I am her voice. I am the voice of the people that cannot speak for themselves, that they are being ignored. They are human beings, and they need to be taken care of," Medina said.
However, Sgt. Gary Duesler of the Ector County Sheriff's office said that the jail is working to protect the inmates by checking each person for symptoms upon arrival. He said that the jail performs daily checks multiple times each day too.
"If an inmate has got a grievance and he feels like he needs to be tested, there’s a process for that and we can check them, but they’re checked around the clock three times a day minimum," Duesler said.
For the protesters, a big concern is that the inmates aren't being given masks to help slow the spread of the virus. Duesler said that there is a reason for that. He worries that the masks could be used to harm the officers working there or even the other inmates.
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