February 28, 2006
Diane Wilson is free...in pictures
Diane on Feb. 17, relating the history of the old Seadrift jail. Credit: Ann Wright, Bryan Parras & Krishnaveni Gundu
Diane shows us the abandoned Seadrift jail. Credit: Ann Wright, Bryan Parras & Krishnaveni Gundu
Diane's mama! Credit: Ann Wright, Bryan Parras & Krishnaveni Gundu
By Feb. 20, Diane was protesting once again. Here she is with Cindy Sheehan, the bereaved mother and anti-war activist, outside a Barbara Bush Tea Party in Houston. Credit: Ann Wright & Krishnaveni Gundu
Diane joined Cindy for her famous vigil outside Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, in August. Cindy welcomes Diane back with a warm embrace. Credit: Ann Wright & Krishnaveni Gundu
Diane Wilson will never stop fighting for justice. She cannot be silenced. Credit: Ann Wright & Krishnaveni Gundu
Posted by zinda at 06:57 PM | Comments (0)
February 21, 2006
From jailbird to freebird. Yoohoo!
FROM A JOYOUS KINNU IN CYPRESS, TEXAS
Monday, February 21, 2006
4 pm CST
County Criminal Court #9 (Republican Judge Analia Wilkerson), forgot to put her case on the docket which may have been a good thing after all b'cos the attorney managed to plea-bargain and got the charge reduced from a 'Class B misdemeanor' to a 'Class C misdemeanor'. Class B was for possessing fake id - max. $4000 fine + max. 1 yr. in jail. But Class C is simply 'not having a valid TX Driver's License' - max $500 fine.
So she pleaded guilty to Class C, paid a $50 fine plus $200 court costs and that's it! Now she's truly a freebird and on her way back to dear ol' Seadrift.
Native American friend Wolf pitched in $100, Goldstar Families for Peace pitched in with a cheque of $150 (Ann Wright & I made up for it in cash.) Still no idea if I'll get back the $1500 cash I put up for bail.
We, ie Diane, Ann Wright, Cindy's sister Didi (adorable tiggerloly) and I were out of there by 10:45 am CST and on our way to Katie Heim's place where we had a wonderful breakfast celebration with homemade biscuits, eggs, mashed potatoes and mimosas (champagne & orange juice)!
Later, over an Indian meal at my place, we hatched plans for supporting Diane in the future. Didi asked that I put together a quick proposal which we can use to garner support from the national envtl, peace and social justice community. I should have something ready in a couple of weeks. I would greatly appreciate ideas, inputs, contacts and support from anyone who can pitch in. For almost two decades she has fought a hard and lonely battle. It's time to show her that she has friends who truly care.
THANK YOU ALL!
Kinnu.
P.S. I am signing off for a couple of days but just FYI, Diane's off her phones and email. She wants a week or so to reboot and recuperate! She's promised to check in with me once every couple of days so if there are any messages, I'll be happy to pass them on to her.
Feb 18th '06 Sat.
Yes, she's out dear friends of Diane!
I apologise for not being able to send this out y'day. By the time we got back from Seadrift, it was late and we were exhausted.
Everything went smoothly. NOT as planned! But without any major hitches. She was out well before 9 am. She looked absolutely ecstatic and gorgeous in the DeLay fundraiser party clothes! (Pics attached). Very slim and trim after the 70 day Victoria Diet! We spent some time with her mother and a couple of members of her family before taking her out for her first real meal. Mexican of course! She wanted Margheritas too but of course, she had forgotten that it's a dry town! Only beer & wine. (Nina S., Carolyn C, you might remember 'El Comal' where we plotted some of the actions on the day she broke her month long fast outside the Dow plant.)
She found it hard to believe that she was out. We took her for a ride by her (San Antonio) Bay, and the old purple house (being torn down, almost gone) where she used to live and the fishing house, which is no more. Spotted 'Deputy Dawg', Donna Sue's husband's boat. Headed back to her trailer. It was my first time there. We spent a couple of hours just talking and laughing ourselves silly. And discussing her plans to build a house. Finally! The minute she heard that the first royalty check was in the mail, she said she would start on the pilings tomorrow, right next to where the trailer is standing.
Man was I relieved to hear that!
That small trailer's falling apart. It's on its last legs. If it hadn't been for the cold front, I wouldn't have known that it's not equipped with a heater. Didn't get a chance to check drinking water, plumbing and other essentials but I bet there wasn't much to check. I really wish we had not dipped into her royalty funds to pay that $2,000 fine. She so badly needs a house. I certainly hope we can raise enough funds to cover it.
Enroute to Houston, when I called her to pass on a message from a friend, she told me that she had spent the last 15 mts on the phone, being chewed up- down one way and then the other - by one of her oldest daughters. "Why can't you stay at home and be a mother?" being the general tone of the discussion. Diane kept saying, "I don't understand what she means. She's all grown up, got two kids of her own, a husband, a great job, a house, everything! I was a mom for years and years and now they're all grown up and gone. I don't understand what she means - stay at home and be a mom now??!! For David, yes, but all the rest of them - they are adults!" I felt terrible about leaving her alone in that state. Just that morning she had been welcomed by her sister with - "Now, I hope you've learnt your lesson Diane!" I know she's used to not getting much support from her family but that sure must've hurt. I tried reassuring as best as I could but I sure wish we hadn't left her alone.
