Pelican Bay Hunger Strikers Reject Proposal: The Strike Continues!

July 16, 2011 prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity

This afternoon leaders of the Pelican Bay hunger strike unanimously rejected a proposal from the CDCR to end the strike. In response to the prisoners’ five, straightforward demands, the CDCR distributed a vaguely worded document stating that it would “effect a comprehensive assessment of its existing policy and procedure” about the secure housing units (SHUs). The document gave no indication if any changes would be made at all.

While the CDCR has claimed that there is no medical crisis, mediators report that the principal hunger strikers have lost 25-35 pounds each and have underlying medical conditions of concern. Despite the promises from the federal Receiver overseeing the CDCR, no one has received salt tablets or vitamins.

The hunger strike is now in its third week and shows no signs of weakening. In fact, the settlement document distributed last night to all hunger strikers at Pelican Bay prison, resulted in some people who have gone off the strike to resume refusing food. Hundreds of prisoners at Pelican Bay remain on strike, with thousands more participating throughout the CA’s 33 prisons. Advocates and strike leaders dismiss the false claims that the strike is being orchestrate by prison gangs. (Click here for a clip from a legal visit with hunger strikers, explaining why prisoners are doing this hunger strike)

International solidarity with the striking prisoners also continue to mount with demonstrations and messages emerging from the US, Canada, Turkey and Australia. According to mediation team Laura Magnani, “From day one. the CDCR has demonstrated it’s inability to resolve this situation. We call on Gov. Brown to step in and negotiate in good faith to bring this situation to a just resolution.” Strike supporters plan to flood the Governor’s office with phone calls and emails, echoing the striker’s demands.

Given how basic the strikers’ demands are, it is immoral that the CDCR would insult these men with such poor faith proposal,” state mediator Dorsey Nunn.

The challenge for supporters outside of prison is to match the courage of the hunger strikers, and to effectively pressure the CDCR to immediately negotiate on the standards any negotiation should follow: with the prisoners in good faith, addressing all of the demands, and with the prisoner-approved outside mediation team.

It is still important to continue calling in and writing letters to Sec. Cate. We also need to intensify pressure on all elected officials, from Governor Brown to local state representatives, to get involved in this struggle–urge them to make sure the CDCR negotiates with the prisoners, urge them to visit Pelican Bay and demand to see the prisoners. We can also be targeting press and media to do the same.

MOBILIZE to SACRAMENTO: MON, July 18th from 1-4pm. Demonstration outside CDCR Headquarters. 1515 S. St.

*FOR SUPPORTERS EVERYWHERE:

Join a conference call to hear direct updates, and to strategize effective ways to support the strike and the prisoners in winning their demands!

NATIONAL HUNGER STRIKE SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE CALL:

Monday, July 18th: 6 pm EDT/ 5 pm CDT/ 4pm MDT/ 3 pm PDT

Toll-Free Call In Number: 1(800) 920-7487

Participant Code: 62435226

http://t.ymlp118.net/msaoaybwagajswaoahy/click.php Click
here for a complete list of Coalition press releases and advisories.

Recent Media Coverage
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/mualaybwacajswafahy/click.php Protestors
In Support Of Pelican Bay Prisoners March Through
SF - Jana Katsuyama reports for KTVU television, July 15 2011
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/meacaybwapajswagahy/click.php Prison
Reform Movement's Blogtalkradio show talks to Ed
Mead, Julie Tackett, and D.J. Vodicka, on July 16, 2011
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/mmanaybwapajswazahy/click.php Interview
with Carol Strickman, staff attorney for Legal
Services for Prisoners with Children "The CDCR is
using every method they have to try and stop this hunger strike"
   * Revolution #239, July 17, 2011
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/mjacaybwanajswavahy/click.php Interview
with Clyde Young, revolutionary communist "We
should stand firmly with the prisoners and their demands"
   * Clyde Young is a revolutionary communist
and a former prisoner. This interview was
originally done on The Michael Slate Show and has
been posted at revcom.us courtesy of The Michael
Slate Show (KPFK, 90.7fm Los Angeles, 98.7fm
Santa Barbara, www.kpfk.org worldwide).
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/mbaraybwatajswaaahy/click.php Interview
with Lance Tapley, journalist; U.S.: "The World Torture Champions"
   * Lance Tapley is an award winning
investigative journalist at the Portland Phoenix
in Maine where he has covered the Supermax prison
in Maine. Lance is also one of the contributors
to the anthology "The United States and Torture:
Interrogation, Incarceration and Abuse". This
interview was originally done on The Michael
Slate Show and has been posted at revcom.us
courtesy of The Michael Slate Show (KPFK, 90.7fm
Los Angeles, 98.7fm Santa Barbara, www.kpfk.org worldwide).
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/mhataybwafajswapahy/click.php Interview
with Manuel LaFontaine, member of All of Us or
None and the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity
Coalition: "The worst of the worst is not
allowing people to be treated as human beings"
   * Manuel LaFontaine is a member of All of Us
or None and the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity
coalition. This interviewed was originally done
on The Michael Slate Show and has been posted at
revcom.us courtesy of The Michael Slate Show,
(KPFK, 90.7fm Los Angeles, 98.7fm Santa Barbara, www.kpfk.org worldwide)
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/mwakaybwapajswaiahy/click.php Emergency
Press Conference in San Francisco: "We cannot
stress enough how critical the situation is"
   * Revolution #239, July 17, 2011
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/mqavaybwakajswavahy/click.php Thousands
of California Prisoners & Supporters Rally for Weeks
   * MIM(Prisons), July 2011
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/myaraybwavajswatahy/click.php When
the Hunger Strike is in the US | Cubadebate (English)
   * By Juana Carrasco Martín, Cubadebate Jul
16th, 2011 A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/jsagaybwaiajswaoahy/click.php Letters
from Hugo Pinell and other hunger strikers �
Rally to support the hunger strikers
   * San Francisco Bay View July 15, 2011
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/juataybwalajswapahy/click.php Protests
Grow in Solidarity with California Prisoners as
Hunger Strikes Enter Third Week
   * Democracy Now July 15, 2011
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/jeavaybwaaajswaiahy/click.php Carl
Small of the Montreal Hungerstrike Support
Committee interviewed on Radio Free
Worldinterviewed on Radio Free World, CKUW 95.9 FM Winnipeg, July 15 2011
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/jmalaybwadajswacahy/click.php Pelican
Bay/California hunger strike: 6,000 prisoners and growing
   * By Michelle Schudel, Liberation (Newspaper
of the Party for Socialism and Liberation) July 15, 2011
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/jjanaybwavajswaaahy/click.php Pelican
Bay Hunger Strike: Supporters Plan to Rally,
Possibly Disrupt the Evening Commute
   * By Erin Sherbert San Francisco News, July 15 2011
   *
 http://t.ymlp118.net/jbafaybwaoajswacahy/click.php Rush
Hour Protest Today to Back Hunger Strikers at Pelican Bay
   * Rachel Swan East Bay Express, July 15, 2011
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/jhaoaybwavajswarahy/click.php Calif.
inmates fight lockdowns, punishment of groups by race
   * BY ARLENE RUBINSTEIN, The Militant - July 25, 2011
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/jwazaybwaxajswafahy/click.php July
15: Amidst Pressure, CDCR Enters Negotiation with Pelican Bay Hunger Strikers
   * press release from the Prisoners Hungerstrike Solidarity Coalition
   *
http://t.ymlp118.net/jqanaybwaxajswarahy/click.php Corrections
officials accede to pressure, begin negotiating
with hunger strikers as their health deteriorates
   * by Isaac Ontiveros, Prisoner Hunger Strike
Solidarity, San Francisco Bay View July 15 2011.
Needless to say, a link to an article does not imply endorsement.

