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style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">April
9, 2014</span>
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style="font-size: 19px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">500
People Rally Outside Detention Center; Hunger Strike Continues with
Ongoing Use of Solitary Confinements</span></p>
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<span
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style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tacoma,
WA—Five hundred people gathered on April 5th outside of the Northwest
Detention Center (NWDC) in order to call attention and offer support to
the ongoing hunger strike inside. Organizers hosted workshops and
discussions about the history of the detention center and the
conditions detainees currently face, while people rallied, hearing from
family members affected by deportation. At one point, hunger strikers
called organizers of the event, and they were able to listen to the
large crowd cheering them on from outside. Since Saturday, April 5,
there have been at least 60 people on hunger strike in the detention
center. </span></p>
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<span
style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>
<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One
hunger striker, Maria Cecilia Huaya Mara, offered this message to
supporters: “I’ve been in the US for forty years. I’ve been in
detention for two months. I went on a hunger strike for the first time
to stop the deportations because I see all these women here, that have
been here so long, being torn from their children. There’s tears every
day, there’s so much suffering that it’s basically unbearable. The
conditions in here are not fit for dogs, the food is mostly beans all
day long, and it’s horrible, so I’m protesting that, and I thank
everybody out there for their support.” (audio available upon request)
The rally was part of a nation-wide series of actions in over 80
different cities on April 5 to call attention to the high numbers of
deportations under the Obama administration. It is predicted that the
administration will reach 2 million deportations during the month of
April. Outside the NWDC, supporters placed 200 flowers, each flower
representing 10,000 people deported. </span></p>
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<span
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<p dir="ltr"
style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Despite
the release of 20 detainees from solitary confinement on April 4th,
several hunger strikers remain in isolation. A campaign begins today
calling for the release of Ramon Mendoza-Pascual, Jesus Cipriano Rios,
Hassall Moses, and others from solitary confinement, with support from
the National Day Laborers Organizing Network. Mr. Mendoza-Pascual has
been on hunger strike for at least 24 days and was sentenced to 20 days
in solitary for striking. Two hunger strikers are once again in medical
isolation, and are facing threats of forced feeding. Army Veteran
Hassall Moses, who has been in solitary confinement for at least 13
days, after being charged with inciting a work stoppage, said this
about being in isolation: “I was put in here because I asked people to
take part in a no working strike. Because if you want to make a
difference, we are the backbone of this facility; not only in here, but
out there, we are what makes America.” The full audio of Mr. Moses
addressing his supporters is available upon request.</span></p>
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<span
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style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span
style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A
press conference will be held on April 10 at 12:30 pm outside the Gates
Foundation. Community organizations and Gates grantees are demanding
divestment by the Gates Foundation from private prison companies,
including the GEO Group, which operates the Northwest Detention Center.
That same day, an indigenous solidarity group will gather at the
immigration offices at 12500 Tukwila International Boulevard at 3:30
pm, calling for</span><span
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</span><span
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rally, prayer and round dance to support indigenous immigrants detained
in Tacoma and for an end to the criminalization of immigration</span><span
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style="font-size: 16px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
hunger strikers continue to challenge the deplorable conditions at the
facility, including the quality of food and pay of only $1 per day of
work.</span></p>
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</span></p>
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on behalf of Hunger Strikers and latest releases available at:</span><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.notonemoredeportation.com/2014/03/10/detention-hunger-strike/"
style="text-decoration: none;"><span
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</span><span
style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Georgia; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">www.notonemoredeportation.com/2014/03/10/detention-hunger-strike/</span></a></p>
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</span></p>
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Fund to support the families of human rights hunger strikers:</span><a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.gofundme.com/7orehg"
style="text-decoration: none;"><span
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</span><span
style="font-size: 12px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.gofundme.com/7orehg</span></a></p>
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