Rest of the drive back I kept thanking my good fortune for my wonderfully supportive family. In fact, if it had not been for my in-laws saying go do what you need to do when they were visiting in dec-jan, I couldn't have done any of the support work I did for Diane.
Which reminds me, thank you all for writing me such wonderful emails this past week. I feel like a rockstar. Like I have to give an Oscar speech or something! Seriously!
Couldn't have done anything if these friends had not shared my burden:
Ann Wright
Gary Cohen
Boann Perry & Jackie Lanum
Diana Claitor
Diana Ruiz
Aquene Freechild
Alice Blackmer, Margo Baldwin & John Barstow @ Chelsea Green
Katie Heim
David Graeve
Molly Bang
Ivette @ Greg Gladden's office
Bryan Parras
Jodie, Nina, Nina R and all the Unreasonable Women.
Truly appreciate all your support. Thank you!
Kinnu.
P.S. If pic attachments don't come through let me know. I'll send them to Chelsea Green, Code Pink and Bhopal.net websites so everyone can view them.
(Attachments didn't come through, but patience - Ed)
Posted by bhola at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)
February 11, 2006
Diane's letter to Sheriff about the condition of prisoners
Jan 20th 2006
Sheriff T. Michael O’Connor
Victoria County
101 North Glass St.
Victoria, TX 77901
CC:
Sheriff B. B. Browning
Calhoun County
211 South Ann St.
Port Lavaca, TX 77979
(Additional CC recipients are listed at the end of letter.)
Dear Sheriff O’Connor:
I am a female inmate in the Victoria County Jail, TX, though I was arrested on criminal trespass charges in Calhoun County. I was given a sentence of 150 days plus a $2,000 fine for protesting Dow Chemical Company’s refusal to appear in Indian courts in response to charges against its wholly-owned subsidiary, Union Carbide, and its treatment of the survivors of the toxic-leak disaster in Bhopal, India, where a catastrophic pesticide release has killed over 20,000 people to date.
I am a fairly new inmate and have only been here since December 10, 2005, yet I have a number of grievances. Many of these come from other inmates and you may ask why they don’t report them themselves. Well, it’s pretty simple: there is absolutely no effective avenue to raise issues and if there is, the inmates have certainly not been made aware of it. There is a standard form that inmates can use to make an attempt at communication, but the response can take anywhere between a week to never.
There is no information available, no pamphlet explaining the procedures or the rights of the inmates or even something as simple as “when is commissary.”
I asked to see the law library since the inmates rarely see legal counsel, but was told that there is not one available. If inmates ask for legal counsel they are told, “You’ll see one when your trial comes up,” and usually that’s ten minutes before one goes to trial.
The women in this jail are predominantly African American or Hispanic and very poor. Most of their offenses are minor, for things like traffic tickets or soliciting or violating probation—all non-violent, yet they are forced to remain in the cell without counsel for long periods of time. I don’t think I am bringing up any issue that you are not aware of. I spoke with someone within the jail system (I will not name him), and he is aware of the length of time inmates have to wait for legal counsel and a trial. He has talked to a judge about the problem and the judge apparently said something along the lines of, “Yes, we got a problem.”
So you can understand my concern to at least have access to a law library. Though jail personnel told me that the only time access to a law library is provided is when legal counsel isn’t available, I have still not had access to either.
When I requested, nonetheless, access to the law library on my title form, a week later I got the answer, “We do not have a WRIT ROOM.” Well, that certainly explains everything. No WRIT ROOM. No Law Library.
Next, I asked for the jail’s standards. These are the minimum standards that jails have to maintain, and inmates have the legal right to request and receive a copy of the standards. When I made my request I got a response a good week and a half later asking, “what’s your concern?”
My concern is that inmates have no voice, no access to legal counsel, no law library, no WRIT Room, no jail standards. That is my concern, but you can bet I didn’t write that on the next form I dropped. I could see I’d be “dropping forms” until this jail slid to hell in a breadbasket. So this is partly why I am writing you. I figure that you are next in the chain of command, and I am listing not only permission to see the jail standards for ALL inmates—but other grievances and concerns that have come up in the time I have been here.
Healthcare
I don’t know if you are aware of the series of investigative stories by Mike Ward and Bill Bishop of the Austin American Statesman about the dismal state of health care in the Texas state prison system. What the reporters were able to discover was a systematic neglect and mistreatment of ill prisoners, the use of healthcare as a means of punishment, and stupid, dangerous mis-administration of medicine that can lead to viral and bacterial resistance and potential epidemics—epidemics that will hardly remain within prison walls.
I know that the state prison system is separate from the county jails, but if you haven’t read this report, then you should, because similar neglect is happening in your jailhouse. I have only been here one month, in one cellblock, and have collected these three instances directly from the inmates about their experiences with the Victoria County Jail. The cases cover approximately 10 years, so you can see this is a long-term problem and seems to be continuing a legacy that the Texas prison system has built for itself. It seems to be downright overkill to repeat that, yes, all these girls are very young and poor, and either Hispanic or African-American.
