‘Justice for John Adena’: Silent march to Shasta County Jail scheduled Tuesday
This story is produced as part of a larger project by Matthew Brannon, a participant in the 2020 California Fellowship.
His other stories include:
Part 1: Dying Inside: Why are more deaths happening in Shasta County Jail custody?
Callout: What do you want us to know about jails in Northern California?
Part 2: Analysis reveals disparities among death rates in California county jails
Part 3: With jail deaths on the rise, California counties look to improve
Part 4: Shasta County Jail: Two important areas of policy to understand
Lawsuit alleges Shasta County Jail deputies covered up beatings that killed man in custody
John David Adena, 31, of Redding
Courtesy of Adena Family
Flier for "Justice for John Adena" rally and silent march. Contributed by Michelle Gallagher
Adena, 31, died in jail custody in September of 2019. More than a year later, his family received the autopsy report which listed his cause of death as undetermined. In April, his family filed a lawsuit alleging he died as a result of beatings from jail deputies after learning of injuries on his body.
“How much force were they using on him day in and day out for almost five weeks before he died?” his sister, Michelle Gallagher asked. “Because what it looks like, is that the (jail) is telling one story but his body is telling another.”
Shasta County has one of the highest death rates for a California county jail system of its size, a 2020 Record Searchlight investigation found, reporting 25 deaths in custody from 2006 to 2019.
“If people aren’t willing to admit there’s a problem then nothing changes, and that’s how I feel about the jail,” Gallagher said.
Gallagher said that starts with generating discussions, so she hopes Tuesday’s rally and silent march brings not only people already supportive, but also those curious to learn more. She said there's an emphasis on the silent part of the march, so potential participants aren’t concerned about things being loud or unruly.
A flier for the event says a group will gather at the gazebo off Benton Drive in Lake Redding Park at 5 p.m. From there, people will walk on the sidewalk to the jail and back. The flier encourages people to bring signs saying "Justice for John" or "Mental illness isn't a crime" and to follow instagram.com/justiceforjohnadena.
Gallagher said the event was organized by a friend, Jenae White, who was moved by Adena's story.
White worked at Mercy Medical Center with Adena and said what happened was heartbreaking.
“Something needs to change. We need to bring awareness and there needs to be transparency,” she said.
Unfortunately, White said, in the current political climate some might see the event as anti-police, but she said that's not the case.
“This isn’t about scapegoating police or law enforcement, but just the fact that we’re standing as a community with John’s family,” White said.
Gallagher said she herself is married to someone in law enforcement, which forces her to take a deeper look at the issue.
“It feels like the world is so polarized right now. You’re either ‘Back the Blue’ or you’re ‘Black Lives Matter.' You’re either Republican or Democrat,” Gallagher said. “We’re being told we need to just pick a side and that’s not actually possible for me because I love my husband, but I also love my brother. So we actually have to have a hard conversation, and we have to come and meet in the middle.”
Matt Brannon covers politics, the criminal justice system and breaking news for the Record Searchlight. Follow him on Twitter @MattBrannon_RS. Support local coverage and keep up with the North State for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.
[This article was originally published by Record Searchlight.]
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