<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
</head>
<body bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
<b><small><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:iwoc@riseup.net">iwoc@riseup.net</a></small></b><br>
<div class="moz-forward-container">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;
charset=windows-1252">
<p><span class="_4n-j fsl">As of Monday, April 18th, prisoners in
Texas have been on rolling labor strikes for two weeks. The
Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is retaliating by
locking the prisons down and depriving prisoners of even the
standard abysmal human necessities they are forced to provide.
Retaliation against people who refuse to work for free is one
of the tools prison administrators use to assure that
prisoners can continue to be exploited in today’s modern day
slave system.<br>
<br>
If you have a minute, please call the following administrators
and read the scripts below:<br>
<br>
*Brad Livingston, Executive Director, TDCJ, (936) 437-2101 or
(512) 463-9988<br>
*Bryan Collier, Deputy Executive Director, TDCJ, (936)
437-6251 or (512) 4<span class="text_exposed_show">63-9988<br>
*Jay Eason, Deputy Director, TDCJ, (936) 437-6318 or (512)
463-9988<br>
*TDJC Ombudsman Office (936) 437-4927
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:ombudsman@tdcj.texas.gov">ombudsman@tdcj.texas.gov</a><br>
*TDJC Office of the Inspector General (936) 437-5030
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:oig@tdcj.texas.gov">oig@tdcj.texas.gov</a><br>
<span> *TDCJ Executive Director (512) 463-9988
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:exec.director@tdcj.state.t">exec.director@tdcj.state.t</a></span><wbr><span
class="word_break"></span>x.us<br>
<br>
EASY Script: "Hi I'm calling in support of striking
prisoners in Texas and their demands for good time, an end
to $100 medical copay, an independent grievance procedure
and an end to human rights abuses. Stop enslaving our
brothers and sisters and assure that your staff is not
retaliating against striking workers by giving them write
ups, eyes on Texas!"</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">CHALLENGING Script: “Hi I heard
about the prisoners labor strike and I’m calling to find out
what sort of progress you are making toward meeting the
prisoners demands.” </span><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rgmhxemd9kfORLVnXgl-vWTPH0qwLLcY81dukdXzv7A/edit"><span
style="font-weight: 400;">Here is the list of demands for
you to discuss</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">~~~~~</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you have a little more time
and want to have an even more significant impact we need help
determining which prisoners are being retaliated against on
any given day. Which prisons are on lockdown seems to change
every couple of days.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are nearly 100 prisons on
this </span><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EpBkDopALaaVlN7dBtGPtRaljnKBrC1psbm-eluiYMs/edit#gid=0"><span
style="font-weight: 400;">list of prisons and administrator
phone numbers</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.
Please add comments to the list so that we are better able to
track what is happening and hopefully get at least a couple of
calls in to every facility.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Script: “Hello, I’m calling to
see if this facility is on lockdown right now.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If they say no, say “I have
heard that some prisons in Texas are on lockdown because of a
labor strike associated with a list of demands from the
prisoners”. Then start reading them this </span><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rgmhxemd9kfORLVnXgl-vWTPH0qwLLcY81dukdXzv7A/edit"><span
style="font-weight: 400;">list of demands and letter from a
prisoner</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span class="_4n-j fsl"><span class="text_exposed_show">If they
say yes, they are on lockdown, ask them about the conditions
the prisoners are facing and also ask them what directives
they are relying on to guide their actions in this matter.
Here are some of the reported conditions:<br>
<br>
- Workers are threatened with major infractions for
withholding their labor. These infractions could result in
good time being taken away. Although good time seems to
rarely be applied to anyone's sentence, the threat of losing
it is highly coersive.<br>
<br>
- The locked down prisoners are not receiving the hot meals.
This means hundreds or thousands of prisoners have had
nothing to eat but bologna or peanut butter sandwiches since
April 4th. <br>
<br>
- Mailroom staff is delaying or interfering with the
delivery of inmate mail. <br>
<br>
- There are reports of lights being left on during the night
or left off during the day, other examples of petty
harassment from trifling guards and threats that the
lockdown treatment will extend for weeks or even months. <br>
<br>
- Interfering with the prisoner’s access to basic
necessities like food, sleep and connection with their
families and the outside world is inhumane. <br>
<br>
- Please stop punishing the prisoners for asserting their
basic humanity, if you want them to come off the
workstoppage, you should meet their demands.<br>
<br>
The prisoners need sustained pressure on these institutions,
so please call on Monday and then make plans to follow up at
least once more later in the week, if not every day. Thank
you!!!<br>
<br>
~~~~~<br>
<br>
Also, Looking ahead to May 1st, we are asking people to
carry the prisoners voices with them to whatever May Day
events they may be planning or attending. Alabama prisoners
have called for a month-long workstoppage starting on May
1st. If you’re already getting rowdy May Day, please also
consider throwing a jail demo or a protest at the public
face of a prison-labor exploiting corporation.</span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
415 863.9977
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.freedomarchives.org">www.freedomarchives.org</a>
</div>
<br>
</div>
<br>
</body>
</html>