The Decarcerate NOW Coalition, which is made up of directly impacted community members and organizations including: Direct Action for Rights and Equality (DARE), the Formerly Incarcerated Union of RI (FIURI), Black and Pink Providence, and Never Again Action Rhode Island, conducted a Protest/Car Rally at The Adult Correctional Institute on February 21, 2021. Speaking at the Event: Haley McKee .. Suzette Cook of DARE .. and Douglas Rogers of Black & Pink Providence. The Protest/Car Rally focused on dangerous, inhumane treatment/warehousing of prisoners, as well as a complete failure to maintain even the most basic hygiene/safety standards as dictated by Governor Raimondo's Emergency Order.

“Last week, Jose Franco passed away in RIDOC custody. He was incarcerated in the
Medium Security facility and found dead in his bed, after a correctional officer (CO) failed to
make the rounds. We do not know how Jose passed, but he was young–only in his forties..."

Additionally, The Coalition has issued the following demands:
1. Halt arrests and grant personal recognizance to limit the number of people trapped in Intake.
2. Reduce the prison population to control the spread of disease. Restore lost good time. Expedite parole hearings and release all eligible individuals. Utilize medical parole for all terminally ill, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals. Release all other eligible individuals into community confinement.
3. Recognize the ACI as a priority community for the COVID-19 vaccination, with an informed consent and opt-out process for the population.
4. Provide our loved ones with adequate PPE (masks, soap, hand sanitizer) as recommended by the CDC.
5. Regularly administer universal testing across the population, including asymptomatic people.
6. Provide transparency and accountability to incarcerated people’s families. Publicly release a quarantine plan for staff and incarcerated people who test positive, as well as a formal process for family members to report noncompliance. Report daily COVID-19 numbers on the RIDOC website and social media, with the same level of documentation and transparency as that provided around every other Rhode Island population.
Prisons have always been a tool to control, terrorize, and exterminate our communities. But incarcerated people are not a disposable population. Their lives are precious. They are loved. And we will keep coming back until our heartbreak and our rage are felt by those who failed to protect them.

The Coalition also demands an end to 23 Hour Lockdowns

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