hello,
I'm an active member of FOR MOTHER EARTH BELGIUM, please is it possible to
put the following message and letter campaing on the native net?
In the lettercampaign we don't refer to the Native Prisoners alone because
the prisoners asked us to start a lettercampaign for all prisoners and that
includes of course also the Natives who certainly suffer the most under
these violations (racism for instance).
greetings
ria FOR MOTHER EARTH BELGIUM- Indigenous Working Group - sub-group Native
prisoners
INDIGENOUS WORKING GROUP "FOR MOTHER EARTH BELGIUM"
Sub-group "NATIVE AMERICAN PRISONERS" - Issue
Our goals are: to obtain, on request of the Native American Prisoners,
- equal justice for all Native American prisoners to that of the other
population, and fair trials, as well as equal treatment within the
correctional system.
- that Native American religion in prison shall be afforded the same
standing and respect as other religions.
- that upon the request of any Native American prisoner or group of Native
American prisoners, the correctional facility shall permit access on a
regular basis to:
o Native American spiritual advisors who shall have the same stature,
respect and contact with the prisoner as is afforded the clergy of
any other religion
o items and materials used in religious ceremonies
o a sweat lodge on the grounds of the corrections facility.
- that Native American prisoners shall be allowed to preserve spiritual
objects as their private property and that the objects shall be treated
with respect by the guards and prison administration.
- that for crimes/offences committed on Indian Lands, the defendants/accused
be tried and sentenced by Indian Courts.
- that arrestees/defendants, according to the US law, be tried by a jury of
their peers
- that Native American prisoners are confined in prisons nearby their family
and tribe.
- that Native American prisoners shall be allowed close communication with
their families and spiritual advisors
- that the Native American prisoners shall not be required to cut their hair
if it conflicts with their traditional Native American religious belief.
- that the Native American prisoners will not longer be used as budgetary
tools by the prison system.
- that budgetary savings should not affect, at any point, the minority
(Native Americans, Chicano's, Blacks etc.) in prison.
- that rehabilitation programs shall be provided to ALL prisoners to ensure
a successful return to society.
- that prisoners who are ill, receive immediate and good medical treatment.
- that the death penalty will be abolished worldwide.
Our means are:
- providing help if necessary to Native American groups and individuals in
prison
- lettercampaigns to help respecting the human-, civil- and religious rights
in the US prisons
- follow-up of cases of abuse of the above mentioned prisoners rights
- collecting information to provide to prisoners and organisations on request
- informing the European Support Groups and Native American and human rights
supporters about the violations against human- civil- and religious rights
in the US prisons
- publishing articles in magazines to inform public about the situation in
the US prisons
- cooperation with other human rights organisations to reach our goals
for more information please contact:
Mieke De Becker, Parelhoenlaan 3, 3080 Tervuren, Belgium
E-mail: <Mieke.DeBecker@uz.kuleuven.ac.be>
Ria Verjauw, Overstraat 80, 3020 Veltem, Belgium
E-mail: <rverjauw@mail.dma.be>
URGENT LETTERCAMPAIGN:
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE PENITENTIARY: SIOUX FALLS
Help and support is needed for the prisoners in Sioux Falls (Special Housing
Units and the New Control Unit) because of the outright abuses of human and
civil rights of the prisoners.
Events that happened recently and still go on:
- a prisoner was shot with two new weapons and beaten, this after an hour of
being Pepper Maced and Tear Gassed. This action was created by a captain
who is proven racist.
The prisoner survived the beating and the shot because he knew how to
protect himself, but he still suffers from the effects of the weapons.
- very often prisoners are chained down for 12 hours, not because the
prisoners are totally out of control but officials use it as a means
of punishment
- prisoners are placed on "Isolation Status" (taking away the 3hours 40 min.
recreation time outside the cell) for days for supposedly being 'continuous
threat'
- all cell doors were removed for putting steel accross entire inside of the
doors
- all the clothes, all paperback books except 1, half of everyone's personal
property, legal materials, extra blankets were taken away (clearing the
house and security risks were claimed to justify these actions)
- a prisoner was put on 'bag lunch' for 7 days (one sandwich, one piece of
fruit) for supposedly breaking a cup
- cell doors were all welded with mesh and placed plexiglass over entire
door except a small section near the floor
- no air or heat in the cells because of all avenues are sealed off
- adequate towels to dry prisoners after a shower are denied
- canvas straps are used and guards connect them to the handcuffs each time
the prisoners are escorted from cell to recreation cage
- hands are always cuffed behind the back
- 2 guards hold the straps and apparently say it gives them a safety line
- the straps are now ordered to be used any time the prisoners leave the unit
- prisoners have to wear a 'surgical mask' before they are allowed to leave
the unit, this is supposed to stop those persons who spit at guards
- a prisoner refused to wear that mask and the guards refused him medical
treatment
- prisoner suffer beatings and/or being "roughed-up" by guards, some were
shot by shotguns and almost all were maced excessivily
Please help to end these unhuman treatments by joining us in the lettercampaign.
