Friends and family members gathered outside the Joshua Tree courthouse on Thursday morning in the wake of two recent prison suicides to protest the absence of psychiatric care within the Morongo Basin jail. Inmate Joshua Pitts committed suicide in his cell on March 29. On May 15, inmate Joseph Mendoza also committed suicide in his cell. Protesters waved signs that read “Their lives mattered” and “Stop the brutality.” The families of the victims stated that both men had a known history of mental illness and that their conditions were not properly addressed while the men were in jail. Tammy Shidler, mother of victim Joshua Pitts, made an emotional plea for policy changes and justice for her son. “My child took his life because, when he asked for help, no help came…We will not stop until we have change, we won’t.” The families are demanding justice for their family members and timely psychiatric care for inmates who have a history of mental illness.
FAMILIES PROTEST AFTER SUICIDES IN LOCAL JAILS
