Chip Fitzgerald On Hunger Strike

April 25, 2010…

URGENT UPDATE ON CHIP FITZGERALD!
CHIP ON HUNGER STRIKE!

Chip is demanding a transfer out of the hole at
Corcoran State Prison where he has been for over a year.

In response to his unfair housing in
Administrative Segregation (“the hole”) Romaine
“Chip” Fitzgerald is currently refusing food. In
support of Chip we ask that you call Warden Raul
Lopez to DEMAND that Chip be transferred out of
Ad Seg and into general population immediately.

PASS THIS CALL FOR SUPPORT WIDELY!
CALL WARDEN RAUL LOPEZ TODAY!!!
FAX WARDEN RAUL LOPEZ TODAY!!!

DEMAND THAT ROMAINE FITZGERALD #B-27527 BE
TRANSFERRED OUT OF AD SEG and INTO GENERAL POPULATION! End his hunger strike!!!

559-992-8800 (phone) Extension #5008
559-999-4636 (fax)
************************************************
Monday, April 26, 2010

Dear New York Jericho: According to one of
Romaine "Chip" Fitzgerald's reliable supporters,
Mr. Fitzgerald (ONE OF OUR LONGEST SERVING
POLITICAL PRISONERS) is on about the seventh day
a hunger strike at the Corcoran State Prison in
California. From what I understand, he has
refused to eat food or drink water for at least
seven days. Mr. Fitzgerald undertook the hunger
strike to protest against prison officials
locking him away in solitary confinement for the
last two years. From what I understand, Mr.
Fitzgerald believed that he should have been
released on April 8, 2010. When the warden, Mr.
Raul Lopez, refused to release Chip Fitzgerald
from solitary confinement on April 8, Mr.
Fitzgerald threatened to go on a hunger strike --
and to remain on the hunger strike until
death. After some debate about the issue, Mr.
Fitzgerald started the hunger strike about seven days ago.

According to Emani Bey (Mr. Fitzgerald's
supporter in Oakland, California), Warden Raul
Lopez threatened to force feed Mr. Fitzgerald
tomorrow, on Tuesday, April 27, 2010. However,
the humane way to arrange for Mr. Fitzgerald to
eat food and to drink water would be to release
him from solitary confinement and into the
general prison population. After doing so, Mr.
Fitzgerald would willingly eat food and drink
water. In the meantime, Mr. Fitzgerald strongly
implies that he will kill himself with this
hunger strike. In recent letters, he told his
supporters "good bye". If I am not mistaken, he
also expressed regret that he would not see them again.

At this time, the activists organizing a campaign
to save Romaine "Chip" Fitzgerald's life plan the
following: (1) to persuade Mr. Fitzgerald to
drink water so that he will live for a much
longer period than he would if he continues to
refuse water and other forms of nourishment; (2)
call and write Governor Arnold Scwharzenegger at
the address and telephone number listed below
(and by email and Twitter through his web site)
for the purpose of demanding that Romaine "Chip"
Fitzgerald be released immediately from solitary
confinement and into the general prison
population, that Mr. Fitzgerald not be force fed,
and that Mr. Fitzgerald be treated humanely; and
(3) call and write Warden Raul Lopez of Corcoran
State Prison, Secretary Matthew Cate of the
California Department of Corrections &
Rehabilitation ("CDCR"), and the ombudsman for
CDCR for the purpose of making the same demands.

Since Chip Fitzgerald has forsaken food and water
for up to seven days, he could die in the next
few days or be force fed as early as
tomorrow. In either case, we need to recognize
that Chip may be suffering from depression. We
need also to recognize that he needs to see his
family, his friends, and good lawyers, all of
whom need to encourage him to live, but all of
whom also need to work with him if he chooses to
continue his hunger strike. On this point, these
people need to persuade Mr. Fitzgerald to drink
water, no matter what else he decides to
do. Fasting without water could result in death
in from seven to ten days. On the other hand, a
person who fasts while drinking healthy water
could live for as long as sixty or more
days. Hence, if Chip drinks water, he would give
us more time to work on his behalf.

I write this email as an emergency notice about
this tragedy. I have yet to research Secretary
Matthew Cate's address and telephone
number. However, we need to act immediately. In
other words, we need to pressure Governor Arnold
Schwarzegger, Warden Raul Lopez, and the
ombudsman for the California Department of
Corrections & Rehabilitation to free Mr.
Fitzgerald from solitary confinement. I suspect
that locking Mr. Fitzgerald in solitary
confinement for two or more years straight at
sixty-one years of age (his birthday was April
11), and doing so to a man who has lived in
prison for the last forty years, constitutes a
form of emotional and physical torture. I
suspect that this torture has seriously
compromised Mr. Fitzgerald's emotional well-being
and judgment. At the least, he must be
emotionally and physically exhausted from
prison. Unless we act now and show Mr.
Fitzgerald that the liberation movement will save
him from solitary confinement and other forms of
mistreatment, we may well lose this brother. For
this reason, I send this email to you on an
emergency basis. I also copied below the email
from Ms. Emani Bey, the sister who alerted me and others about the crisis.

Thomas Ruffin
Black August Planning Organization & Nat Turner Rebellion

P.S. Romaine "Chip" Fitzgerald's identification
number in the California prison system is #B-27527.

Raul Lopez, Warden Governor Arnold Schwarzegger
Corcoran State Prison State Capitol Building
(559) 992-8800 Sacramento, California 95814
(559) 999-4636 (fax) (916) 445-2841 (office)
(916) 558-3160 (fax)

http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmZyZWVjaGlwLm9yZw==www.freechip.org