Them bronze keys
o’ they rattle
am i free
or starting battle
Them slammed doors
how they wake
my battered spirit
they tried to break
Them bronze keys
open my food tray
guards watching hard
inspecting how much I ate
Them slammed doors
can hear from afar
do the doors know
how deeply they scar?
Them bronze keys
why do you exist
separation creates pain
and its balled up in my fist
People say to be strong
but never say or mention
where to absorb strength from
is it strength that risk of the hole
over a lack of vegetables
or reckless rebellion
maybe its principle
facing our fears & embracing our weaknesses
maybe our greatest triumph
or fuckup
stand yer ground, feel it quake
arms so brittle, legs so weak
struggle to recall the point of this
still willing to go for whatever the point is
forgotten what home smelt like
vividly recall what choking on fumes felt like
nothing is ever black and white
options are always more than
just walk away or fight
Eric has been held in disciplinary segregation since February 24th after being accused of throwing his shoes at a guard during a shakedown of the cells while the whole prison was on lockdown. At the subsequent disciplinary hearing, Eric was sentenced to 60 days in the hole (solitary confinement).
While in segregation, Eric is on commissary restriction, meaning that he cannot buy extra food from the commissary to supplement the meager vegan food tray. Trying to eat only the food they provide him is leaving him hungry all the time.
We gathered from Eric a full report of the food he is being provided and, running it through a nutritional analysis, found that it is totally inadequate. Eric is being fed approximately 940 calories per day, way under the recommended daily intake of 2,400-2,800 calories per day. Eric is literally starving.
We are asking all supporters to call the prison and demand that they find a way to provide Eric more food—either by giving him access to commissary or adapting their vegan food menu. If the following bureaucrats do not pick up, please leave them a message.
Please call:
If that doesn’t work dial the mail number +1 913-727-3246 and press 0
Here is a sample script for your call:
“Hi, I’m calling about Eric King, number 27090045. He’s being held in disciplinary segregation right now and is on commissary restriction. Because the vegan tray that Eric gets is so inadequate, and since he can’t supplement it with commissary, Eric is starving.
We calculated that Eric is getting approximately 940 calories per day from the vegan tray. This is way under the recommended daily intake of 2,400-2,800 calories per day. Something must be done to get Eric access to more food right away. This can be done by giving him access to commissary or by immediately improving the vegan tray that you provide.
Eric is getting dizzy, having trouble concentrating and feeling hungry all the time. We need to address this situation immediately. Thank you.”
If leaving a message, feel free to leave a name and call back number, but you don’t have to.
Please pass this post far and wide. Eric is in the very beginning of his 60 day sentence in disciplinary segregation, so it’s important that we prevent the prison from starving him right away.
Thanks everyone!
-EK Support Crew
Update 3/9
CCA’s phone system has been disconnecting people, so you can dial the main number at 913-727-3246 and press 0 to ask for the Warden, Mr. Spears (Eric’s unit manager) or Chief Quinn. Eric’s inmate number is 27090045.
When folks have been able to talk to prison bureaucrats, they have mostly been saying that they can’t do anything about Eric’s situation until he files a grievance. He has filed grievances and has done so regularly ever since getting arrested because the conditions at CCA have continually been abysmal. Don’t let them distract you with their lies—demand that EK get an adequate vegan tray and access to commissary so he can purchase additional food items!
One bureaucrat claimed that it’s impossible to make the vegan tray equally nutritional as the standard tray because vegans do not eat meat. This is, of course, is a lie. While the standard trays are not adequately nutritious for anyone, CCA is required to provide vegans with a food tray that is equally nutritious as the standard tray. That’s not something they can opt out of just because they can’t imagine how vegans could possibly eat without eating meat. Per the federal standards that CCA is held to as a private, for profit, prison “Federal Performance Based Detention Standards” CCA is held to provide “nutritionally equivalent approved substitutes” and they are failing miserably. Make sure they know that they are in violation of these standards.
Help us call CCA on their bullshit and demand that EK get an adequate, vegan tray and access to commissary so he can purchase additional food items!
Update 3/10
Eric was called out of his cell to meet with a manager yesterday and they tried to “listen buddy” him into calling his comrades off. He was apologized to about issues in the past and attempts were made to make him feel like somehow these folks who are starving him are actually his friends. Somehow EK is expected to believe that no one seems to have the power to do something as simple as put more food on the vegan tray but that everyone cares about him and they would if they could. Even in the bureaucracy of a for-profit prison that is a stretch.
Folks are feeling the heat at CCA Leavenworth right now and if these BASIC needs are not met soon we are going to up the ante and start calling higher and higher up the chain. It is unacceptable that folks are made to starve for their cruelty – free diets. Because of the calls there are a lot of meetings happening at CCA Leavenworth today… let’s keep it up (A)
(a quick reminder to please avoid threats of death, injury and anything that could cause Eric to experience retaliation)
Update 3/11
Am I angry or hungry
starving and shaking
throw a punch
or take a bite
cook a meal
or start a fight?
In what world does
canned spoiled fruit and beans
count as a meal?
How hard does bread need to be
before it is a rock?
Do I fight for something more
or swallow my dignity and food?
CCA you corrupt fucks
where’s the Oregon militia
when you need it?
