Honoring Leonard Peltier & Solitary Man: A Visit to Pelican Bay State Prison

Leonard Peltier Support Group Silicon Valley invites you to our next event to honor Leonard Peltier and also shine the light on the impact of solitary confinement on prisoners. Every jail and prison, including juvenile detentions in the U.S.A., use solitary confinement over long periods of time.

Saturday 6th February, 2016
6:00p.m. - 8:00p.m.
School of Arts and Culture, Mexican Heritage Plaza
1700 Alum Rock Ave.
San Jose, CA 95116

February 6th is the 40th anniversary of Leonard's illegal arrest in Canada by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Although Leonard fought his extradition from Canada to the U.S.A., Canadian officials illegally extradited him. He was brought to trial in 1977 and the judge allowed more than 30 violations of Leonard's Constitutional rights during the trial. Leonard is now over 71 years old and is in very serious health. We need to get him out of prison NOW!

We are honored to have Charlie Hinton perform his solo performance play:
Solitary Man: My Visit to Pelican Bay State Prison
Written and perfomed by Charlie Hinton
Directed by Mark Kenward

In July, 2013 Charlie Hinton responded to an action alert to write letters of support to a number of hunger strikers held in the Pelican Bay Security Housing Units (SHUs), also known as solitary confinement. Several of them wrote him back. Through their letters, conversations with former prisoners, and his personal observations, Charlie Hinton created a solo performance for theater - Solitary Man: My Visit to Pelican Bay State Prison, which takes place in late fall, 2014.

In Solitary Man, Charlie visits a lifer named Otis Washington, a 64 year old native of New York City, who’s been locked up since 1975, and at Pelican Bay since it opened. To quote Otis, "There are people who say they have no regrets in life, and if they had to do it all over again, they wouldn’t change a thing. Well, I’m just the opposite. Ignorance guided me to this present predicament. Over the decades I’ve worked hard to better myself and recover from my raggedy past.” In Solitary Man, Otis explains some of what he has learned and experienced.

Charlie Hinton Bio:
Solitary Man is his second solo show, after Lifewish. He grew up in Joplin, MO, and spent 3 years in the Peace Corps in Bolivia. His political awakening came through his time in South America, then his return home to the anti-war in Viet Nam movement, LGBT liberation, and prison work. He worked the last 19 at Inkworks Press, a worker owned and collectively managed printing company in Berkeley that recently closed its doors, leaving him “retired."

Other speakers and performers TBA.

This event is a potluck.
Please bring something to share that is prepackaged, i.e. not made at home.

Please save the date and invite your family and friends to join us.

School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza is wheelchair friendly.
This event to honor Leonard Peltier is children friendly.

For more information please contact Donna Wallach, FreedomNow4LeonardPeltier [at] gmail.com
(h) 408-557-8824
(cell) 408-569-6608

Sponsored by Leonard Peltier Support Group Silicon Valley
co-sponsored by: Justice for Palestinians

Please let us know if your organization or group would like to co-sponsor and help promote this event. We would really like to have many people attend.