This is an archive of the former website of the Maoist Internationalist Movement, which was run by the now defunct Maoist Internationalist Party - Amerika. The MIM now consists of many independent cells, many of which have their own indendendent organs both online and off. MIM(Prisons) serves these documents as a service to and reference for the anti-imperialist movement worldwide.

California prisoner strike fights repression

May 9th, as pigs were serving chow, in an ad-seg environment, my cell was skipped its trays. Reason being, for putting my arm outside the cell door, the slot, to clean my window. After the entire building was fed and after the serving area was cleaned my cell was given the privilege of finally eating. But while being fed I was grabbing the trays the pig claimed I battered him. I can understand if I hit the pig or kicked or even stabbed him, but there was no contact between the C.O. and myself. Being in ad-seg you're fed in your cell through a slot in the door. Now this slot isn't even big enough for your head to go out, just to give you an idea of its size. So the acclaimed charge is this: "While my hands were full with two trays of food, I stuck my arm out the slot and battered the pig."

Now with the pig's false charges comes repercussions. Possible SHU terms, loss of credit and criticism from other pigs. Those are part of the prison life, I can take those but when my life is at stake that's where I draw the line. You're probably wondering how my life is at stake?

With the false charge of battery comes a D.A. referral. With a D.A. referral comes a strike. And if you're like me sitting here with two strikes, you can't afford another strike. So any D.A. referral can cost 25 years to life in prison. With the state budget so jacked-up as it is, for various reasons, and with prisoners feeling the effects here's another D.A. referral for the state to look over, more money spent against a budget way in debt but it's okay.

After this happens my first urge is to explode and really cause some havoc, but in the long run that only hurts me more. Sure you can flood, light fires, or cell extract but you're left with nothing in your cell. So now not only do you have a D.A. referral you're sitting in a pair of boxers only for a couple of days on water control. You really showed them, huh?

Next option, you can sit back and exhaust your appeal rights which could take months and in the end what do you accomplish? A reprimand to the pig, but you still have a D.A. referral over your head. You really showed them. Appeal systems (602s) are a joke, it is very rare that you actually accomplish what you intended. I'm not saying it doesn't work, because sometimes it does. But in situations where you need action, now, what do you do?

For me I have found that one of the quickest attention grabbers (and maybe most successful) is strikes! They have to acknowledge strikes.

May 10th, breakfast comes around and I deny my first meal. The pigs actions, laughing and bets of how long the hunger strike will last. Two meals a day, two days go by. After three meals passed the pigs started to take me serious. Their first plan of action: a medical staff brings a weight scale and takes a weigh-in and documents it 184 pounds. May 11th, four meals into the strike. Now the ridicule, jokes and questions start. An official statement of why I'm striking is taken, my blood pressure is taken, and a psych doctor asks his question. What's next? Nothing.

May 11th, May 12, May 13th my weight is checked again, 168 pounds. Ah, now I'm taken seriously. I'm asked what I hope to accomplish. Simple, I want the rules violation (along with D.A. referral) thrown out. Their reaction "It's not going to happen," two more days pass and my weight is taken both days 158 pounds.

Now a pig with stripes and a little clout comes to talk: "I've read the report, I'll see what I can do about throwing it out." But that's not my concern, I want it so NO D.A. referral is issued. From what I've read the D.A. won't pick this up if I get the report thrown the D.A. goes with it. So I end the strike and take the pigs word, the report is gone. With the D.A.? That's now a writing game to see if its gone as well. Sure I've lost 26 pounds, but my gain was my life outside of prison, not a third strike for something I did not do.

Why the pigs did this. Simple, I had others slowly joining me. There was media attention. Once the department of corrections is exposed for their injustice actions they try to bury them. So they succumbed to my request. But they weren't requests, they were demands and they realized it, 6-7 days down the way. This strategy is successful with support from the streets and within. Don't be discouraged, if you don't get the attention you want immediately trust me it will come, they have no choice.

If group strikes of this sort could be organizes throughout the system maybe some of our repression could go into submission. Could it be a tool against the SHUs and three-strikes. There's one way to find out, by trying.

-- Tiger, a prisoner in California, July 2003