On April 10, the Building Up People, Not Prisons coalition held a car rally demanding that Massachusetts prisons and jails release women and other incarcerated people to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within those institutions. Over 40 people drove from Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Framingham to South Bay House of Correction in Boston. The protesters drove circles around each institution, honking to display their support for the women inside.
COVID-19 is spreading in Massachusetts prisons and jails. As reported by WBUR, five incarcerated people have already died of the virus in Massachusetts, and over 150 cases of the virus have been confirmed among prisoners and prison staff. Prisons and jails in Massachusetts have released over 300 people after a sate Supreme Judicial Court ruling, but local organizers insist that the releases need to be quickly scaled up. The Building Up People, Not Prisons coalition held another car rally on April 17 and has been calling Governor Baker, Sheriffs and District Attorneys to demand that people be released.
Read Liberation News’ interview with Leslie Credle, a Boston-based anti-prison organizer, about the situation in Massachusetts prisons during the pandemic.
