PRISON HUNGER STRIKES

Thousands of prisoners across California have been on hunger strike for nearly 4 weeks now in protest against the use of solitary confinement following a call by prisoners in the Pelican Bay Secure Housing Unit (SHU). Though Pelican Bay prisoners have ended their protest following a number of concessions by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), prisoners in three other Californian state prisons, CCI Tehachapi, Corcoran and Calipatria, continue to refuse food.

The Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity coalition has called for outside supporters to continue pressure on the Prison and State authorities to keep to their promises and to continue negotiating with the prisoners and their representatives. This is essential given the hostile CDCR statement announcing the end of the Pelican Bay hunger strike, where they rehearsed the same lies about the protests being ordered by prison gang leaders and adding that hunger strikes “are a dangerous and ineffective way for prisoners to attempt to negotiate.” This statement deliberately ignored the Tehachapi, Corcoran and Calipatria hunger strikers and carried an implied threat of retribution against those who have taken part in the protests so far.

*See http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com for more info.