90 days in prison

Dan Schwankl spent 90 days in a federal prison for participating in a protest calling for the closure of the Western Hemisphere Institue for Security Cooperation (WHISC), formerly known as the School of the Americas (SOA), which trains Latin American soldiers at Fort Benning, Georgia. The alumni of WHISC have risen positions of command from which they have kidnapped, tortured, massacred, assassinated, murdered, raped, and disappeared people - civilians all over Latin America, staged coups and toppeled governments for years and years. They learned many "interrogation" and "insurgency" techniques at WHISC.

Upon his release from jail, he wrote this:
*totally ganked from the SOA watch newsletter*

"Even with all the wonderful preparation from the SOA watch staff and words of hope from former prisoners of conscience, I still walked into Federal Prison Camp Butner with plenty of mental baggage. Fear is a pretty big bag to carry. (Instead of fear, I tried to bring in a rubber chicken to lighten the mood a little.) I was reminded of Oscar Romero's words about Jesus inviting us not to fear persecution. The correctional officers did nothing to dispel the fears I'd brought with me, told me I would not enjoy my time here, that this was no boys' camp. It was the inmates who showed me the truth of Romero's words and Jesus's teachings.

Since I was coming with nothing, it was the inmates who recognized my poverty and got together a welcome package of shower shoes, stamps, envelopes, soaps, and who repeatedly asked if I needed anything. The Bureau of Prisons actually has a rule that states it is illegal to give anything to another inmate. In the face of breaking the rules, that spirit of giving overwhelmed me when one fellow gave me a pair of fifty dollar running shoes and another his extra radio. I realized these men were all children of God, brothers, fathers, uncles, all with people who loved and cared for them on the outside, not people to be feared. I want to thank the SOA Watch staff and all the folks who write. Thank you, thank you."

www.soaw.org

And while we are on the subject of prisoners and the prison industrial complex, I want to mention Books to Prisoners.

I can't walk into a bookstore without walking out with a stack of books. The same is true for a visit to a library, book fair or book sale. For me, there is no such thing as "browsing." The thought of being trapped in a cell with nothing to read distresses me.

There are people who send books to people in prison. And for a growing number of prisoners, Books to Prisoners is their only source of reading material. Lots of money is going into building prisons but not as much of it is going into prison libraries or prisoner education. The number one request from prisoners is for dictionaries. If you are in a cell, you can't walk down to the prison library whenever you encounter an unfamiliar word. Reading without the means to understand also distresses me.

"Any discussion about reentry into society from prison begins with education."
-- Robert Sanchez, former inmate and current program manager at STRIVE: East Harlem Employment Services

People who want to learn should have the opportunity. Wherever they are.

UC-Books to Prisoners
NYC Books through Bars
Other BTP projects