California prisoners suspend hunger strike after almost two months

Yesterday Pelican Bay State Prison inmates announced that they have suspended their hunger strike, lasting for nine weeks. They warn however that the struggle is far from over. 

Greetings of Solidarity and Respect!

The PBSP-SHU, Short Corridor Collective Representatives hereby serve notice upon all concerned parties of interest that after nine weeks we have collectively decided to suspend our third hunger strike action on September 5, 2013.

To be clear, our Peaceful Protest of Resistance to our continuous subjection to decades of systemic state sanctioned torture via the system’s solitary confinement units is far from over. Our decision to suspend our third hunger strike in two years does not come lightly. This decision is especially difficult considering that most of our demands have not been met (despite nearly universal agreement that they are reasonable). The core group of prisoners has been, and remains 100% committed to seeing this protracted struggle for real reform through to a complete victory, even if it requires us to make the ultimate sacrifice.  With that said, we clarify this point by stating prisoner deaths are not the objective, we recognize such sacrifice is at times the only means to an end of fascist oppression.

Our goal remains: force the powers that be to end their torture policies and practices in which serious physical and psychological harm is inflicted on tens of thousands of prisoners as well as our loved ones outside.  We also call for ending the related practices of using prisoners to promote the agenda of the police state by seeking to greatly expand the numbers of the working class poor warehoused in prisons, and particularly those of us held in solitary, based on psychological/social manipulation, and divisive tactics keeping prisoners fighting amongst each other. Those in power promote mass warehousing to justify more guards, more tax dollars for “security”, and spend mere pennies for rehabilitation — all of which demonstrates a failed penal system, high recidivism, and ultimately compromising public safety.  The State of California’s $9.1 billion annual CDCR budget is the epitome of a failed and fraudulent state agency that diabolically and systemically deprives thousands of their human rights and dignity. Allowing this agency to act with impunity has to stop! And it will.

With that said, and in response to much sincere urging of loved ones, supporters, our attorneys and current and former state legislators, Tom Ammiano, Loni Hancock, and Tom Hayden, for whom we have the upmost respect, we decided to suspend our hunger strike.  We are especially grateful to Senator Hancock and Assembly Member Ammiano for their courageous decision to challenge Governor Brown and the CDCR for their policies of prolonged solitary confinement and inhumane conditions. We are certain that they will continue their fight for our cause, including holding legislative hearings and the drafting legislation responsive to our demands on prison conditions and sentencing laws. We are also proceeding with our class action civil suit against the CDCR.

The fact is that Governor Brown and CDCR Secretary Beard have responded to our third peaceful action with typical denials and falsehoods, claiming solitary confinement does not exist and justifying the continuation of their indefinite torture regime by vilifying the peaceful protest representatives. They also obtained the support of the medical receiver (Kelso) and Prison Law Office attorney (Spector—who is supposed to represent prisoners interests, and instead has become an agent for the state) to perpetuate their lie to the public and to the federal court — that prisoners participating in the hunger strike have been coerced — in order to obtain the August 19, 2013 force feeding order.

We have deemed it to be in the best interest of our cause to suspend our hunger strike action until further notice.

We urge people to remember that we began our present resistance with our unprecedented collective and peaceful actions (in tandem with the legislative process) back in early 2010, when we created and distributed a “Formal Complaint” for the purpose of educating the public and bringing widespread attention to our torturous conditions.

After much dialogue and consideration, this led us to our first and second hunger strike actions in 2011, during which a combined number of 6,500 and 12,000 prisoners participated. We succeeded in gaining worldwide attention and support resulting in some minor changes by the CDCR concerning SHU programming and privileges. They also claimed to make major changes to policies regarding gang validation and indefinite SHU confinement by creating the STG/SDP Pilot Program. They released a few hundred prisoners from SHU/AD SEG to general population in the prison.  But in truth, this is all part of a sham to claim the pilot program works and was a weak attempt to have our class action dismissed. It didn’t work.

