New Haven Solidarity Rally - National Prison Strike
239 Whalley Ave. in New Haven - Superior Court for Juvenile Matters. (Location is around the corner from the New Haven Correctional Center.)
Residents from across CT gather in New Haven to urge humane reform of Connecticut’s and US Prison policy
August 20, 2018— On Saturday August 25th, residents from across Connecticut will mobilize in New Haven to voice their support for prisoners around the United States who will be participating in strike actions, calling for an end to inhumane conditions of confinement, including overcrowding, lack of rehabilitation services, labor at a fraction of the minimum wage, and the absence of any meaningful process by which prisoners may voice grievances.
A nationwide Prison Strike will be occurring from August 21 to September 9, 2018, called by the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC)- https://incarceratedworkers.org/campaigns/prison-strike-2018
In Connecticut an official solidarity event will occur on August 25th 1pm at the Superior Court at 239 Whalley Avenue with a Press Conference, Keynote speech by Attorney General candidate Peter Goselin, and a rally and march to the nearby New Haven Correctional Center.
The Connecticut Green Party and its candidates for public office join with the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) of New Haven, Unidad Latina en Accion (ULA), Socialist Action, and other organizations to express their solidarity and support for the prisoners’ strike and highlight that here, in the “land of the free,” the U.S. has the largest prison population and the highest percentage of the population in prison of any country in the world, and reform is long overdue.
WHAT:
Press conference, speeches by candidates and activists and rally outside the Superior Court for Juveniles at 239 Whalley Avenue and then March past the nearby New Haven Correctional Center.
WHEN:
1pm – 3pm on Saturday, August 25th, 2018 (gathering 12:30pm)
WHERE:
239 Whalley Avenue, New Haven, CT, nearby the New Haven Correctional Center
WHO:
Peter Goselin, Green Party Candidate for Attorney General, CT
Jamarr Jabari, Party for Socialism and Liberation, New Haven, CT
Fred Linck, Socialist Action Connecticut Candidate for US Senate
SWAN -Speaker TBA
Madeleine Leveille, Green Party candidate for State Representative, 35th District
Unidad Latina en Accion (ULA)- speaker TBA
Robert Goodrich, RACE (Radical Advocates for Cross-cultural Education) of Waterbury.
Other featured speakers and groups- TBA
Additional Information: BACKGROUND:
The IWOC & Jailhouse Lawyers Speak issued Press Releases & call for nationwide strike- the following is from IWOC website:
Rebels incarcerated in prisons across the nation declare a nationwide strike in response to the riot in Lee Correctional Institution, a maximum security prison in South Carolina. Seven comrades lost their lives when prison officials turned their backs on a riot they provoked. We are demanding humane living conditions, access to rehabilitation, sentencing reform and the end of modern day slavery.
Demands
• Immediate improvements to the conditions of prisons and prison policies that recognize the humanity of imprisoned men and women.
• An immediate end to prison slavery. All persons imprisoned in any place of detention under United States jurisdiction must be paid the prevailing wage in their state or territory for their labor.
• The Prison Litigation Reform Act must be rescinded, allowing imprisoned humans a proper channel to address grievances and violations of their rights.
• The Truth in Sentencing Act and the Sentencing Reform Act must be rescinded so that imprisoned humans have a possibility of rehabilitation and parole. No human
• shall be sentenced to Death by Incarceration or serve any sentence without the possibility of parole.
• An immediate end to the racial overcharging, over-sentencing, and parole denials of Black and brown humans. Black humans shall no longer be denied parole because the victim of the crime was white, which is a particular problem in southern states.
• An immediate end to racist gang enhancement laws targeting Black and brown humans.
• No imprisoned human shall be denied access to rehabilitation programs at their place of detention because of their label as a violent offender.
• State prisons must be funded specifically to offer more rehabilitation services.
• Pell grants must be reinstated in all US states and territories.
• The voting rights of all confined citizens serving prison sentences, pretrial detainees, and so-called “ex-felons” must be counted. Representation is demanded. All voices count.
For More Information: https://incarceratedworkers.org/campaigns/prison-strike-2018
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ShorelineGreenParty/