Months After Prison Organizer James Pittman’s Death, Family Still Waiting for Answers
On February 27, James Pittman died from unknown circumstances while in the custody of the San Diego Sheriff’s Department after being transferred to an Escondido hospital from the Vista jail nearly two weeks prior.
“I was always in contact with my brother,” said Angela Soto. “So when time went by and we weren’t getting a phone call, or my video visits kept getting canceled, I was like, ‘What’s going on?’” Four days after Pittman was admitted, Soto was notified by the hospital, not the Sheriff’s Department, despite being on his list of contacts.
Pittman had been in custody for over two years awaiting trial. Despite never being convicted, local news outlets focused on his accused crimes instead of the circumstances surrounding his death.
Pittman was a dedicated inside organizer with Pillars of the Community, a local organization focused on justice and equity. He worked to help incarcerated people register to vote, even while detained at George Bailey Detention Center and the San Diego jail as a prisoner himself. He described his own voting experience as a moment where he felt “like a part of society and a human being.”
“James was just always into something, trying to get the community involved,” said Soto. “He always cared about everyone else. He would give you the shirt off his back.”
The community is not only grieving but also demanding accountability. “We are infuriated by the lack of safety and proper care in San Diego jails,” Pillars of the Community said in a statement. “James was doing the work of liberation from the inside. He deserved protection, not neglect.”
The County Medical Examiner did not identify a preliminary cause or manner of death during Pittman’s autopsy. Despite his death occurring while in Sheriff’s custody, the Sheriff’s Homicide Unit is tasked with investigating the fundamental question of why.
Months later, the family still has no answers.
“Somebody else should have come in and investigated it, right? How do you investigate your friends?” said Soto. “I don’t want any sugar coated anything. I need to know the truth, and if something actually happened that was, you know, not accidental…they need to be held accountable. No more covering things up. That has to stop.”
A separate investigation is also being conducted by the San Diego County Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board (CLERB). Soto is in contact with others who have lost loved ones in jail, and is currently working with the nonprofit Saving Lives in Custody California.
Soto encouraged families with loved ones in jail or prison to remain in constant contact with them and ensure every detail of their medical file is up to date.
“Everything is important, down to the last detail,” said Soto. “Because if you don’t look out for your loved one, they definitely will not.”