We are sharing a request for urgent action by Re:Store Justice, a collective of people who were formerly incarcerated, together with people who are currently incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison and their loved ones. We hope that our members will take these actions and stay engaged on the situation at San Quentin which is affecting the lives and welfare of so many people, as well as impacting our healthcare resources in Marin.
Below, we have pasted the entirety of an email sent today by Re:Store Justice with a list of requested actions for us to take today.
We would like to convey our thanks to Assemblymember Marc Levine and State Senator Mike McGuire for their ongoing advocacy efforts to ensure a rapid and comprehensive response to this urgent situation.
Background:
On July 2, University of California San Francisco infectious disease specialist Dr. Peter Chin-Hong told NBC Bay Area that San Quentin had become "the Chernobyl of COVID." According to a column in the SF Chronicle titled, "San Quentin coronavirus outbreak underscores California’s cruel treatment of prisoners," nearly 1,400 incarcerated people and 165 employees there have now been infected. An indication of the severity of the situation is that it is now being covered by the national news media including this segment on Rachel Maddow.
Departments within UCSF and UC are recommending in an urgent memo that the state begin the process of dramatically reducing the overall prison population to below 50% of current capacity. The memo states, "It is important to note that we spoke to a number of incarcerated people who were over the age of 60 and had a matter of weeks left on their sentences. It is inconceivable that they are still in this dangerous environment."
TODAY'S EMAIL FROM RE:Store JUSTICE:
How can you support today's action?
Join us TODAY at 12 noon PST on Facebook live at this link.
Call or email Governor Newsom's office this morning:Phone: (916) 445-2841, Public comment form; Email: governor@governor.ca.gov
Ask him to:
- Visit San Quentin and tour the facility with press so he can bear witness to the deplorable conditions inside
- Immediately stop all transfers between California prisons and from prisons to ICE detention centers
- Begin the process of dramatically reducing the overall prison population to below 50% of current capacity, following the recommendations issued by UCSF Amend.
Read the full list of demands from incarcerated folks at San Quentin State Prison here.
Are you an academic, medical professional, or public health expert from a relevant institution and department?
- Review this Google Doc for guidelines on issuing a statement from your institution calling for mass releases without categorical exclusions.
- Sign on to this open letter to Governor Newsom drafted by Hadar Aviram, Professor of Law at UC Hastings.
• If you'd like to join the conversation remotely, check out our Media Toolkit.
Thank you for your commitment to social justice and health care for all!
~ The IndiMarin Steering Committee - Laurie, Susan S, Betsy, Justine and Susan M