Monday, December 15, 2008

TUESDAY! Call for Maliki Shakur Latine!

FORWARD AND REPOST  FAR AND WIDE!


CALL FOR MALIKI SHAKUR LATINE! END MEDICAL NEGLECT!

* Black Panther * Community Activist * Muslim * Prison Organizer *
Prisoner of War

TUESDAY DECEMBER 16th, 10AM - 3PM EST

Demand from state officials,
In regard to inmate Maliki Latine #81-A-4469
at Great Meadow Correctional Facility,

1) Maliki Latine’s diet must be corrected immediately. He is not
diabetic but he has life-long multiple food allergies which require a
very specific diet as documented and mandated by the doctors in NY
State Department of Corrections since 1983. I am deeply concerned
about his health at this time.

2) It is essential that your office speak to Mr. Latine personally
about this matter as soon as possible and that you do everything
within your power to expedite his pending transfer to a facility
equipped to handle his needs.

518-474-8390 NY Governor David Paterson

518-457-7072 NY DOCS Deputy Commissioner/Chief Medical Officer, Dr.
Lester Wright

Maliki Shakur Latine- 81-A-4469 - has long-standing dietary needs
that have been well-documented by doctors, medical staff, Department
of Corrections officers, and a multitude of concerned outside
observers since 1983. The sustained incapacity of Great Meadows to
provide a humane and healthy diet for Mr. Latine, who is highly
allergic to many common foods, is troubling. Mr. Latine has recently
been designated for a medium-security prison. I ask that his transfer
to a different facility be expedited. While I trust this
information is in good hands, and proper, humane action will be
taken by you accordingly, this is also being voiced to other
offices, so that I can be sure that Mr. Latine's maltreatment will
be rectified by an immediate transfer to a facility where he can
prepare his own food with a careful eye to his own legitimate and
well-documented health needs.

Who is Maliki Shakur Latine?
Maliki Shakur Latine is a Bronx-born community activist who has
served in organizations such as the Nation of Islam and the Black
Panther Party. Latine was driven underground by repeated arrests and
FBI repression, including the infamous Panther 21 frame-up, until
charged with wounding a police officer in a Harlem shoot-out. Latine
is currently serving 25-to-life as a Prisoner of War in Great Meadow
Correctional Facility where he serves as Secretary of the Inmate
Liaison Committee and helps to represent the concerns of prisoners to
the administration. His role in raising concerns as well as in
helping to plan a Family Day helped to land him in Segregated
Housing Unit (SHU) where he is on a harmful and inappropriate diet
pending a transfer to a Medium security facility.

Read more at http://www.abcf.net/prisoners/latine.htm

Background on the dietary needs and negligence. . .

Mr. Maliki Latine has been put on a “Controlled B” limited-
carbohydrate diet requested on August 26, 2008. This particular
therapeutic diet would be appropriate for a patient with diabetes but
it is inappropriate and harmful for Latine who does not have
diabetes but rather, multiple food allergies. In efforts to address
this problem, Mr. Latine has complained to medical staff,
“sick-call” nurse, and filed three grievances with no response .
Latine has a life-long history of allergic urticaria associated
with various foods (high titers of IgE antibodies against foods).

He is allergic to
peas, peanuts, beans, soybeans, lettuce, cucumber, carrots, cabbage,
tomatoes, oranges, peaches, strawberries, black pepper, mustard,
wheat, pork, and coffee.

Numerous doctors working in NY Department of Corrections have
recommended that these foods be avoided, that a special meal plan be
followed, that Latine receive vitamin supplements, and that he be
allowed to prepare his own food. His restrictive diet has included
Ensure supplements, goats’ milk, tuna, rice, potatoes, and bananas.
This diet was instituted successfully at Clinton Correctional
Facility by allowing Mr. Latine to prepare his own food under the
instruction of Food Service Administrator John T McCloud. A facility
such as Downstate or Sing Sing should be able to accommodate Mr.
Latine’s needs without a problem.

Mr. Latine’s dietary needs have been documented in the following
correspondences available upon request if not on file in your office:

December 19, 1983 recommendation to Clinton Correctional Facility by
Dr. James A Phills / August 26, 1986 memorandum to Auburn
Correctional Facility by Dr. Raymond Broadus/ July 15, 1993 NY DOCS
Therapeutic Diet Order Form by Dr. Recht/ July 17, 1993 Memorandum to
Clinton Correctional Facility from John T McCloud, Food Service
Administrator/ February 16, 1999 Clinton Correctional Facility
Allergy Evaluation by Dr. Jocelyn Celestin/ August 2, 2000 Clinton
Correctional Facility Interdepartmental Communication by John T
McCloud, Food Service Administrator/ September 28, 2001 and November
20, 2001 Interdepartmental Communications to Great Meadow
Correctional Facility by Dr. Albert Paolano/ November 29, 2001 Letter
to Mr. Maliki Latine from Lucien J Leclaire Jr, Deputy
Commissioner, NY DOCS

In Solidarity,
NYC ABCF
nycabc[at]riseup.net
ABCF.net

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