Family of incarcerated Indigenous activist concerned for his health and safety

IRVINE, Calif. — Friends and family of a Southern California man are concerned for his well-being after he ended up handcuffed for hours in the back of a police vehicle. 

Sam Escobar, a local Indigenous activist, has been detained at the Orange County Jail since early April. He is currently facing multiple felony charges, but has encountered numerous obstacles in his legal case. 

Escobar is most prominently recognized for his activism with the American Indian Movement and his advocacy for immigrant rights. In recent years, the 43-year-old has been referred to as “Red Hat Sam” due to the identifiable bright red hat he wears at protests and demonstrations. 

Friends say Escobar’s arrest illustrates excessive police force, retaliation for his refusal to answer questions and a system that has historically targeted Indigenous individuals. “Law enforcement has a rich history of disappearing the men in our communities,” said Lydia Grijalva, a close friend and fellow Indigenous activist of the American Indian Movement.

Grijalva also noted that the day of Escobar’s arrest, there was no record of his booking for almost nine hours, an example, they allege, that is indicative of how police enact “cruel and unusual punishment” against natives.

In an exclusive interview with CALÓ News, Escobar described the events leading to his arrest.

According to the detainee, on the morning of April 10, officers from the Irvine Police Department stopped his vehicle after a call regarding a domestic dispute, pulled him from his car, frisked him and asked a series of questions, including whether he spoke English.

Each time, Escobar repeated a simple refrain: “I don’t answer questions.”

Officers at the scene allegedly asked if Escobar was born in California, and whether he was ready to be read his rights. Despite the latter question, his Miranda rights were never read, according to Escobar’s account of events. 

When one officer informed a detective that Escobar had declined to answer questions, the detective allegedly responded, warning him, “This is your one opportunity to tell your side of the story.” Escobar again invoked his right to remain silent, prompting the detective to state, “This is where the story gets twisted.”

Throughout the span of this interaction, Escobar was denied access to the bathroom. According to his testimony, he remained in handcuffs for approximately 10 hours between 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

During that time, Escobar claims he was left in the back of a squad car while the engine was running; heat blasting with the windows shut. As time passed, the temperature rose, and he began overheating. Eventually, he says he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness.

Escobar recalls bits and pieces of what happened next. He was eventually pulled from the vehicle by EMTs, still restrained, drenched in sweat, and barely responsive. He was taken to Hoag Hospital in Irvine for evaluation, where medical staff administered tests, including a chest X-ray and bloodwork, before returning him to custody.

At the hospital, he was given paperwork instructing him to follow up with a cardiologist — but Escobar says his requests for follow-up care inside jail have been largely unanswered.

Escobar was then discharged from the hospital and booked directly into the county jail around 3 p.m. Although discharge papers included a referral for follow-up with cardiology within seven days, these documents were not given to him. 

Jail medical staff placed an order for a Holter monitor to evaluate Escobar’s cardiac health. As of the time of publication, that order has yet to be fulfilled.

As Escobar waits for his next court date, family and friends are fundraising to make his bail, with the current goal set to $10,000–a fraction of his one million dollar bail. Despite facing serious charges and legal uncertainty, Escobar emphasizes resilience, healing and purpose. He expressed a longing to make bail in time for a sacred tribal ceremony, which he celebrates annually with the community. 

“Coming out of this situation, that’s the only place I want to be—on the land, in the dirt, the mud, feeling Mother Earth,” he said. 

Advocates say that patterns of police brutality and mass incarceration continue to disproportionately affect Native communities, with cases like that of Escobar viewed as emblematic of a broader, ongoing crisis. 

The Indigenous community has remained a central support system throughout his detainment. Escobar says he has received numerous letters of encouragement, including character testimonies that have deeply moved him. 

One recent letter came from the mother of a 15-year-old Indigenous boy to whom Escobar had once gifted a bear claw necklace. She wrote that her son wears the necklace every day—and that Escobar has been a lasting source of inspiration in his journey to connect with his community.

“She was telling me that he wears that thing religiously. He doesn't take it off. And I didn't know it meant that much [to him], but I'm humbled,” he said.

Although the psychological toll of incarceration has weighed heavily on Escobar, his unwavering connection to community, spirituality and ceremony has kept him grounded.

“Whatever it looks like…the day I leave this place, I’m going straight to the land, straight to ceremony,” he said.