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There will be much more to report on this on Monday, but here is some news on the prisoner hunger strike at Pelican Bay. The Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity (PHSS) coalition reports:
This afternoon leaders of the Pelican Bay hunger strike unanimously rejected a proposal from the [California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation] to end the strike. In response to the prisoners’ five, straightforward demands, the CDCR distributed a vaguely worded document stating that it would “effect a comprehensive assessment of its existing policy and procedure” about the secure housing units (SHUs). The document gave no indication if any changes would be made at all.
While the CDCR has claimed that there is no medical crisis, mediators report that the principal hunger strikers have lost 25-35 pounds each and have underlying medical conditions of concern. Despite the promises from the federal Receiver overseeing the CDCR, no one has received salt tablets or vitamins.
The report notes that the “settlement document distributed last night to all hunger strikers at Pelican Bay prison” was so dismaying to those who had engaged in prison resistance that it “resulted in some people who have gone off the strike to resume refusing food.”
Organizers now say supporters have a challenge to “match the courage of the hunger strikers” and “effectively pressure the CDCR to immediately negotiate on the standards any negotiation should follow: with the prisoners in good faith, addressing all of the demands, and with the prisoner-approved outside mediation team.”
For supporters, there will be a demonstration outside CDCR headquarters on July 18th from 1-4 pm.
Solitary Watch previously reported on the protest that was launched in response to prison conditions of solitary confinement:
The responses thus far from the CDCR have been uniformly hostile and sometimes dismissive. Thornton told a California public radio reporter that prisoners might be clandestinely eating. “Some inmates have been seen eating food items that they’ve purchased from the canteen,” she claimed. “Some have not. Some inmates are refusing to be weighed. That may be an indication that they are eating. It’s really hard to say because they’re refusing that medical evaluation.”
California prisons are being monitored by the federal government, in response conditions so poor as to be “intolerable with the concept of human dignity,” according to a recent landmark decision by the Supreme Court. But the court-appointed federal receiver in charge of prison health care, likewise dismissed reports that some prisoners’ health problems were growing dire. ”I think the information that’s in the news release is largely exaggerated,” Nancy Kincaid told the radio station. “At this time we have no inmates who are refusing liquids and we have no report of inmates who are refusing medication. There are inmates who are refusing medical care. They have the right to do that.”
For those who are unaware of details on prison conditions at Pelican Bay and why the prisoners are striking, here’s Democracy Now!‘s segment on the strike from Friday’s broadcast:
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thanks Kevin, the video was definitely worth watching/listening to.
talk about inhumane
There are two separate issues here and all the people dealing with this should be very careful not to conflate the two.
First and foremost is the decision by the Supreme Court that comes down hard on the California Corrections system for its historic overcrowding etc. That part is true, needs to be corrected – and is a functional result of the very badly written three strikes law, and overzealous prosecution of antiquated drug laws that incarcerate non-violent drug possessions for extremely long sentences.
The second issue is the housing issues around the SHU at Pelican Bay and the reasons for prisoners being assigned there.
The Pelican Bay SHU was designed to hold prisoners who could not be securely housed in any of California’s other prisons – for a variety of reasons. A laundry list of some of the more famous of the inmates in there reads like a little house of horrors (Charlie Manson, The head of the Mexican Mafia, a nice gentleman who poured gasoline over his son’s head and set him on fire supposedly to teach his wife a lesson, another wonderful gentleman who crucified his daughter upside-down in his basement for fun and games, and a variety of prison gang members who had previously been sentenced to life in prison – and than have been on an uncontrolled killing spree since there is no further punishment that you can sentence them to other than the death penalty which requires enhanced circumstances that do not apply in prison yards)
It appears that AD-SEG is apparently being used a little too freely by the warden at Pelican Bay according to the young woman who claims her uncle was placed in the “new” SHU because of a gang tat. Prison gangs are a huge problem inside all prisons. If they are allowed to go unchecked – the gangs soon rule the prison – not the guards. With budget cutbacks – and that means less guards per number of inmates, this situation becomes more easily out of control, particularly in a prison like Pelican Bay, where you have to have committed a particularly violent crime to be sent there in the first place. Pelican Bay is not where the non-violent drug offenders are, or the people who just stole a car, or robbed the 7/11 unless they beat and killed the clerk. It is – by definition – a super-max prison – and is reserved for really violent prisoners.
It also means that while you may not have been sentenced for a really violent crime to begin your prison term, you may have committed one once you became an inmate at another facility.
And prisoners are always innocent. So while that young woman seems to think her uncle did nothing wrong – I would really like to know the circumstances of his “transfer” to Pelican Bay.
