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Supervisors call for hearing on 111 Taylor reentry facility after community outcry following death of resident
Summary
Supervisor Mahmood requested a hearing and public investigation into conditions at the 111 Taylor reentry facility, operated by GEO Group, after family members and community advocates said an incarcerated man, Melvin Bulawan, died shortly after placement and that the facility failed to provide adequate care.
Supervisor Shamone Mahmood on July 22 asked the board to schedule a hearing to investigate living conditions, oversight and operator conduct at 111 Taylor Street, a privately operated reentry facility managed under contract by GEO Group, after the family of Melvin (Melvin) Bulawan raised concerns in recent meetings and public comment.
Mahmood described receiving testimony that raised alarms about the facility's conditions, possible neglect and civil‑rights concerns. He cited family accounts that Melvin — who had recently been transferred from a state hospital and then placed at 111 Taylor — repeatedly told his children he was frightened and said, "I'd rather go back to jail than stay here." Family members told the board that they had called the facility seeking welfare checks and were hung up on; the family later found Melvin deceased on a sidewalk near 225 Taylor Street.
Multiple speakers during public comment urged accountability and a public hearing. Melvin's eldest son, Andrew J. De Leon, described repeated calls to the facility in which he said operators did not respond as requested and said his father's last words included, "I'm anxious ... I'm scared ... I'd rather go back to jail than stay here." His sister and other family members spoke at the meeting and asked the board to investigate. Community groups including the Compton's Coalition and Compton's Cafeteria advocates also urged the board to subpoena GEO Group documents and to pursue oversight steps. Witnesses described complaints of overcrowding, alleged mistreatment, and an institutional culture they characterized as punitive rather than therapeutic.
Speakers called for divestment from private carceral vendors and investment in community‑led reentry, citing GEO Group's national business model as a concern. Supervisor Mahmood said the hearing should examine the operator's practices, the city's contracting and oversight of the site, and reported civil‑rights violations. Members of the board acknowledged the request; the item was introduced as a hearing request and the family requested that the meeting be adjourned in Melvin's memory later in the session.
No formal subpoena or investigatory vote was taken at the July 22 meeting; the supervisor asked for a hearing to bring the issues before relevant departments and committees. Several community members said they will press for a public investigation and for transformation of the space for community‑based uses rather than private detention or reentry operations.
