The Historic Prison Strike in Georgia-Blacked out By Media-Guards committing Violence

We been covering this strike since Day 1… Its Day 6 and we continue.. This time with an insightful interview on Hard Knock Radio w/Bruce Dixon of the Black Agenda Report.. He brings us up to speed by talking about some of the challenges the inmates are facing inlcuding brutality from the prison guards

Here’s the link to the interview..http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/66078

Here’s a link to the Democracy Now interview w/ Elaine Brown

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/14/prisoner_advocate_elaine_brown_on_georgia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8sdScqinkg


On Thursday morning, December 9, 2010, thousands of Georgia prisoners refused to work, stopped all other activities and locked down in their cells in a peaceful protest for their human rights. The December 9 Strike became the biggest prisoner protest in the history of the United States. Thousands of men, from Augusta, Baldwin, Hancock, Hays, Macon, Smith and Telfair State Prisons, among others, initiated this strike to press the Georgia Department of Corrections (“DOC”) to stop treating them like animals and slaves and institute programs that address their basic human rights.  They set forth the following demands:  

  • · A LIVING WAGE FOR WORK
  • · EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
  • · DECENT HEALTH CARE
  • · AN END TO CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS
  • · DECENT LIVING CONDITIONS
  • · NUTRITIONAL MEALS
  • · VOCATIONAL AND SELF-IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
  • · ACCESS TO FAMILIES
  • · JUST PAROLE DECISIONS

Despite that the prisoners’ protest remained non-violent, the DOC violently attempted to force the men back to work—claiming it was “lawful” to order prisoners to work without pay, in defiance of the 13th Amendment’s abolition of slavery.  In Augusta State Prison, six or seven inmates were brutally ripped from their cells by CERT Team guards and beaten, resulting in broken ribs for several men, one man beaten beyond recognition.  This brutality continues there.  At Telfair, the Tactical Squad trashed all the property in inmate cells.  At Macon State, the Tactical Squad has menaced the men for two days, removing some to the “hole,” and the warden ordered the heat and hot water turned off.  Still, today, men at Macon, Smith, Augusta, Hays and Telfair State Prisons say they are committed to continuing the strike.  Inmate leaders, representing blacks, Hispanics, whites, Muslims, Rastafarians, Christians, have stated the men will stay down until their demands are addressed, one issuing this statement:

“…Brothers, we have accomplished a major step in our struggle…We must continue what we have started…The only way to achieve our goals is to continue with our peaceful sit-down…I ask each and every one of my Brothers in this struggle to continue the fight.  ON MONDAY MORNING, WHEN THE DOORS OPEN, CLOSE THEM.  DO NOT GO TO WORK.  They cannot do anything to us that they haven’t already done at one time or another.  Brothers, DON’T GIVE UP NOW.  Make them come to the table.  Be strong.  DO NOT MAKE MONEY FOR THE STATE THAT THEY IN TURN USE TO KEEP US AS SLAVES….”

When the strike began, prisoner leaders issued the following call: “No more slavery.  Injustice in one place is injustice to all. Inform your family to support our cause.  Lock down for liberty!”

Here’s the link to our recent Hard Knock Radio interview w/ Elaine Brown on this historic strike

http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/65925

Here’s an article written by Bruce Dixon editor of the Black Agenda Report on the strike

GA Inmates Stage One Day Peaceful Prison Strike, Authorities React With Violence

http://www.correntewire.com/ga_inmates_stage_one_day_peaceful_prison_strike_authorities_react_violence

Bruce Dixon

In an action which is unprecedented on several levels, black, brown and white inmates of Georgia’s notorious state prison system are standing together for a historic one day peaceful strike today, during which they are remaining in their cells, refusing work and other assignments and activities. This is a groundbreaking event not only because inmates are standing up for themselves and their own human rughts, but because prisoners are setting an example by reaching across racial boundaries which, in prisons, have historically been used to pit oppressed communities against each other. PRESS RELEASE BELOW THE FOLD
The action is taking place today in at least half a dozen of Georgia’s more than one hundred state prisons, correctional facilities, work camps, county prisons and other correctional facilities. We have unconfirmed reports that authorities at Macon State prison have aggressively responded to the strike by sending tactical squads in to rough up and menace inmates.Outside calls from concerned citizens and news media will tend to stay the hand of prison authorities who may tend to react with reckless and brutal aggression. So calls to the warden’s office of the following Georgia State Prisons expressing concern for the welfare of the prisoners during this and the next few days are welcome.

