Re-examining the Lucasville uprising: Essay 1
This article is the first in a series of articles documenting the Lucasville uprising in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the event, by Lucasville Amnesty.
April 2013 will be the 20th anniversary of the 11-day uprising at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF) in Lucasville. This is the first in a series of articles that will appear monthly in the Columbus Free Press and on the website “lucasvilleamnesty.org” in preparation for a conference at Columbus State Community College on April 19-21, 2013, devoted to “Re-Examining the Lucasville Uprising.” Unlike a case where there is one homicide and one defendant, such as the Troy Davis and Mumia Abu Jamal cases, the Lucasville events involve ten homicides and approximately fifty indictments. The reader may be helped by the chronology that appears together with this essay, compiled by Alice Lynd.
April 2013 will be the 20th anniversary of the 11-day uprising at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility (SOCF) in Lucasville. This is the first in a series of articles that will appear monthly in the Columbus Free Press and on the website “lucasvilleamnesty.org” in preparation for a conference at Columbus State Community College on April 19-21, 2013, devoted to “Re-Examining the Lucasville Uprising.” Unlike a case where there is one homicide and one defendant, such as the Troy Davis and Mumia Abu Jamal cases, the Lucasville events involve ten homicides and approximately fifty indictments. The reader may be helped by the chronology that appears together with this essay, compiled by Alice Lynd.
Fracktivists take over Columbus Statehouse on Father's Day
Activists from the East coast to the West Coast and places in between arrived in the Ohio capitol last week for an event sponsored by 350.org called ‘Don’t Frack Ohio.’ Supported by dozens of other state and national organizations such as ‘Food and Water Watch’ ‘Center for Health, Environment and Justice’ ‘Buckeye Forest Council’ ‘Ohio Sierra Club’ ‘Neogap’ ‘EcoWatch’ ‘Non-Toxic Ohio’ and ‘Frack Free Ohio’, the voices of many came together as one in this action, which may well have been the largest anti-fracking protest in the United States to date.
National student congress called for in August in Ohio
A coalition of student and youth groups have called a national conference, the Student Power Convergence 2012, for August 10-14 in Columbus, Ohio, to bring together youth and student groups fighting for progressive changes across the nation.
“We expect hundreds of folks to be at the Convergence in August,” said Stuart McIntyre, an organizer who worked to build the OSU Student Union this past year at Ohio State University in Columbus. “Young people are in the front ranks of people fighting against the corporate attacks on the 99% across our nation. Young people are among those most hard-hit by cuts in programs that aid regular people. Young people are just trying to get starting in their work-lives, they have less savings, seniority, no job history and are now burdened by massive student loans, almost impossible to repay in many cases. They are some of the most vulnerable, but also some of those most ready to fight for their rights. We want to bring young folks who’ve been in these fights together and strengthen all of our movements.”
“We expect hundreds of folks to be at the Convergence in August,” said Stuart McIntyre, an organizer who worked to build the OSU Student Union this past year at Ohio State University in Columbus. “Young people are in the front ranks of people fighting against the corporate attacks on the 99% across our nation. Young people are among those most hard-hit by cuts in programs that aid regular people. Young people are just trying to get starting in their work-lives, they have less savings, seniority, no job history and are now burdened by massive student loans, almost impossible to repay in many cases. They are some of the most vulnerable, but also some of those most ready to fight for their rights. We want to bring young folks who’ve been in these fights together and strengthen all of our movements.”
Ohio nuclear update
Sierra Club No Nukes Summit
The Sierra Club No Nukes Summit was held May 4-7 in Washington, DC. Four members of our committee joined 80 other activists from 19 states and Canada. On Friday and Saturday we heard keynote speakers; Sunday was strategic planning; Monday we met with Sierra staff at the Club’s downtown office and activists visited legislative offices. Ohioans met with Jonathan McCracken and Ben Cohen at Sherrod Brown’s office.
In our strategic work, separate groups outlined outcomes for 1) stopping new reactors; 2) phasing out and shutting down old reactors; 3) ending “front end” nuclear processes including uranium mining and enrichment while promoting cleanup of toxic mining sites and enrichment sites; and 4) ending a legacy of irresponsible handling and disposal practices for low level nuclear waste and opposing consolidated storage of high level irradiated spent nuclear fuel.
The national No Nukes Team is currently in the process of forming 4 Working Groups, each dealing with one of the 4 strategic areas, with the goal of launching our Nuclear Free Campaign in the near future.
The Sierra Club No Nukes Summit was held May 4-7 in Washington, DC. Four members of our committee joined 80 other activists from 19 states and Canada. On Friday and Saturday we heard keynote speakers; Sunday was strategic planning; Monday we met with Sierra staff at the Club’s downtown office and activists visited legislative offices. Ohioans met with Jonathan McCracken and Ben Cohen at Sherrod Brown’s office.
In our strategic work, separate groups outlined outcomes for 1) stopping new reactors; 2) phasing out and shutting down old reactors; 3) ending “front end” nuclear processes including uranium mining and enrichment while promoting cleanup of toxic mining sites and enrichment sites; and 4) ending a legacy of irresponsible handling and disposal practices for low level nuclear waste and opposing consolidated storage of high level irradiated spent nuclear fuel.
The national No Nukes Team is currently in the process of forming 4 Working Groups, each dealing with one of the 4 strategic areas, with the goal of launching our Nuclear Free Campaign in the near future.
