Hunger Strike For Vegan Prisoner Reinstated; Please Call

Sept. 23, 2011 Infoshop News

Manuel Salas has reinstated his hunger strike as the Waupun prison has
apparently been refusing to honor vegan food requests for another inmate.
Please call Waupun Correctional Institution Warden William Pollard at
(920) 324-5571 and tell him as a friend of Manuel Salas #504212, you are
aware of his hunger strike and that you are making sure that requests for
vegan food be honored as required, as it is a legal right.

About Manuel

My name is Manuel C. Salas; I was born in Virginia but later moved to
Wisconsin and lived in Texas. I’m a 25-year-old vegan polticized prisoner
and animal rights activist. A few months before my 19th birthday I was
arrested for arson (unrelated to my animal rights activism). I was given
12 years, 6 in/6 out, but I got my time pushed back for a number of
reasons. I was facing 2 “baiter” cases out of a prisoner protest but they
later got dropped due to the fact I took a plea deal for the other
protests I kicked off for vegan food. I get sentenced in October 2011 but
I do not know how much time I’m going to get for that.

I became interested in animal rights when I was about 15. I became
vegetarian off and on from about age 16. At 15 I started volunteering at
shelters for battered and abused animals and also worked with some groups
that rescue and rehabilitate injured animals. I also began attending fur
protests and anti-hunting protests. At about 18 I became vegan.

I have been locked up in Wisconsin since 2005, moved to Wisconsin Prison
in 2006 and have been locked up since. I have been fighting for vegan food
and animal rights any way I can. The vegan food is not nutritionally
adequate and I protested the food asking for better quality meals and was
instead moved to Waupun Correctional Institution which did not provide
vegan meals. I then went on a hunger strike to gain access to vegan meals
and won. I’m now working again to improve the quality of the vegan meals
in prison.

In addition to animal rights work I’m also working to raise awareness
around HIV/AIDS and to improve the level of care for those who have AIDS
and are imprisoned. I do not have HIV/AIDS but my brother is HIV positive
and in Wisconsin Prison where he faces harrasment and inadequate health
care. Because of it I try and help when I can.