FOR MOTHER EARTH BELGIUM
Indigenous Working Group - sub-group Native Prisoners
Ria Verjauw, Overstraat 80, 3020 Veltem Belgium
<rverjauw@mail.dma.be>
Mieke Debecker, Parelhoenlaan 3, 3080 Tervuren Belgium
<Mieke.Debecker@uz.kuleuven.ac.be>
example letter
--------------
to:
President W. Clinton Janet Reno, Attorney General
The White House Department of Justice
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW 10th Street & Constitution Ave, NW RM 4400
Washington, DC 20500 Washington DC 20530
USA USA
Governor Bill Janklow Attorney General Mark Barnett
Office of the Governor Office of the Attorney General
Capitol Building, 2nd Floor 500 East Capitol Ave.
500 East Capitol Ave. Pierre, SD 57501-5070
Pierre, SD 57501-5070 USA
USA
Department of Corrections The Board of Directors
115 East Dakota South Dakota State Penitentiary
Pierre, SD 57501-3216 Box 5911
USA Sioux Falls, SD 57117-5911
USA
date:
Dear
Our recent attention has been brought to serious violations of the
human and civil rights in the SOUTH DAKOTA STATE PENITENTIARY, Special
Housing Units and the New Control Unit of Sioux Falls.
The prisoners suffer under outright abuses of human rights and US civil
rights. The guards have full authority to use force in all situations
regardless of the seriousness of the incidents. Most of the situations
get out of hand because of the violant approach and racism and the lack
of experience of the Goon Squad. The majority of the guards on the Goon
Squad have less then a year experience of working in the prison. No
one can justify the violations mentioned below, in the name of "need for
security of the institution":
- prisoners are chained down (called 4-point) by officials for 12 hours as
a punishment
- prisoners are placed on 'Isolation Status' for days, this means taking
away outsides recreation time which is only 3 hours 40 min. weekly
- security risk are claimed to justify the taking away all prisoners
clothes, paperback books, blankets, half of everyones personal property
and legal materials
- putting prisoners on 'bag lunch' (a sandwich and a piece of fruit) for days
- no air or heat in cells
- hands are cuffed behind back and long canvas straps are connected to the
handcuffs each time the prisoners are escorted from cell to recreation cage
These traps are now ordered to be used any time the prisoners leave the
unit (an excessive use of restraint)
- prison directory came up with orders to wear a 'surgical mask' before
prisoners were allowed to leave the unit, this is supposed to stop the
spitting at guards
- prisoners are being 'roughed-up' by guards, some where shot by shotguns
and almost all were mocked excessively.
We understand that security measures need to be taken as it benefits all
parties, but we don't believe that the exposure to slurs and harassments
from prison personal can assure the safety in a prison both for the
prisoners and the personal.
The prisoners basic rights are daily violated by unjustified use of
force and assaults, how can these prisoners, upon their releave, play a
contructive role in society when they have been maltreated and violated
for years?
We urge you to start an investigation on these malpractices in the South
Dakota State Penitentiary and ask for more qualified personel with a
more positive attitute toward the prisoners.
Take your responsibility and help respecting the human and civil rights
of all inmates, regardless their race, color or religion. If these
malpractices should continue, then we feel obliged to ask Amnesty
International and the Ligaue For Human Rights (within de UNO) to take
appropriate steps.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and we hope to receive an
answer from you.
Yours faithfully,
---------------------------
E-mails can also be sent to:
Email: President Clinton
<president@whitehouse.gov> <clintonpz@aol.com>
Email: Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt
<Bruce_Babbitt@IOS.DOI.GOV>
Email: Vice President Al Goore
<Vice.president@Whitehouse.gov>
Email: First Lady
<First.Lady@Whitehouse.gov>
Email: Attorney General Mark Barnett
<Webmaster@is.state.sd.us>
Email: Department of Corrections
<Webmaster@is.state.sd.us>
Email: Office of Indian Affairs
<Webmaster@is.state.sd.us>
Email: Senator South Dakota Daschle, Thomas A.
<tom_daschle@daschle.senate.gov>
Email: Senator South Dakota Pressler, Larry
<larry_pressler@pressler.senate.gov>
Email: Complaints about discriminations, Rocky Mountain Regional Off.
<ocre.complaints@usccr.sprint.com>
------------------------------
end
Ria Verjauw