1. Mary DeLeon
Ms. DeLeon was jailed for 18 months in the county jail on drug charges. The entire 18 months Ms. DeLeon was jailed, she was suffering due to gallstones. The response from the healthcare of the jail was to dispense Milk of Magnesia and tell her to lie down on her cot. Eventually, Ms. Deleon’s condition got so bad that she was shaking and had chills and fainting spells. Again, the response was Milk of Magnesium. Finally, towards the end of her 18-month sentence, Ms DeLeon collapsed in pain and an inmate called the guards. Mary was rushed to Citizens Hospital, where it was found that her gallbladder had ruptured. She was told that they almost lost her. Ms. DeLeon did not file a lawsuit for criminal neglect because she was afraid that she would be punished and lose her position as trustee in the jail.
2. Lacy Leyva
Ms. Leyva had been arrested and jailed for one month. During that time Ms. Leyva was suffering severe pain in her kidneys, but she was only given ibuprofen every 8 hours for the pain. Pain and chills were a steady diet for Ms. Leyva, but she was only given advice to lie down and take ibuprofen. Finally, after one month, Ms. Leyva was discharged and she went to the hospital and was immediately admitted for kidney failure. After Ms. Leyva was discharged from the hospital, she got a call from the jail on her cell phone saying, “Go to the hospital. We believe your kidneys are failing.”
3. Shandra Williams
Ms. Williams was picked up on a warrant even though her file stated that Ms. Williams should not be picked up because she was 6-7 months pregnant and she had a very rare uterine condition. However, Ms. Williams was thrown in jail while pregnant, and her condition worsened. She began bleeding, and the nurse was reluctant to believe her and said, “show me your bloody pad.” So Ms. Williams was subjected to the humiliation of proving that she was really in pain and bleeding.
Eventually, Ms. Williams was put in isolation where she was removed from contact with people, which Ms. Williams hated. This was her first child and she was very afraid since no medical staff was around. Eventually, to keep her from complaining, Ms. Williams was given Benadryl.
When Ms. Williams was finally returned to the cell, her water broke. She was told that she was hallucinating, that her water hadn’t broken. Then the nurse told her that she shouldn’t worry, she wouldn’t have a baby until a month later. Then they proceeded to put Ms. Williams back into isolation, even though she was frantic not to go where there was no contact with people. Ms. Williams was alarmed about the baby coming early, especially since the nurse had expressed great disdain for even performing a sonogram to determine the baby’s condition.
When Ms. Williams became agitated about going into isolation, the sergeant told her that she was going into isolation “the easy way or the hard way,” and the hard way was being shocked with a taser gun. A female guard was so alarmed that she grabbed Ms. Williams’ stuff and coaxed her to the isolation room.
Sure enough, Ms. Williams proceeded to go into labor without anyone present and the baby was coming out breach! Worse still, the baby was arriving while Ms. Williams was on the toilet; so to get help Ms. Williams had to crawl approximately 60 feet to reach a button on the wall. After three attempts to call and saying that she was in labor, a female guard arrived. The baby was hanging with its feet first down around Ms. Williams’ knees.
There was pandemonium followed by a rushed ride in the ambulance to the hospital. The baby was dead and Ms. Williams was handed the dead child in a blanket. She was not told that the baby was dead, and she only realized the fact when she saw on her own that the child was not moving or breathing. No attempt was made to call her husband. When, much later, he got word, he rushed to see his new baby. He was handed the dead baby in a blanket. Ms. Williams was not even allowed to attend the baby’s funeral. Later, Ms. Williams said that you, Sheriff O’Connor, called her into your office and told her that the unfortunate incident was not your fault, but the fault of the jail administration under the previous sheriff, Michael Ratcliff.
Given the long-term consequences and terrible suffering imposed on these women, it is my hope that you will take this situation seriously and give it the consideration it deserves.
Cell window
Another complaint is that the only window within our cellblock is either covered with a Venetian blind or plastered with paper. We never know the time but are told that we are on ‘short time’ and don’t have need of another. You would think that locking a person in a cinder block cell for months on end for a trespassing misdemeanor is sufficient punishment, but apparently not! I feel that the stress levels of the inmates would be reduced with more visibility through the window, and stress is a real problem here.
Reading Material
This might be a good time to point out a piece of paper plastered to our window. It is a memorandum to all inmates that, henceforth, no books bought from bookstores will be accepted. This is a jail where the library consists of a single metal cart with about 30 dog-eared romance novels.
In this county jail, few diversions are allowed—I might even say none—and perhaps that is one reason why these women inmates make roses out of toilet paper and create their own stationery out of toothpaste and map colors. I am a little reluctant to tell you this in the fear that the guards will make a run on the roses and confiscate them as “contraband.”
What this jail administration hopes to accomplish by refusing reading material to the inmates is beyond me. It seems counter-productive to any form or rehabilitation and only exists to cruelly punish the jail population.