Macon State Prison is 978-472-3900.

Hays State Prison is at (706) 857-0400

Telfair State prison is 229-868-7721

Baldwin State Prison is at (478) 445- 5218

Valdosta State Prison is 229-333-7900

Smith State Prison is at (912) 654-5000

The Georgia Department of Corrections is at http://www.dcor.state.ga.us and their phone number is 478-992-5246

This is all the news we have for now…

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Comments

  1. My brother is in Valdosta and my man is in Macon. I feel the way these guys are being treated is crazy. They are still human beings and have rights. Authorities have been abusing their authority over prisoners or even people in the general population for years. This needs to STOP!!! We need to stand behind these guys and help make a difference even in the prison system. They are people!!! We fight for animal rights, but what about the rights of our poeple?

  2. Still Black says

    Thanks for posting this. This illustrates why it’s so important to work outside of the current political system as it stands. The laws of this land were never designed for our benefit. It’s important to note that the 13th amendment doesn’t abolish slavery. It only requires that you be convicted of a crime before you’re thrown into (or back into) forced servitude. The amendment, as it’s written, actually does more to legalize and legitimize slavery than anything else.

  3. just to be clear man this doesn’t violate the 13th amendmant.

    Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

  4. Aiesha Johnson says

    Keep calling and checking on your loved one in Georgia prisons. I called today 12-13-10 the rep who answered was saying sh*t repeatedly while trying to transfer my call. T

  5. Aiesha Johnson says

    The receptionist for Smith State Prison Paula had phones ringing off the hook, discombobulated en it came down to answering questions about Warden Thompson return. Please dont let the inmate efforts go in vain. Support them by checking on your loved ones.

  6. I believe all people should be treated fairly but I have a hard time feeling sorry for people who break the law. Not trying to be funny but when you are a felon you give up some of your rights. Yes, I understand the systematic issues with them ending up there in the first place but there have been plenty of men who grew up in the same conditions make something of themselves. And I am not talking about becoming senators or anything. Just average men who go to work and take care of their families. So, no sympathy from me. Sorry. 🙁

  7. Pancho Valdez says

    Whoever organized this action must be commended. To unite African Americans, Latinos and whites takes a lot of skilled savvy.

    Regardless of their crimes, prisoners must not be brutalized and treated less than animals! Your struggle is OUR struggle! ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

  8. Ending all injustice says

    These inmates are doing the right thing by refusing to work without pay. And kudos to this site for publicizing their plight.

    But there is one problem with the rhetoric posted above:

    “Thousands of men … initiated this strike to press the Georgia Department of Corrections (“DOC”) to stop treating them like animals…”

    Non-human animals aren’t deserving of the incredibly cruel treatment they often receive at the hands of human animals, but the above statement presumes that they are and deepens the idea that they can and should be. We should all seek to end every unjustified oppression, including that of other animals, and our rhetoric is very important.

  9. I just called Hays and they said they have no idea what I’m talking about but redirected me to the public information office at 404-656-9772. At least they know now people from Massachusetts are following this story.

  10. T Joseph Wood says

    I think the author needs to go back and reread the 13th amendment. This article spits in the face of abolition by comparing convicted criminals to slaves, and spits in the face of the American people by demanding better treatment for our prisoners than the rest of the country gets. Hell, free health care, free rent, free education, free food. I would love to get all that, and prisoners already do.

    This article is nothing but a juvenile ignorant tirade from a writer who is willing to hold up anyone as a hero so long as it demonizes the prison system. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you need to do a little bit of reading and figure out what the hell you’re talking about before you publish this tripe.

