The Ben Lomond Four (Muslims Targeted During Ramadan)

The Ben Lomond Four (Muslims Targeted During Ramadan)
By Boston Woodard

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) houses prisoners of every faith imaginable; Islamic, Catholic, Protestant, Episcopalian, Baptist, Jewish, Mormon, Buddhist, Hinduism, Taoism, Paganism, Voodooism, Satanism and many other beliefs. Not much different than you would find in any eclectically populated neighborhood out there in the free world.

Because religious freedom in America is protected by state and federal laws and the Constitution of the United States, some people from all over the world migrate to America to free themselves of the hate and prejudices they experienced while practicing their faith in other countries.

Just like many Americans in large and small cities and towns throughout this country, men and women who practice their beliefs behind prison walls have a right to do so without bias, prejudice, or interference. Unfortunately, this was not the case for four Muslim prisoners serving out their sentences as fire fighters at the Ben Lomond fire camp in the remote hills of Santa Cruz California.

On August 18, 2010, during the sacred celebration of Ramadan, four Muslim prisoner firefighters William Randle, Christopher Farley, Ronald Day, and Daniel Thomas were rounded up from their assigned duties by camp Ben Lomond’s “camp commander” Lieutenant L. Rodriguez and arbitrarily transferred to the California correctional Center (CCC) in Susanville California, hundreds of miles further away from their families to Northern California. Lieutenant Rodriquez’s unsubstantiated justification for removing every Muslim from his remote fire camp was because, so he said, “camp been Lomond could not accommodate their religious dietary needs” according to firefighter Ronald Day.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic (calendar) year observed as sacred with fasting practiced daily from dawn to sunset. Ramadan is one of the five principles of Allah said the prophet Mohammed. The Solemnity of Ramadan has been practiced for decades behind prison walls.

The Ramadan observance at Camp Ben Lomond 2010 had been in progress before Lieutenant Rodriguez assumed command, on or about August 10, 2010, without incident or problems. The Lieutenant’s decision to truncate the celebration of this most “sacred” Islamic event with a falsely crafted excuse is “despicable, insulting, and a slap in the face” to the prisoner firefighters explained Daniel Thomas. “This was blatant retaliation against us [Muslims] because of our religious beliefs” said Thomas.

Prior to Lieutenant Rodriguez’s arrival at camp Ben Lomond, the four Muslims were receiving adequate victuals meeting all their needs to fulfill their obligations on this Ramadan observance. There were no issues. Even if there had been some difficulty receiving proper religious sustenance, the four Muslims offered that they could make due (balance out their dietary needs) by supplementing their meals with purchases from the campus canteen (prisoners store) out of their own pockets. They also explain to Lieutenant Rodriguez that food items they receive (and pay for) in institutionally approved packages could also serve to supplement their meals.

Lieutenant Rodriguez ignored this information and disrupted the rehabilitation programs of these four men who volunteer to put their lives on the line, fighting fires in communities all over the state when called upon to do so. For their good work and effort to change their lives for the better, these four men were punished instead of praised, transferred back behind the walls of a state penitentiary. According to Randle “This was an egregiously tyrannical exercise of power, prejudice, and absolute abuse of authority by Rodriguez to intentionally disrupt our celebration of Ramadan.

According to Christopher Farley, Lieutenant Rodriguez is the defendant in a complaint for similar action in another incident regarding the rights of a Muslim prisoner previously and his charge at another facility. While feeding prisoner fire fighters in a restaurant (a standard procedure for prisoners who fight fires in the community), Lieutenant Rodriguez made the comment, “we’re not going to cater to the black Muslims,” this, according to prisoner Farley.

This comment was blurted to an African-American (prisoner) Muslim supposedly in the presence of the restaurant’s owner and/or daughter, who commented on Rodriguez says remarks, said Farley. The prisoner filed a complaint on Lieutenant Rodriguez whose arrogance and ineptitude was insulting and uncalled for.

The behavior and actions by camp Ben Lomond’s camp commander Lt. L. Rodriguez not only violates the constitutionally protected First Amendment rights of the Ben Lomond four, it also violates their rights under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), federal law protecting the religious rights of all prisoners.

The Ben Lomond four have filed a class action suit Rodriguez’s actions seeking internal relief from the CDCR. If they are not satisfied with the CDCR’s response to their complaint, these four firefighters intend to file a formal complaint in a federal court and seek “declaratory and injunctive” relief plus monetary damages against Lieutenant Rodriguez and CDCR. Despite the impudence by this camp commander fire fighters Randle, Farley, Day, and Thomas were able to regroup and complete their celebration of Ramadan at CCC and Susanville.

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Boston Woodard is a prisoner/journalist serving his sentence in Susanville State Prison. Boston has written for The San Quentin News, The Soledad Star and edited The Communicator.

You can read Boston’s earlier articles here:

Exposing Prison
September 2010
http://fresnoalliance.com/wordpress/?p=1790

Punishment by Cold
Friday Jul 16th, 2010
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/07/16/18654029.php

The Malevolent Content - CDC-128-A
Friday Jul 16th, 2010
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/07/16/18654024.php

When the Smoke Clears
Wednesday May 19th, 2010
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/05/19/18648373.php

SJRA-ADVOCATE ("This little newsletter")
Thursday Apr 29th, 2010
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/04/29/18646167.php

Autocratic Dregs (Abusing Power)
Monday Mar 29th, 2010
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/03/29/18643256.php

Indybay Journalist in “The Hole” for Writing Article about Prison Conditions
Wednesday Aug 5th, 2009
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/08/05/18614132.php

Zip Gun II
Tuesday Jun 16th, 2009
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/16/18602027.php

A Snow Job Is No Job : What’s in a Report?
Tuesday Jun 16th, 2009
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/06/16/18602020.php

Rogue Prison Staff: Breaking All The Rules
Thursday Apr 16th, 2009
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/04/16/18589746.php

Don’t Pick up the Soap
Saturday Aug 30th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/08/30/18531160.php

It Ain’t So Funny When the Rabbit Has the Gun
Wednesday Aug 13th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/08/13/18526131.php

Arts in Corrections
Tuesday Jul 1st, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/07/01/18512524.php

Appealing the Impossible
Sunday May 18th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/18/18500099.php

Shake-Down
published: Wednesday Apr 23rd, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/04/23/18494693.php

Zip Gun
Published: Friday Apr 11th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/04/11/18492221.php

The Shell Game
Published: Thursday Mar 27th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/03/27/18488993.php

Medical Snafu, Ongoing Prison Problem
Published: Thursday Feb 14th, 2008
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/02/14/18479245.php

Parole Board Pillory
Published: Sunday Dec 16th, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/12/16/18467346.php

Hog-Tied (The Transferring of Sophanareth Sok)
Published: Thursday Oct 4th, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/10/04/18451787.php

Foreign National Prisoners, Targeted For Out-Of-State Transfers
Published: Saturday Sep 1st, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/09/01/18445270.php

H 0 R R I F I E D
Published: Sunday Aug 19th, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/08/19/18441509.php

Unacceptable Material
Published: Friday Jun 8th, 2007
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2007/06/08/18426088.php

The Parole Conundrum
Published: Monday Dec 18th, 2006
http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/12/18/18338477.php