As cities are protesting around the country, online, and in the streets, there is a movement going on behind the penitentiary walls of Mississippi. People who are being held captive inside of Parchman Penitentiary are calling out for statewide prison reform. #BLACKOUTPARCHMAN is a boycott. A boycott that means to spread throughout male and female prisons throughout the state.
This boycott comes as a direct retaliation against Governor Tate Reeves. On July 1, 2020, SB 2123, the Mississippi Correctional Safety and Rehabilitation Act was adopted by the MS House and Senate, causing nationwide celebration of a victory for those incarcerated in the state of Mississippi.
This bill would have, not only, saved Mississippi tens of millions of dollars that are spent sheltering our brothers and sisters but it also put parole reform in place to create an incentive for those incarcerated to be active in rehabilitation programs and maintain behavior with knowledge of release. SB 2123 would have done these things during a time when this state needs economic relief. On July 8th, Governor Reeves VETOED the bill, which had bipartisan support in the Legislature.
In a status update Marshun Moore, who was formerly incarcerated at Parchman and is now Co-Founder of The People’s Advocacy Institute and Co-Director of Strong Arms of JXN, shares sentiments from inside the Parchman prison calling for all who are incarcerated in Mississippi to join them and “hurt their pockets since they don’t care about you…”
Incarcerated people inside of Parchman are calling for a STATEWIDE BOYCOTT of MDOC. They are encouraging incarcerated brothers and sisters around the state to join them in AVOIDING SPENDING AT THE CANTEEN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. They are also calling for free citizens to contact MS Senate and House of Representative members to override this veto!
“Inaction is not a strategy to address overcrowding and deplorable conditions that have resulted in the loss of life, a series of lawsuits, and a Department of Justice investigation spurred by the Trump White House.” Grant Callen on Gov. Tate Reeves veto of CJR bills.
Via EmpowerMS.org
If you would like to get involved :
From the inside – AVOID SPENDING MONEY at the Canteen as much as possible.
On the Outside – Join with other formerly incarcerated people, organizations, groups, families of inmates, and individuals and call or email your state Legislator and tell them to OVERRIDE THE SB2123 VETO!
For more information on how to contact/call, visit fwd.us #CallMississippi
Click HERE for the complete SB 2123 document.
