On May 19, dozens of people rallied at the gates of Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina in solidarity with the ongoing fight of prisoners for better living conditions following a massacre of inmates on April 15 which left seven dead and 50 injured– the worst incident of violence inside a U.S. prison in over 25 years. For eight hours the dead and wounded were left without medical attention, and some on the inside reported that guards willfully neglected medical emergencies, blocking medics from entering and even laughing as prisoners killed each other.
The event was put on by the Party for Socialism and Liberation with the help of Freedom Fighters SC, Students for Justice in Palestine, Black Lives Matter and the Young Democratic Socialists. Also present were members of the IWW-Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee.
The events of April 15 culminated in the prisoners’ call for a nation-wide strike starting on August 21 until September 9. Lee Correctional, like many prison facilities across the U.S., is home to numerous industries such as garment, hosiery and other apparel where private corporations have free rein to exploit the labor of incarcerated workers in slavery conditions, paying them less than a dollar per day for their work. The prisoners released a list of 10 demands of the strike, one of which is an immediate end to prison slavery. In order to have these demands met prisoners will participate in work strikes, sit ins, boycotts and hunger strikes.
The purpose of the rally was first and foremost to echo the prisoners’ demands and to make sure that they will not go unheard on the outside. Along with amazing words from those who have been personally affected by the unjust U.S. prison system, speakers read statements and letters written by those inside the walls of Lee Correctional. One letter voiced, “We are standing against the mass incarceration and the warehousing of Black and Brown people in particular and all peoples in general… Prisoners are still human beings and the present filthy, disease infested, inhumane and hazardous conditions of SCDC are unacceptable and we must take a stand.”
Also read aloud were statements from a number of organizations on the inside of prisons in South Carolina and all across the U.S. A statement from Unheard Voices OTCJ affirmed, “It is a virtual necessity that everyone that is here today must start seeing the truth and the reality that is taking place in every state across America, not just here in South Carolina. The same crimes against humanity exist in every prison in our country. This slavery must come to an end today or we will see needless rivers of blood flow across our Nation!”
A statement from Jailhouse Lawyers Speak, a national collective of incarcerated people who provide legal support and education to inmates from inside the prison walls themselves expressed, “Knowing you all are outside those gates motivates us to stay focus, do what’s right, and survive this. Know that as you gather outside the gates, we are in here kicking the doors celebrating your presence.” An anonymous Twitter account associated with prisoners inside SCDC facilities said after the rally, “Every prison is buzzing. Prisoners yelling across the rock letting their neighbors know, there are people out there speaking up for them. A 1st in SC.”
The May 19 rally will not be the last of its kind. Those on the outside can only provide meaningful support to the prisoners’ struggles if they dare to be as persistent and unwavering as the prisoners themselves. We call on everyone to spread information about the strike as well the demands of the prisoners far and wide, put pressure on those on the inside and outside who have control over the situation and show your support to every initiative of the upcoming strike by any means necessary. The U.S. prison system must be totally uprooted, and in its place a humane system must be employed.
