7 Prison Hunger Strike Supporters Arrested in Oakland

From: http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/2013/08/05/police-arrest-7-prison-hunger-strike-supporters-at-state-building/

On August 5, 2013, after locking themselves to the main entrance of the Elihu M. Harris State Building in downtown Oakland for several hours, protesters moved inside the building, where they were arrested. Protesters said their action was in support of prisoners on strike throughout California and demanded that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and Governor Brown enter into direct negotiations with strikers. “Solitary confinement is widely and internationally recognized as torture,” Said the protesters. “The hunger strikers and their family members are making a powerful and inspiring stand for dignity in the face of this inhumane treatment. We stand with them. Governor Brown and the CDCR, negotiate immediately to meet their five demands.”

Monday’s protest comes on the heels of weekend rallies in support of hunger strikers in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose, and in front of the notorious San Quentin State Prison. Families of Solano Prisoners, the Asian Prisoner Support Committee, and Legal Services for Prisoners with Children also held a protest at Solano State prison to protest CDCR attempts to transfer prisoners from Solano to Pleasant Valley and Avenal prisons, despite an ongoing active Valley Fever epidemic at those facilities.