I am not defending the California Prison System – it is brutal and dehumanizing, as all prison systems in this country are – and the private ones are even worse than this if that is possible. But I also want to warn everyone to be really careful taking claims from prisoners at a prison like Pelican Bay at face value without knowing all the circumstances and the history behind their incarceration before rushing to feel sorry for these individuals and wanting to let them have free yard time (so they can kill other inmates) or lots of visitors and mail privileges (so they can arrange to have people outside the prison walls raped and killed) (or so they can arrange to have prisoners in other facilities killed), as all of these things have been done by prisoners who are now residing in the SHU at Pelican Bay.
Don’t feel too sorry for them – they got there for a reason.
It is really disturbing to see progressive people say things like, “I am not defending the California Prison System – it is brutal and dehumanizing, as all prison systems in this country are – and the private ones are even worse than this if that is possible.” and then say, “Don’t feel too sorry for them – they got there for a reason.” Do you not see a disconnect there?
If you look at the actual demands issued by these prisoners, they are ridiculously minimal. People don’t starve themselves to death for no reason – they are seeking redress for incredibly intolerable conditions. No human being should be tortured – why do we even have to spell it out like that??
As Kathleen Barry wrote to the prison authorities: “Your refusal to respond to the prisoner hunger strike begun on July 1, 2011 only confirms to the people of California the validity of the prisoners’ allegations and demands.”
More statements in support of the hunger strikers here: http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php/home-mainmenu-289/7256-statements-in-support-of-california-hunger-strikers
The CDCr proposal is classic of their responses to any inquisition into CDCr practice and procedure – whether news media, letters from concerned family or even court cases… They are thoroughly trained to speak without saying anything, obfuscating matters at issue. This tactic of confusing a contender serves to wear down such a contender, with intent to exhaust them into feeling hopeless and giving up. It is obvious that such is the case here. Whether a prisoner is only fasting prison prepared food and eating food from Canteen or fasting altogether is completely irrelevant to the purpose of the fast and the issues at hand. To bring this up is a tactic to side-track the public onto the path of prisoner stereotyped propaganda. The truth is the truth no matter who tells it.
Comprehensive assessments of CDCr practice and procedure are ongoing in fields of Criminal justice expertise, where reports are published continuously, pointing out problems in the system strangely similar to those these prisoners’ demand to be changed. Reputable Universities have libraries full of research on these very issues. CDCr does not wish to “see” the reality of the current prison system to which we are all in bondage.
Throughout history, whenever prison systems reached critical mass, reform followed. Slowly, each prison reform brought with it new ideas for how to make the system a little more humane, which, in turn, brought about progressively more desirable results in parolee behavior than had previous systems.. The current American prison system is a strange mix of the first 2 historical systems, seeming to not want to let go completely of torture as punishment beyond the sentence, or the money-making potent…ial underlying the system. The 3rd system, and the one historically proven to get the best results, was the one which implemented indeterminate sentences and let the prisoners take responsibility for their actions inside. This means that all those who acted responsibly were released early (w/supervision) based on a merit system, and those who didn’t act responsibly, did their entire allotted time – no matter what the offense. But that’s not all. The 3rd system enacted treatment of prisoners that showed respect for life, which included giving them the same opportunity to be educated as those on the outside. But corrupt prison administration sabotaged that system.
Education, Respect of human life, Responsibility for implementing the opportunity to change the quality of life… This is something that is supposed to be happening inside prisons already, according to CA penal code section 5054, but is not. Why isn’t it being upheld? Prison is just a bad idea no matter how you look at it. The past 30 years in CA’s prison system have taken us backward rather than forward in prison and criminal justice reformation. The Supreme Court Order is proof that critical mass has again been reached in prison history. It’s time for Reform. I hope the public trulyrealizes that this is what is best for everyone, not only for prisoners.
Ad-Seg is being used “a little too freely” in CRC, Chino, and Corcoran as well – and probably others. Men are being given SHU terms for “Rules Violations” that the D.A. won’t give the time of day to because they are rediculous. For instance, assault on a correctional officer may entail the officer handing the prisoner his ID card, and the prisoner snatching it back. Real case. Serious enough for SHU? Someone obviously thinks so.
Study of this practice of misusing the SHU has exposed undeniable corruption within the prison system. Inside, it’s green against blue (cdcr v. prisoners), and those prisoners who are aware that it is these two colors rather than red v. blue (cripps v. bloods) that are indeed at war, are “dealt with accordingly”. Thus, SHUs bursting at the seems with complaining prisoners.
Gangs are not a huge problem inside the prison system until cdcr staff releases them onto “yard” together. There are regulations in place about how and where to house known gang members, etc. Incidents involving them rarely happen without cdcr assistance.