March supports women prisoners

Led by a large and enthusiastic contingent of formerly incarcerated young people from all over California, nearly 200 people demonstrated Oct. 20 outside this country’s largest women’s prisons to demand “Bring Our Families Home!” People traveled in caravans from all over California to protest human rights violations in California’s prisons.

Chowchilla, Calif., Oct. 20. WW photo: Judy Greenspan

At the beginning of the day, protesters gathered in front of the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF), perhaps the largest women’s prison and the one housing both a death row for women and women prisoners with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Then the demonstration marched about a half mile down the road to Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW). Combined, the prisons hold nearly 7,000 women.

A rally chaired by Shawna D., an African-American lesbian activist and member of the California Coalition of Women Prisoners, was held in front of VSPW. Crystal of the Youth Justice Coalition of Los Angeles set the tone when she said, “I thank you for everything you are doing to fight back. We can set our youth free. Together, brick by brick, wall by wall, all the prisons will fall.”

A large number of formerly incarcerated women were vocal at the protest. Dee Mariano, who has hepatitis C and nearly died due to poor medical care in the prison infirmaries at both women’s prisons, said, “I am a mother, a grandmother, a daughter and a sister to everyone inside. Women inside have the right to medical care and to life.”

One of the most inspirational groups present at the protest was the large number of formerly incarcerated young women. Angela, a member of the Sisters Rising Project of the Center for Young Women’s Development, said, “We support bringing our families home.”

The Coalition for Accountable Healthcare, the umbrella group that organized the protest, is demanding that the 15 billion dollar state prison construction budget be used instead to provide jobs and social services, not more prison beds in this state’s communities. The flyer for the protest called for an end to prison overcrowding by releasing parolees, changing sentencing laws and stopping prison expansion.

California and Texas house the largest number of prisoners in the U.S. California’s prison health care has been taken over by a court appointed doctor who is overseeing what may prove to be dramatic change and improvement. Unfortunately, on a day-to-day level, women prisoners and their families say very little has changed inside.

After the rally, the formerly incarcerated women and their supporters marched back to their cars parked outside CCWF. Demonstration organizers vowed to continue to work in solidarity with people in prison and to defend everyone’s constitutional and human rights.

Today’s demonstration was organized by the Coalition for Accountable Healthcare, which includes the California Coalition for Women Prisoners; All of Us or None; Critical Resistance Oakland; Prison Activist Resource Center; Transgender, Gender Variant, and Intersex Justice Project; Youth Justice Coalition; and many other prisoners’ rights and human rights groups around the state.