Prison Strike & "Something Else" with Duncan Autrey
Did you know that prisoners all over the United States went on strike during the last weeks to protest inhumane conditions and institutional inequality?
Did you know that I was wrongfully arrested last summer (2017) and spent four days in jail?
In this episode I use my personal story to bring attention to the millions of men and women who continue to be trapped in the criminal-justice system. I list out the demands of the Nationwide Prison Strike that happened from August 21 - September 9th, 2018. I then tell a detailed story of my personal experience of getting caught up in the “justice” system that seemed to be more focused on punishment than on healing.
Support the ACLU's campaign for prisoners rights here.
Resources:
Here are the official demands of the Nationwide Prison Strike.
Here are statistics about the U.S. Drug war
Here are statistics about the U.S. prison system
Here is a list of 10 companies that exploit U.S. prison labor, Here is a more comprehensive list.
Here is a PBS documentary about how slavery continued after the end of the civil war, Slavery by Another Name.
Here is an article about the continued exploitation of black workers after the end of slavery.
Check out The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Here is a short (<2 min) video about school to prison pipeline
Here is a longer (21 min) video about school to prison pipeline
Here is author Graham Hancock talking about the War on Consciousness in s TEDx Talk
Know your rights: How to avoid a car search
Duncan's mugshot
Want to send mail to Corey “Harlow” McWhirter?
Corey McWhirter DIN 18A1272
Riverview Correctional Facility
1110 Tibbits Drive
P.O. Box 158
Ogdensburg, New York 13669-0158
The exponential curve starts going up with the beginning of the drug war, the end of rehabilitation programs and the adoption of a get tough on crime attitude across the united states.
These are the NATIONAL DEMANDS of the men and women in federal, immigration, and state prisons:
1. Immediate improvements to the conditions of prisons and prison policies that recognize the humanity of imprisoned men and women.
2. 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.
3. The Prison Litigation Reform Act must be rescinded, allowing imprisoned humans a proper channel to address grievances and violations of their rights.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. An immediate end to racist gang enhancement laws targeting Black and brown humans.
7. No imprisoned human shall be denied access to rehabilitation programs at their place of detention because of their label as a violent offender.
8. State prisons must be funded specifically to offer more rehabilitation services.
9. Pell grants must be reinstated in all US states and territories.
10. 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!
Here is the Thrive Choir singing “Calling all Warriors” by Dina Erie