Support for Pelican Bay Hunger Strikers, Sac. CA, 7/18: in front of the CA Dept of Co

[annm4peace]

Run time: 02:20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7-rruWMozw   Posted on YouTube: July 19, 2011 By YouTube Member: pauldr44 Views on YouTube: 620   Posted on DU: July 22, 2011 By DU Member: annm4peace Views on DU: 831

 
Support for Pelican Bay Hunger Strikers, Sacramento, California, July 18, 2011 in front of the California Department of Corrections Building.

Yesterday, 200 family members, community members and lawyers across CA mobilized outside the headquarters of California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation (CDCR) in Sacramento to demonstrate their support of the people on hunger strike at Pelican Bay, Corcoran and other prisons, and to call on the CDCR and Governor Brown to intervene in this urgent, life-death matter.

Marching and chanting strong, a small delegation entered the CDCR lobby to deliver the over 7500 petitions and allow family members to ask questions about their striking loved ones. Oscar Hidalgo, CDCR Communications Director, came out after over 40 minutes of waiting and police threatening to arrest supporters for “trespassing” if they didn’t leave the lobby. No arrests were made.

After a useless conversation with Mr. Hidalgo, the crowd decided to march to the state capitol building to confront Governor Brown’s office, continuing to chant and play drums. A smaller delegation of family members, someone who had been in the SHU, and another former prisoner, went into the Governor’s office and met with his corrections staff person Aaron Macguire and Director of External Affairs, Nick Velasquez. The delegation demanded more answers.

http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/

Support for the hunger strike is at a crucial tipping point. One thing is absolutely clear: the five core demands have not been met. Long-term solitary confinement is still being used as torture. Supporters everywhere must amplify the prisoners voices even more fiercely than before. The goal of supporting the hunger strike was not to make sure prisoners continue to starve, rather to support the prisoners in winning their demands to change conditions of imprisonment. This struggle is not over.

Many CA solidarity events 7/21-7/30. and nationwide

http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/take-action/demonstrations-actions-events-in-the-us-canada/

Write & Call Governor Jerry Brown and your elected officials and urge them to pressure the CDCR to negotiate with the prisoners and honor their demands!:

Governor Jerry Brown
State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: [phone]

Look up your State legislators’ contact info here!

Sample Script for Phone Calls:

“Hi my name is _________ and I live your district. I’m calling about the statewide prisoner hunger strike that began at Pelican Bay. I support the prisoners & their reasonable “five core demands.” I am alarmed by the rapidly deteriorating medical conditions of the hunger strikers & the inaction of the CDCR. I urge you to visit the hunger strikers, and make sure the CDCR negotiates with the prisoners and the outside mediation team the prisoners have approved, immediately & in good faith, before prisoners are force-fed or even die. Thank you.”

Despite the growing support for this historic hunger strike, the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has refused to negotiate with the prisoners in good faith. On July 12th, Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity received an urgent update that more than 200 prisoners’ medical conditions in the SHU at Pelican Bay & Corcoran are severely deteriorating.

Support the hunger strikers by contacting the CDCR & your representatives and urge them to negotiate with the prisoners and honor their 5 demands!

Make Calls and Write Letters to:

Secretary Matthew Cate
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
1515 S Street
Sacramento 95814
Phone: [phone]

CDCR Public Affairs Office: [phone]

Sample Script for Phone Calls:

“Hi my name is _________ . I’m calling about the statewide prisoner hunger strike that began at Pelican Bay. I support the prisoners & their reasonable “five core demands.” I am alarmed by the rapidly deteriorating medical conditions of the hunger strikers & the inaction of the CDCR. I urge you to make sure the CDCR negotiates with the prisoners and the outside mediation team the prisoners have approved, immediately & in good faith, before prisoners are force-fed or even die. Thank you.”

[EFerrari]

1. Invisible rec and a kick

[annm4peace]

2. Nat'l Religous Campaign Against Torture has petition to CA Gov Brown: Please sign

Continue reading on Examiner.com Gov. Brown to face nat'l anti-torture religious group as inmates lay dying - National Human Rights | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/gov-brown-to-face-nat-l-anti-torture-religious-group-as-inmates-lay-dying#ixzz1SqOMpFX9



The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is a membership organization of religious organizations committed to ending torture sponsored or enabled by the United States.


Please Sign the Statement

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2162/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=7373


Recognizing that prolonged solitary confinement can cause serious harm to prisoners, it has long been considered a form of torture. As a person of faith, I oppose the use of prolonged solitary confinement.

Experts estimate that at least 25,000 people in the U.S. criminal justice system are currently being held in solitary confinement. The vast majority of these inmates are detained in state prison facilities. Prisoners held in solitary confinement are often detained in a cell by themselves for 23 hours a day. Some prisoners are kept in these conditions for months, years, or even decades. Medical experts have stated that prisoners held in isolation for extended periods experience symptoms akin to delirium, and the impact on mentally ill prisoners is especially damaging. Alarmingly, these prisoners are sometimes released from solitary confinement units directly to their communities when they complete their prison sentence.

We need to invest in humane alternatives that address the mental health needs of prisoners in a way that effectively contributes both to their rehabilitation and to their successful transition back into society. Because holding prisoners in solitary confinement units is significantly more expensive than keeping them in the general prison population, instituting humane alternatives makes sense, both financially and morally.

We must end the use of prolonged solitary confinement in all 50 states and the federal prison system. It is costly, inhumane and ineffective; it harms prisoners and our communities. I call upon state legislators and departments of corrections to begin now to take steps to end prolonged solitary confinement.