By: Seamus

Seamus — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 21:17:21 +0000

I hope the strike brings attention to the plight of the prisoners. Now, if we can just get a hunger strike in West Oakland to bring attention to the all the shootings and muggings on San Pablo. You wouldn't believe how many reckless and violent people live around here.

By: alexg

alexg — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 13:48:08 +0000

Right on!

By: Lee Wood

Lee Wood — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 21:28:27 +0000

Before the 13th Amendment was Ratified and Certified into the US Constitution in 1865, there was the 1849 admission of California into the Union as a Free State (http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist5/caladmit.html with the following California State Constitutional Amendment:
Article 1, Section 18 (1849)
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, UNLESS FOR THE PUNISHMENT OF CRIMES,
shall ever be tolerated in this State.”
While this did successfully halt the presence and expansion of African ‘chattel slavery’ to California, it presented California as a FREE STATE; and it also provided FOR (the above exception) BOTH ‘slavery’ and “involuntary servitude…FOR THE PUNISHMENT OF CRIMES”.
Between 1973 /1975, a California prisoner collective successfully struggled/lobbied via inside/outside community members to have this 124 year slavery proviso abolished.
Article 1, Section 6 (1974/75)*
“Slavery is prohibited. Involuntary Servitude is prohibited
EXCEPT TO PUNISH CRIME. (emphasis)
This change commands that “…slavery is prohibited”, and that only “involuntary servitude” is used to punish crime in the State of California.
This Article, however, also serves to ‘hide’ the continued and >now unconstitutional practice of slavery for punishment in California – 36 years after it was rendered Unconstitutional.
So, since 1975, (with this cover protection) California Guard Unions and other related Big Businesses have massively expanded their bottom financial line from 30,000+ prisoners (@ $15,000 to $20,000 per head) to over 135,000 prisoners today (@ between $45,000 to $85,000 per head) – - more prisoners, more money per prisoner, more prison slave territory expansion, more corrupt Slavocracy profits.
The practice of slavery to punish crime continues after 36 years of not passing Emancipation Statutes (new laws) returning citizenship, labor, human, and economic rights to prisoners and their family members.
This 1975 California State Constitutional change fails to prohibit, much less abolish, “slavery for the punishment of crimes”. California prisoners remain 3/5ths (or less) of a Human/Citizen –AS EXPOSED IN THE PELICAN BAY HUNGER STRIKE (etal., ALL California Torture prisons); and, as exposed in the most massive Inhuman and Unconstitutional Overcrowding in the nation, if not in the world.
Please Support, volunteer, and participate in this struggle to be free of slave torture and other punishments as already described in THE PELICAN BAY HUNGER STRIKE!!!!

By: BATO TALAMANTEZ

BATO TALAMANTEZ — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:47:45 +0000

THE H-STRIKERS AT PELICAN BAY- AND SINCE NOW JOINED ELSEWHERE —- ARE AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF AN ORDEAL UNCOMMON TO FREE PEOPLE AS IT IS AN ACT OF SELF DEPRIVATION AND STARVATION ACTED UPON IN PRISONER DESPERATION AND AS AN APPEAL TO HUMANIOTY FOR JUSTICE AND RECOGNITION OF IMMEDIATE AND DIRE URGENCY. LIFE AND DEATH DEPEND ON PUBLIC RESPONSE. PRISONERS WITH NOTHING TO LIVE FOR CHOOSE SELF DIGNITY OVER DEATH. HASTA SIEMPRE HASTA LA VICTORIA BATO

By: Black Man

Black Man — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 20:02:27 +0000

This is an excellent article and I applaud you for bringing this darkness to light.

Comments on: California SHU prisoners begin hunger strike July 1

By: Seamus

By: alexg

By: Lee Wood

By: BATO TALAMANTEZ

By: Black Man