Access to High School equivalency program
Since most of the inmates are very poor, young and from minority groups, I was astonished to discover that while GED (high school equivalency program) is offered, it is also used as punishment. A 32-year-old woman in my cell who is struggling to better herself and raise her nine-year-old child, had entered the GED program, but was kicked out because she passed a note in class. This is merely one instance I’ve heard. But I know for a fact that many inmates do not have their GED. I wonder about the jail’s reluctance to encourage the inmates to pursue their GED. It is a well-known fact that a person with a GED receives higher paying jobs than a person who doesn’t, they have more job satisfaction, and they are less likely to get in trouble with the law in the future. Kicking a woman out of a GED class for passing a note sounds totally counter-productive!
Humiliating Treatment
I realize that some of these grievances may mean nothing to you and you may be thinking that the treatment meted out in Texas prisons is nothing like the kind of abuse in Abu Ghraib in Iraq. That’s true, for what it’s worth, but I want to inform you that I’ve read reliable reports, and have experienced horrendous treatment myself. While I was in the Harris County jail in Houston for five days, I joined fellow inmates stacked into cold holding tanks for hours and hours so that we were forced to sleep on cement floors strewn with trash and waste from backed-up toilets, while guards showed up at periodic intervals yelling “Pigs!” We were eventually shuffled into rooms where we were forced to strip our clothes and ordered to parade in our panties, then spread-eagled on the wall. These were women, some picked up merely on traffic violations, who hadn’t even been produced in front of a judge or seen a lawyer yet! Then 70 of us were packed into a 10- x 20-foot holding cell for over an hour. A guard occasionally opened the door and calls us “stupid bitches!” because the noise was loud.
On December 10th, I was transferred to Victoria County jail, where I was kept in a freezing holding tank for over six hours, then put into the cell where I am currently housed, with only one thin mat to sleep on a concrete floor. I was not given a blanket or sheet or any type of hygiene kit because I was told there were none available. I never received a blanket from the jail. After 3 days, an inmate who left the cell gave me her blanket. Then too, after about three days, I received a hygiene kit so I could finally brush my teeth and comb my hair. All prior requests for a towel or toothbrush were met with “Drop a form.”
In my experiences I consider myself relatively lucky, and because of my activism I have supporters outside who have constantly supported me by calling the jail and sending letters.
Most inmates are not so fortunate. This letter is partly for them. It is said that a civilization is judged by how it treats its weakest members. It is my hope that you will recognize the seriousness of your job and of the issues raised in this letter and respond accordingly.
Sincerely,
Diane Wilson
CC:
Mr. Tim Smith
Jail Administrator
Honorable Judge Michael Pfeifer
Calhoun County
Honorable Judge Robert C. Cheshire
377th Judicial District Victoria County Courthous
Honorable Judge Donald R. Pozzi
Victoria County Courthouse
Honorable Judge Joseph P. Kelly
24th Judicial District Victoria County Courthouse
Honorable Judge Juergen Koetter
267th Judicial District Victoria County Courthouse
Honorable Judge Kemper Stephen Williams
135th Judicial District Victoria County Courthouse
Mr. Jerry Julian
Executive Director, Texas Commission on Jail Standards
Ms. Terri Dollar
Deputy Director, Texas Commission on Jail Standards
Mr. Shannon Herklotz
Inmate Grievances, Texas Commission on Jail Standards
Honorable Governor Rick Perry
State of Texas
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500
Office of the Attorney General,, Austin, TX
Mr. Greg Gladden
Vice President Houston Chapter
American Civil Liberties Union
Ms. Jodie Evans
Code Pink
Posted by bhola at 10:18 PM | Comments (0)
Diane's daughter badly treated during jail visit
9th Jan '06 Mon.
Houston, TX
Dear all,
One of Diane's daughters who lives in Austin drove over to visit her y'day afternoon.(Yes, visitation is Fri & Sun, not Wed.) Within a few minutes of arriving at the jail and handing her ID at the visitor check-in counter, she was informed that she would be arrested because she had an unpaid traffic ticket from 6 years ago! She was allowed to see Diane for five minutes before being taken into custody.
To say she was freaked out of her mind, is an understatement. She is the exact opposite of Diane. Always cautious about staying on the right side of the law. She's so nervous about jails that she hadn't even visited her mother in all this time.
While the family was outside trying to figure out what was going on, she was searched and detained in a cell all by herself but in the male section of the jail! When asked why she was being searched, the female guard said that they had to make sure that she wasn't carrying anything to give to Diane!
There she was, scared out of her wits, and crying her eyes out when one of the male inmates who could look into her cell said, "Aren't you here to see Sylvia Dianne Wilson? They don't like her down here 'cos she hates Bush." She got so seriously distressed that the jailor on duty allowed her out of the cell to sit on a bench in his office if she promised not to move.
By the time the family could pay the supposedly overdue ticket and get her out, it was past 8pm. She headed straight back to her kids in Austin.
This is a long story short, pieced together after conversations with Diane's sister and Alice Blackmer who spoke with Diane's daughter this morning. I don't think we have to get into the details to understand that this entire incident seems like a planned attempt to intimidate Diane's friends and family. I think they want to isolate her from us because she's asking too many questions about the conditions in the jail. By the way, her request for a copy of the jail standards which is every inmate's right, was met with "What's your concern?"
