Occupy for Prisoners National Day of Action! - next steps!

Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity, February 2012

Dear Friends,
 
As you know on February 20th, over a dozen rallies and demonstrations were held throughout the US for a "National Occupy Day in Support of Prisoners," including in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Austin, Denver, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York.

At Occupy San Quentin in California, despite the prison administration's attempts to close off access to the protest, over 700 people gathered at the prison's East Gate to hear statements from prisoners and family and community members of prisoners, former prisoners, and people directly affected by the prison industrial complex speak out against the destructive impacts of imprisonment.

Many prisoners sent words of encouragement and vision to be read at the actions. Prisoners in Ohio State Prison went on hunger strike in solidarity with the national day in support of prisoners. Prisoners in the Security Housing Unit at Corcoran State Prison wrote a statement of solidarity and have raised 10 demands for the Occupy Movement. The N.C.T.T (NARN Collective Think Tank) at Corcoran SHU, a group of prisoners who participated in the CA hunger strike in the summer and fall and have been writing reports and statements about prisoners' struggles inside, writes:

You champion us all with your ideas and the courage of your convictions, just as we continue to support you with our sacrifices and insight. It is now time to take the movement to its next evolution and ultimately to its inevitable conclusion: victorious revolutionary change.

Your greatest power lies in your unity and cooperation and ultimately your organizational ability. The power of the people far surpasses all the repressive violence of the Babylons attacking you/us or the wealth of the 1 percent, who will stop at nothing to silence us all.

This is a protracted struggle; there will be no 90-day revolution here. Victory will require sacrifice, tenacity and competent strategic insight. The question you must ask is, Are you prepared to do what is necessary to win this struggle? If you answer in the affirmative, commit to victory and accept no other alternative. The people, as we are, are with you. Until we win or don't lose, our love and solidarity to all those who love freedom and fear only failures.  
 
Read the full letter, including ten demands for the Occupy Movement from the NCTT at Corcoran SHU here. 

Let's make these words come alive and show active support for prisoners!

TAKE ACTION TODAY ! 
150,000 Calls in Support of Prisoners
Support the CA Hunger Strike & Call, Email & Write CA Legislators TODAY!

Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity is calling for hunger strike supporters to jam the CA legislature's communication with overwhelming support for the hunger strike.

Visit our blog for sample phone & email scripts, as well as an open letter you can send in or fax, and flyers to pass out at Occupy's National Day in Support of Prisoners and other events.

*You do not need to be a resident of CA to participate in the call-in drive. If you are outside of CA, please contact the California Senate and Assembly chairs of the Public Safety Committee:

Tom Ammiano (Assembly):
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0013
Phone: (916) 319-2013
Fax: (916) 319-2113
Visit Ammiano's website for email and click "Contact Us"

Loni Hancock (Senate):
State Capitol, Room 2082
Sacramento,  CA  95814
Phone: (916) 651-4009
Fax: (916) 327-1997
Visit, Hancock's website for email and click "Contact Me"

Occupy San Quentin - some photos and a message

Political Prisoner News, 22 February 2012

Short slide show from Occupy San Quentin by Bill Hackwell
and this message from the wife of a death row prisoner:

I received an incredibly moving phone call this morning from my husband who resides on the condemned row at San Quentin, Correll Thomas.  He told me he asked his tier officer about the crowd, and was told, "oh it's about 50 people out there."  "It was total over kill with officers out there in riot gear, etc." 

And then they started seeing the news  and hearing that there were over 700 people in attendance and hearing and seeing the crowd on their televisions.  They had been on lockdown all day with no program as the prison prepared for the event.  He said, it was so worth being locked down for this event, and he so appreciated the work of all the people and the organizations, and even the neighbors of SQ that were interviewed that questioned exactly what was
going on behind prison walls today!  This is the one time he didn't mind being locked down!  He asked me for addresses of the organizations that participated to send written thank you letters!

Just wanted to let everyone know how much it meant to those on the inside that everyone was there and for once they knew they were not forgotten!

Peace,
 
Christine Thomas

Prisons are, and always have been, a failed social experiment.

Source: Freedom Archives