See this link for pictures, videos and written accounts of Prisoner Justice Day events which took place August 10.
http://prisonstatecanada.blogspot.ca/search/label/Prisoner%20Justice%20Day
Scroll down to see upcoming events for each city....
History of Prisoner Justice Day
Eddie
Nalon sat in a solitary confinement cell at Millhaven Maximum Security Prison
near Kingston, Ontario. On August 10th, 1974, he was expecting to be given the
news that he was to be released from solitary confinement. The guards neglected
to tell him of his pending release.
Out
of frustration or despair, he cut the vein in his inner elbow. The cells were equipped with call buttons that
could be used to summon the guards in an emergency. He pushed the button in his
cell, other prisoners pushed their buttons, nobody responded, and he bled to
death.
An
inquest into his death found that the guards had deactivated the call buttons
in the unit. There were a number of recommendations made by the coroner's jury,
including the immediate repair of the emergency call system.
In May 1976, another prisoner, Bobby Landers died of a heart attack in the same unit. He tried to summon help but the call buttons had still not been repaired. Medical testimony at the inquest into his death established that he should have been in intensive care, not solitary confinement.
Prisoners at Millhaven put out a call for August 10th to be a national day of protest against an apathetic prison system that did not seem to care if people in prison lived or died.
In May 1976, another prisoner, Bobby Landers died of a heart attack in the same unit. He tried to summon help but the call buttons had still not been repaired. Medical testimony at the inquest into his death established that he should have been in intensive care, not solitary confinement.
Prisoners at Millhaven put out a call for August 10th to be a national day of protest against an apathetic prison system that did not seem to care if people in prison lived or died.
PRISON JUSTICE DAY IS...
...August 10, the day prisoners have set
aside as a day to fast and refuse to work in a show of solidarity to remember
those who have died unnecessarily -- victims of murder, suicide and neglect.
...the day when organizations and individuals
in the community hold demonstrations, vigils, worship services and other events
in common resistance with prisoners.
...the day to raise issue with the fact that
a very high rate of women are in prison for protecting themselves against their
abusers.
..is
the day to remember that there are a disproportionate number of Natives,
African-Canadians and other minorities and marginalized people in prisons.
..the
day to raise public awareness of the economic and social costs of a system of criminal justice which punishes
for revenge. If there is ever to be
social justice, it will only come about using a model of healing justice
by prisonjustice.ca
by prisonjustice.ca
Please let me know if you have info on other cities hosting Prisoner Justice Day events that you would like added here.
KINGSTON:
AUGUST 10th: ALL OUT FOR PRISONERS JUSTICE DAY!
August 10th is Prisoners’ Justice Day, a day in remembrance of all of those who have died at the hands of the prison system. Prisoners fast and refuse work on this day, while outside the walls organizations and individuals demonstrate in solidarity. We want a world without prisons, and will resist their expansion any day of the year, but it would be especially offensive to see cranes, trucks, and workers expanding the prison on August 10th while prisoners are on strike inside.
We invite you to join us early in the morning on August 10th to shut down construction at Collins Bay Penitentiary in honour of Prisoners’ Justice Day. This will also mark the two-year anniversary of the Prison Farms blockade at the same location, a historic mobilization for Kingston.
If you don’t live in Kingston and want to come, or if you do live in Kingston and can offer billeting, get in contact with us and we will co-ordinate lodgings with you. Our email is epic [at] riseup [dot] net
Keep your eye on http://endthepic.wordpress.com/pjd for updates.
This August 10th, join us in Kingston to mark #pjd2012.
Please circulate widely – see you August 10th!
Prisoner’s Justice Day 2012 Schedule
Kingston, Ontario
Thursday, August 9thWelcome Dinner and Social, AKA Autonomous Social Centre, 75 Queen St. Unit 1.
5-9pm Free dinner (ongoing as folks arrive) & hang out
7-8pm Justice for Levi Presentation: http://justiceforlevi.org/
Early to bed!
Friday, August 10th
5am sharp Free coffee & snacks @ The Sleepless Goat, 91 Princess St.
5:30am Rides leave from the Goat
5:45am Meet up and gather near Collins Bay Penitentiary (location TBA)
6am March on Collins Bay and take over the entrance!
8pm/dusk Noise demo (location TBA)
*Please bring food and water for yourself for the day on Friday.
*On August 10th, you can reach a contact person if you need info or get
separated! Call our action phone: 613-893-5327
*Keep in touch during the day by subscribing your cellphone to twitter. Follow @endthepic or #pjd2012
BILLETING
ATTN: Local EPIC Friends and Allies!
We need places for out-of-towners to stay during Prisoners Justice Day events in Kingston, August 9-10. If you have space, please let us know ASAP at epic [at] riseup [dot] net with “Offering Billets” in the subject line.Hosting folks in your house for a night or two is an excellent way to meet new activists and new friends, and expand your personal and political networks. We anticipate activists from all over southern Ontario and parts of Quebec needing places to lay their heads. Spare rooms are grand, but so are couches or spots where folks can unroll a sleeping bag. Please consider letting someone share the roof and/or your backyard (for camping) during Prisoners Justice Day events in Kingston!
