Summer 2019 Prisoners United of Silicon Valley Newsletter

Page 1

THE FRONTLINERS OF JAIL REFORM Summer, 2019 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore.“ - Cesar Chavez Address to the Commonwealth Club of California, 1984 San Francisco, CA --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Table of Contents 1. Introduction Letter - Written By: Jose Valle 2. Santa Clara County Jail Administration Have Avoided Periodical Meetings With the Community - Written By: Anonymous a. Santa Clara County Board Of Supervisors Contacts b. Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Contacts 3. Your Discipline File - Written By: Anonymous 4. Prison Reform Bill Updates - Gathered By: Beneé Vejar 5. Witnesses Of Use Of Force Against Isai Lopez 6. Letters from the Inside - We Must Know the Importance of Our Basic Human Rights While Behind the Walls - Written by: Victor Ryan Villegas 7. Submit Your Articles, Arte Y Poemas 8. Hunger Strike Questionnaire Data Analysis - Prepared By: Jordan Parker --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Introduction Letter Greetings from the Prisoners United Clearing House, I hope that this newsletter reaches you in strong and empowering spirits. It has been almost four years since the first hunger strike in Santa Clara County Jails. Two hunger strikes and the Chavez v Santa Clara County settlement followed. Many of those who participated in improving jail conditions, are back home with their families or serving their time in prison. The sacrifices and historic changes that were made should never be forgotten. Unity and organizing for prisoners human rights should remain as a tool locally and statewide. There may always be a need for Prisoners United in Santa Clara County and if able, those who are now serving their time in prison can continue their contributions to the newsletter and or implement change in our state facilities. If you have received this newsletter from behind the walls, it is you, the prisoners who are the driving force of many newsletters and movements moving forward. Through your united and collective leadership, the clearing house on the outside awaits in solidarity. I hope that this newsletter and Prisoners United can be utilized to stimulate the mind, provoke change, and build collective strategy for the issues that impact prisoners human rights the most. In this newsletter, you will find articles about what you can do to support healthy continued communication with the Jail Administration to implement changes. It has been difficult to continue our periodical meetings as they have all been canceled since late 2018. I have gotten word that the same sort of thing has been happening with the IAC meetings in jail. There is an interesting article about how your discipline file is used against you in trial and how old custody inputs should be purged or dismissed Santa Clara County Prisoners Write To: Prisoners United Clearing House 701 Lenzen Ave. San Jose, CA 95126 Jose Valle - Housing Unit Coordinator - Prisoners Contact: (408) 661-2604 - jose@siliconvalleydebug.org Beneé Vejar - Family Coordinator - Families Contact: (408) 971-4965 - benee@siliconvalleydebug.org PUSV Newsletter - The Frontliners of Jail Reform - Summer, 2019 - 1 of 7


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Summer 2019 Prisoners United of Silicon Valley Newsletter by Silicon Valley De-Bug - Issuu