    • LOL we think T Joseph needs to stop whining and handle some of his issues..He seems to forgets that everyone has a right to basic human neccesities.. and if you want those basic thing we suggest he take a cue from those incarcerated and fight for them alongside everyone else. Again mr Wood stop whining because a group of people decided to stand together and push for something you apparently don’t have the heart to do.

  11. Support of any organized worker strike is critical to future endeavors. Support this by calling the numbers listed and often

  12. just to be clear man this doesn’t violate the 13th amendmant.

    Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

  13. I can understand an inmate with a petty crime asking to be treated like a human, but for those that took the basic human rights away from someone else, resulting in murder, rape or any other type of brutality… they should have thought about being treated like an animal or a slave before committing the crime. It’s just unfortunate for those whose crimes are not as bad that they had to end up in a place like that. It’s funny how when the shoe is on the other foot, there is so much to protest about.. well what about the ten year old protesting to the grown man for raping and sodomizing her! Who was being treated like a slave and an animal then?!

  14. Sean F. Kennedy says

    http://www.gci-ga.com/ (Georgia Correctional Industries)

    “GCI offers a wide variety of furniture collections. From our Presidential Collection for the executive suite and painstaking craftsmanship of Ultra line to the stylish and functional Computer Workstations. These are only but a few of the wide variety of Furniture products offered by GCI.”

    If you sat in a desk in a State of Georgia university then it was probably built by prison labor.

  15. FreeThinkSpeaker says

    To those who are saying that this isn’t a violation of civil liberties as defined by the 13th amendment: you need to also understand that prisons are now, effectively, privately funded. Prisons in large are privately owned in the US, and that, coupled with the fact that companies can “legally” buy votes from senators and congressmen, means that it is actually in the interest of those who control the voting to have stiffer laws passed with harsher penalties to insure that prison populations don’t decline. DID YOU HEAR ME!!! Our government now has a vested interest in our enslavement!!!

    To those of you who “don’t sympathize with criminals…” : Do you realize that it is illegal to not pay your Federal Income Tax? Do you also realize that “income” as defined by the IRS and Federal Reserve is defined as applying to assets, land, and property, NOT LABOR! That’s right! You’re labor is not legally taxable, yet it is illegal to refuse to pay your federal income tax when it is applied to your labor! Do you also realize that The United States of America has more prisoners than China right now? Not more prisoners per capita… TOTAL! China has 2.5 Billion people! We have a mere 250 Million. We have more prisoners then a country 10 times our size population wise! The land of the free indeed!

  16. TYRONE(HOUSTON,TX) says

    THERE IS 112 PRISONS IN TEXAS,NOT COUNTING COUNTY JAILS EITHER,BUT I KNOW IT USE TO BE LIKE THAT IN TEXAS,UNTIL INMATES STARTED RIOTING,THEN THE STATE OF TEXAS CAME OUT WITH A JAIL STANDARD COMMISSION WHERE THEY HAVE FEED,HOUSE YOU A CERTAIN WAY,BUT THEY STILL DONT PAY THE INMATES.THERES ALOT OF SHIT TEXAS DOES THAT DOESNT MAKE CENTS,BUT THIS IS THE ONLY STATE THAT STILL HAVE NT FELT THE EFFECT OF THE DEPRESSION

  17. TYRONE(HOUSTON,TX) says

    CAUSE HAS TO ANY STUIPED ASS RULES THATS A DAMN SHAME WE HAVE MORE PRISONERS THAN CHINA.THERES OVER 170,000 PRISONERS IN TEXAS,OVER 200,000 IN CALIFORNIA,THATS JUST PRISONS, NT COUNTING COUNTY INMATES,EVEN THROUGH THERES OVER 25,000,000 MILLION PPL IN TEXAS,OVER 30,000,000 IN CALIFORNIA,BUT THATS STILL TO MANY LOCKED UP.JUST IN HARRIS COUNTY,HOUSTON,TX THERES OVER 15,000 INMATES IN THE COUNTY JAIL, BUT I KNOW ONE THING,PRISON POPULATION IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO GROW HERE IN TX AS LONG THESE CARTELS,MAFIAS,SYNDICATE CONTINUE TO KILL FOR THE TRADE ROUTE,THATS RIGHT IN NORTH MEXICO,SOUTH TX,HOUSTON,SAN ANTOINO.AUSTIN,DALLAS,FT.WORTH,EL PASO ARE AT WAR OVER THE RIGHT TO SHIP $400 BILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF DRUGS A YEAR ON INTERSTATES IN TX

