[Brenda Pitts Bennett is a Texas mother with too many family problems to handle alone and grave concerns about Texas criminal justice and health care.  Her extensive mailing list includes me; I'm re-posting an email from her, below:]

   

Please pass this around and ask everyone to call or write Dallas Commissioners and the Media?
 
First of all let me ask you the Media to please consider telling this true story?
 I am a 50 year old law abiding woman and have been all my life.  Although I can get angry as anyone in the entire world can, I still do not cuss and have maybe once said the word " damn" when I was about 20 years old.  I do not drink alcohol nor have I ever done an illegal drug.
I am not perfect but I do try to be moral.
Tonight ( October 11, 04) I went to visit my daughter Chanda Leigh Bennett D.O.B. 11-16-76, in George Allen Jail at 500 Commerce Street in Dallas Texas 75202.
My daughter has been in jail over 8 months and she is non violent plus she has Lyme Disease, kidney failure, cirrhosis of the liver and the jail doctor said she needs a liver transplant, had a heart attack while incrassated June 21, 04 because the jail refused her heart medications to her because the jail nurse told me they could not afford my daughter's medications, mild MR, Bipolar, etc.
Chanda was first put in jail at Rockwall Texas where Rockwall made many bogus charges on her and kept her in jail about 5 months but they transferred her to Dallas jail the very next day after her heart attack but Rockwall has now finally dropped all those bogus charges.  But my daughter was on probation in Dallas and because she was put in Rockwall Jail, Rockwall DA and the Rockwall Jail Nurse named Linda Bell ( the nurse who said they could not afford Chanda's meds and she caused Chanda's heart attack) called Dallas Jail, my daughter's court appointed attorney EA Shrea, Dallas DA, and Dallas Judge Lana McDaniel and told them all a lot of lies about Chanda. This made Dallas keep Chanda in jail upon transfer. I have been told by many in the legal profession that Rockwall was not suppose to transfer Chanda to Dallas until they had taken Chanda to Rockwall Court but they did.  Chanda has awaited a court date over 8 months and I cannot afford to bond her out.
Chanda would not have ever been on probation in Dallas if I could have gone to that court date in Dallas about a year and a half ago for allegations of a non violent burglary of a habitat but I had a very ill 21 year old baby son, Chip Bennett, who died last year but he was on life support for a month at Baylor Dallas Hospital and he came home for 3 months and he died in his sleep.
I have a 30 year old son named Chad Ray Bennett who has now been in Baylor Hospital in Dallas Texas for 5 days for a brain growth and they have now found another growth. Chad has been having pass out migraines and severe seizures that are not even being controlled by enormous amounts of seizure medications in the hospital.
My kids dad was on life support three times last year from Lyme and was left with major brain damage which I try and care for him also.
Therefore it was hard for me to even leave Chad at the hospital and go to see Chanda tonight in jail and then for all this injustice to happen seemed too much.
I waited in a long line which is a little hard for me because I also have Lyme Disease. This jail does not even have a bathroom and I thought ALL state and federal buildings had to have bathrooms?
I waited and filled out forms to see Chanda and then finally got my turn at the window only to be told I could not see my daughter!  I was angry but yet I still talked calmly and I asked " why" can't I see my daughter. The answer floored me!  The lady guard named Ran D told me that because I had a tiny, tiny picture of my deceased son on my drivers license that I could not see my daughter. I told the lady named Ran D " very sternly" but yet I did not holler, that this was a picture of my son who had passed away last year and that I had been coming there over 3 months to see my daughter with that same tiny picture on my license.  Ran D still said that I could not see my daughter because of me having this picture of my deceased son, she told me to leave the building. I then tore my deceased sons picture off my license and I showed her and told her I tore my deceased sons picture off my license.  She then said I am having you arrested. I then told her I wanted to talk to her boss. She said, " I am the boss". I told her that I wanted to talk to her boss. She then said she was the highest boss of the entire George Allen Jail. The male guard stood up to arrest me and at that point I had my step granddaughter with me and I left but I did turn around and tell her... without cussing that she would be fired for this. I was just glad I held myself to not blow up but she thought this was too terrible for me to question her even though I did tell her I still have " freedom of speech".  She let me know that I do not have "freedom of speech".  
I then went downstairs on the elevators to the 1st floor and I asked the guard at the entrance who was the highest person on duty that was the boss. This was guards name was Henderson and he was very nice and he made a few telephone calls for me to find out who the boss on duty was. He told me it was Sgt. Herman. I then talked on the telephone to Sgt. Herman.  Herman asked me to tell him the entire story and I did. At the end of me telling him the story he then asked me " if I told Ran D that she was going to be fired for this".  I told him that I believe I did tell her she could get fired for her actions.  Herman then said... I heard everything you said to her at the time I told her and he said, I was the guy standing behind her.  I said so... I have " freedom of speech" and I never raised my voice to her nor did I ever cuss her.  He then told me to get out of his building and " to have a nice life"!   If I am not mistaken.... this is not his building but instead it belongs to us.... the public!   Has there been a change in law in America that I am not aware of?  Is our government buildings owned by the guards that work in them and have we " lost our freedom of speech?  I have heard in my 50 years of life that the guards and police officers in Texas are the boss and if they are questioned or doubted they arrest the people who question them but I learned it to be a " fact" tonight and although I have heard this all my life, I was still alarmed to say the least!  It would have been different if I had been cussing at them or screaming but I was not doing either!
Will the tens of thousands of advocates on my e mail address book please take a moment and call Dallas Commissioners and any media you know and tell them about this? 
EVERY DALLAS COMMISSIONER WILL RECEIVE ANY FAX SENT TO THEM AT FAX  NUMBER:  214-653-6586              and a very caring commissioner is:  John Wylie Price at telephone #: 214-821-8810 and 214-653-6671 and  214-653-2839 and 214-653-2616
 
Please also send your letters of concern about this illegal action done to me by not allowing " freedom of speech" to all reporters you know and I thank you all so much!
Brenda Pitts Bennett
701 Meadowdale
Royse City, Texas 75189