By ROBERT JABLON
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES- A top sheriff’s official went cell to cell in a downtown jail, telling inmates after nearly two weeks of racially motivated rioting that a lockdown would end only when they stop fighting.
“House rules are, every man has a right to come into the system and do his time without having to worry about being attacked, injured or ultimately murdered,” said Sam Jones, the jail system’s chief custody officer. “I told them I owed them that, and I owed their family and friends that.”
On Wednesday, Jones went to a downtown jail where an inmate died after a scuffle in a cell Sunday and a brief brawl erupted Tuesday night, injuring four inmates.
“When I left last night, each dorm applauded and said thank you,” Jones told The Associated Press.
A day earlier, he delivered his ultimatum at jails in Castaic, 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, where racial brawls last week killed one inmate and injured dozens more.
More than 18,000 inmates throughout the jail system have been denied visits, phone calls, television and other privileges because of the violence between black and Hispanic inmates.
“When I left last night, each dorm applauded and said thank you,” he said.
On Wednesday, about 3,000 inmates in nearby Riverside County were in the sixth day of a lockdown there, but officials said cells were peaceful and described the measure as a precaution in case Los Angeles County violence spilled over.
In adjacent San Bernardino County, black and Hispanic inmates aware of the problems in Los Angeles County fought on a jail bus Tuesday morning with fists and razor blades, said Robin Haynal, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office. Three inmates were injured.
Some prisoners identified as ringleaders of the recent violence have been moved from dormitories into one- and two-man cells, Jones said.
Officials have separated black and Hispanic inmates and brought in clergy members to try to restore peace.
In Los Angeles, Hispanic and black evangelical pastors planned to stage a 24-hour vigil in suburban Gardena to pray for an end to the jail violence.
Despite the problems in the jails, traditionally violence-plagued South Los Angeles communities have remained relatively quiet. That may be due to recent law enforcement crackdowns that have put some of the most violent black and Latino gang members behind bars, officials said.
“It is clear that the worst of the worst are in custody. The streets are safer than ever. Crime is generally down,” said Michael Gennaco, head of the Sheriff’s Department office of independent review. “But the jails, thanks to that influx of arrests, are as tough as they’ve ever been.”