  18. This is what they call “the rule of law”! Justice has been supplanted by “law” and humanity banished by the judicial system. When will people recognize that “law” is not the same as justice and “corrections” is a euphemism for state sanctioned slavery and abuse. We need to be protected from the “law” as well as violent denizens of our communities.

  19. It is disturbing and was snuck into the Constitution, so that most people don’t realize it, but the 13th amendment actually reads as follows:Section

    1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

    Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation

    So, yes, for prisoners slavery and involuntary servitude is Constitutional.

  20. Smith State Prison line has been busy since 8am. Its 12pm now and its still busy. So are they now not answering the phones? My love’s counselor hasn’t been answering as well. I hope changes are made for the sake of humanity. They are men not slaves, nor animals, nor machines. They have a human spirit and a soul. God Bless

  21. I hope changes are made for the sake of humanity. They are men not slaves, nor animals, nor machines. They have a human spirit and a soul. God Bless

  22. @Isla
    It may be constitutional when only viewed against the 13th amendment, however there is no way to reasonably argue that beating prisoners who attempt to organize and as coercion to make them perform involuntary and uncompensated service is not a violation the 8th amendment
    “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

    To those who have expressed a lack of empathy for these prisoners I would suggest that you consider yourself blessed that you have never in your life experienced a situation or condition where your destiny and freedom are outside of your personal control or cursed that you lack the ability to comprehend what that means.

    The punishment for crime is incarceration, compensation to victims and in certain cases the death penalty. For crimes that do not meet the standard of applying the death penalty -which is the vast majority of them, Noone has the moral right to apply punishment above incarceration, otherwise we are back to public flogging and various other punishments that are the reason for the cruel and unusual part of the eighth amendment.

  23. Maria Yates says

    Some of the phone numbers appear to be incorrect. These may work:

    Macon: (478) 472-3400
    Valdosta: (229) 245-6450

  24. I remember the riots of the 70’s. Prisons Are the biggest industry America has. You who support this need to read and be more informed.go to http://www.marxists.org and read about Malcolm X and the Panthers. This is no accident that most of the prisons are filled with blacks and latinos. To cooperate with an unjust system is as bad as the system itself. Never let the oppressor rest.

  25. miranda freeman says

    I think that these mother fuckers on here talk shit about r friends & family memmbers that r in these prisons really just dnt understand shit or they must be apart of treating them like shit so u beta watcg yo self cuz we all r coming back to get yall punk ass bitches I no frist hand how yall treat the inmates my husband has been n prison sence he was a young man he was only 17 when ga convicted him of a crime n witch he addmited he did but come on ga he was still a child n yall took his whole life away from him but never less he’s still being treated like a dog but its ok for the pig cops watever u want to call them thing to do this to r people n there but oph no if one of the inmated get back at them for treating them like this god for bid wat happend to the inmate. For instants my husband was doin sumthing he shouldn’t have but instead of them askin him nt to they put there hand on him but when he protected his self n beat that pigs ass so they got not 1 officer to help him they got 12 other cop to come help beat him up that’s not fare is it or am I wrong please let me no how or wat u think about this u can contact me at miranda_miller2002@yahoo.com or my cell at 2146208750 or my other cell 9036513261 or even my house at 9406688521 I’m willing to do wat is n my power for r friend familys kids n husband if I can help n anyway let me no thx again for reading this urs true miranda freeman

  26. I am a former corrections officer and I believe these inmates dont diserve what they are asking for. They get health care cheaper than we do feed 3 times a day for free a place to sleep. They are not in prison for singing to loudly in church lets be real. Why should we pay them for working they have a dept to repay. As for education thereare oppertunitys they just dont take them. Untill u have worked on the other ie of the bars dont juge. What u ppl dont know is what ur loved ones do and dontg tell u so they can seem like a poor victem when they bring it on them selves

