Prisoner threatened with lynching, PADOC ignores white supremacist hate crime

From:    "FedUp!" <hrcfedup@gmail.com>
Date:    Tue, June 17, 2008

*Distribute this far and wide and take action please*

On January 10, 2007 at SCI Fayette, *Correctional Officers
Friend *and *Collings* came to the cell door of Michael
Edwards #CM8086 in an effort to intimidate the prisoner into
dropping a lawsuit.  When Mr. Edwards refused *C/O Friend*
*pulled three photographs of lynched black people from his
pocket and threw them in the prisoner's cell.*  This took
place in the presence of *Sgt. Ruvo*.

HRC/Fed Up! has copies of these photographs in our possession.  *And so do
you if you open the attached file.  *We also have documented proof that this
incident has been brought to the attention of the highest ranking officials
in the PA DOC, including Secretary of Corrections Jeffrey Beard.

On May 28, 2008 * Lt. Lesure* threatened Michael Edwards with transfer
unless he signed a two-page affidavit dropping the prisoner's grievances
against *C/Os Friend and Collings*, along with related grievances.  After
his cell was searched twice in twenty minutes and property—including legal
documents—were confiscated, Mr. Edwards still refused to sign the affidavit
and was promptly placed on a van to SCI Camp Hill without a prior 802
hearing.  **

On route to SCI Camp Hill *C/O Collings #2* (twin brother of the former)
stated to the prisoner, "Last chance.  You see how easy it would be to kill
you?  Drop the complaints."

Upon arrival at Camp Hill *mental health staff member Edward
Kalsky*threatened Edwards with indefinite SMU confinement unless he
signed and
dated aforementioned affidavit.

On May 29 Mr. Edwards appeared before the PRC, and *unit manager C. Chambers
* was handed a two-page affidavit from *Dept. Supt. Kazor*, who *both
claimed that the document was authorized by "Central Office."*  The prisoner
was told that if he signed and dated the affidavit he would be transferred
to any prison of his choosing and placed in general population.  Mr. Edwards
refused to sign.

Currently, the prisoner still is housed in the SMU without his personal
property, access to cleaning supplies, paperwork, and law library; without
control over his cell lighting, which is on 24 hours a day, and he has been
denied yard.  On May 29 *Sgt. Houser* also pressured Mr. Edwards to sign the
affidavit, and between 5/28/08 and 6/11/08 *Edward Kalsky* and *counselor
Phil Baker* have attempted to do the same.

*Hands off Michael Edwards!***

Michael Edwards continues to live under the threat of murder by white
supremacist prison personnel.  *Do not let this happen!*

*Contact SCI Camp Hill (717-737-4531),* ask for the Superintendent or Deputy
Superintendent's office, and demand *hands off Michael Edwards!*  Let the
prison know that we will not tolerate any harm being visited upon Mr.
Edwards, and that Deputy Superintendent Kazor and Superintendent Pavlovich
are personally responsible for the safety and health of Mr. Edwards and all
prisoners in their custody.

*No more hate crimes!  Fire all known white supremacists in the PA DOC!** *

This incident runs deeper than Michael Edwards and cuts to the very core of
how the prison-industrial complex serves to enforce a white supremacist
power structure.  Let's make a move together and target prison guards who
engage in overt white supremacist terrorism for immediate termination of
their employment.

*Contact SCI Fayette (724-364-2200)* and demand that *C/O Collings #1
& #2*along with
*C/O Friend* be fired immediately for the incident of January 10, 2007.

*Why does Jeffy look the other way?  Is his money that good?*

* *
*Contact Secretary Beard (call **717-737-4531** and ask to be connected to
Sec. Beard's office) *and ask why he has refused to acknowledge this
incident, fire the personnel involved, and open an investigation into
racist/white supremacist abuse inside PA prisons.  *Refusal to meet these
modest and just demands will be understood as proof that Secretary Jeffrey
Beard supports the sowing of racial terror inside the PA **DOC*.

*Stay in touch with one another . . .*

Please let others know about this incident, when you called and how that
went, and encourage others to do so.  Also, it is important that everybody
who can drop a line or two of support to Michael Edwards at the following
address:


Michael Edwards #CM8086

SCI Camp Hill

P.O. Box 200

Camp Hill, PA 170001-0200

--
Human Rights Coalition - FedUp! Chapter
5125 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15224
412-361-3022 xt.4 hrcfedup@gmail.com
www.thomasmertoncenter.org/fedup/