In response we respectfully made clear that CDCR’s STG-SDP was not responsive to our demand for the end to long term isolation and solitary confinement and thus unacceptable.  (See: AGREEMENT TO END HOSTILITIES)

Our supporting points fell on deaf ears, leading to our January 2013 notice of intent to resume our hunger strike on July 8, 2013 if our demands were not met.  We also included Forty Supplemental Demands.

In early July, CDCR produced several memos notifying prisoners of an increase in privileges and property items, which are notably responsive to a few of our demands, while the majority of our demands were unresolved, leading to our third hunger strike, in which 30,000 prisoners participated and resulted in greater worldwide exposure, support and condemnation of the CDCR!

From our perspective, we’ve gained a lot of positive ground towards achieving our goals.  However, there’s still much to be done.  Our resistance will continue to build and grow until we have won our human rights.

Respectfully,

For the Prisoner Class Human Rights Movement
Todd Ashker, C58191, D1-119
Arturo Castellanos, C17275, D1-121
Sitawa Nantambu Jamaa (Dewberry), C35671, D1-117
Antonio Guillen, P81948, D2-106

And the Representatives Body:
Danny Troxell, B76578, D1-120
George Franco, D46556, D4-217
Ronnie Yandell, V27927, D4-215
Paul Redd, B72683, D2-117
James Baridi Williamson, D-34288. D4-107
Alfred Sandoval, D61000, D4-214
Louis Powell, B59864, D1-104
Alex Yrigollen, H32421, D2-204
Gabriel Huerta, C80766, D3-222
Frank Clement, D07919, D3-116
Raymond Chavo Perez, K12922, D1-219
James Mario Perez, B48186, D3-124

Source: Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity (see also Electronic Intifada, which compares the inhumane situation in Palestine's prisons with that of California).

Palestine: Zionist troops murder three in Qalandiya refugee camp, including UN employee

Not in the mass disinformation media again. 

On August 26, colonial troops attacked the Qalandiya refugee camp, near Jerusalem, in full force, shooting live fire of illegal ammunition (dum-dum bullets, illegal since more than a century ago!) against the inhabitants who could barely hurl stones in self-defense. 

Three people were killed: Jihad Aslan (20), Younis Jahjouh (22) and Rubeen Abdulrahman Zayid (34, URWA worker). Other 18 people were injured, including five minors, 12 of them required surgery. 

The pretext for the aggression was a search for Yousef al-Khatib, who had been released from prison by the very same colonial authorities just weeks ago. They arrested a relative of al-Khatib by error, beating him badly while zip-cuffed and blindfolded. 

Al-Khatib was eventually arrested and they drove his relative back to the camp to identify him. I could barely recognize him. They had broken his nose and knocked out his teeth, and his hand was broken, he explained later. 

Al-Khatib is currently arrested without charges at the Ofer military prison.

The Zionist forces claimed that they were shot at but this is rejected by the witnesses. Yehya Mteir, relative of one of the deadly victims, said:

There was only one tear gas canister fired at the beginning and one at the end, but other than that, it was all live ammunition and dumdum bullets.

There were so many people in the streets because everyone was on the way to work; usually they come in while we’re asleep. The only means of fighting we had were rocks. We had no guns or Molotov cocktails, none of us.

Even such a tendentious organization as Human Right Watch admits this version of events:

All of the people we interviewed strongly denied that Palestinians shot [live ammunition], or said that they were not aware of it,” Bill Van Esveld, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, told The Electronic Intifada. “If the Israeli military has evidence of this, they should make it public.”

UNRWA in turn explained what happened to their worker A. Zayid:

“We have nine independent eyewitness accounts which all confirm that he was unarmed, he was not involved in violence, not engaged in throwing stones, and yet he was shot with a bullet through the chest, no questions,” UNRWA spokesperson Gunness told The Electronic Intifada.

Similar reports exist regarding other victims: absolutely gratuitous murdering.

Source and more details: Electronic Intifada.

Colombia: tens of thousands protest in the South-West

In spite of militarization, the popular uprising in Colombia is far from over. Yesterday a 10,000 strong march of Native Americans took over the city of Popayán (Cauca) blocking a major road in solidarity with the National Strike led by the small farmers.