Tim Smith, the Port Lavaca jailor, had called me on 7th January to assure me that he would do everything possible to help her. He can't get her an individual cell because there aren't any but he said he would ask the jail staff to let her have the books we've been sending. (The only books she has received so far are from Jane Livingstone, Diana Claitor and the Prison Project.) He also said that he had taken off 40 days from her sentence, with approval from the Sheriff, so she could be out on March 18th. This however is incumbent upon good behaviour. After sunday's incident, I wouldn't be surprised if Diane decides to take some action. When she called late this evening, I suggested that if her daughter finds the traffic tkt receipt from 6 years, then she should consider filing a complaint against the Victoria jail. Diane requested that we do not let them get away with this.
When I asked Tim Smith about letting the media access Diane, he said it was a law across the State not to allow cameras or recorders into the jail. Diane is however free to make collect calls to radio stations and give as many interviews as she wants. She can also be interviewed (through the glass barrier & over the phone!), by reporters during normal visitation hours. They can take pads and pens and anything else they want except recorders and cameras.
Thank you all for your calls and emails.
Kinnu.
Posted by bhola at 10:11 PM | Comments (0)
Diane's hunt for Warren Anderson: pics from Vero Beach, Florida
Dear all,
Attached pics from our Dec FL trip.
Thanks to Diane's son David who finally found her camera
and emailed them to me.
They feature Anderson's home before and after
being visited by Diane!
In that neighbourhood, I am sure it's worse than being hit
by a hurricane!
Kinnu.
Posted by bhola at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
Prisoners' rights
4th Jan 2006
Houston, TX
Dear all,
Last I heard from Diane was on Saturday morning Dec 31st. As I mentioned to some of you already, she’s getting deeply involved in the issue of prisoners’ rights. She feels compelled to use her time inside to bring about some real changes in TX prison conditions. According to her, many of her cellmates have no representation and are even being denied state appointed attorneys. They are often prevented access to information about their case. In the absence of a robust support system outside, they’re stuck in a veritable vacuum. One of the women even lost an infant in childbirth due to abuse & neglect by authorities. With all the mail she’s been getting, the women are beginning to realize that Diane is an activist and a political prisoner. As a result, she’s being approached with a new tragic story almost every day.
Diane’s passionate about launching a prisoners’ advocacy group with support from Code Pink, if possible. She had decided to put off her fast until she could discuss her ideas with Jodie Evans. I set up a call for her with Jodie on Fri, the 30th. Diane mentioned a possible protest/action idea outside Victoria jail coordinated with a media campaign, as a culmination of efforts to draw attention to denial of prisoners’ rights. (Jodie, please fill in the gaps here.) She is confident that some of these women will be glad to act as spokespersons for the advocacy group. With all her calls being monitored and recorded, I am not sure how she’ll pull off any sort of action! But Diane did mention that she gets to seal her outgoing mail in front of a jailor and it’s sent out unread, uncensored. She also believes that much of her incoming mail is untampered. They’re only looking for drugs and such items. I guess they don’t expect anyone to dare organize the prisoners! Jodie, Diane mentioned that you were real supportive of her idea and would work on it. Please let me know how I can help.
Meanwhile, Tim Smith, a Calhoun County jailor who is also her mother’s Pentecostal preacher & a closet Diane supporter, visited her on the 30th Frid afternoon. He offered crucial advice on how and where to work the system. I am attempting to get all the information he has asked her to obtain on prisoners’ rights, Texas Prison Standards, Open Records Act, names and addresses of grievance officers & state agencies… Tim Smith however strongly cautioned her against any action outside the prison. He believes they would ship her out somewhere and cut off our access to her.
Tim Smith thinks that ACLU tends to put the fear of god in jail authorities down in Calhoun County. So I’ve been sending out requests for contacts high up in ACLU (TX) who may be able to improve her living conditions. A cell of her own…some peace and quiet. I think that’s the next best thing to getting her sentence reduced. She can do a lot of good, both for herself and the campaign, if she’s simply able to focus on her writing.
Last night, through activists I met at the Bioneers, I received an introduction to the Houston City Comptroller who’s the second most powerful elected official after the Mayor. She’s apparently very progressive. She’s never heard of Diane though. I have a call scheduled with her today. Alice, Margo, I need a copy of Diane’s book for Ms. Parker. I’ve also asked Nina Simmons for a video copy of Diane’s powerful plenary talk at the recent Bioneers. I think the book and tape will compel Ms. Parker to at least help us improve her conditions. She may also help in pursuing Diane’s prison abuse complaint against the Houston City jail. Any more ideas/advice is most welcome.
She hasn’t received any of our book pkgs so far. She did however get 4 copies of the ‘Chicken Soup’ series from Carol Klein's publisher. She’s gladly trading them with her cellmates while she waits for her own stuff! She’s put in requests for legal reading material but no response so far. She’s extremely grateful for all the mail you’ve been sending. It helps her immensely. Keeps her safe too ‘cos they can see that she has a robust support system outside. Please keep writing as often as you can. Printouts of news, op-eds, political pieces…everything I’ve sent her so far has gotten through.
Katy Heim and other activists in Houston would like to organize a funds & awareness raising event for Diane. Alice, Margo can we get some signed copies of Diane’s books for the raffle? Any videos, films, any other ideas and materials will also be greatly appreciated. Carolyn, Patsy, I recd a copy of your latest edit couple of days back. May I have permission to show that at a fundraiser?
