For the past 4 days, Keith LaMar
has been on hunger strike, protesting cruel restrictions that are arbitrarily
being put in place by the new warden, Chris LaRose, at Ohio State Penitentiary. Keith was joined
yesterday on hunger strike by fellow death row inmate, Jason Robb.
What are their exact demands?
1. To allow the 5A long-termers (Keith LaMar, S.A. Hasan, Jason Robb
and James Were) to keep all their books—consistently with other death row
inmates in Ohio—tools which are crucial to their surviving the rigors of solitary
confinement.
Why? The new warden told the men that they
would need to limit their books to 15. He told one caller today that they could
rotate books for variety (send one out/ order a new one). This places an
unnecessary financial burden on the men and their families. The warden’s
rationale is that having too much property makes searching their cells too
time-consuming.
2. To allow the 5A long-termers to keep their music, which is a
necessary channel by which they cope with the 22.25 hours they are kept in
solitary (sensory deprivation) every day.
Why? Music is one of the only
ways the men are able to block out some of the constant banging, kicking and
screaming.
They were told to reduce their collection of CDs to just 15, with
the same “give one to get a new one” policy being promised to today’s caller.
You should know that the former warden issued the men special boxes in which to
neatly contain their CDs, which they have complied with. Anyone who knows Keith,
knows that music is a lifeline for him. These men have asked their families, at
great financial burden, to send them music over the years, which they are now
being told will have to be sent out in excess of the magical, arbitrary number
of 15. This decision was not provoked by any problems they’ve caused, but again
attributed to easier shakedowns.
Incidentally, all the other
prisoners in Ohio, some 50,000—including men on the “normal death row” in
Chillicothe—are able to buy/download music to personal handheld JP4 players
(which eliminates the need for CDs); yet, the four 5A long-termers at OSP are
disqualified from that program because their block of the prison lacks access
to a kiosk machine (same device used to send/receive emails).
3. To grant the 5A long-termers access to the
kiosk machine.
Why? The prison is messing with mail. A number
of friends and families await communications and receive them considerably
late, if at all. Likewise, recently Keith has not received letters from high
school students until long after the letters were sent, as just one example. The
prison has a protocol, wherein the mailroom employee sends a communication to
the inmate that explains a hold up/violation of any rule. Keith and Jason have
not been told their mail was offensive in any way (because it isn’t), yet there
seems to be an arbitrary and capricious lag in what goes out and what is
delivered. To resolve this problem, the men are asking for access to the kiosk
(which is also considerably less expensive than buying stamps/envelopes). The
current email system, JPay, cannot be utilized by these four men (again, they
are the only inmates permanently excluded in all of Ohio). If they wish to send
out an email, it must be hand-written or typed on special paper, picked up by a
guard, scanned, and then be emailed out. Recently, these messages, too, have intermittently
been held up for a number of days, and in a rather sporadic pattern. Jpay
cannot provide any good reason for the delay, other than that prison staff must
not yet have scanned and sent it through. Thus, with access to the kiosk, the
men could draft and initiate sending out and receiving their own email messages
in a timely manner. They are fighting for their lives; communication is
critical.
4. To move the 5A long-termers
away from the constant turnover of "Supermax" level 5 inmates.
Why? It's incredibly stressful
living with constant kicking and screaming, banging and howling, feces smearing
and urine throwing... it's never-ending—a death sentence upon a death
sentence—but without an end to their plight because they are being held in
Supermax security indefinitely (which is a violation of their 8th
Amendment rights). It's just not acceptable any longer. Many of the level 5
inmates placed in and around Keith and Jason, are young and completely lost
without any real emotional tools to navigate their hell and it's taking its
toll on the 5A long-termers. Last night on a phone call, a man could be
heard howling, crying out loudly in a state of complete dismay, just like
a frightened dog at a pound. It’s incredibly stressful for them, not to mention
dangerous… beyond anything imaginable. Most inmates who arrive at OSP will
leave after a promised number of months and be reintegrated into lower-security
prisons; about the time that happens, they are replaced with new guys who have
broken rules elsewhere, who go through the same transitional issues. Thus, the
hunger strikers request to be moved away from the most dangerous and tumultuous
area of the prison, since the State will not recognize their good behavior no
matter what and move them to Chillicothe. They’ve as much said so.
What can be done?
1) Call Regional Director Todd
Ishee at 330 797-6398 and tell him that Warden LaRose's decisions are cruel and
violate the men’s 8th amendment rights, considering there is no end in sight
for them in solitary confinement. Mr. Ishee is the warden's boss and Keith
wants most pressure applied here, since he has found Mr. Ishee to be more
inclined to resolution.
2. Call Warden Chris LaRose at
330 743-0700 and ask him to meet Keith's demands of keeping his books and
music, which are necessary to his mental sanity, to grant them access to the
kiosk to expedite email/contact, and to move them to a safer/less volatile
location.
3. Sign the online petition to
Mr. Todd Ishee and spread it around! We need lots of signatures to help the men
accomplish these demands!
4. Donate to the fundraiser to
help Keith retain new legal representation. If we all pitch in—$10, $20, $100—we
can help empower him to fight these last few battles with lawyers he can actually
have confidence in. Together we can work a hopeless situation into something
better, so please give generously and ask those you know to give to this
important cause. If we do not end up securing an attorney, the $ will be
promptly be returned to donors. You can give online at:
Or you can also send a money
order or a check to:
Campaign for Justice for Keith LaMar
PO Box 3656
Youngstown, OH 44513
Campaign for Justice for Keith LaMar
PO Box 3656
Youngstown, OH 44513
5. Go to the Facebook page
“Justice for Keith LaMar” and “like” it. This
way you will get the most recent updates as they come in. Will you also change
your profile picture during the hunger strike to one of Keith and post your
reason for doing so? This will allow your friends to see what's going on/widen
his circle of support. You can use the image attached if you don't already have
one.
6. If you would like to get more involved in coordinating support efforts, either for the hunger strike or Keith's fight for his life, please contact insurgent.ben@gmail.com or (330) 333-0826
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