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One of my friends is incarcerated with George Floyd’s killer, & since he’s been there, the ‘general population’ is constantly in & out of lockdowns. This happens regularly under ‘normal’ circumstances, but they have been policed even more heavily since Derek Chauvin is there. 1/7
They live in units of 58 people. Yesterday, they protested the fact that Corrections Officers were once again taking away their ‘flag’ (time out of their cells)... 2/7
... 13 of them ended up being sent to solitary confinement, or ’the hole’, or ‘seg’ - as in ‘administrative segregation’, yes that’s what they really call it. Incidentally (not), they were all Black. 3/7
On the day Chauvin was moved to that prison, this same friend sent me an email asking me to post about it. The psychological & emotional pain he describes is something I’ve heard over & over again from incarcerated Black people since the murder & uprisings around the world. 4/7
(I have permission to post these emails)
This is still the same person describing the emotional & psychological powerlessness & pain that come with not even being granted the right to mourn or process their feelings properly for incarcerated Black people right now - or ever. 5/7
This is still the same person describing the emotional & psychological powerlessness & pain that come with not even being granted the right to mourn or process their feelings properly for incarcerated Black people right now - or ever. 5/7
This system perpetuates a cycle of harm, based on the idea that justice can be achieved by pursuing revenge & punishment. We have to do better, & we have to actively work towards abolishing police & prisons, and embracing restorative - instead of retributive - justice. 6/7
Follow: @sheabutterfemme, @dereckapurnell, @deemsum, @prisonculture @bsonenstein, @queersocialism, @avitale, @jaybeware
Read:
- Are Prisons Obsolete (A. Davis)
- Freedom is A Constant Struggle (A. Davis)
- The End of Policing (A. Vitale)
Listen: the @Beyond_Prison podcast
7/7
Read:
- Are Prisons Obsolete (A. Davis)
- Freedom is A Constant Struggle (A. Davis)
- The End of Policing (A. Vitale)
Listen: the @Beyond_Prison podcast
7/7
