On July 23, activists and community members braved the scorching heat to protest outside of the Department of Corrections in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in a show of support for the “Hunt’s Forgotten” inmates at David Wade Correctional Center. These inmates recently went on hunger strike to be returned to the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center.
Conditions inside David Wade Correctional Center are vile; inmates are regularly subjected to life-threatening levels of high heat and black mold. They also report being mentally and physically abused by prison staff. Prisoners with terminal illnesses have also been denied access to medication. Check out Liberation’s previous coverage read more about the conditions inside David Wade.
The rally was organized by the strikers’ concerned family members, the Party for Socialism and Liberation – Central Gulf Coast, the Party for Socialism and Liberation Mississippi and Memphis Branch. Other community organizations such as East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition, Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana, and Decarcerate Louisiana participated to demand justice for these inmates.
“My nephew is in David Wade right now, and it hurts my heart to know that he is in there somewhere where they are treated like animals,” Nikki Lee shared at the protest. “If it is supposed to be a correctional center, then treat it that way!”
To ensure that these prisoners are returned to Elayn Hunt, Sherie Thomas, a member of the Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana, encouraged everyone to call Warden Goodwin daily. You can do this too by calling (318) 927-0400 and insisting that the prisoners that are on hunger strike are returned to Elayn Hunt. Thomas also informed the protesters those on strike have been vaccinated. “They are not being held for lack of vaccination.” “Every time someone contacts the Warden, there is an excuse,” Sherie explained. “We are not taking any more excuses.”
