Thousands of prisoners from six prisons in Georgia started a non-violent strike, where they refused to come out of their cells. The unprecedented protest is the largest in U.S. history, and is a result of illegal use of cell phones. The strike started Thursday, December 9, 2010, and there are still four prisons where the inmates are still on strike.
The cell phones have allowed the prisoners in different prisons to coordinate a network and implement a strike on the same day. The prison officials did not anticipate the level of organization from the inmates and they stay connected with the new technology for the prison system.
The inmates are protesting forced labor, poor living conditions, better educational opportunities and food. The unprecedented strike has united prisoners across religious and ethnic lines. There are Blacks, Mexicans, Whites, Muslims, Christians, and Rastafarians, all united around common interest.
The prisons where the strikes are taking place are Macon, Hays, Telfair, Baldwin, Valdosta, and Smith: all in the Georgia State prison system. The prisoners are non-violent, and they tell the guards that they are not coming out until their demands are addressed.
The prison administration and guards have cut off the heat and hot water in 30 degree weather to force the intimates to go back to work. At other times, the administration has sent S.W.A.T. teams into the cells and destroyed the inmates’ property, and refused to serve them food.
As the conditions continue to deteriorate, there is a need for communication and outside intervention. There is very little communication with the media, and the situation at anytime could escalate to a prison riot.
Sixty-three percent of the prison population is African American, and there is also a large concentration of the Hispanic population. It is time for the federal government to step in and help resolve this potential explosive situation.
It is my understanding that there has been a partial resolution on the prison strikes, but there has been limited communication concerning the demands of the prisoners.
