We start off this week with a statement, released today, by Alabama Confined Citizens, speaking for people striking behind the walls of the Alabama prison system. We then speak with Elizabeth, who is one of many supporting the strike because they have an imprisoned loved one.
In contrast to official narratives from the Governor and prison officials, Elizabeth emphasizes what she and others have been hearing directly from inside: in response to weeks of work stoppages, prisons have responded with near-starvation rations, lack of access to laundry, frightening medical neglect, and at least one reported case of direct physical violence by guards.
She emphasizes the peaceful nature of the strike, and describes some demands that have emerged from within different facilities. Alabama is one of five states where prison slavery – work without payment, remains legal today – and strikers are demanding reasonable wages for work. She also speaks about other demands, like increased use of the Good Time Incentive Program and the repeal of Alabama’s infamous Habitual Offender Act.
We close the show with a recording from Episode 6 of Kite Line: a reading of “Let the Crops Rot in the Fields” an important document published by the Free Alabama Movement in 2015, setting out a strategy for direct economic action against mass incarceration.
Find out more here: