California prisoners win historic gains with settlement against solitary confinement

Formerly-incarcerated-Jerry-Elster-speaks-press-conf-Ashker-settlement-090115-Livestream-screenshot, California prisoners win historic gains with settlement against solitary confinement, Abolition Now!
Jerry Elster of All of Us or None, formerly incarcerated and a SHU survivor, opened his statement at the Sept. 1 news conference to announce the settlement with a moment of silence for Hugo Pinell, longest held SHU prisoner, who was assassinated in prison Aug. 12. – Photo: Livestream screenshot

Agreement reached in Ashker v. Brown ends indeterminate long-term solitary confinement in California and makes other significant gains for prisoners – a statement by the plaintiffs on the settlement is posted below

by Mohamed Shehk

California-Prisoners-on-Hunger-Strike-July-1-graphic, California prisoners win historic gains with settlement against solitary confinement, Abolition Now!
This flier announcing the first of three historically huge hunger strikes uses the “logo” created for the strike by an artist who has grown famous in prison, Kevin “Rashid” Johnson, then caged in Virginia and punished for his activism by expulsion to other states’ prisons, first Oregon and now Texas.

Oakland – Today, California prisoners locked in isolation achieved a groundbreaking legal victory in their ongoing struggle against the use of solitary confinement. A settlement was reached in the federal class action suit Ashker v. Brown, originally filed in 2012, effectively ending indefinite long-term solitary confinement and greatly limiting the prison administration’s ability to use the practice, widely seen as a form of torture.

The lawsuit was brought on behalf of prisoners held in Pelican Bay State Prison’s infamous Security Housing Units (SHU) for more than 10 years, where they spend 23 hours a day or more in their cells with little to no access to family visits, outdoor time or any kind of programming.

“From the historic prisoner-led hunger strikes of 2011 and 2013, to the work of families, loved ones and advocates, this settlement is a direct result of our grassroots organizing, both inside and outside prison walls,” said Dolores Canales of California Families Against Solitary Confinement (CFASC) and mother of a prisoner in Pelican Bay.

“This legal victory is huge, but it is not the end of our fight – it will only make the struggle against solitary and imprisonment everywhere stronger.” The 2011 and 2013 hunger strikes gained widespread international attention that for the first time in recent years put solitary confinement under mainstream scrutiny.

California-prisoner-hunger-strike-solidarity-rally-march-CDCR-HQ-Sacramento-101511-by-Bill-Hackwell, California prisoners win historic gains with settlement against solitary confinement, Abolition Now!
Prisoners’ families and advocates have marched and rallied incessantly since the first hunger strike in the summer of 2011 to end solitary confinement. This year, they’ve held coordinated actions statewide every month on the 23rd, a date chosen to symbolize the minimum of 23 hours each day a prisoner in solitary is locked down in a tiny cell. – Photo: Bill Hackwell

Currently, many prisoners are in solitary because of their “status” – having been associated with political ideologies or gang affiliation. However, this settlement does away with the status-based system, leaving solitary as an option only in cases of serious behavioral rule violations. Furthermore, the settlement limits the amount of time a prisoner may be held in solitary, and sets a two year Step-Down Program for the release of current solitary prisoners into the general population.

It is estimated that between 1,500 and 2,000 prisoners will be released from SHU within one year of this settlement. A higher security general population unit will be created for a small number of cases where people have been in SHU for more than 10 years and have a recent serious rule violation.

Pelican-Bay-censored-pelican-drawing-by-Pete-Collins-imprisoned-at-Bath-Prison-Ontario-Canada-web, California prisoners win historic gains with settlement against solitary confinement, Abolition Now!
Another drawing used during the hunger strikes that publicizes why the torture of solitary confinement could lead prisoners to risk their lives to be just a little freer is this one, by prison artist Pete Collins, caged in Bath Prison, Ontario, Canada, who died in prison on Aug. 13, 2015. The pelican symbolizes Pelican Bay, one of the world’s first and most notorious solitary confinement prisons.

“Despite the repeated attempts by the prison regime to break the prisoners’ strength, they have remained unified in this fight,” said Marie Levin of CFASC and sister of a prisoner representative named in the lawsuit. “The Agreement to End Hostilities and the unity of the prisoners are crucial to this victory and will continue to play a significant role in their ongoing struggle.”