Many of you have asked about receiving phone calls from her. On most phone services it works as a simple collect call. When the automated operator calls, someone has to receive the call and press 5 to accept charges. If it goes to the machine, the first few lines of the operator’s instructions get recorded so you’ll know you missed her call. She can’t call to 1-800 numbers, board lines or cell phones. On some phone services, maybe the digital ones like Vonage, you may have to first set up an account by calling this number 1888 506 8407. All calls are recorded and monitored. The system automatically disconnects her if you attempt to have a 3-way call.
She’s most keen on doing radio interviews and whatever other media we can organize. Ben DeSoto, Carolyn Scott’s film contact in Houston has been trying hard to get a jailhouse interview. I am trying via other means too. Diana, no word yet from the Salon.com writer.
If everyone is back from the holidays, can we please have a conference call to decide upon the media &/ campaign strategy? If someone takes the lead on strategy, I would be happy to help with the organising.
Hope everyone’s having a great new year.
Best, Kinnu.
Posted by bhola at 10:03 PM | Comments (0)
Good news
28th Dec.
Cypress, TX
Dear friends,
I am glad to report that Diane held off on her fast until she could talk to Jodie and a couple of other friends. She called me this morning. She had been unable to reach Jodie the last few days so we set up a call for her this afternoon. I am waiting to hear back from Jodie/Diane on the plan of action.
She's been busy these past few days documenting the stories of her cellmates. She's desperate to do something for the rights of inmates. She seems to be having a positive influence on them. Some of them have expressed an interest in joining her if and when she begins her fast/meditation. How awesome is that?!
More when I know more. Will write in detail tomorrow to all of you who responded to the last update with queries & concerns.
Thank you all.
Best,
Kinnu.
Posted by bhola at 10:02 PM | Comments (0)
Pre-Christmas visit with Diane
25th Dec 2005
Houston, TX
Dear all,
I finally got to visit Diane in Victoria jail on Fri the 23rd. I was accompanied by Ann Wright, former deputy ambassador to Mongolia, who resigned in protest to the war in Iraq. Ann and Diane were brought together by their recent organising efforts at Camp Casey in Crawford, TX.
Fortunately, Diane had phoned me the previous day and even though it was barely a three minute conversation, we managed to catch up enough to be able to make some progress during the visit. In the 45 mts allotted to us, we discussed the events leading up to her transfer to Victoria, her current condition, her plans, can & can’t dos in prison, strategies to support her work and a long to do list that’s going to keep me busy for the next several weeks! : )
1. She was arrested on Mon evening, 5th of Dec at Houston & transferred to Victoria late afternoon on Fri the 9th. In all that time, she was never brought before a judge. She was unable to call her attorney because the phones wouldn’t work. Jail authority’s response to her complaint about the phones was met with “it’s not our problem”. She was constantly moved from one cold detention block to another. And the worst part, subjected to humiliating and dehumanizing treatment by the female jailors. I had already heard about some of it from her sister and phoned her lawyer to take legal action against the prison. He was unwilling to do anything until he got the facts directly from her. He also seemed to think that this was something that could wait until after she got out. Diane’s response was, “That was the most outrageous thing that’s ever happened to me in prison. And I’ve been arrested dozens of times, I should know! I’ve a sense now of how people in concentration camps must have felt…stripped of their dignity & treated like animals. And these were people who have just been picked off the streets on traffic violations, maybe suspicion of a misdemeanor…they have not been charged or indicted or even brought before a judge! How can these people be expected to go back into the world with anything less than hate and disgust for cops?!” She most certainly wants to file a complaint but she prefers not having to go through the debasing details with the attorney. She requested that I write it and mail it to her for her approval. Meanwhile, she will call the attorney and ask him to assist me in pursuing the matter. Need I say that I am having a traumatic time writing it?
2. She has been visited by two members of the Green Party who are keen to have her run for the General Land Office which is part of the Railroad Commission. She’s thinking over the proposal. They’ve also sent her a copy of M L King’s letters written from the Birmingham prison. She found them inspiring and wants more reading material on the same lines.
3. I briefed her on our last conference call about the campaign & media strategy around her imprisonment. She said she would think about the various options and get back to us.
4. She has been granted the privileges of receiving paperbacks directly from publishers & also stores such as amazon.com. However, I suggest that we coordinate our book-mailing efforts so she’s not flooded with too many of them. She’s sharing a cell with 5 to 9 other women with one toilet in the center. Being the only one allowed to have books might backfire on her. We may also end up pissing off the jail admin. I’ll send out the list of titles that a couple of us picked & ordered from all the ones that you all recommended.
5. Phone calls
She can call out 4 to 5 times per day. I’ve been able to receive her collect calls without having to set up that account I mentioned earlier. She was very hesitant to call anyone even though I had sent her a bunch of numbers. “I don’t want to bother anyone”, was how she framed it. I tried my best to convince her that folks like Jodie, Sanford, Alice, Margo, Gary, Leslie, Diana C, Catherine,… to name a few, were desperate to hear from her.
6. She was excited about the radio interview & conf call idea. I’ll need about a week’s notice to inform her about the date, time and number. My mail usually reaches her latest by the third business day.
