Women of CDCR Speak Out Against Being Forced to Live with Dana Rivers, Man Who Murdered Entire Lesbian Family

The women of Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) are speaking out about being housed with Dana Rivers, thanks to SB 132. Dana Rivers, formerly known as David Warfield, is a man who slaughtered an entire family in one of the most violent anti-lesbian hate crimes our country has seen this century. Even prior to his crimes, he spent decades harassing and terrifying women — all while claiming to be one.

Tomiekia Johnson spoke to the Washington Free Beacon about what incarcerated women are experiencing:

"I think it’s a slap in the face, because as much as they know I’ve been vocal about being housed with predators, and how much they target me, and how much it’s a known fact that they harass me and provoke me, for them to put him in the building with me is beyond negligent… I feel betrayed by the prison for doing this."
- Tomiekia Johnson

Following the implementation of SB 132, incarcerated women have already faced harassment, assault, and declining quality of life in CCWF thanks to the men transferred in under this “gender identity” policy. When they speak up about these abuses, they often face retaliation. 

Tomiekia is among four women, represented by WoLF, who are suing the state of California over SB 132. The lawsuit, Chandler v. CDCR, aims to overturn the law which went into effect in 2021. Under this bill, men can transfer to women’s facilities even if they do not claim to have a female “gender identity;” they can also identify as “non-binary,” “gender-fluid,” or similar. Men who transfer into women’s prisons are not required to take hormones or have surgery; in fact, most of them retain their penises.

Hundreds of men have applied for transfers to women’s prisons, and dozens have already been transferred. Thousands of California women are impacted by this law, including Tomiekia and the other three WoLF plaintiffs: Janine Chandler, Krystal Gonzales, and Nadia Romero.

Other women who spoke to the Free Beacon described Rivers as "very chauvinistic, demeaning to women, and prideful about it,” and “a problem since he rolled in the door.” 

"He is trying to control the women saying he gets to bypass everything—special treatment," another prisoner told the Free Beacon. 

In placing this known, violent, misogynist in a women’s facility, the state of California not only ignores the harm this does to the female prisoners of CCWF but also supports his delusion of womanhood. This is a slap in the face to the families of his victims, Patricia Wright, Charlotte Reed, and Benny Diambu-Wright, whom he murdered in a fit of male violence. 

Learn More About Chander v. CDCR

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Take Action! 

This is just the latest reason why WoLF is fighting SB 132 on behalf of Tomiekia and three incarcerated women in California. Learn more about Chandler v. CDCR and sign the petition to get men out of California women’s prisons!