    • Blackbelt.. what prison do u work in.. and what educational opportunities are readily available for inmmates to turn their lives around.. This varies from state to state.. Are u talking about california, NY? State or Fed facilities? As for paying people.. The debt a prisoner needs to pay to society is to be off the streets and under supervised care where they should be rehabilitated.. This means there should programs in place to get people off drugs.. There should be programs in place to make sure when they return they dont go back.. Over the years I found this to be counter to what many guards ultimately want-at least in a long term constructive way and what the overall envrionment of the prison allows…

      Our tax dollars pay for the rebuilding of roads and any other job you would have inmates do, including taking care of the facility.. If an inmate is doing work.. which is not a bad thing, it should be so he/ she can have solid skill set that can beused when he returns home..

      As for the gurads.. I gotta be honest.. every year, new prisons are built, more money is given.. In many places the guard unions are powerful.. I have two cousins who work in facilities and I ask them the same question.. for all the money y’all get and resources at your disposal, why do we have the craziness that goes on behind those walls on your watch? Why do we have gangs running things? What is 70Gs a year going to a guard getting us? Y’all make more than school teachers.. in some places its double..

      According to my kin.. theres lots of stuff that goes on behind the walls.. if we’re gonna be honest lets air it all out… There are some foul characters on both sides of the gates inside.. man is flawed..
      Now we can go back and forth airing dirty laundry.. but is that really the point? The question is whats next? How do we move foward.. From where I sit it starts with getting those locked up to be recentered and rehabilitated. We’ve had 25 years of warehousing and that shit aiin’t working. sooner or later most return home..

  27. How about we bring back the old Ga chaingang thats will stop all this shit

  28. miranda freeman says

    Hey eric I guess that’s wat its goin to take r loved one dnt dederve to b beatin raped my the gareds u no wat I’m sayin n as well we no wat they’ve done to b put n there they tell us they dnt deserve to eat dirt n rocks n there damn sure nt slaves so bitch the one that’s to scared to say ur name (me) sence that’s wat ur screen name ism n how do u no we aint been on da other side of the bars yall call them name curse them out grow up u punk bitch u must have done them wrong when u was or r a fuckin pig ur self

  29. Im a punk bitch actually its simple minded fools such as u that fill our prison system. As for there rights they lost them when they got locked up. Ive seen what goes on behind them walls u have no idea but call me names if it helps u cope with ur pathetic little life

  30. I worked georgia department of corrections.

  31. miranda freeman says

    I think ur lieing Idk u work n any gdc I think ur sayoin this cuz u dnt think people like my husband can b rehabilitated wat when all actuality they can in if u worked n gdc then. Wat prisoin did u work at n y u dnt say ur real name cuz u no u fucked over these guys like my husband I wish he would have gottin a hold of ur ass n u wonted b dogin on them like u r n u best believe that’s wat he’s n there 4 shoting pigs like ur bitch ass he’s nt scared to

  32. I worked at autry state prison in pleham ga and guess what I aint scared of shit either.

  33. Let me get one thing strait I am intilted to my openion just as u ppl are. Ive seen first hand what happens in gdc. Inmates do some of it to themselves its not all the system the food thing is the only thing I can somewhat agree on but thats it. Look at the facts beforeu judge.

  34. Donita Southers says

    we had a prison ministry and i also have family members that were in prison, i can say this much – PRAISE GOD!!! it’s about time that the prison system was put in the SPOTLIGHT…they seem to know how to find and hire the most RUTHLESS and HEARTLESS people to be guard over these men and women that have already received the ultimate sentence by having their freedom taken away. these MONSTER prison guards who seem to adore gladiator type violence need to be exposed and the authorities who seem to get a “kick” out of bringing this type of torture on people need to be addressed as well. here is PROOF that slavery is alive and well in this evil country.