If you have any reason to believe that your house contains bed bugs, please be upfront either with us or with your billeters.
If you can lend general support (such as providing childcare or offering transporation) to this action, but for whatever reason cannot participate directly, let us know!
ATTN: Out-of-Towners!
We know some of you might be seeking places to stay in Kingston during Prisoners Justice Day events, August 9-10. If you need help finding a homestay, please let us know ASAP at epic [at] riseup [dot] netOn the evening of Thursday, August 9th, we’ll be having a bbq with guest speakers. On Friday, August 10th, we will be meeting at 5am at the Sleepless Goat, where we will have breakfast and arrange for rides to Collins Bay. There are other tentative activities happening, so please check our website for up-to-date information, http://endthepic.wordpress.com
Please also inform us of anything you think we’d need to know in order to appropriately match you with a place to stay.
What are your access needs?
Do you need childcare on August 10th?
Do you have any allergies you want us to consider?
Are you comfortable staying alone, or are you traveling with someone that you absolutely must stay with? Etc.
We cannot guarantee space, but we will do our absolute best to help everyone find places that meet their specific needs.
If you have any reason to believe that you may travel with bed bugs, please be upfront either with us or with your homestay.
Feel free to print and distribute our flyer below!
KINGSTON'S PRISON RADIO (101.9fm) Celebrates Prisoner Justice Day on August 10
(tune in for regular broadcasts too, or to send a loved one inside a song request) http://cfrc.ca.
KINGSTON, ON – CFRC 101.9FM, Kingston's only campus and
community radio station,marks the 37th annual
Prisoners Justice Day with a special live broadcast on
Friday, August 10 from 2-10pm.
The broadcast begins at 2pm with news, interviews, and features focused on prisoners and prison issues.
From 4-6pm, a special edition of CFRC's "Finding a
Voice" program shares writing by prisoners. 7-10pm,
CFRC airs music requests and messages by and for
prisoners and their loved ones, friends and supporters,
who can send requests and comments by:
Tweeting @CPRkingston;
Recording a voice message for broadcast through our toll-free number at 1-800-440-5219;
Calling the request line during the program at 613-533-CFRC.
OTTAWA
Join us in commemorating Prisoner Justice Day – August 10th, 2012
Posted in Ottawa, PJD on August 2, 2012 by prisonerjusticeday Location: Jack Purcell Community Centre, room 101 (map)Time: Friday, August 10, 5pm – 8pm
We will be gathering to mark the day with plenty of information and activities, such as books to prisoners (BYO soft-cover book!), button making, and letter writing. Topics to be covered by speakers at the event include harm reduction in prison, Bill C-10, and lived experiences of the corrections system.
We welcome everyone to this community event, as we come together in solidarity to support the human rights of prisoners.
RSVP on Facebook
For more events and info on Ottawa area PJD activities Click
MONTREAL
Week Against Prisons! - http://contrelesprisons.blogspot.ca/ Film Screening and Facilitated Discussion about Girls and Women in Prison August 7 from 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy (1500 de Maisonneuve Ouest, Suite #404) http://www.facebook.com/events/165374010263786/ Film Screening of award-winning film "Stranger Inside (2001)" (w/French subtitles) and documentary "Unlocking the Gates (2012)" followed by a facilitated discussion led by the Life After Life Collective; a 2110 action group dedicated to the de-carceration and de-criminalization of girls, women and transgendered people. The first film is about incarcerated queer women of colour in a US prison while the documentary focuses on Aboriginal women's struggle with the revolving door in Canada. Both are presented as part of the 2110 Centre's annual "Summer Night" Film Screenings. (French whisper translation will be available during the discussion) - Inside/Out: Celebrating the Life and Work of Marilyn Buck August 8 from 6-8pm (casa del popolo) 4873 boul. st-laurent https://www.facebook.com/events/394752210574434/ Marilyn Buck was an anti-imperialist, a feminist, an artist and a revolutionary, who spent almost half of her life in prison as a result of her participation in revolutionary armed movements in the united states. Amongst other things, she was convicted of helping to break Assata Shakur out of prison. While incarcerated she developed uterine cancer; she was released on July 15, 2010, and died a couple of weeks later, on August 3. Join us now for a celebration of Marilyn's life, and a book launch for Inside/Out, a recently published collection of her poems, with readings by local Montreal activists, and brief talks about Marilyn, about political prisoners, and resistance. (In English) - Vigil, Testimonies, Audio Documentaries, and Commemoration in memory of those who died in custody August 10 from 2-4pm 1701 Parthenais street, outside the Coroner's office Every year people die in prison, murdered by a system that refuses them adequate care, puts them in situations of abuse, subjects them to violence, is designed to rob them of their