In response to the statewide prison hunger strike in July, the Public Safety Committee of the California State Assembly, chaired by State Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, met on Tuesday to discuss the conditions in California’s Secure Housing Units.

The hearing began at approximately 1:30 PM.
Assemblyman Ammiano opened his remarks saying, “Recent events brought these units to the forefront. We want to ensure that these units are administrated in such a manner to maximize the security of the inmates in the units, general population inmates, prison staff and the public generally.”

As soon as Rick Perry threw his hat into the 2012 electoral ring, anti-death penalty critics brought up his staggering execution record as governor of Texas: 234 prisoners have been put to death under Perry’s watch, a number of whom had serious innocence claims.

We are not evacuating Rikers Island,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a news conference this afternoon. Bloomberg annouced a host  of extreme measures being taken by New York City in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Irene, including a shutdown of the public transit system and the unprecedented mandatory evacuation of some 250,000 people from low-lying areas.

Hungerstrike NewsAugust 23, 2011No. 14  

George Jackson - 40 year commemoration from Freedom Archives on Vimeo.

Publications: Audio, Video, and Books

In a decision setting back prisoners' rights and helping to advance the

interests of prison bureaucrats and their guard union allies, Facebook

announced plans to work with the California Department of Corrections

and Rehabilitation to shut down pages set up for prisoners. Spokespersons

for the Department claimed that prisoners were using their Facebook pages

to "stalk victims" and "conduct illegal activities," and that this was all related

On August 23rd, 2011, San Francisco Representative Tom Ammiano and the
Public Safety Committee in the State Assembly of CA will hold an
informational hearing on conditions and policies of the Security Housing
Units at Pelican Bay. This is a major opportunity for supporters
outside of prison to support the hunger strike and to pressure state
legislators and the CDCR to make substantial changes.

New Resource: Attica Prison Uprising 101 – A Short Primer

This publication about the Attica Prison uprising of 1971 is not intended to be a curriculum guide, but a brief primer for educators and organizers.  It includes a timeline of events (with primary sources); testimonies from Attica prisoners; poetry by Attica prisoners; sample activities for youth; and other suggested resources.

Commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Attica Prison Uprising

Friday, September 9th - 7pm Sharp
518 Valencia Street - San Francisco
Attica - The Restored 1974 Film

Discussion with:
Azadeh Zohrabi - Hastings Race & Poverty Law Journal
Dennis Cunningham - Original Attica Attorney
Manuel Fontaine - about connecting the dots to
Georgia, Ohio and California prison strikes

 Letter from Mutope Duguma (s/n James Crawford):

This Hungerstrike is Far From Over

It is a sincere pleasure to once again extend my hand to my beautiful New Afrikan people. I have been recuperating from not eating for 20 days straight and I can tell you based on my personal experience that it was hell! I could feel the life gradually being sucked out of me.
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