On December 9, 2010 thousands of prisoners in Georgia made history when they refused to work and remained locked in their cells. Inmates from various parts of Georgia including Augusta, Baldwin, Hancock, Hays, Macon, Smith and Telfair state prisons organized the strike to challenge the Georgia Department of Corrections and essentially America's treatment of prisoners.
Their demands included a living wage, educational opportunities, decent healthcare and living conditions, , vocational and self-improvement opportunities, nutritional meals, access to their families, just parole decisions and an end to cruel and unusual punishment. Some may argue that prisoners give up their rights when they enter the prison system, but inmates are not slaves even with their indiscretions. In fact, the majority of black men imprisoned are convicted for non-violent offenses.
The Georgia Department of Corrections challenged the prisoners' non-violent protest and in several of the prisons guards beat the prisoners and forced them to work. Still people like former Black Panther Party chair Elaine Brown are fighting for the prisoners' rights. The activist mentioned that a prisoner in the United States lacks basic rights of the human condition and lives "a life of idleness and violence."
What makes this event so unique is that men from different racial and ethic groups organized together and used guards' injustices to their advantage. Many wardens were said to have supplied prisoners with cell phones for exorbitant costs and the inmates used these phones to text and communicate with each other to stage the strike.
This event has not been widely covered in most mainstream media outlets but it marks a milestone because the United States imprisons the highest percentage of its population in the world. African-Americans also happen to be 40% of the prison population while only 13% of the general population. Many scholars have considered the prison system modern day slavery, this strike seemed to be an ingenious cry for help to change an failing system.
After nearly a week authorities lifted the lock downs at Hays, Smith, Telfair and Macon State Prisons, the four most active facilities. During lock downs inmates are not allowed to leave their cells, have visitors or make collect calls from the phones in each cellblock. Inmates have complained that during this time prison officials shut off heat and hot water.
Via The BVX
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