humanity. August 10 is a day in which we remember those who have died on the inside, and demand an end to the travesty that is the prison system. Join us for a vigil in front of the offices of the coroner, whose job it is to cover up deaths on the inside. - Presentation by Kim Pate August 10 from 5pm-7pm Café Touski (2361 rue Ontario Est -- métro Frontenac) http://www.facebook.com/events/474248009261400/ Kim Pate is a criminologist. She has more than 30 years experience working with incarcerated women, and is particularly interested in the conditions of First Nations women. We have asked her to give a presentation about how the policies being put in place by the Harper government will impact the prison system, and especially how they will impact women. We want to better prepare ourselves to resist and fight back. (In English with whisper translation into French) - Dans le cadre des soirée de la Maison Norman Bethune August 10 - 19h 1918 rue Frontenac Dans le cadre de la semaine contre les prisons, la Maison Norman Bethune présente trois courts exposés visant à explorer certaines des questions soulevées par la réalité des prisons dans la société capitaliste actuelle. Les présentations seront suivies d'une discussion sur les thèmes abordés: Le rôle des prisons dans la société capitaliste; La prison comme lieu d'organisation politique; et La situation des femmes en milieu carcéral. (en français) - Solidarity in a Culture of Criminalization: Transformative Justice in the Community August 11 from 1pm-5pm 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy (1500 de Maisonneuve Ouest, Suite #404) http://www.facebook.com/events/364754366931379/ Transformative Justice 101, followed with facilitated discussion on how to respond to several challenging hypothetical scenarios without turning to the police and a creative response session. (In English) - Street Festival - Freedom for All Political Prisoners / SOLIDARITÉ POUR touTEs LES prisonnierÈREs POLITIQUES August 12 from 1pm-6pm Square Phillips, corner of St. Catherine and Union (Metro McGill) http://www.facebook.com/events/213247592138441/ Join us for an afternoon of food, theater, and music in solidarity with political prisoner struggles around the world!
TORONTO
37th International Prisoners Justice Day
August 10, 2012- 11am. until 5 pm.
Please Join Us in Toronto at Church of the Holy Trinity –
behind the Eaton Centre
Everyone is Welcome!
Artist, BobbyLee Worm who was subjected to the Management Protocol for women for 4 years.
Special Host:
Michelle Latimer
Presenters will include:
Janis Cole, filmmaker “P4W”, “Shaggie: Letters from Prison”
Shoshana Pollack, Inside Out Prison Exchange Program,
WLU Janet Ritch, Author, Advocate for the rights of women in prison.
COUNTERfit Prison Justice Day
August 10 at 2pm
South Riverdale Community Centre (955 Queen St E)
Poster & more information:
http://www.srchc.ca/news/prisoners-justice-day
COUNTERfit invites all drug users and allies to come
together to protest prison policy and treatment of
those incarcerated.
Candlelight Vigil
August 10 at 6pm
Outside the Don Jail (14 St Matthews Rd -
Gerrard & Broadview)
More information:
http://www.facebook.com/events/255907681188485/
pjdtoronto (at) gmail.com
G20 Letter Writing & Film Night hosted by the
WCCC-Toronto
August 12 at 6pm
Harvest Noon at University of Toronto (16 Bancroft Ave)
More information:
http://g20.torontomobilize.org/node/784/
KITCHENER-WATERLOO
All Day Prisoners' Justice Solidarity
August 10 from 9am to 5pm
Kitchener Courthouse (200 Fredrick St)
http://www.facebook.com/events/405248716194739/
VANCOUVER
Prison Justice Day Memorial Rally
Fri Aug 10th, 6pm
Claire Culhane Memorial Bench in Trout Lake Park (southeast corner), East Vancouver.
Speakers include ex-prisoners and anti-prison activists. All welcome.
Organized by the Prison Justice Day Committee . pjd(at)prisonjustice.ca.
Prison Justice Day is a day to remember all the men, women and youth who have died in prison.
Fri Aug 10th, 6pm
Claire Culhane Memorial Bench in Trout Lake Park (southeast corner), East Vancouver.
Speakers include ex-prisoners and anti-prison activists. All welcome.
Organized by the Prison Justice Day Committee . pjd(at)prisonjustice.ca.
Prison Justice Day is a day to remember all the men, women and youth who have died in prison.
Also listen to the Stark Raven radio broadcast for PJD
Stark Raven Radio: A Closer Look at Prisons & the Psychiatric Survivor Movement
- Mon Aug 6th, 2012: Prison Justice Day Special
*Prison Justice Day is a day to remember those who have died behind bars.
Mon Sept 3rd, 2012: Vancouver Prison Justice Day Rally
*Tune in to hear highlights from the annual memorial rally from August 10th.
In Vancouver at 102.7FM, and online: www.coopradio.org
Find out more about Stark Raven, including how to hear past shows and our podcasts.
EDMONTON Prisoners’ Justice Day Candle Lit Vigil August 10 at 7pm Elizabeth Fry Society of Edmonton - outside around the back (10523 100Ave) For more information: 780-784-2207 ****************************** HALIFAX Prisoner Justice Day August 10 at 7pm Johanna B. Oosterveld Centre (2013 Gottingen St) booksbeyondbars (at) gmail.com Speakers: Gary Kinsman on surveillance & criminalization of queer communities + poetry & writings of women incarcerated in Nova Scotia
