Prisoner threatened with lynching

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On
January 10, 2007 at SCI Fayette, Correctional Officers Friend and Collings came to the cell door of Michael Edwards #CM8086 in
an effort to intimidate the prisoner into dropping a lawsuit. 

When Mr. Edwards refused C/O Friend pulled three
photographs of lynched black people from his pocket and threw them in
the prisoner's cell.  This took place in the presence of Sgt. Ruvo. 
HRC/Fed
Up! has copies of these photographs in our possession.  And
so do you if you open the attached file.  We also have
documented proof that this incident has been brought to the attention
of the highest ranking officials in the PA DOC, including Secretary
of Corrections Jeffrey Beard.

On
May 28, 2008  Lt. Lesure threatened Michael Edwards with
transfer unless he signed a two-page affidavit dropping the
prisoner's grievances against C/Os Friend and Collings, along
with related grievances.  After his cell was searched twice in
twenty minutes and property—including legal documents—were
confiscated, Mr. Edwards still refused to sign the affidavit and was
promptly placed on a van to SCI Camp Hill without a prior 802
hearing. 
On
route to SCI Camp Hill C/O Collings #2 (twin brother of the
former) stated to the prisoner, "Last chance.  You see how
easy it would be to kill you?  Drop the complaints." 
Upon
arrival at Camp Hill mental health staff member Edward Kalsky threatened Edwards with indefinite SMU confinement unless he signed
and dated aforementioned affidavit. 
On
May 29 Mr. Edwards appeared before the PRC, and unit manager C.
Chambers was handed a two-page affidavit from Dept. Supt.
Kazor, who both claimed that the document was authorized by

"Central Office."  The prisoner was told that if
he signed and dated the affidavit he would be transferred to any
prison of his choosing and placed in general population.  Mr.
Edwards refused to sign. 
Currently,
the prisoner still is housed in the SMU without his personal
property, access to cleaning supplies, paperwork, and law library;
without control over his cell lighting, which is on 24 hours a day,
and he has been denied yard.  On May 29 Sgt. Houser also
pressured Mr. Edwards to sign the affidavit, and between 5/28/08 and
6/11/08 Edward Kalsky and counselor Phil Baker have
attempted to do the same.

Hands
off Michael Edwards!
Michael
Edwards continues to live under the threat of murder by white
supremacist prison personnel.  Do not let this happen!
Contact
SCI Camp Hill (717-737-4531), ask for the Superintendent or
Deputy Superintendent's office, and demand hands off Michael
Edwards!  Let the prison know that we will not tolerate
any harm being visited upon Mr. Edwards, and that Deputy
Superintendent Kazor and Superintendent Pavlovich are personally
responsible for the safety and health of Mr. Edwards and all
prisoners in their custody.

No
more hate crimes!  Fire all known white supremacists in the PA
DOC!
This
incident runs deeper than Michael Edwards and cuts to the very core
of how the prison-industrial complex serves to enforce a white
supremacist power structure.  Let's make a move together and
target prison guards who engage in overt white supremacist terrorism
for immediate termination of their employment.
Contact
SCI Fayette (724-364-2200) and demand that C/O Collings #1 &

#2 along with C/O Friend be fired immediately for the
incident of January 10, 2007.
Why
does Jeffy look the other way?  Is his money that good?
Contact
Secretary Beard (call 717-737-4531 and ask to be connected to
Sec. Beard's office) and ask why he has refused to acknowledge
this incident, fire the personnel involved, and open an investigation
into racist/white supremacist abuse inside PA prisons.  Refusal
to meet these modest and just demands will be understood as proof
that Secretary Jeffrey Beard supports the sowing of racial terror
inside the PA DOC.

Stay
in touch with one another . . .
Please
let others know about this incident, when you called and how that
went, and encourage others to do so.  Also, it is important that
everybody who can drop a line or two of support to Michael Edwards at
the following address:
Michael
Edwards #CM8086
SCI
Camp Hill
P.O.
Box 200
Camp
Hill, PA 170001-0200
--
Human Rights Coalition -
FedUp! Chapter5125 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15224412-361-3022
xt.4 hrcfedup@gmail.comwww.thomasmertoncenter.org/fedup/