Subject: [July30] Philly update - 8/9/00
Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2000 14:22:27 -0400
From: Leslie Cagan <lesliecagan@igc.org>
To: july30@listbot.com,
d2k@d2kla.org
Please pass this along to others
who might be interested.
from Leslie Cagan
This morning I spoke to the legal team working on the
situation in Philadelphia. Here is the most up-to-date information, followed by
some background and then ideas on how you can be helpful.
Total Arrests: 480
Still in Jail - as of last night (8/8): 309
Felony cases: 36
Now on Hunger Strike: almost 150
Most of those still in custody are practicing jail
solidarity - see fuller explanation below.
The medical team in Philadelphia has been meeting with
people as they are released from jail, and there have been reports from people
still in jail. For several days people were held in the Roundhouse, the city jail,
but they have been moved to the county jail where conditions, while still not
great, are not nearly as severe or cruel as previously.
Here are some of the difficulties folks have had:
·
At least 32 people experienced excessive force. Of
those, there are 7 are accounts of severe hog ties with plastic handcuffs. “Severe
hog ties” means that in less than 30
minutes prisoners’ hands were blue, swollen and persons were on the verge of
loss of consciousness. In two of those cases, people were bleeding from the
wrist.
·
2 officer’s names and badge numbers come up repeatedly.
One is responsible for dragging a man in the nude, grabbing a protester’s penis,
stepping on necks, jumping on a man’s back with the help of 2 other officers,
and slamming a face into a cell door. The other officer’s activities include
saying “I’ll fuck you up the ass and make you my bitch,” slamming a man against
wall repeatedly, punching a prisoner in the stomach, holding a prisoner’s face
in the trash with his knee in the prisoner’s neck, throwing a prisoner against
the wall.
·
4 cases of denial of access to medication: 1 person
with HIV denied for 2 days, received on third day. 1 person with migraine and
vomiting, denied all medicine including over the counter pain meds. 1
hypoglycemic person denied access to adequate food.
·
4 counts of sexual abuse: dragging a man naked,
wrenching a man’s penis, twisting a person’s nipples, man subjected to random
search of genitals.
·
2 threats of rape from Commanding Officers.
Bail reduction hearings started on Monday and while a
number of people had their bail reduced, there have also been new
problems: the city is levying new
charges against some activists after their initial arraignment; the bail judge
refuses to give a hearing to prisoners participating in jail solidarity (those
who are not giving their names); outrageous bail amounts are not being reduced
in some cases. Average bail was set at $10,000 to $15,000, with several people
having bails set in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Two people have faced $1,000,000 bails.
1) Kate Sorensen [of ACT-UP Philadelphia, the lead organizer
of the health care demonstration on 7/29, and active with the Philadelphia Direct
Action Group] is in quarantine until Thursday, when she has a hearing, and is
not allowed visitors. She’s being charged with 10 felonies including arson,
conspiracy, riot, and causing a catastrophe in connection with criminal
mischief.
2) John Sellers of the Ruckus Society had his bail reduced
on Monday from $1,000,000 to $100,000. (The Ruckus Society trains activists in creative
tactics for non-violent protests.)
Neither of these people were arrested doing any acts of
civil disobedience, they were on the sidewalks of Philly!
1) Jail Solidarity - what is it?
Many of those arrested during the protests have been
practicing Jail Solidarity. When deciding to use this tactic, something that
has been done throughout history, people agree to stick together and not attempt
to be released until basic human rights demands have been met and all arrestees
are safely released together. Some of the demands sought by those doing solidarity
here include: an end to solitary confinement; access to telephones, toilets and
essential medication; equal treatment for all arrestees, including dropping
bogus felony charges; and access to
their lawyers.
2) What They Were Demonstrating About?
During the Republican Convention, thousands of people came
together for several days of demonstrations about issues being ignored this election-year -- such as the death penalty, poverty and
health care. Tuesday, Aug. 1st
was a day of action to expose problems with the criminal justice system,
including the death penalty, police brutality, and political prisoners. The
plan for the day included a permitted rally near City Hall, and several
publicly announced, non-violent civil disobedience actions. Protesters aimed to
make sure Republican delegates could not travel from Center City to the
convention without getting the message that thousands of people oppose their criminal
justice policies. Naturally, it was hard for onlookers to understand what Tuesday’s
protests were about, since police arrested 88 people who were making puppets
for the protests before the day even started, and confiscated the signs
designed to get the message across.
3) What about the tactics of the protestors?
The mainstream media has painted a picture of the August 1st
protests as dominated by vandalism and violence against police officers.
However, almost all of the protesters being held were arrested because they participated
in completely non-violent civil disobedience, or because police suspected that
they might take part in it. Still others were arrested who were not even taking
part in demonstrations, including legal observers, peacekeepers, and
bystanders. Only a few of the hundreds of jailed protesters have been accused
of violence or vandalism.
1) Call the mayor and district attorney in Philadelphia:
Mayor John Street
Phone: 215-686-2181
fax: 215-686-2180
District Attorney Lynn Abraham
Phone: 215-686-8701
Tell them you oppose the outrageous bail and conditions
these activists are facing. Demand that the protesters be released, together,
to receive medical treatment and due process of law. Let them know that people around
the country are following this.
Ask everyone you can to do the same.
Make your tax-deductible check out to”ISMCH” (they’re
the Fiscal
Sponsor, The Institute of Social Medicine and Community
Health), and
mail it to:
Philadelphia Direct Action Group (P-DAG).
P.O. Box 40683
Philadelphia, PA 19107-0683
You can also wire transfer money to ACT UP Philadelphia.
This will not be tax-deductible, but you can use your credit card. Here are the
details:
Account number: 31 00 20 557
Routing number: 036 001 808
Commerce Bank
1900 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA
Commerce Bank phone 215-568-0900
Please be sure to send an e-mail to rbecca@critpath.org to alert her of
the donation . For more information on making donations or
helping with
fundraising: call: 215-748-1887 BOX 7, Visit site:
www.thepartysover.org
, or email: salynch@durban2000march.org
Contact your local media and ask them to cover the story;
write letters to the editor; call radio talk shows.
Ask your organization, labor union, religious group, local
elected officials, etc. to pass a resolution or issue a statement calling on
the city of Philadelphia to release the prisoners. In addition to sending such
statements to the mayor of Philadelphia, be sure to release them to the press.
To stay informed, check out the following web sites:
www.the partysover.org