IN MEMORY OF CHRIS BURGESS

Born Jan.6, 1990            Killed Oct. 23, 2006

Chris Burgess was well-loved by many in the community, WAS NOT VIOLENT, and had been thrown into the juvenile "injustice" system when he was very young.

Statement to the Streets and All Youth Lock-ups

Last summer, people held in the SHU - Security Housing Unit - at Pelican Bay State Prison declared a hunger strike to protest the cruel and inhumane conditions inside. The hunger strikespread to more than 7,000 people locked up in California prisons. People from all "sides" - blacks,whites, Asians, Surenos and Nortenos put all politics behind and came together to demand their human rights.

On this day, October 10, 2012, the men in the Security Housing Unit at Pelican Bay are againleading all of us. They have called for "an end to all hostilities" within our state's prisons and jails. After doing so much time, the men in the Pelican Bay SHU have realized that they are being recycled over and over through the same dead-end system. For all of us, there must be a cut off point - a time at which we stop participating in our own destruction.

As young people who have experienced bloodshed on the streets of Los Angeles, and the violence and humiliation within juvenile halls, Probation camps and Division of Juvenile Justice Youth Prisons, we are also calling for an end to the war between the youth.

Agreement to End Hostilities
August 12, 2012

To whom it may concern and all California Prisoners:

Greetings from the entire PBSP-SHU Short Corridor Hunger Strike Representatives. We are hereby presenting this mutual agreement on behalf of all racial groups here in the PBSP-SHU Corridor. Wherein, we have arrived at a mutual agreement concerning the following points:

1. If we really want to bring about substantive meaningful changes to the CDCR system in a manner beneficial to all solid individuals, who have never been broken by CDCR’s torture tactics intended to coerce one to become a state informant via debriefing, that now is the time to for us to collectively seize this moment in time, and put an end to more than 20-30 years of hostilities between our racial groups.

2. Therefore, beginning on October 10, 2012, all hostilities between our racial groups… in SHU, Ad-Seg, General Population, and County Jails, will officially cease. This means that from this date on, all racial group hostilities need to be at an end… and if personal issues arise between individuals, people need to do all they can to exhaust all diplomatic means to settle such disputes; do not allow personal, individual issues to escalate into racial group issues!!

Stop Grand Jury Repression in the Northwest: Take Action 

Please sign the Solidarity Statement: Speak out against FBI raids & Grand Jury repression

Urging all progressive organizations to sign on to this statement.

To add your group’s name to the solidarity statement, please send an email to:  nopoliticalrepression@gmail.com.

by Samara Steele, Friday Jul 27th, 2012 9:47 PM

Over a hundred people marched in Oakland on Friday evening in solidarity with the people of Anaheim after two members of the Anaheim community were shot to death by police officers last weekend.

Prisoners Begin Hunger Strike at Three Facilities In NC

On Monday July 16th 2012, prisoners at Central Prison in Raleigh, Bertie CI in Windsor, and Scotland CI in Laurinburg all began a coordinated hunger strike. The men have issued a series of demands revolving around food, healthcare, abuse by guards, and in particular for a return of prison law libraries, and are encouraging other prisoners to join in with their own actions and demands. They are also calling for the release of those on I-Con status and the abolition of separate control statuses. The prisoners have vowed not to eat until their demands are met. [see prisoners' demands below]

Correspondence with the prisoners has confirmed the strike at several facilities, and that at least at Central Prison over 100 prisoners began the strike on Monday. Prisoners have encouraged supporters to call or fax the administrations of these different facilities as well as Director Robert Lewis (see information below), to “march or protest in front of Central Prison and others,” “boycott all products being sold in these prisons,” and to “contact media outlets and let them know what we are doing.” 

July 2012 marks the first anniversary of the CA Hunger Strike 

(Share on your facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Prisoner-Hunger-Strike-Solidarity/117053298383319)

Risin' up from the gulags of the largest incarcerating system in the world and from its streets and workplaces! Amplify the voices of those behind the walls!

  10 DEMANDS of Hunger Strikers & WAYS to SUPPORT BELOW

UPDATES AT http://virginiaprisonstrike.blogspot.com/

May 22nd, 45 prisoners at Red Onion State Prison in Virginia began a hunger strike to protest inhumane and torturous treatment and the warden’s refusal to resolve their grievances. We’re working to build exposure and a list of endorsers as fast as possible.

Sign PETITION HERE!

We’re also asking people to send short, personally written letters to everyone possible within the VA prison system to inform them of what’s going on. We have contact information for dozens of men detained in both Red Onion State Prison and Wallens Ridge State Prison. We’ll prioritize ROSP and WRSP and then branch out across the state. The Virginia Department of Corrections will try hard and fast to silence this and keep it from spreading, so we will have to act quickly.

Fellow human rights defenders,

Thank you to all those who have followed the inspiring lead of the Georgia prisoners responsible for the largest strike in U.S. history. Please visit this link (http://www.petitiononline.com/wagesnow/petition.html) to view the current
signers of the Solidarity Statement, which is in essence a petition to the
people of this country to take concrete actions to build this movement.

So many people have been committed to this for years already, and because of the bold and dignified stand taken in Georgia we have an opportunity build
on these efforts.

If you are in Eureka, please come to Occupy Eureka to occupy for prisoners at 12 Noon on Monday (Feb 20)!

A Shout-out of respect and solidarity – from the Pelican Bay Short Corridor – Collective – to all similarly situated prisoners subject to the continuing torturous conditions of confinement in these barbaric SHU & Ad/Seg units across this country and around the world.

This is our update of where things currently stand and where we’re going with this struggle – for an end to draconian policies and practices – summarized in our “Formal Complaint” (and many related documents published and posted online, since early 2011)

As many of you know… beginning in early (2010), the PBSP – SHU Short Corridor Collective initiated action to educate people and bring wide spread exposure to – the (25+) years of ongoing – progressive human rights violations going unchecked here in the California Department of Corruption – via dissemination of our “Formal Complaint” to 100’s of people, organizations, lawmakers, Secretary Cate, etc… wherein, we also sought support and meaningful change.

http://vimeo.com/29758052

Virginia from CA Hunger Strike Solidarity on Vimeo.

THE SHAME OF CALIFORNIA 

    I’ve been eating well this summer, enjoying the local fruits and vegetables of northwest California, while sixty miles away a group of men risked their health by refusing to eat for three weeks. I’m in Big Lagoon, surrounded by ocean, lagoon, and forest in an area of coastal California described by National Geographic as among the top twenty “unspoiled” tourist destinations in the world. An hour’s drive north of here is Pelican Bay State Prison, a state-of-the-art hellhole that was recently the center of a three-week hunger strike led by prisoners in the Secure Housing Units (SHU).

Documents Released on May 18th (PDF format):

• CSFR Statement