  35. in trying to do a little research for myself i came up with this:

    (from http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8289)

    “According to the Left Business Observer, the federal prison industry produces 100% of all military helmets, ammunition belts, bullet-proof vests, ID tags, shirts, pants, tents, bags, and canteens. Along with war supplies, prison workers supply 98% of the entire market for equipment assembly services; 93% of paints and paintbrushes; 92% of stove assembly; 46% of body armor; 36% of home appliances; 30% of headphones/microphones/speakers; and 21% of office furniture. Airplane parts, medical supplies, and much more: prisoners are even raising seeing-eye dogs for blind people.”

    (and from http://www.darkgovernment.com/news/slavery-in-u-s-prison-system/#ixzz18FMWLnJL)

    “Oregon has even started advertising its prison labor force and factories, claiming that businesses who utilize incarcerated workers would otherwise go overseas for cheap labor (thanks, GATT and NAFTA!). In 1995, an overwhelming majority of Oregon voters passed a constitutional amendment that will put 100 percent of its state inmates to work.

    And they’ll be making a lot more than license plates and road signs. One product of Oregon’s inmate factories are uniforms for McDonald’s. Tennessee inmates stitch together jeans for Kmart and JC Penney, as well as $80 wooden rocking ponies for Eddie Bauer. Mattresses and furniture are perennial favorites in prison factories, and Ohio inmates even produced car parts for Honda, until the United Auto Workers intervened. Prisoners have been employed doing data entry, assembling computer circuit boards and even taking credit card ticket orders for TWA.”

  36. m.x”….don’t be shocked u still in prison…” h.p.n…”laws should obey people… not people obey laws…!”

  37. m.x. “….don’t be shocked u still in prison…” h.p.n., “…laws should obey people… not people obey laws…!”

  38. Nelson Freitas says

    Brothers and Sisters —

    Let it be known that the individuals responsible for this are the international central bankers. These people own the IMF and World Bank and own just about every central bank in every country in the world. These people are powerful and extremely wealthy, and they call the shots.

    The world cannot defend against them if the world does not know about them.

    Here is their plan for you —
    http://www.green-agenda.com

  39. I’m not surprised the main stream media isn’t covering this.

    This is about poor and working class people saying “Enough is enough” regardless of race or culture and that alone deserves comment and commendation.

    Most people in American jails are there for drug related–not violent offenses. Some day, they will be out of jail. If for nothing other than societies’ own protection, using prisoners as slave labour and abusing that slave labour causes more long-term problems than it solves.

    It drives down wages. It creates unemployment since jobs that could be paid for non-prisoners are now taken up by slave labour. It creates a group of people that leave prison with more problems than they entered with, and undermines the basic fabric of any society. In countries with less punitive systems–there is less crime and less violence.

    Protecting society is one thing–deliberate cruelty is quite another.

    We are not judged as a society on how well the well-off are doing–history judges a society on how the lowest strata of citizens is treated.

    If the least of among us is a slave, then we are all slaves.

    It behooves us all to see how *well* these prisoners are protesting, without violence and with human decency and if nothing else, that is an accomplishment to be celebrated for it brings with it great hope that the least among us has such strength of character.

  40. I have no problem with these guys making money for the work they do – just as long as they pay for their own keep first.

  41. Fuck em. They are in prison. Prison isn’t supposed to be a fuckin summer camp. These bitches are being punished. If I go rape your old lady, get 10 yrs in a fuckin luxury suite and get out in 3 on parole. Do you think I would think twice about doing it again? FUCK NO. I would do it in a heart beat! If you make it a cakewalk it defeats the fuckin purpose. Better yet, if I raped your mom and killed her in a brutal fashion would you want me having all the righteous shit? No you wouldn’t. Fuck em, let em starve to death.

  42. JJ:

    Where is your rage *really* coming from? Because it is most certainly out of proportion to the discussion and the situation.

    What, in your mind, is the purpose of imprisonment?

    1) Is it merely a tool for personal retribution? or 2) Is the purpose of imprisonment to increase the chances that the person who commits a crime will not repeat the behavior and become a useful member of society?

    Those two concepts are often in opposition.