Please Sign Petition for Jason Robb who is on Hunger Strike in the Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP)
A petition was started to support Jason Robb, one of the Lucasville Five on death row for the Lucasville uprising, who started a hunger strike on 6-6 because he was again refused to be placed on the "normal" level of security with other Death Row prisoners (Level 4). Please sign the petition to the warden of OSP, if you have not yet done so (we are now at 28 signatures): Just click on the link and it will bring you to the petition.
Change.org Jason Robb petition
Find out more about the Lucasville Five at:
Lucasville Amnesty
There is also made a "Page" on Facebook that can be "liked":
Facebook Lucasville Amnesty
Please forward the petition for Jason to anyone you think is willing to sign, and read more on his hunger strike here:
Jason Robb Hunger Strike
and here:
Change.org Jason Robb petition
Find out more about the Lucasville Five at:
Lucasville Amnesty
There is also made a "Page" on Facebook that can be "liked":
Facebook Lucasville Amnesty
Please forward the petition for Jason to anyone you think is willing to sign, and read more on his hunger strike here:
Jason Robb Hunger Strike
and here:
Ohio Super Max Prisoner Resumes Hunger Strike
Sunday June 3rd, 2012, Youngstown- Last week Cornelius Harris, a level 5 prisoner at Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) resumed the May Day hunger strike, in protest of the warden's slow response to the prisoner's demands. It is unknown when Mr. Harris began refusing food, how many consecutive meals he has refused, and whether or not other prisoners have joined Mr. Harris's hunger strike. OSP's warden, David Bobby refused to comment or make any statement about Mr. Harris's situation or condition, including how many meals he has refused.
Mr. Harris says that Warden Bobby has "found a way to twist this hunger strike around to his favor by asking for more funding for programs and material that a level 5 prisoner will never see". Mr. Harris issued the following list of grievances.
- Warden Bobby has failed to keep his promise to address outrageously high commissary prices.
- Lack of recreational material like exercise or sporting equipment, even though there is money in an "I+E" fund earmarked for these materials.
- Low quality and lack of variety in television and movie programming.
Mr. Harris says that Warden Bobby has "found a way to twist this hunger strike around to his favor by asking for more funding for programs and material that a level 5 prisoner will never see". Mr. Harris issued the following list of grievances.
- Warden Bobby has failed to keep his promise to address outrageously high commissary prices.
- Lack of recreational material like exercise or sporting equipment, even though there is money in an "I+E" fund earmarked for these materials.
- Low quality and lack of variety in television and movie programming.
Governor Kasich’s deeply flawed energy plan on fast track for approval - Support No Frack Ohio
Statement of No Frack Ohio
On May 14, Governor Kasich’s energy bill, which will benefit the oil and gas industry at the expense of consumers and their vital resources, was approved by the Ohio State Senate. Members of No Frack Ohio, a coalition to stop fracking, denounced the development.
“Instead of protecting Ohioans by banning fracking, the governor and legislature are swiftly moving legislation that would do nothing to protect the public from the water contamination or earthquakes we’ve seen associated with fracking. It’s clear that our state leaders are caving to oil and gas industry lobbyists as Kasich’s bill went from bad to worse when the Ohio Oil and Gas Association intervened” said Alison Auciello, organizer for Food & Water Watch.
On May 14, Governor Kasich’s energy bill, which will benefit the oil and gas industry at the expense of consumers and their vital resources, was approved by the Ohio State Senate. Members of No Frack Ohio, a coalition to stop fracking, denounced the development.
“Instead of protecting Ohioans by banning fracking, the governor and legislature are swiftly moving legislation that would do nothing to protect the public from the water contamination or earthquakes we’ve seen associated with fracking. It’s clear that our state leaders are caving to oil and gas industry lobbyists as Kasich’s bill went from bad to worse when the Ohio Oil and Gas Association intervened” said Alison Auciello, organizer for Food & Water Watch.
Republican retreat - Ohio House Republicans defeat their own voter suppression bill
The Ohio House Republicans tactically retreated and repealed House Bill 194 – the controversial voter suppression bill. The bill was slated to be on Ohio’s November 6 ballot, and was thought by political strategists to have aided Obama’s re-election campaign in the key battleground state.
This is the first recorded case in Buckeye State history where the legislature has repealed a bill scheduled for a referendum vote by the people. Ironically, the Democrats who bitterly fought the bill, unanimously opposed its repeal.
The Democrats sought an agreement by the Republicans to restore Ohio’s practice of early voting the weekend before the election. Sensing victory in a hot button issue to push poor and minority voters to the polls who were targeted for voter suppression in the bill, the Dems argued that the repeal of the bill was unconstitutional.
Ohio House Democratic leader Armond Budish stated that the repeal of the bill was: “an admission by Republican lawmakers that they violated voter’s rights last year when they passed HB 194 to suppress Ohioans constitutional right to vote.”
This is the first recorded case in Buckeye State history where the legislature has repealed a bill scheduled for a referendum vote by the people. Ironically, the Democrats who bitterly fought the bill, unanimously opposed its repeal.
The Democrats sought an agreement by the Republicans to restore Ohio’s practice of early voting the weekend before the election. Sensing victory in a hot button issue to push poor and minority voters to the polls who were targeted for voter suppression in the bill, the Dems argued that the repeal of the bill was unconstitutional.
Ohio House Democratic leader Armond Budish stated that the repeal of the bill was: “an admission by Republican lawmakers that they violated voter’s rights last year when they passed HB 194 to suppress Ohioans constitutional right to vote.”