A multinational gathering of workers and students came together in San Diego Oct. 14 to discuss the prison-industrial complex and how it affects poor and working communities. The public forum was held at the School for Social Justice, a unique program within the larger Lincoln High School in the predominately Black and Latino working-class neighborhood of Southeast San Diego. The event was co-sponsored by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the San Diego Committee for Prisoner Rights and the San Diego Coalition for Troy Davis.
Amber Bernal of the newly formed San Diego Committee for Prisoner Rights gave an update on the Pelican Bay hunger strike. Bernal’s brother is a prisoner in Pelican Bay, and she described the inhumane treatment they face as prisoners.
Audience members added to the discussion of the torture that loved ones face, including women in other prisons. One young participant gave a heart-wrenching description of how the prison system not only imprisons his mother, but also vindictively abuses its power and makes the whole family suffer whenever they visit her. His story is another example of how the prison system affects women of color in particular. It also illustrates how the system is not interested in rehabilitating prisoners.
After the report and discussion on the hunger strike, the audience heard from DJ Kuttin Kandi, who gave an in-depth analysis of the circumstances that led to the arrest of Troy Davis and ultimately his unjust conviction and execution by the state of Georgia.
Kandi’s analysis dispelled the myth that Troy Davis was guilty and proved that the prison officials and other governing bodies in Georgia sought to execute Troy Davis solely because he was a Black man in a racist legal system. Davis posed a threat to the capitalist establishment due to his extensive work in support of the movement to end the death penalty and inspired millions around the world seeking justice for him and for the thousands of other inmates on death row.
The evening ended with a talk by Abel Macias of PSL. He made a connection between the entire prison system including the death penalty and all forms of legalized torture from Georgia to California Prison’s Secure Housing Units. He emphasized that the U.S. economic and political system of capitalism seeks to maximize profits first, at the expense of the loved ones who sit behind bars.
A lively discussion followed. The students from the School for Social Justice provided the clearest analysis and stated, “We’re fed up with this racist system and the only way to real freedom is through events like this.”
We in the PSL agree and seek to continue building our solidarity work with community members who see the reality of the racist capitalist system.
