Prisoners Inside the SATF-CSP Discuss Hunger Strike Strategy, Retaliation and More.
Damon Anderson, Sherman Bell and Joe Taylor had a conversation about hunger strikes organized by incarcerated persons in jail and prison.
The following transcription comes from a conversation that took place inside the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran (SATF-CSP) in January 2022. The roundtable discussion includes comments from Damon Anderson (no relation), who participated in hunger strikes inside Riverside County jails in SoCal’s Inland Empire; Sherman Bell, who went on hunger strike inside the SATF late last spring; and Joe Taylor, a prisoner at SATF. The three discussed hunger strikes waged in jail and prison, the strategies behind the resistance, retaliation from correctional authorities, and advice for incarcerated persons contemplating similar forms of collective action.
Information on how to write to the three contributors can be found below the transcribed conversation. In addition, Damon just started a GoFundMe to raise money for prisoner pro se litigation; please consider supporting his ongoing legal challenges to abusive jails and prisons, should you feel so inclined and have the means to do so. The Waywards mutual aid fund based on paid subscriptions will be distributed in early March to Damon’s fundraiser for the months of January and February 2022.
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Damon Anderson: Riverside. That jail was the worst place I have ever been too. Every aspect of how that place works is meant to abuse, humiliate and degrade you. I was treated as an animal, and if I’m treated as an animal long enough I will start acting like one.
The complaint/grievance system that was in place was a joke. There was no oversight and the deputies’ behavior was endorsed by the supervisors. My hunger strikes were a last resort. Someone has to be mentally prepared. My goal initially was to get the attention of the public so they would ask questions because for the jail, the only thing the sheriff fears is the public, as he is an elected official. Can’t look bad if he wants to be re-elected.
Sherman Bell: The experience of a hunger protest for me had multiple outcomes. It showed me the strength I did not know I had, and the depth of disregard that the CDCR has for my health and well-being.
My reasons for the last hunger protests had to do with prison authorities not allowing me to freely practice my religion and their negligence in following procedures to keep me safe from COVID. A tactic I learned was not to announce the strike in advance because of their procedure of isolating me and taking away my canteen items. This was their form of retaliation, so with this last one that I did a month ago, I did not tell them until the day arrived. The cameras verify that I did not take a tray for a period of 16 days.
Damon: At the jail when I was on a strike, the deputies would come into my cell every day and throw my property around claiming that they were inventorying my things. Just like you said, Sherman. Retaliation.
Sherman: Doing these alone is difficult to do and get the right recognition from the public. If I was to give advice, I would say make your demands and try to organize a mass protest, but you need people on the outside to shed light on why you/we are doing this. It’s the only way to get attention, even though it’s usually insubstnatial at best.
Damon: Absolutely, but i’ts our only non-violent way to get our point across.
Joe Taylor: I believe it is a matter of practice and regulations in place within the jail/prison that determines the strategy and/or tactics used by staff and administrators.
Retaliation is always a risk when steps are taken to enforce/vindicate one's rights. False write-ups and excessive cell searches are tactics in retaliation. Only those who are strong-minded will prevail.
Public attention is hard to obtain and mail censorship comes into play. There’s also the risk of additional retaliation/reprisal.
If a hunger strike is necessary, I will do one.
The best way to maximize prisoner gains from a hunger strike is to document everything. Be specific. Write dates, times, names and locations.
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You can write to Damon (# BM0221), Sherman (# E89260) and Joe (BK2129) via jpay.com. If you create or have an account on the platform, you can select the state of California and then enter your correspondent’s CDCR number, which is parenthetically noted in the previous sentence.