HUNGER STRIKE GROWS CRITICAL
"Were he to die from the withdrawal of food and water, he would experience symptoms such as severe seizures, stomach ulcers, the drying and cracking of his eyes and mouth. According to the medical profession, there is absolutely nothing dignified about this kind of death." ~A nurse
Prisoners in Florida have little to no access to media, limited access to the public, and are nearly always ignored by the administration that is supposed to insure their safety as they serve their sentences. When immoral or dangerous things happen to them, they cannot fight back for retaliation is terrible; they cannot request help for they are never believed; they cannot write grievances for they are ignored. When conditions become intolerable and they have no alternatives, they have nothing left with which to protest, so they begin to refuse the scant food offered them. Strikes are usually fruitless because the warden assures the public that all is okay, just another trouble making inmate hurting himself. And the public would rather believe that than that the prisons they are paying so highly for are not spending the money in wise ways. The inmate eventually passes out, the staff force feeds him and someone administers punishment to keep him from doing it again. Will we allow that to be all that will come of Ronald Clark Jr.'s fight for safety and humane living conditions? Would we rather have a riot when they are pushed past the point of human endurance or pay attention to the issues the hunger strikes raise?
Today is actually Day 8 of Ronald Clark Jr.'s hunger strike to accent the intense heat and undocumented and excessive use of force and chemical agents. However, because the prison workers have interfered with his mail, information on his condition has been slow in arriving. This is the update:
ON DAY 6 - Ronald Clark Jr. was taken to the Infirmary.
Ronald's mother, Shirley Clark, talked to head nurse "Ms. Battles" and according to her, Ronald was sick to his stomach and throwing up blood. On Tuesday, the 6th, he was moved to the infirmary.
The prison initially wouldn't give his mother ANY info on Ronald's condition, even though she identified herself as his mother and referred to the medical release Ronald has signed. They finally admitted they do have his release of medical information for her signed by her son, but could not tell her anything "because the release is not dated and notarized". Ms. Clark raised "holy hell" and staff said they were going to "work on it". Through sheer persistence, Ms. Clark finally did get the information about her son being in the Infirmary.
According to Ms. Clark, there were 2 psychiatric people at Florida State Prison who were involved with Ronnie's care, Ms. Stevens and Dr. D-Marie, but both were transferred to Union CI .
A very upset Ms. Clark spoke with Dr. D-Marie as to the technicality that prevented her obtaining information on her son. Dr. D-Marie related that Ms. Battle's secretary, Ms. Stevens, is competent and that she was sure that the Medical Office would get the paperwork signed asap.
Although this was his 6th day that Ronald Clark Jr. has gone without food, according to FSP, this is not an "Official" hunger strike.
The department claims there is NO HUNGER STRIKE because it is "NOT OFFICIAL", yet when pressed to explain how one makes a hunger strike official other than by not eating, they would give no explanation nor information.
According to FSP, if and when Ronald passes out they will insert an IV in him. In Ronald's last letter (dated 7/1/04) he's still insists there be no medical intervention.
We don't know how safe he is in the infirmary. Ronald wrote that "the guards think it's a great source of entertainment and are all very excited about this." He reports that prison workers are "giving each other high 5s and placing bets" as to how long Ronald will go without food before he dies.
June 18, 2004 "The Warden and Colonel know about the strike and walked down the wing."
~Ronald Clark Jr.They did come and talk to him about the List of Demands, in the cell. The entire unit could hear every word. They were pushing him to talk about why he's in danger and his Interstate compact request that has been denied. Ronald reports that he "didn't say much about it."
(THE FAN PLACED OUTSIDE HIS CELL BY SARCASTIC STAFF THE DAY WE ANNOUNCED HIS STRIKE HAS BEEN BROKEN SINCE JULY 1).
This is the second hunger strike staged by Ronald Clark Jr. this year. The Maximum Management hunger strike he did in February lasted 10 days. Mr. Clark also wants the media and the public to know that he was assaulted and jumped by 2 guards at Union CI while he was in the hospital during the M/M strike. He filed a grievance about it and was told it was a waste of time as it was his word against the "guards". He filed it anyway at the insistence of family and friends. When the department investigator did talk to him about the incidence, that's exactly what they claimed, "It's your word against ours." Ronald insisted on a polygraph test for both him and the guards and they laughed in his face.
For contacts and ongoing information, please access the Full Hunger Strike online at
https://www.angelfire.com/fl5/mtwt/heatstrike.html
END OF DAY 6 REPORT.
HUNGER STRIKE - PROCEED TO
DAY 7
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Ronald Clark's Forum:
www.ronaldclark.us/forum
". . . every prison that men build Is built with bricks of shame, And bound with bars lest Christ should see How men their brothers maim. With bars they blur the gracious moon, And blind the goodly sun: And they do well to hide their Hell, For in it things are done That Son of God nor son of Man Ever should look upon! The vilest deeds like poison weeds Bloom well in prison-air: It is only what is good in Man That wastes and withers there..." ~Oscar Wilde, ex-convict, “Ballad of Reading Gaol”