  43. Prison strikers are asserting their humanity in a place designed to rob men and women of their souls
    ttp://sherrytalksback.wordpress.com/2010/12/17/letter-to-a-discouraged-progressive/

  44. Makele was a really …. sharing useful and helpful information on this site …

  45. Im an Ofc. at autry state prison…inmates do cause alot on themselves but it is not our job to beat them or harm them in anyway but to protect them from each other..they are human and deserve to be fed.other than that theres nothing they are asking for that they dont have but deserve..they should have to work to pay for everything they get free..they are offered educational opportunities they dont use.there are officers who get carried away but i do think society also forgets what they ask us to do. you want us to keep you and your kids safe but dont want us to harm the guy trying to hurt you when he harms us. we are ppl to and there are many flaws but the majority of men and women i work with just want to come in have a good safe day and get back home that night,….so until you have spent a day being spit shit and pissed upon and cursed out, just trying to feed your family you will never understand…@ the same time i have family incarcerated and have never treated an inmate in a way i wouldnt expect anyone to treat my relatives.. thats not to say i have not had to use force …but force should only be used when absolutely necessary to prevent injury to someone else yourself or the inmate himself….in short ppl suck both sides but i think we do a good job keeping them away from your kids while being as humane as possible and thats what matters.

  46. I am not a big fan of a prisoner or the prison system. My sister was in prison for drug related charges and she came out completely changed. it scared the hell out of her, she is still putting her life back together. i think that is what prison is for.

    as far as paying a wage, i have to agree. most prisoners, both male and female, have children out there. they should be allowed to work, paid a decent wage and in turn they should pay for room, food, etc, but also pay child support. a job will teach them selfworth and supporting themselves while in prison may teach them a job skill on the outside.

    i do believe that prisons are one sided and i am not talking about color, i am talking of class. a low income, undereducated person is more likely to serve a prison term than a middle-higher class, educated person, whether it be a petty drug charge to murder. our society tries to turn away when it comes to “poor” person it is like they expect it, but let paris hilton commit murder and you here things like OMG she has everything why would she kill him.

Trackbacks

  1. […] The strike is now in it’s third day.  This update was found in hiphopandpolitics. […]

  2. […] The following comes from Davey D’s Hip Hop corner. […]

  3. […] Day 3 of Historic Prison Strike in Georgia-Blacked out By Media-Guards committing Violence On Thursday morning, December 9, 2010, thousands of Georgia prisoners refused to work, stopped all other […] […]

  4. […] during the Georgia inmate strike. Posted on December 14, 2010 by Shegetz Guevara As the Georgia inmate strike enters it’s third consecutive day, I figured I would throw together some of my thoughts on prison and the prison system.  The […]

  5. […] December 9th, thousands of prisoners in Georgia have been on strike, in what is apparently the largest prisoner protest in U.S. history: Thousands of men, from […]

  6. […] PRISON STRIKE IN U.S. HISTORY: THOUSANDS OF GA PRISONERS PROTEST FOR 2nd DAY DEC. 10« bzw. »Day 3 of Historic Prison Strike in Georgia-Blacked out By Media-Guards committing Violence«. Es geht um die allereinfachsten, allernötigsten Sachen: »A living wage for work, educational […]

  7. […] Day 3 of Historic Prison Strike in Georgia-Blacked out By Media-Guards committing Violence from Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner […]

  8. […] appalling how little mainstream media attention this strike has gotten. The prisoners are being brutally treated in response to this strike, despite the fact that it is a peaceful […]

  9. […] Day 3 of Historic Prison Strike in Georgia-Blacked out By Media-Guards committing Violence (via Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner-(The Blog)) Posted: December 14, 2010 by tellemwhy in Uncategorized 0 On Thursday morning, December 9, 2010, thousands of Georgia prisoners refused to work, stopped all other activities and locked down in their cells in a peaceful protest for their human rights. The Dec … Read More […]

  10. […] Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner […]

  11. […] article reported: “Despite that the prisoners’ protest remained non-violent, the [Dept. of […]

  12. […] a respectful environment that can guarantee their recovery and transition back into society. The strikes were ignored by corporate media, with the exception of independent blogs and of course Democracy Now! [Wath Video]: At least four […]