http://t.ymlp118.net/jyataybwaaajswapahy/click.php Click
here for complete list of links to news articles since July 1.

Upcoming Events
(next 72 hours)

EVERYWHERE
*Monday, July 18th: 6 pm EDT/ 5 pm CDT/ 4pm MDT/ 3 pm PDT:
NATIONAL HUNGER STRIKE SOLIDARITY CONFERENCE
CALL: FOR SUPPORTERS EVERYWHERE. Join a
conference call to hear direct updates, and to
strategize effective ways to support the strike
and the prisoners in winning their demands!
Toll-Free Call In Number: 1(800) 920-7487. Participant Code: 62435226

In the US:

California
Los Angeles
Monday, July 18th, 9am - 5pm ALL DAY - Reagan
State Building, 3rd and Spring Sts., Downtown Los Angeles

Sacramento
Mon, July 18th1:00-4:00pm: Demonstration @ CDCR
Headquarters.1515 S St. Sacramento, CA

San Bernardino
Sun, July 17th 12:00-3:00 pm: Demonstration at
San Bernardino County Central Detention Center
(CDC). 630 East Rialto Avenue. San Bernardino

San Francisco
EVERY DAY at noon. California State Building, Van
Ness and McAllister, San Francisco.

Nevada
Las Vegas
Mon, July 18th 8:00- 9:00 p.m: VIGIL IN
SOLIDARITY WITH HUNGER STRIKE ACROSS CALIFORNIA. Address: *waiting on location*

New York
New York City
Mon, JULY 18th 11:30am - 1pm Demo in Solidarity
with Hunger Strike in California. California
State Franchise Office, 1212 6th Ave. between
47th & 48th, Manhattan, New York City, New York.

Arizona
Tuscon
Tues, July 19th @ 8pm: Informational Update on
the Hunger Strike and Radical Folk Music Show
featuring Ryan Harvey. At Dry River Radical
Resource Center 740 N.  Main Ave. Click
http://t.ymlp118.net/bsazaybwanajswazahy/click.php here for more info.

Rhode Island
Wed, July 20th: Fast/Rally (assuming the strikers
haven't had their demands met by then). organized
by DARE (Direct Action for Rights and Equality).
For more info, call:
http://t.ymlp118.net/buacaybwarajswapahy/click.php 401-351-6060

http://t.ymlp118.net/beapaybwadajswarahy/click.php This
list is of upcoming events we know of within the
next 72 hours - for a complete list click here

If you are organizing an event in your area,
mailto:hstrikenews@yahoo.calet us know!

Hungerstrike News can be reached at
hstrikenews@yahoo.ca


Since July 1, thousands of prisoners across
California have participated in a hunger strike
against torturous conditions at Pelican Bay State
Prison's Security Housing Unit. Roughly one
hundred prisoners have stated that they will
refuse food until death if their demands for basic human rights are not met.

Hungerstrike News documents their struggle and
the actions of those who stand in solidarity with them.
MAKE CALLS AND
WRITE LETTERS OF PROTEST TO:

Secretary Matthew Cate
CDCR
1515 S Street
Sacramento
95814
TEL: (916) 323-6001

Governor Jerry Brown
State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814
TEL: (916) 445-2841

CDCR Public Affairs Office: (916)445-4950

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