Seven hours after she was examined by doctors at St. Mary’s Health Center, 29 year-old, Anna Brown sits on a wheelchair in the waiting room, draped in a sheet. She continues to complain to security personnel, yelling that the pain in her legs is so bad that she can’t stand. St. Mary’s Health Center is her third hospital visit that week. She’s been in pain since spraining her ankle and she’s refusing to leave.
A doctor clears her as healthy enough to be locked up, and she’s arrested for trespassing. She tells the officers that she can’t get out of the car and is dragged into the station by her arms. She’s left lying on the floor of the cell having difficulty breathing and moaning in pain. Fifteen short minutes later, she’s found dead by a jail worker.
Anna lies on the floor in pain
It’s believed that she was using drugs, but an autopsy revealed that she died from blood clots that began in her legs, and lodged in her lungs. She did not have drugs in her system.
Who’s to blame for this tragedy? The hospital says they did all they could. Law enforcement says they acted on the medical clearance of the doctor. Was it an error in judgement, or was simply people passing judgement. She was homeless and suffered from mental illness. Her sister said:
“She was not a drug dealer or a hooker or doing other things that she could’ve ended up dead for,” the sister said. “People assume things because of they way they talk or the way they live or the things they do.
“My sister is not here today because people passed judgement.”
About Libby Juliá-Vázquez
All I can say is “Wow”…
Wow. That’s so sad.
Stay as far away as possible from the police.
This is tragic!!!!!!! An out rage!!!!!
Ppl can see a broke arm but not a broke brain
Mental illness is real I feel for the mentally ill they don’t have a voice and we just ignore it. It’s not going away. We need to speak out for them. Some metally I’ll ppl have a mind of a 4 yr old and just need guidance. We need to help. God bless this woman and her family
She wasn’t a violent criminal
I so agree with you Socorro you cant see a broken brain
“but an autopsy revealed that she died from blood clots that began in her legs, and lodged in her lungs. She did not have drugs in her system.” The hopital staff is to blame. They passed judgement on and shuffled her away and along to jail. This isn’t the first * shocking case either. Not that long ago a young male was asking for help from his jail cell and was ignored and dismissed by jail staff for HOURS and also died in pain. This is all around SHIT treatment against people of color, the poor, the mentally ill and those who are deemed less for not being socially acceptable. Too many assholes will say that criminals get what they deserve – there is a difference between doing time for crime and being on the receiving end of blatant abuse of authority. Then WE are just as criminal as those we judge.
there gonna be a law suit
Sad. And awful.
So sad! I worked for many yrs at the Nassau Jail as a SW and I always made sure my inmates were treated like ppl first. No one deserves to be ignored or treated like crap. Anyone can make a mistake. And these jails are not set up to help anyone. I saw it up close!
This is a horrible story. A sad glimpse of what our society has become. Indeed this woman died because the hospital judged her. May God rest her soul, and provide peace to her family. No one should die this way.
I read about that it was heartbreaking!!
I agree with Chris & Sonia. In jail it happens too often. I know someone in jail now who rarely gets to see THE ONE NURSE in the prison that houses THOUSANDS of inmates. It is not lack of funding. It is population control. They’re trying to kill us minorities, the poor, ‘socially unacceptable” meanwhile THEY make money while we sit in jail. It is NOT JUST A COINCIDENCE THAT 60% OF THE INMATES ARE EITHER OF BLACK OR LATIN DESCENT. That goes hand in hand with there being a liquor store and an endless amount of fast food restaurants every 2 blocks in poor neighborhoods.
She died in pain