The strikers appear to have won some gains. But solidarity is needed for the continuing struggle

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torture in America. To the state of California’s dismay, bious evidence, and are then sent to long-term isolation solidarity rallies sprung up in cities around the world. (SHU). They can escape these tortuous conditions only And by the state’s estimates, at least 6600 people in 13 if they “debrief,” that is, provide information on gang ac- prisons around California engaged in a one-day huntivity. Debriefing produces false information (wrongly ger strike on July 1 to express their support. Activists landing other prisoners in SHU, in an endless cycle) and pointed out, however, that the California Department of can endanger the lives of debriefing prisoners and their Corrections has a long history of dishonesty, and that Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of prisoners fasted for mission on Safety and Abuse in Prisons (2006) regard- an extended period of time. Stories slowly began spilling an end to long-term solitary confinement. This ing out of various prisons—such as Corcoran, Valley bipartisan commission specifically recommended to State Prison for Women, and Calipatria—about people “make segregation a last resort” and “end conditions of who, despite having never met the men in Pelican Bay, isolation.” Yet as of May 18, 2011, California kept 3259 stopped consuming food and water for weeks to supprisoners in SHUs and hundreds more in Administrative Segregation waiting for a SHU cell to open up. Some Innocent San Quentin death-row inmate Kevin Cooper prisoners have been kept in isolation for more than 30 joined the one-day solidarity fast on July 1 and made This opinion and spirit of resistance clear in an interview 4) Provide adequate food. Prisoners report unsanitary with the San Francisco BayView newspaper. Cooper conditions and small quantities of food that do not con- said, “I’m behind the strike. If that comes back to haunt form to prison regulations. There is no accountability me somewhere down the line in the criminal justice 5) Expand and provide constructive programs and Hugo Pinell, who was a close comrade of the late privileges for indefinite SHU inmates. The hunger George Jackson, and has been in Pelican Bay’s SHU strikers are pressing for opportunities “to engage in since 1990, joined the hunger strike. Political Prisoner self-help treatment, education, religious and other Mumia Abu-Jamal issued a recorded statement entitled, productive activities.” Currently, these opportunities “Dying for Sunlight,” referring to the prisoners’ demand are routinely denied, even if the prisoners want to pay for precious time outside of the SHU’s 8x10 concrete, for correspondence courses themselves. Examples of privileges the prisoners want are: one phone call per A national day of action was called by the coalition for week, and permission to have sweatsuits and watch July 9. In San Francisco, a rally of over 250 supporters caps. (Often warm clothing is denied, though the cells was joined by an ANSWER-led Libya solidarity rally. and exercise cage can be bitterly cold.) All of the privi- The antiwar activists marched from their rally point to leges mentioned in the demands are already allowed at the hunger strike demonstration, chanting against state other SuperMax prisons (in the federal prison system torture and linking the wars abroad to the war at home.

Support rallies and banner drops were organized in As America was planning its July 4th celebrations, the Oakland, Chicago, New York, Montreal, Los Angeles, Rahunger strikers began their act of resistance against leigh, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and countless other citfive core demands:

1) Eliminate group punishments. Instead, practice individual accountability. When an individual prisoner breaks a rule, the prison often punishes a whole group of prisoners of the same race. This policy has been applied to keep prisoners in the SHU indefinitely and to make conditions increasingly harsh.

2) Abolish the debriefing policy and modify active/inactive gang status criteria. Prisoners are accused of being active or inactive participants of prison gangs using false or highly dufamilies.

3) Comply with the recommendations of the U.S. Comyears.

or independent quality control of meals. and other states).

the number was much likely in the tens of thousands. port the struggle. system, so be it.” soundproof cells. million litres of water every day, raising over time.

hunger strike going on.” the next few weeks.

Ontario Ministry of Environment, the presented the Pelican Bay hunger strikers a proposal in the form of a vague statement that it would review its existing policies about the SHU, but it promised no changes. The prisoners unanimously rejected the proposal and continued refusing food. On the evening of July 20, however, the hunger strikers came to an agreement with the CDCR and called off the hunger strike. The prisoners explained in a letter to supporters that the CDCR had “agreed to accede to a few small requests immediately, as a tangible good faith gesture in support of their assurance that all of our other issues will receive real activists to force real change.

At the time of this writing, the hunger strikers are besupporters do not have confirmation.

With direction from the hunger-strike leaders, the co-