I can't think of a more dangerous place in Richmond for me and my kind. The city jail is no place for us. We fear for our lives at the mention of it.

What comes to mind when I say "My Kind"? Race? Gender? Sexual orientation? Coming from the wrong 'hood? Did my seminary degree come at the price of becoming a meth cooker to buy my special Biblical Hebrew textbooks?

No, my kind are those who live with chronic illness. Those who know their pharmacist is named Dan and meet their health insurance deductible in the first quarter every year. We who have cellphone alarms for when to take our meds, clinic receptionists who know our whole family, MedicAlert bracelets, pockets with inhalers, purses with insulin and needles. We are the population in Richmond for whom the jail is terrifying because there is the fear: They will let me die there.

To illustrate his point, this is an incomplete list of inmates with known medical needs who have died in jails and prisons this month:

July 6, Sarah Lee Circle Bear, a Lakota woman arrested for bond violation. Died seeking medical treatment.

July 13, Tammy Sue Heinen a woman of undisclosed race, arrested on parole violation warrant on the way to hospital. Died seeking medical treatment.

July 13, Zachary Emanuel Tuggle, aka Dolo Yakk, a Black man, convicted of weapons, narcotics and larceny charges. Allegedly denied medication, died after a medical emergency.

July 15, Javon Antoine Morris, a Black man, arrested for assault. Died of cardiac arrest while housed in the medical tier.

July 21, Joyce Curnell, a Black woman, arrested for shoplifting. Treated in hospital prior to booking and found dead in her cell.

July 24, Ralkina Jones, a Black woman, arrested for assault, domestic violence and child endangerment. Hospitalized but died in her cell after being returned to jail.

July 27, Raynette Turner, a Black woman, arrested for shoplifting. Died after receiving treatment for hypertension and returned to jail.