By Sara Falconer
Beginning July 1, several prisoners at California’s Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP) began an indefinite hunger strike to protest and expose the brutal conditions in the solitary confinement unit, known also as the SHU (Security Housing Unit). First-hand reports came in indicating that there are aver 6000 participants, in at least 11 different prisons across California.
Although the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) originally claimed that fewer than two dozen prisoners were part of the strike, on June 5 a spokesperson reluctantly admitted, “There are inmates in at least a third of our prisons who are refusing state-issued meals.”
The Bay Area-based group Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity learned that prison officials had attempted to head off the strike by promoting a Fourth of July menu that included strawberry shortcake and ice cream. The wife of one SHU prisoner said her husband had never had ice cream there and “has never seen a strawberry.”
There are 3,500 prisoners in SHUs across the California. Although they are supposedly sent to security units for participating in “gang” behaviour or misconduct, it’s often a punishment used against any prisoners who dare to organize with others or to engage in civil disobedience. Prisoners are held in extreme isolation in windowless, soundproof, 6 by 10 foot cells, 23 hours a day, for years at a time. Human rights organizations have condemned torturous conditions, which often lead to mental illness.
“It’s been a difficult and uphill battle, a lot of brow-beating and direct debate, but as it stands all are participating on a limited basis,” writes hunger striker Chad Landrum from PBSP.
“Some, including myself, are going ‘indefinitely’… victory or death!” Landrum, who is known to friends as “Ghost,” has end-stage liver disease, was hospitalized almost immediately – which also means that he was isolated. “If the demands have been met in whole, [or] negotiated part, I will not take the cops’ word, for the pigs have proven their word to be hollow,” he explains.” I will need the word of you or your outside support.”
One of the strategies used for the strike the CDCR used was to announce that the strike was over in an attempt to confuse the already strained lines of communication between striking prisoners. This was minimally successful because or the well organised and co-ordinated nature of the strike and the outside solidarity group.
At a well-attended rally in Oakland on July 2, supporters chanted, “Pelican Bay brothers: we hear you, we’re with you!,” according to Revolution newspaper.
“I stand here with a mixture of excitement and horror.,” said Laura Magnani of the American Friends Service Committee. “Horror at the conditions faced by 1,200 prisoners at Pelican Bay and over 3,500 prisoners insecurity housing units throughout California. Excitement that the prisoners have successfully organized across racial groups to take this action. This is a tremendously courageous action—to go on hunger strike, when people are virtually on starvation diets to begin with—to deprive themselves of food indefinitly. And it is extremely important that we be here to support them and show our solidarity.”
Unprecedented support is being shown around from around the world, with actions planned in dozens of cities including Toronto, Montreal, Kitchener, and Vancouver. Toronto Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) held a letter-writing night on July 1 and sent letters to the authorities as well as messages of solidarity to several of the hunger strikers. On July 9 we observed a 24-hour fast, and we are encouraging others, wherever they are, to participate to the extent that they are able. In Montreal, actions include a picket line in front of the American Consulate as well as letter-writing. Messages are also expected from as far as Ireland and the Basque regions. Most recently more than 150 religious communities of Roman Catholic nuns mailed in letters of support of the prisoners’ requests to the governor of California.
Finally on July 20th, after 4 grueling weeks, the leaders of the hunger strike at Pelican Bay confirmed that the strike was over. They confirmed that the CDCR has agreed to make immediate concessions as an act of good faith to address the longer term 5 core demands of the hunger strikers. This is why support is still needed: to keep the pressure on CDCR, who have made it clear that the demands of the prisoners will be adressed and implemented in a timely fashion. The leaders of Pelican Bay released a statement saying that the strike will resume if the CDCR does not fulfill it’s end of the agreement. This is in light of the new California legislation that requires prisons to eliminate overcrowding.
Todd Ashker, one of the hunger strike leaders, writes:
“It’s very important that our supporters know where we stand, and that CDCR knows that we’re not going to go for any B.S. We…mean what we said regarding an indefinite hunger strike peaceful protest until our demands are met. I repeat–we’re simply giving CDCR a brief grace period in response to their request for the opportunity to get [it] right in a timely fashion! We’ll see where things stand soon enough!”
There are still hunger strikes going on in Corcoran and Tehachapi Prisons, protesting their own horrific living conditions.
Landrum and thousands of other prisoners carried on their slow, painful act of resistance, waiting for their demands to be met at any cost. “Hopefully the situation doesn’t deteriorate,” he writes.” I end this letter with the words of Ulrike Meinhof [of Germany’s Red Army Faction], ‘Protest is when I say I don’t like this or that. Resistance is when I see to it that things I don’t like do not occur.’”
http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/
Related posts:
