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 Tracy Ingle: Another Drug War Outrage; from Reason Magazine (US), 5/7/08 |
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Tracy Ingle: Another Drug War Outrage; from Reason Magazine (US), 5/7/08 |
Sharon North; Chico, California
Recent Drug War news items from California
The Razor Wire, March/April 2000, Vol. 5 No. 2
Chowchilla vigil and protest
On Saturday, January 27th, Mary Smith (BE Smith's wife) attended a protest at the Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla, California. The event was held to call attention to the nine women who have died since November 1st due to lack of medical care by the CCWF.
The protest went really well. There were at least 150 people in attendance. The prison is in the middle of the Central Valley, almond orchards all around. We gathered at the main gate to the prison. The prison officials knew ahead of time about the protest and had put up barriers so we couldn't park right up at the entrance. There was a large group of guards at the gate, about a dozen, and they called in the Sheriff and CHP officers to man the roadway. Organizers did not seem fazed by this, and just moved in with their sound system, tables, banners, and people! The CHP came over to tell us to be sure to stay out of the road so no one gets hurt. The prison guards milled nervously around their little booth and looked at us with binoculars, even though they were only about 50 feet away.
We started by marching in a circle across the entrance, bullhorns leading us in chants regarding the murders of the women. The sound system arrived and was set up facing the prison so that the women inside would know we were there. The prisoners could not see us. Signs in the shape of tombstones had been made and inscribed with all the names and death dates of the women who had died since November 1st. People, including some family members, stood in a line in front of the entryway holding the tombstone signs.
For about an hour various people spoke in a memorial for the women. Family members and friends told about each woman, and prayers were lead asking for peace and appropriate medical treatment for prisoners. The overriding message was that these women did not receive a death sentence from the judge; yet they were still killed by the prison system. Most of them had died from cancer left untreated. Some of them had died in the prison; others died at the Madera County Hospital, which has a prisoner wing.
A couple of the women had received a Compassionate Release Order a few days prior to their deaths, and had the opportunity to die in the arms of their loved ones. We then marched and chanted again, and staged a 'die-in'. Various folks laid down in the middle of the road in front of the entrance to the prison, and chalk lines were drawn around them. There was a lot of press there, and this provided a fine photo opportunity.
Chowchilla is only four hours away from the Bay Area, just off Highway 99. There will be more protests there in the coming months. The many different groups represented amazed me. The HIV in Prison Committee, part of California Prison Focus, sponsored the event. Food Not Bombs was there. Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, November Coalition, Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM), Families to Amend California's Three Strikes (FACTS), Prison Activist Resource Center, Women for Leadership Development (WILD), Justice Now - Network on Women, California Coalition for Women Prisoners, Criminal Justice Consortium, Death Penalty Focus - Fresno, Jesuit Volunteer Community, Locked Out, Out of Control - Lesbian Committee to Support Women Political Prisoners, Prison Moratorium Project, Project Inform, WORLD - Women Organized to Respond to Life-Threatening Diseases, Families With A Future.
So many people working toward change! I picked up some of these names in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago when I went to hear a replay of some of the prisoners and family members testifying in front of the Senate regarding the conditions in Chowchilla: rape by prison guards, podiatrists doing gynecological exams, women suffering with cancer for months and years left completely untreated, treatment for cancer - Motrin and Metamucil, cellmates of the sick providing all the care for the dying women, the bodies of the dead women being held from families, and many more first hand stories of horror.
One of the people attending the protest was a Buddhist nun from New York. She embarked on a walk to call attention to the out of control prison situation in California - the California Dharma Prison Walk starting on February 1st in San Francisco, ending March 3rd in Lompoc.
Thank you for caring! Write your congresspersons!
The Razor Wire, Sept/Oct/Nov 2000, Vol. 4 No. 5
Chico California vigil clicks
The Chico Vigil was successful in many ways. A constant stream of cars passing by honked their horns in support. About 15 people gathered in front of the City Hall in downtown Chico during the 4:00-7:00 p.m. time span. Many were new people, which is always nice. We held the laminates of prisoners' faces and the Two Million is Too Many placards. We also had with us some of the large Educate - Don't Incarcerate and Drugs are Bad, the Drug War is Worse posters from the Shadow Convention.
These are excellent visual aids for our location because the drivers in passing vehicles easily get the idea. We handed out the End the Drug War flyers from Family Awareness Council and November Coalition Razor Wire newspapers. Several media people came by, two radio people and one newspaper reporter.
Several of us reflected that the vigil process is important, not only to get out the word to the general public, but also for us to receive the word from the public. We received overwhelming words of support from passersby. It feels so good to know that what we are working toward is supported by our community.
We made several new contacts. Chico State University students who attended asked us to set up a table every day this week at the free speech area on campus. They are sponsoring political awareness information sessions with each day focussing on different levels of government. Wednesday is the day for the federal issues, and they asked us to speak that day.
Other TNC vigil coordinators might begin checking at your local college or university campuses for possible interest in a similar free speech session at their schools. THE TIME IS RIGHT NOW!
Two high school students joined us, asking for more information about the issues, wondering aloud if we might speak to their high school organization. We also met once again a fellow whose brother-in-law is serving a federal mandatory minimum sentence in Florida. He brought paperwork regarding his relative's case and the Apprendi decision.
All in all a good time was had by all. Thank you November Coalition for supporting these efforts!
Rececnt Drug War news items from California
Back to list of November Coalition Staff and Regional Volunteers
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