"..Greg was not a murderer, he smoked
marijuana and had less then 26 grams in
his room when law enforcement searched"
Sunday February 22, 2009
It's been 4 years today since Duval County Corrections Officers beat John Gregory "GREG" Laughon while he was having seizures in the jail and left for dead without medical attention in a Jail Holding area in the hospital.
You see, even though the jail Medical staff cleared Greg for transport to the hospital, corrections staff transported him by JAIL VAN. Greg was in such a condition that they thought he should go to the hospital but did they call him an AMBULANCE?
NO, they did not call him an ambulance, they delayed medical treatment by transporting him by jail van. They lost precious minutes, probably hours (of suffering), and by what I read in depositions in the case, days of beatings, and corrections officers delayed medical assistance even longer by transporting him in a jail van! When they finally got him to the hospital they took him hog tied with shackles behind his back out of the van, PER WITNESSES we spoke to, laid him on his belly on the ground outside the ER and proceeded to have a conversation over his body.
Hospital staff came out and asked if they wanted assistance, they said, " F--- that Mother F---er, he don't deserve SH--!" They let him lay on the ground until they decided to pick him up by the shackles and put him in a jail "HOLDING AREA" in the hospital where they laid him on the floor, still in shackles, still denying him medical attention.
When they finished their conversation outside the ER, they carried him into the hospital, laid him on the floor and he laid there until a nurse passing by saw he was not breathing and yelled for help while starting CPR. Two "guards" sat in this "holding area" allowed Greg to EXPIRE, did not call for help and a nurse found him "pulseless" and "cold to the touch." That is when Greg FINALLY got medical treatment.
Greg suffered many broken ribs in his back, collapsed lungs, broken nose, black eyes, lacerations on his liver and cuts and bruises from head to toe. A Jacksonville sheriff spokesman told the media Greg had "no visible outward signs of visible injury." Let me tell you how the witnesses outside the ER described Greg's condition. They said when he arrived and was removed from the jail van that he had shackles behind his back, he had a BLOOD-SOAKED spit mask on and only boxers and the leg, only the leg of his jail uniform! They said Greg did not move when he was laying on the ground, they were not sure if he was breathing.
It took three rounds of CPR to revive Greg, on the third and final round required by law, he started breathing. Once he was stabilized, hospital staff checked him over from head to toe. The nurse meticulously went over him noting every cut, bruise and scrap and any other injuries visually noticeable in his chart. He was x-rayed, cat scanned, and had a neck brace put on.
So please tell me how Jacksonville Sheriff's department can say he had "no visible outward signs of visible injury?" Does this look like there were "no outward sign of visible injury?"
Greg's face is thin and his features chiseled. If you notice his head has huge lumps on it. His face is swollen. This picture was taken shortly after he was stabilized.
The sheriff's department claims they did an investigation. They found "NO EXCESSIVE FORCE" was used. How do we define excessive force? I think bruises from head to toe is excessive, I think broken ribs is excessive, I think the lump on his skull and a broken nose are excessive.
Now, supporters of Greg have written the Sheriff and the Sheriff claims I have my facts wrong. I was there, I talked to the doctors, I have read his medical records and shared them with people in the medical field. When Greg's personal neurologist, who works in the hospital the jail transported Greg to, saw Greg, the neurologist said Greg was still having seizure activity. My cousin who is in the medical field said after speaking to doctors and viewing Greg's admittance reports that it looks like Greg laid on the floor in the jail, in the fetal position while being kicked repeatedly in the back. He said he feels they were going for the kidneys and broke many ribs, more on one side of his back then the other.
As I mentioned in the past Mom settled the case out of court so we could move on with our lives and so Greg would get medical treatment that may help him have a better quality of life. Remember Greg was severely beaten, he was non responsive when hospital staff found him lying on the floor in the holding area. He is now, as doctors call it, in a persistent vegetative state. Greg was in his prime when these animals beat him, he owned his own business, he had seizures but was otherwise healthy. He smoked marijuana which he was told probably helped with breakthrough seizures, per medical personnel. He was not a murderer, he smoked marijuana and had less then 26 grams in his room (possession) when law enforcement searched his room. Greg certainly did not deserve to be beaten by corrections officers while entrusted to their care. NO ONE deserves to be beaten like this. What kind of world do we live in where it is justifiable to beat someone who is in jail nearly killing, or killing and then he is revived, and claim they were combatant to justify it. No matter what his behavior, there are definitely other ways to handle him and by all means he should not have been denied access to medical by corrections officers. He is 5'9" and weighed 145 pounds soaking wet. I am sure they could have easily held him down. I have when he had seizures in my home!
Where is Greg's justice? Why are corrections officers all other the United States beating and murdering inmates and getting away with it? Are they above the law? NO! I want change! Hey, Mr. President, lets see your change, change how inmates are treated. Let's see medical care. If you are going to entrust people to the care and control of a jail, the jail should be held fully accountable for all their care including, above all, DOCUMENTED MEDICAL CONDITIONS, like Greg! Oh, I guess I did not mention in this blog, Greg's medical records, concerning his seizures, were supplied to the court and the jail with a list of medications!
I have a message for these lying, abusive *choke* officers. God knows what you did to John Gregory Laughon, you do too! You know in your heart you were wrong for beating Greg and and for all effective purposes, committing murder! Lucky for you he survived, no thanks to you or other officers at the jail, Greg survived. You are murderers, liars, and abusers, you deserve the punishment you bestow on inmates in the name of justice with all your lies. You are not the law, you are not above the law, you do not have the right to set out and perform the sentence you want on inmates, no matter what you claim they have done to you or other officers. The JUDGE set a sentence, you only have to be in care and control over people entrusted to your care! If you can't handle your job, go find another one! You will be punished, if not here, in Heaven, you see you still have to answer to the one great and holy Judge, GOD! About 30,000 people have veiwed this page, 30,000 people know what animals Duval county jail corrections officers are!
I pray for justice and so do many others. We hold Greg and others who have been beaten and abused in the name of the law up to God for healing! Make them whole, in Jesus' name! Amen!
Please share his story with your friends and repost my bulletin about him, we must stop this senseless violence.
Blessings,
Val *Greg's Sister*
www.myspace.com/johnlaughon
