Inmate solidarity rally on Monday : AZ IMC

CALL TO ACTION:

The Monsoon Anarchist Collective (MAC) calls for a solidarity rally to be held in support of inmates rights.

WHAT: Maricopa County jails house prisoners awaiting trial or serving sentences of up to one year, and conditions in the jails have been cited by human rights group Amnesty International and the US Department of Justice as inhumane and unconstitutional. Two weeks ago inmates in Maricopa County's Durango Jail went on hunger strike to take action against the poor conditions prevalent in County jails. 2,200 inmates refused meals to take action against the horrible quality of the food served and to demand that a third meal be served, as only two are served in Maricopa County Jails. In the days following the start of the strike, inmates returned to eating, but a core group continued the hunger strike. The strike has ended now, but the poor conditions of the Maricopa County's jails persist, and, at least, one of the strike organizers has faced harassment and unjust persecution for organizing inmates to stand up for their human rights. Members of the Monsoon Anarchist Collective, Phoenix Copwatch, and Mothers Against Arpaio came together and held a solidarity rally two days after the strike began. We gathered at Durango Jail and received a lot of support from family members and friends of inmates who were going to the jail for visitation, but most importantly, the word was passed on to inmates by their family members and friends coming to visit them, and letting them know that folks on the outside support their struggle. Come out to the Sheriff's Office on Monday to stand in solidarity with inmates rights and struggles and against the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, their lies and their brutality.

MAC has three demands to support the struggles of County inmates:

1. We demand an end to the harassment and unjust persecution of inmates who participated in the Durango Jail hunger strike and the hunger strike organizers.

2. We demand that the inmates demand of three meals a day be acted upon immediately by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and that inmates receive a more balanced and healthy variety of food.

3. We demand that Maricopa County close the Tent City jails immediately due to the brutality delt by the guards upon inmates and the well known and documented flagarent disregard for human rights and life.

WHERE: 100 W. Washington in downtown Phoenix. Meet at the northwest corner of Washington St. and First Ave. at the Wells Fargo Bank Plaza, where the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is located. Parking is located on the streets and is metered, as it is a work day it may be difficult to find metered parking space. There is a surface parking lot just east of Patriot's Square Park inbetween Central Ave. and First St., and Jefferson and Washington. The daily rate is $2.00 and is a few minutes walk from First Ave. and Washington where the rally will be held. There are other parking garages around the area and fees will range in price.

WHEN: Monday, July 12th at 9:30 AM.

For more info, read Amnesty's report on Maricopa County Jails:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/usa/document.do?id=5EA95096ECE9FFC2802569000
0693391

Contact us at: pac@phoenixanarchist.org
http://www.phoenixanarchist.org

State prosecutors charge Greenpeace

MISDEMEANORS: Ship didn't have paperwork or show it could clean up spill.

By MATT VOLZ
The Associated Press

(Published: July 23, 2004)

Alaska prosecutors Thursday filed criminal charges against Greenpeace,
saying the activist group broke environmental laws by not submitting oil
spill prevention documents before its ship entered state waters.

The Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, with 27 activists aboard, is touring
Southeast Alaska to protest logging in the Tongass National Forest.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation cited the ship on
July 14 for not filing an oil spill response plan or having a
certificate of financial responsibility in case of a spill.

Greenpeace officials said it was a paperwork mishap that was quickly
corrected.

Department of Law spokesman Mark Morones said the misdemeanor charges
were filed Thursday after DEC completed an investigation.

"They had no plan to show they were capable of responding to (an oil
spill), they had no way to show they were financially responsible for
paying the cost," Morones said. "You'd think that they'd be out in front
of this."

State law requires a non-tank vessel larger than 400 gross tons to file
an oil spill response plan application five days before entering state
waters.

Prosecutors filed charges against Greenpeace, Arctic Sunrise Capt. Arne
Sorenson and the ship's agent, Willem Jan Beekman. The criminal
negligence charges carry a maximum sentence of a year in prison and a
$10,000 fine for an individual and $200,000 for an organization.

A Greenpeace spokeswoman said Thursday she did not know charges had been
filed. Carol Gregory said the matter was an oversight and the proper
forms were filed as soon as it was discovered.

"It was a clerical error about paperwork and not about environmental
protection," Gregory said. "We're Greenpeace. Of course we want to work
within all environmental laws."

DEC Commissioner Ernesta Ballard in a statement said there was no such
thing as a paperwork violation.

"Compliance is not a mere technicality. We require evidence of spill
response capability because we know that any ship can hit a rock at any
time," Ballard said in the statement.

The ship was ordered to anchor July 14 until the documents were filed.
The ship resumed its passage in violation of the order and was stopped
again, according to DEC.

The ship and the activists were in Angoon on Thursday, headed to Juneau.

"We're dealing with the issue but we're maintaining focus on the
forest," said spokeswoman Mary MacNutt from the Arctic Sunrise.