For #JusticeJuly, we present Voices from the Inside, words from our incarcerated comrades on conditions inside NY prisons during the #COVID19 pandemic. Since it began, @NYGovCuomo has released just 3 people despite his clemency powers to #FreeThemAll.
Despite urgent calls to release people from prisons, the epicenters of #COVID19, @NYGovCuomo is not budging. What we hear from talking to friends and comrades inside is deeply disturbing. Here are some glimpses of daily life inside. #JusticeJuly
“We're confined in our cells now 20 hours a day...If someone comes out their cell, they're to be written up. Keeping us confined is causing mental anguish.” — Anna, a comrade at NY’s Bedford Hills prison #JusticeJuly
“I'm really stressing. They ended up moving everyone to different places all over the prison...Our portions are a lot smaller than usual because they have a lot more people to feed. Since we've been quarantined, we can't just come out and cook…” #JusticeJuly
“My results came back that I was positive with COVID...the nurses doctors and officers treated me so badly discriminative, because I tested positive..they moved me into a dorm area with two other elderly women over 55 who just recovered from pneumonia” #JusticeJuly
“We were not allowed to have phone calls...For those of us whose family did call, they lied and told them that we were OK and that maybe we just didn't call home. We were not allowed commissary packages for essential things such as hygiene products.” #JusticeJuly
“Commissary is failing miserably at providing essential items...Both the mail room and package room are running very slow. I have a friend who normally sends my cosmetics but since the spread of the virus I have not heard from him.” #JusticeJuly
“We are told the people are not to be on quarantine for longer than 14 days. And some of the units have been under it for almost a month...as soon as Albany leaves, they go back to doing just what they want.” — April, a comrade at NY’s Bedford Hills prison #JusticeJuly
“Units which housed my peers who were ill with COVID have not been sterilized...They have a trained inmate hazmat team whom haven't been utilized, yet they placed women on that unit for observation in quarantine.” — Renita, a comrade at NY’s Taconic prison #JusticeJuly
“We can’t even shower when we come in from the yard...Some people have canes or problems with their needs, everybody can’t stand on their feet and it’s summertime, it’s hot. We're forced to sit on the ground because there’s no benches for us to sit on.” #JusticeJuly
"Now there are two positive cases inside Bedford...It couldn't have been from inmates because it's been a while since the last positive case...So it’s obviously one of y’all and now you want to be in our cells doing these cell searches, touching our stuff.” #JusticeJuly
Join us in calling on @NYGovCuomo and Bedford Superintendent Amy Lamanna to take immediate action to #FreeThemAll4PublicHealth and meet the demands of people in their deadly prisons. http://bit.ly/JusticeJulyConditions #JusticeJuly
You can follow @survivepunishNY.
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