7. We went over all the financial details of her bail, funds raised, expenses & balance in the commissary account. (Btw, Jodie, she hadn’t recd ur note & check by Fri.) She did not want anything more b’cos there’s not much she can buy. All she wants is some peace & quiet in the cell. It’s bloody loud all day long due to the TV – only plays reruns of ‘Full House’.
8. I brought her to speed on her attorney’s fruitless negotiations so far, with the sheriff & the DA, to cut down her sentence by one-third. Her response was, “I want to start this fast like thing for change…for world peace.” I couldn’t help but groan! On the occasion of Christmas, she thought it would be good idea to begin meditating on various issues such as the war in Iraq, bringing the troops home, justice for Bhopal & the environmental tragedy plaguing her Bay and the conditions in prisons such as the one she was held at in Houston. “They’re all connected and I want to do something about all of them.” Kind of like “meditating on the human condition” I said. She shook her head vigorously and flashed that famous grin. She assured me that she would not announce it as a fast or a hunger strike to the authorities. “It will be like a religious thing. The authorities won’t mind that sort of action ‘cos it’s non-confrontational…passive. ” She would just stop consuming whatever little solid food she was on. Just stay on water, Kool Aid and coffee. I explained that it would tough to publicise it or raise any support until after New Year’s. She didn’t seem to care about that. She was more interested in discussing meditation techniques. We had recently begun exploring Vipassna for her since I have been practicing for some years and we happened to meet a wonderful Vipassna-Zen teacher at Bioneers. Someone who wanted to help me take my practice to the next level and teach Diane in a manner that would prepare her for prison. I’ve added a couple of relevant titles to her book list.
9. Ann and I gave her the day’s good news about Tom DeLay and all the bad news about Bush’s latest antics. She was very pleased about DeLay getting the fork in the back despite Cheney’s best efforts.
10. Her only complaint was the boredom. “I am making roses out of toilet paper!” And the noise. She was recently moved to a quieter cell but it’s still not quiet enough for her to write. “It certainly takes discipline. I find myself pacing all the time.” We asked if we could send some new shoes. She laughed out loud and waved the cheap prison-issued white bathroom slippers at us. After the visit, Ann and I found out the name of the official to get in touch for all inmate related issues. I think it may help if we write to this Lt. Dennis and explain that she’s not a violent criminal but a political activist. And that we would appreciate it if she can be given a quiet place to read and write. What do you all think?
From what I could tell, she’s doing alright. The only obvious thing that worried me was the way her hands were shaking. I finally asked her. She said it’s probably the coffee that she’s been consuming by the gallons! My sense is that she’s more unfocussed than before. And her memory is suffering too. Every time she’s gotten off a fast, I’ve noticed a conspicuous change for the worse. I hope we can come up with some good ideas to support her fast this time. Pls. feel free to fwd this to lists or anyone else who shd be but is not on my cc list.
Thx.
Kinnu.
P.S. Attached is the ‘Free Diane Wilson’ poster designed by Code Pink, that I held up against the glass when she first came into the visiting area. She almost fell off the chair laughing!
Posted by bhola at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)
Victoria Advocate's take on Calhoun County's most famous resident
December 14, 2005
PORT LAVACA - Diane Wilson, 57, formerly of Seadrift, was arrested by Harris County deputies on a Calhoun County warrant for criminal trespassing. She was returned to Calhoun County Friday and began serving 120 days in jail after a jury recommended the sentence plus a $2,000 fine in January 2004.
A Corpus Christi appellate court upheld the Calhoun County court's decision in May 2004. Wilson, who has been out of the state since that time was arrested when she returned to Texas, said Sheriff B.B. Browning.
Wilson was forcefully removed from a platform at Dow Chemical's Seadrift plant on Aug. 26, 2002 after lodging an eight-hour protest accusing the company of not making amends for losses in the 1984 industrial disaster in Bhopal, India.
Posted by bhola at 09:54 PM | Comments (0)
Info on contacting Diane in jail
Dec 12th, 8.20pm CDT
Houston, TX
Dear All,
If you would like to write to Diane, you can do so via USPS. Mail should be addressed to her in this way:
Sylvia Dianne Wilson (CR# 65510)
Victoria County Jail (Calhoun County inmate)
101 North Glass
Victoria, TX 77901
(I am mailing all the messages you all have sent me so far.)
Please remember that all ingoing and outgoing mail is read by prison security. Since we are not allowed to send her any stuff such as books, it might be nice to send her articles, crossword puzzles or newspaper cuttings, greeting cards along with your letters.
While she was planning the Houston action, Diane and I were discussing the possiblity of her going to prison for a long time. She was in some ways, looking forward to it because she was tired of living out of bags these past couple of months. Also, she really missed writing. She was desperate to get back to the second book she's been working on. I was hoping to send her writing paper and pens but I am told that she'll have to buy whatever she needs in the jail itself. So a few of us have decided to deposit funds for her in the inmate accounts. It has to be in the form of a money order and dropped in a box outside the facility. If you would like to contribute to her account for the commissary, I can convert the funds into one MO and send it to her friend in Victoria who'll drop it off.
