The Tower

Covid outbreak at the Barton jail being made public by the Barton Prisoner Solidarity Project. Full report here -- sharing is solidarity.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=641190260558266&id=107522527258378&paipv=1

Interesting to see BPSP getting calls from Niagara now. As prisoners are transferred from prison to prison, the practice of organizing and striking spreads.

If you can, make a quick call tomorrow. They can only win on the inside if we are pushing from the outside.

**Phone Zap May 3! Support the Striking Niagara Prisoners!**

We can confirm that the hunger strike in the Niagara Detention Centre is just completing its third day! However, we spoke to someone there this morning who also shared that strikers are being targeted for repression by the institution. Today, COs entered their cells and stole their cantine items, saying they didn’t need it since they weren’t eating anyway.

This escalation of repression is very concerning, and we need to find ways to show prisoners in Niagara that they are not alone. Tomorrow, Monday May 3, please call the jail and demand that the administration negotiate with prisoners to meet their demands. Calling the jail and circulating news of the strike is a simple way of keeping the strikers safe from reprisals and putting pressure on the admin.

Call the detention centre at 905-227-6321 and press 0 to speak to an operator. You can either express your concerns to the operator or ask to speak to the superintendant, Tom Bradley. Please tell whoever you speak to that you support the prisoners' strike, think their demands are reasonable, and that they should be met immediately. The prisoners already submitted a letter to the admin outlining their three demands, but it doesn’t hurt to repeat them:

1)Address the serious problems with the new phone system:
-Create options for adding funds to prisoners' accounts remotely
-Introduce stop gap measures until then, such as unlimited free calls
-Remove the relationship tax that penalizes prisoners for calling the same number many times in one month

2) Restore visits and daily yard time

3) Allow the music and movie channels that are available in other detention centres

The Barton Prisoner Solidarity Project is focused on Hamilton’s Barton Jail. We are not intending to formally expand our work to Niagara, however when prisoners call us to tell us about actions, we will of course support them any way we can. We drove down to the Niagara prison today and held banners for the prisoners – it seems at least one range was able to see us through the blocked-out windows.

These demands and the actions prisoners take might seem like small things. However, prisoners across Ontario are building a practice of collective power that deserves our support every time. Standing by them when they resist is a crucial step towards a world without prison.