[Pnews] Jury refuses to convict prisoners in landmark “Dallas 6” prisoner whistleblower trial

[Prisoner News]

*/BREAKING … BREAKING … BREAKING /*

*CONTACT: *Shandre Delaney, mother of one of the Dallas 6 with the Human 
Rights Coalition 412-403-6101;  Phoebe Jones, Justice for the Dallas 6 
Support Campaign and Global Women’s Strike  610-505-4944

*Jury refuses to convict prisoners charged with riot and aggravated 
harassment in landmark “Dallas 6” prisoner whistleblower trial.
Defendants, family members and supporters declare victory and call for 
an end to prison abuse and corruption brought to light in testimony*

A hung jury in the trial of the three remaining prisoner whistleblowers 
of the “Dallas 6” led Judge Gelb to declare a mistrial today in Luzerne 
County, Pennsylvania, in a closely-watched case that has dragged on for 
six years. The three men, Andre Jacobs, Carrington Keys, and Duane 
Peters, defended themselves against charges of “riot” and (for Mr Keys) 
aggravated harassment, while exposing rampant abuse and corruption at 
SCI Dallas prison and in the Pennsylvania prison system generally.

The men were supported in their courageous and sustained efforts by 
their mothers and other family members, a wide range of supporters from 
the Justice for the Dallas 6 Support Campaign who came regularly to 
trial, and by the legal team consisting of Andre Jacobs and Carrington 
Keys who, according to onlookers, did a fantastic job of representing 
themselves, Attorney Michael Wiseman who was invaluable as counsel for 
Duane Peters as well as standby counsel for Carrington Keys, and Mary 
Deady also invaluable as standby counsel for Andre Jacobs.

Supporters say their view is the judge was fair and vow to continue 
their fight against the abuse that the prisoners sought to expose, as 
well as to protest the waste of taxpayer money prosecuting the men 
instead of investigating the abuse.

Attorney Michael Wiseman, Mr Keys' mother Shandre Delaney, and other 
family members as well as supporters are available for interviews about 
the Dallas 6 case.

* * * * *

*Who are the Dallas 6?*  On April 29, 2010 six courageous African 
American prisoner whistleblowers and jailhouse lawyers at SCI Dallas 
staged a peaceful protest against the widespread abuse, violence and 
torture by guards against Black, Latino and white prisoners which they 
had documented and took a stand against, with the support of Human 
Rights Coalition. *The abuse they documented included:* *beatings; 
mental abuse; foreign objects in food such glass, metal, feces, spit, 
semen and urine; mail and legal document tampering; deprivation of human 
contact; withholding medication; starvation and cutting off water; and 
coerced suicide. * When they covered their cell doors and windows in 
non-violent protest, prison authorities responded with vicious so-called 
“cell extractions” and four months later charged them with “rioting” 
after the criminal complaints they had filed were publicized.

Reports from each day of the trial can be found on the Dallas 6 webpage: 
http://scidallas6.blogspot.com

*Justice for the Dallas 6 Support Campaign:*Abolitionist Law Center; 
Every Mother is a Working Mother Network; Fight for Lifers West; 
Germantown Friends Meeting Mass Incarceration Working Group; Global 
Women’s Strike & Women of Color at GWS – US; Human Rights Coalition – Fed 
Up; Human Rights Coalition – Philadelphia; Marcellus Shale Earth First; 
Mishkan Shalom New Jim Crow Study-Action Group; Payday men’s network; 
Peacehome Campaigns; Shalefield Organizing Committee. *Endorsements: 
*Art for Justice; Brandywine Peace Community; California Families 
Against Solitary Confinement (CFASC); The Center for Returning Citizens 
(TCRC); Decarcerate PA; Defending Dissent Foundation; Global Women’s 
Strike & Women of Color at GWS – UK; Green Party of Philadelphia (GPOP); 
Human Rights Defense Center – Lake Worth, Florida; Jewish Voice For 
Peace - Philadelphia; People’s Opposition to War Imperialism and Racism 
(POWIR) – Hollywood, Florida; Philadelphia Coalition for REAL Justice; 
San Francisco Bay View newspaper; Sin Barras – Without (Prison) Bars – 
Santa Cruz; T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights; WHAT’S UP?! 
Pittsburgh; Welfare Warriors; Women’s International League for Peace and 
Freedom (WILPF) – Philadelphia. *Individual Endorsements*: Pam Africa, 
International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal; Patrice 
Armstead, Building People’s Power and Coalition Demanding Reinstatement 
of Dr. Monteiro; Malik Aziz, Founder, Men United for a Better 
Philadelphia and Chairman, National Exhoodus Council; Pastor Antoinette 
Johnson, King Solomon Baptist Church; Dr. Anthony Monteiro; Rev. Bob 
Moore, Executive Director, Coalition for Peace Action (for id purposes 
only); Margaret Prescod, host of “Sojourner Truth” on Pacifica Radio; 
Dr. Heather Ann Thompson, Professor of African American Studies & 
History, Temple University; Dr. Cornel West, Princeton University; Dr. 
Carla Willard, Africana Studies Program, Franklin & Marshall College. 
*Partnering with:* AFSC Prison Watch.



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