If you would like to call the jail directly, here's the info:
Victoria County jail - 361.574.8044. Must specify that she is a Calhoun County prisoner for easy identification. They have contract prisoners from a number of counties. Her offender ID is 26984.
Visitation: She can have two visitors per visitation period. Her visitation periods are Friday 4:15 to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 4:30-5:15 p.m. Address:101 North Glass Street, downtown, a block or two away from the courthouse.
That's it for now. Feel free to write or call me if you need any other info.
Thank you for everything.
Kinnu.
Posted by bhola at 09:39 PM | Comments (0)
Diane taken away by Calhoun County Sheriff's office
Dec 9th
7.03pm CDT
Houston, TX
Dear All,
Just heard from Diane's partner in TX City that she's been transferred to the jail in Victoria to serve her time on the criminal trespass charge (related to Dow-Bhopal campaign). I believe she was very relieved to be out of Houston b'cos "compared to the city jail here, Victoria is a country club," quote verbatim.
Spoke to Greg Gladden her attorney to whom this was news. He assured me that this was good news since Diane was anxious to be anywhere else but inside the Houston city jail! He also said that he can get Monday's court appearance reset for sometime in the future. I've to see him next week whenever I can get Diane to join him and me on the phone via a collect call.
I will be called to visit with her once her family gets a chance to see her. I am told it's much easier communicating in those jails. So feel free to send me your msgs. I'll print them all out and take them along.
Thanks.
Kinnu.
Posted by bhola at 09:23 PM | Comments (0)
Cops try to keep Diane $2000 bail bond, flash gun
8th Dec. 1.10 CDT
Downtown Houston
Dear All,
After making bail last night and organising a pick up for
her at 3-4am in the morning, David Graeve who signed on the
bond got a call from the Sheriff's office to take back
$2,000 because the Calhoun County cops were going to come
and take her to Victoria to make her serve 120 days. It's
another matter that when we got there we were told they
would keep the money anyway for some fine she owed on the
criminal trespass charge at Calhoun County. I am pretty
sure we were being bullshitted. Nothing about this cop rang
true...what a stereotype....puts his feet up on the table,
takes his gun out and places it in front of us on the
table, tries to scare us off.....
We stood our ground and eventually got the $2,000 back. Now
we are trying to figure out why they won't let her out
until at least her scheduled court appearance on Monday.
Her attorney is in court all day so I am trying to get a
friend's brother who's a lawyer to go see her and pass on a
message. If they don't move her until 5pm this evening then
one of us will visit her.
Meanwhile, I will deposit some funds in her account so she
can buy basic necissities such as toothpaste, fresh
underwear, etc..
Someone was looking for a link to the pictures at Monday's
event:
For photos of event and arrest, click here to go to Houston Indymedia.
Please spread the word to all the folks not copied here.
Thanks once again for all the support.
Kinnu.
Posted by bhola at 09:19 PM | Comments (0)
Visit to Diane in jail
7th Dec. 11.30pm CDT
Houston
Took care of bail late this evening post a frustrating visit with her - we could barely hear each other through the tiny holes in the bulletproof glass. It'll take anywhere from 4-8 hrs for her to get out of there. She shd be reachable on her cellphone/TX city phone # sometime mid-morning.
Court appearance in Houston has been rescheduled for Monday, the 12th. Any help in getting a show of support in Court #9 on mon. will be greatly appreciated. I shd have more info abt. time later tomorrow.
BIG thank you to Gary Cohen, Jodie Evans, David Weisman and all the good folks in his community, who pitched in for bail.
Kinnu.
Posted by bhola at 09:17 PM | Comments (0)
Diane under arrest after crashing Cheney fundraiser
6th Dec., 8.35pm CDT
Houston, TX
Dear All,
I just got back from the city courthouse after making an unsuccesful attempt to bail her out.
I was told by her attorney that bail had been set for $1500. Charge - using false identity. Jodie Evans (Code Pink) said she could put up the money so I borrowed from a friend and went over. The officer at the bail desk also confirmed the amount but asked us to wait until she had been received there from the holding facility. But after she was received and processed at the bondsdesk, they realised that she had an outstanding charge from Calhoun County (that's the Dow one she's been defying). So they slapped on another $2,000 for that charge.
This leaves us with two options:
1. Find a bonding company that's willing to put up the money and we put up anywhere between 10%-40% of the bail amount. Her attorney does not recommend this because she's publicly defied the Calhoun County criminal charge. After being released in Houston, if she does not turn herself in at Victoria, then she'll have the added hassle of being chased by the bondsmen.
2. We put up $3,500 and get her out. She'll have to stay in there until we can raise so much. There's no telling where she'll be moved after the court hearing on the 13th. This would be a better option since it would allow her to continue defying the previous criminal charge, which is probably what she'll want.
David Gray, who's one of the local organisers of yesterday's action, and I, decided that it was not our place to make this decision without discussing consequences of the above options with Diane. We won't be allowed to speak with her before 5pm tomorrow. Until then I will shop around for a bailbondsman and also try to raise $3,500.
Would appreciate advice, support, ideas...anything we can get.
Thx.
Kinnu.
-------------------
Krishnaveni Gundu
"When I give food to the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist." Dom Helder Camara.
Posted by bhola at 09:15 PM | Comments (0)