I ate much better on the streets
when I was homeless & free
can I even complain
do I have ground to stand on
or thin air?
Written in solidarity with the prisoners of Malawi who’s voices carry their stories beyond the walls that imprison them.
I heard the Malawi birds
they were bundled and stacked
buried so deep
but their voices reach so high
does their location
negate the warmth of their tears
we can learn so much from suffering
how long must our education persist
who will finally be the one
to rip the door off the cage
wings were meant to fly
not to die…
I refuse to make a habit
of being oppressed or oppressive
to wear chains and pretend
they’re bracelets
nothing orange is stylish
these meals aren’t gifts
and these captors aren’t our pals
don’t give a fuck how their day is
or if they’re breathing
that pepper spray isn’t cologne
these beatings aren’t for show
the fire got put out in our cans
but the power is in our hands
till they rob the air we breathe
i’ll stand on the side of action
lessons learned today
mental weakness overcome today
will make a better me tomorrow
for refusing to be broken
and refusing to make a habit
of being oppressed
or of being oppressive
such will keep me free
no matter what they bring
Urgent update regarding Eric King’s mail being rejected!
The CCA Leavenworth mailroom has been blocking some of Eric’s incoming mail, censoring publications for ridiculous reasons (or for no stated reason at all), and even blocking some of his outgoing mail.
Recently, a book about the Black Panthers was rejected because the prison evidently considers them a “hate group.” Around that same time, rightwing Christian literature with homophobic rhetoric made it through to another prisoner. Eric is clearly being targeted for his political beliefs and interests.
If you have been writing to Eric and have not heard back from him, it is very possible that he has not received your letters or you have not received his. The prison (and the state apparatus of which it is a part) is trying to isolate Eric from his supporters. We can’t let them do this.
Please help by:
* Writing Eric so many letters! Please flood the prison with mail/letters/cards/love. This can serve the dual purpose of overwhelming the prison mailroom and helping Eric remember that he’s not alone. Keep track of what you sent to Eric and when you sent it so you can check with him later or call the prison to inquire about why your mail was blocked.
You can write to him at:
Eric King
27090045
CCA Leavenworth
100 Highway Terrace
Leavenworth, KS 66048
* Checking the support site often. If this harassment continues, we will be taking other measures to ensure this censorship stops immediately. CCA has been sued in the past for censoring mail and violating prisoners’ constitutional rights, so they know as well as we do that what they’re doing is wrong.
Please spread the word and help put the spotlight on CCA’s draconian mailroom practices. Prisons greatly prefer to function outside the public eye where they can torture, abuse, neglect and isolate prisoners without consequences. Don’t let them get away with that this time. Send Eric a letter or card today!
For a world without cages!
Love and Solidarity,
EK Defense Committee
So first of all I would love to announce that our primary fundraiser goal has been met thanks to his amazing comrades! We are so excited overwhelmed by everyone’s solidarity be it donating to the fundraiser, making sure Eric stays connected by dropping him a letter or even by sending him a book. We will continue to be taking donations and also “selling” t-shirts on his fundraiser.
https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/0yoZc/ab/a4jVK6
We received an amazing zine that was beautifully put together and sent to us by Causerie Publishing. We wanted to share it with all of Eric’s supporters. Take a second to read it, pass it on, or print it out for tabling. It is a great collection of his poems and writings.
We do want to add that we had a little bit of outdated possible sentence info up and he is actually facing life. Luckily thanks to the group Supporting Vegans in the Prison Sytem Eric never had to go on the hunger strike!
Hometown heroes forget we exist within morality
the person shooting up was once someone’s everything
cuddly kids call the president a primate, cause they hate his pigment
not racist if it’s politics just more social biggots
one pump of blood away from being a fleeting memory
once pump and pull away from an unwanted family
villains in our lives aren’t just symbols they’re existing
placing more importance on critical moments
instead of having joy in simply loving
rascal radicals ditching ethics and street battles
rather duplicate love w/bubble gum flavored capsules
loving all life in 8 hour segmants
then rushing off to the bathroom to get in line for seconds
as soon as the crash begins re-up or we’re all dead
every moment sober is a moment to forget
born with so much privilege we’ve forgotten how to live
all our positivity is wrapped with foil in the fridge
road splits to decency but we’ll never cross that bridge
can’t fight the state when our hands shake too much to make a fist
one more bump to get us going + we’ll swear life is bliss
creating all our drama so we created this
to be happy in this moment to recall what love is
Support Eric King T-Shirts are Here!
We’re excited to announce that the Eric King support t-shirts are in!
Show your solidarity by ordering one today! We’re asking for a $20
donation per shirt. All proceeds go to EK’s support, including
commissary and phone calls.
To order a shirt, donate online at https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/0yoZc
and then email us at erickingsupportcrew(A)riseup.net with your shirt
size (S, M, L, XL) and mailing address. You can also email us to get
a mailing address for donations by check or money order.
In other good news, EK is out of solitary confinement! He now has
greater access to recreation, is able to be social once more, and has
been reunited with a friend who is also serving time there. Send him a
letter or card to help him celebrate this change in his conditions and
to let him know he’s not forgotten!
Eric King
#27090045
CCA Leavenworth
100 Highway Terrace
Leavenworth, KS 66048
