It's no secret that jails and prisons are hotspots for COVID-19 outbreaks — in fact, they are death traps. As of last summer, the COVID-19 case rate in jails and prisons was 5.5 times higher than that of the general U.S. population. Small spaces, overcrowding, and inmate turnover — not to mention the lack of... Continue Reading →
The only practicable solution to the Covid-19 pandemic for all local jails, prisons, detention centers, and ICE concentration camps is decarceration (mass release). Those institutions are a hotbed for spreading viruses & diseases, they have no way to socially distance people, have horrible sanitation protocols normally, and cannot/do not provide the medical care needed for... Continue Reading →
Virginia had no public local police force until 1932, before then, policing was almost totally a private affair. The protection of private property & reinforcing the white supremacist social order were & are the two major functions of police in America. Roanoke has its contribution to that history in the form of the Baldwin-Felts Detective... Continue Reading →
Over the past two months two people locked up at Western Virginia Regional Jail (WVRJ) in Salem have reached out to us about the conditions they're being subjected to and asked for support and solidarity. Norberto Ruiz is being denied his medicated eyedrops repeatedly, which is causing blindness. 5.9.20: "I've been having an ongoing issue... Continue Reading →
We are continuously told in schools, by the media, and authority figures that police & prisons are here for public safety, but a look at their origins, function and current examples of such shows that is simply not true. Prisons were created in the 1700s as an alternative to corporal punishment. Police were created in... Continue Reading →
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Roanoke Jail Solidarity Efforts During Covid-19 Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the so-called U.S. in March 2020, we've outlined a case & made a firm call for decarceration (releasing all incarcerated workers) of all jails, prisons, & detention centers in Virginia, we've co-sponsored a petition pushing 5 *ESSENTIAL* demands for people to survive during... Continue Reading →
We, the undersigned, are demanding that Mayor Lea and the City of Roanoke, Virginia Government, as well as Mayor Foley and the City of Salem, Virginia Government, immediately implement a response to the coronavirus pandemic that places the needs of Roanoke & Salem’s most vulnerable groups first. As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout Virginia and... Continue Reading →
March 17, 2020 COALITION CALLS ON CITY OF ROANOKE TO HALT NEW JAIL ADMISSIONS AND RELEASE ALL PEOPLE INCARCERATED IN ROANOKE FACILITIES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 VIRUS ROANOKE, VA - We, the undersigned organizations, call on Roanoke City Mayor Sherman Lea and Roanoke City Sheriff Tim Allen to immediately release all of the people currently... Continue Reading →
