Immigration advocates continue pushing for conversations on the roles law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) serve locally. Several community members attended the two most recent Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority (jail trust) meetings to request trustees kick ICE out of the county jail. Since 2015, two ICE agents have been stationed at the […]
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Jails on ICE
Oklahomans are tackling a national immigration issue at the local level. Activists are urging state and municipal law enforcement agencies to not assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid reports of immigration raids and detained asylum seekers. Last Saturday, immigration advocates gathered outside Fort Sill, a military base near Lawton set to house more than […]
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Voices heard
Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office recently announced its intent to form a citizens advisory board (CAB). The board will advise the sheriff’s office with regard to “community-police relations and best practices,” according to a press release. Members of Voices Organized in Civic Engagement (VOICE), a coalition of churches, nonprofits and schools, came up with the idea […]
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Jail suits
Recently elected Oklahoma County’s District 1 commissioner, Carrie Blumert ran for office after learning about the number of deaths in the county jail. Now, she’s hoping to provide as much information to the public as possible to pave the way for change. “That’s been a big focal point for me during the campaign, and now […]
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Labor pains
Twenty-six-year-old Kayla Jo Jeffries remembers the night she gave birth to her now 2-year-old daughter, Emersyn, the way most women do — as if it were yesterday. Her experience might have been memorable, she said, but it wasn’t enjoyable. Her partner wasn’t holding her hand, and the waiting room outside wasn’t filled with adoring family […]
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Taking time
She has been called the face of a movement. Twenty-six-year-old Kayla Jo Jeffries stepped out of prison on Dec. 5 a free woman, thanks to a commutation declaration that was signed by Gov. Mary Fallin the same day. Smiling from ear from ear, release papers in hand and holding back tears of joy, Jeffries told […]
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Jail time
In 1991, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the corner of Robert S. Kerr and Shartel avenues in downtown Oklahoma City. The occasion marked the opening of Oklahoma County Detention Center. The jail was designed by architects HTB Inc. and RGDC Inc., and completed sooner than expected. However, what was unknown to onlookers at the […]
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Homesick
Oklahoma parents found it hard to ignore a letter 8-year-old Elijah Muhammed left for his grandmother before he ran away in July. “I love my family,” Muhammed said in the letter. “I don’t want to get taken away from my family again … so I’m running away.” Elijah’s story quickly went viral with social media […]
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Chicken-Fried News: Money followed
John Pettis paid no mind to members of the press as he quickly marched out of the Oklahoma County jail and into his car on the morning of May 15. If the criminal charges against the Oklahoma City councilman are true, attention to the media is not the only thing Pettis has not paid within […]
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The race for Oklahoma County Commission: District 1 is heating up
One county commission race is heating up with Democratic candidates campaigning two months before filing deadlines.