A Bulletin from the Prisoner Human Rights Movement (PHRM) and Free Speech Society
By Kijana Tashiri Askari, Abdul Olugbala Shakur, and J. Heshima Denham
February 1st, 2016
(received: Feb. 24th, 2016)
Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) Administrators have instituted CoIntelPro tactics, to try and sabotage the historical significance of our Agreement to End Hostilities (A.E.H.). The sabotage entails:
1) Obstructing our proposed A.E.H. council that we have established so that all racial groups can have a constructive means to air grievances against one another and resolve them in a humane manner. KVSP Administrators have outright refused to allow the elected representatives of our A.E.H. council to meet up with one another and/or have regular access to their racial tribes.
2) As a result of point #1, two racial skirmishes have occurred in the month of January 2016 (e.g. January 11th, 2016 and January 28th, 2016) between the Crip and Southern Mexican formations. Let’s be clear, these racial skirmishes could have been avoided had we been allowed to do our “due dilligence” via our A.E.H. council!!! These racial skirmishes now have the potential of escalating full-scale.
3) We have been on lockdown since January 11, 2016. And in the course of such, the program has been “modified” where we are being released to yards in incrementals (a few at a time). The problem with this is it’s being disproportionately done where the numbers are stacked against New Afrikans 3 to 1. This violates CDCr protocol, where the incremental yard releases are supposed to be equal in numbers.
4) Point 3 makes it clear, that KVSP Administrators aim to subject us New Afrikans to physical harm with these incremental odds. For example, on January 27, 2016, I was released to the yard and while being stripped out, a pig (prison guard) told me: “Hey Harrisson… enjoy your yard!!” while having a sarcastic smirk on his face. It took every fiber in me not to lose my discipline, while recognizing my presence was deeply needed on the yard, as we New Afrikans were already outnumbered.
5) The lockdown that we have been on since January 11, 2016, is in violation of clearly established constitutional law, wherein the courts have held:
“Prison officials may not take a race-based approach towards placing prisoners on lockdown. And prison officials are required to produce ‘some evidence’ that an individual from a particular racial group was involved in said racial conflict.” – see: Richardson v. Runnels.
But nonetheless, every New Afrikan on KVSP’s B-facility yard has been on lockdown since January 11th, 2016, inspite of not being involved in any racial skirmishes.
Our struggle continues!!!
For more information about the Free Speech Society, write us at:
Kijana Tashiri Askari
s/n Marcus Harrison, H54077
KVSP B2-101
P.O. Box 5102
Delano, CA 93216
Abdul Olugbala Shakur
s/n James Harvey, C48884
KVSP B2-117
P.O. Box 5102
Delano, CA 93216
J. Heshima Denham, J38283
KVSP B2-117
P.O. Box 5102
Delano, CA 93216
Website: Freespeechsociety.wordpress.com
The Prisoner Human Rights Movement is the group of prisoner representatives representing the prisoner class in California and beyond. The website can be found [here] at:
Prisoner Human Rights Movement 