Also it has been known that the government sent the infamous riot police squad (ESMAD) to the city of Florencia (Caquetá), also in the SW of the country, where more than 15,000 farmers have been protesting since August 19th.

Source: Webguerrillero[es] (link 1, link 2).

Hacked Pentagon emails show USA behind Syria "massacre"

"Massacre" that, as discussed previously in greater detail, was a farce, with drugged children being presented as victims while someone talked in the background on how well would that look in Al Jazeera and the CNN. 

The hacked emails show Colonel Anthony J. McDonald and Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (whatever that means) Mary Shapiro implicated in the warmongering farce.

In one email someone by the name of Eugene P. Furst congratulates Col. McDonald for their psy-op in Damascus:

(click to expand)

I don't know who he is but a quick search shows that there are only five people named Eugene Furst in the USA and, of them, one man aged 40-44 named exactly Eugene P. Furst lives in Arlington Virginia, where the Pentagon (and many other US government and military facilities) is. To be even more precise his address is:

5211 N Carlin Springs Rd Arlington, VA 22203-1333

Maybe some local knows what this means (oh, yeah, not just the NSA can use the Internet for a revealing search!)

In other two emails to Jennifer McDonald (wife of the former), Mary Shapiro worries about those poor Syrian kids but Mrs McDonald explains that:

... Tony [Col. Anthony J. McDonald] comforted me. He said the kids weren't hurt, it was done for the cameras. So don't worry, my dear.

(click to expand)

(click to expand)

Sources: Before It's News, Tercera Información[es].

Oil spill threatens Corsica

A 40 km long oil spill threatens the island of Corsica and in particular the Natural Reserve of Scandola, World Heritage (UNESCO). The source of the spill is unknown but probably originate in some oiler ship which decided to clean up its tanks, illegally, at the sea. 

It is estimated that only 10-20% of the sheen are hydrocarbons, what may somewhat limit the impact. Whatever the case if the NE winds continue the spill will hit Corsica in few days. 

Sources: News 24, Gara[es].

England: at least 22 antimilitarists arrested in nonviolent action against nuclear warheads

Antimilitarist activists chained themselves in blockade of the roads leading to AWE Burghfield (nuclear weapons factory near Reading). At least 22 were arrested.

The protesters want to denounce the renewal of the British nuclear arsenal (Trident missiles, mounted on submarines), whose cost to the British taxpayer is of some 100 billion pounds. 

The protest was coordinated by Action AWE and Trident Ploughshares, with the support of the European Antimilitarist Network. This last meant that many of the arrested had passports from states such as Finland, Belgium, Spain, Japan or Argentina.

There was division of labor for the action: the main road was cut by the hardened activists of the Conscientous Objection Movement (MOC), from the Spanish State, which in the past carried on the largest ever civil disobedience campaign in Europe. At least four were arrested. 

The NW construction gate was blockaded by the Belgians, while the southern gate was blocked by the Scots.

Veteran activist of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Pat Arrowsmith, 83, was present and sent a message for the elimination of nuclear weapons, against which she has fought all her life, since 1958. Rebecca Johnson, who helped to create the Greenhan Commons antimilitarist camp in the 1980s was also present. 

A Disarmament Camp has been held for a whole week near AWE Burghfeld. 

A photo-gallery is available here, videos here.

Sources: Action AWE (link 1, link 2), Insumissia[es], Webguerrillero[es].

Note: for those who are not familiar, the use of PVC pipes is meant to delay the dismantling of the human chain, which would otherwise be fairly easy. The activists risk their fingers or even hands by doing that.

Greece: residential squat forcibly evicted by police in Thessaloniki

Police raided and forcibly evicted the Orfanotrofio squat in Thessaloniki, which had been the home of many people for many years. Seven people were arrested for just being there. 

Hundreds marched in a solidarity demonstration soon after the sad news spread.

Sources: From the Greek Streets, Contra Info.