The Agreement to End Hostilities is an historic document put out by prisoner representatives in Pelican Bay in 2012 calling on all prisoners to build unity and cease hostilities between racial groups.

Prisoner representatives and their legal counsel will regularly meet with California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials as well as with Federal Magistrate Judge Nandor Vadas, who is tasked with overseeing the reforms, to insure that the settlement terms are being implemented.

Hugo-Yogi-Pinell-in-New-Folsom-visiting-room-2014-courtesy-Kiilu-Nyasha, California prisoners win historic gains with settlement against solitary confinement, Abolition Now!
The Bay View would like to dedicate this historic settlement to the precious memory of Hugo “Yogi” Pinell, the prisoner longest held in solitary confinement in history and a powerful symbol of prisoner solidarity, who was assassinated, perhaps as an attempt to derail this settlement, in prison on Aug. 12, 2015. Rest in Power, Yogi. You did it!

“Without the hunger strikes and without the Agreement to End Hostilities to bring California’s prisoners together and commit to risking their lives – by being willing to die for their cause by starving for 60 days, we would not have this settlement today,” said Anne Weills of Siegel and Yee, co-counsel in the case. “It will improve the living conditions for thousands of men and women and no longer have them languishing for decades in the hole at Pelican Bay.

“This victory was achieved by the efforts of people in prison, their families and loved ones, lawyers and outside supporters,” said the prisoners represented in the settlement in a joint statement. “We celebrate this victory while at the same time we recognize that achieving our goal of fundamentally transforming the criminal justice system and stopping the practice of warehousing people in prison will be a protracted struggle.”

Legal co-counsel in the case include California Prison Focus, Siegel & Yee, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, Chistensen O’Connor Johnson Kindness PLLC, and the Law Offices of Charles Carbone. The lead counsel is the Center for Constitutional Rights. The judge in the case is Judge Claudia Wilken in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

A rally and press conference are set for 12 noon in front of the Elihu M. Harris State Building in Oakland, which will be livestreamed at http://livestre.am/5bsWO.

The settlement can be read on CCR’s website, along with a summary. CCR has also put up downloadable clips of the plaintiffs’ depositions here.

Mohamed Shehk, media and communications director for Critical Resistance, a national grassroots organization working to abolish the prison industrial complex, is a spokesperson for the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity coalition. He can be reached at 510-444-0484 or mohamed@criticalresistance.org.

The-Agreement-to-End-Hostilities-art-by-Michael-D.-Russell-web, California prisoners win historic gains with settlement against solitary confinement, Abolition Now!
It’s hard to illustrate the Agreement to End Hostilities in a drawing, but prolific artist Michael D. Russell shows here how a group of Black, Brown and White prisoners called for the end of racial hostilities to remove the prison administrators’ most potent weapon against them, divide and conquer. For the moment, Michael remains in solitary confinement in Pelican Bay. – Art: Michael D. Russell, C-90473, Pelican Bay State Prison SHU D7-217, P.O. Box 7500, Crescent City CA 95532

Statement of plaintiffs on settlement of Ashker v. Governor of California

Dated Aug. 31, 2015

This settlement represents a monumental victory for prisoners and an important step toward our goal of ending solitary confinement in California, and across the country. California’s agreement to abandon indeterminate SHU confinement based on gang affiliation demonstrates the power of unity and collective action. This victory was achieved by the efforts of people in prison, their families and loved ones, lawyers and outside supporters.

Our movement rests on a foundation of unity: our Agreement to End Hostilities. It is our hope that this groundbreaking agreement to end the violence between the various ethnic groups in California prisons will inspire not only state prisoners, but also jail detainees, county prisoners and our communities on the street to oppose ethnic and racial violence.

From this foundation, the prisoners’ human rights movement is awakening the conscience of the nation to recognize that we are fellow human beings. As the recent statements of President Obama and of Justice Kennedy illustrate, the nation is turning against solitary confinement.

We celebrate this victory while, at the same time, we recognize that achieving our goal of fundamentally transforming the criminal justice system and stopping the practice of warehousing people in prison will be a protracted struggle. We are fully committed to that effort, and invite you to join us.

Todd Ashker

Sitawa Nantambu Jamaa

Luis Esquivel

George Franco

Richard Johnson

Paul Redd

Gabriel Reyes

George Ruiz

Danny Troxell