My name is Omar Askia Ali AKA Edward Sistrunk. I’ve been incarcerated since 1971.
In an article of the Philadelphia Daily News, 5/18/17, page 16, state that a man named Joseph Langley, incarcerated in 1953, which adds up to 64 years ago, as a 15 year old juvenile lifer, who is now 80 years old. The judge informed him that she did not want him to die in prison, so she’s putting him out of jail since the new law that juveniles have to be re-sentenced.
Pennsylvania locks up more people than any other state in America. Statistics state that about 14 million whites and 2.6 million African-Americans report using illegal drugs, 5 times as many whites are using drugs as black people, yet black people are sent to prison for drug offenses at 10 times the rate of whites. African-Americans are virtually as much time in prison for a drug offense, 52.7 months, as whites do for a violent offense of 61.7 months.
With this said recently, the Philadelphia Daily News quoted primary race DA race was won by Larry Krasner, everything that he states prisoners have heard about him is right on point. His connections to some of the- rally for him went back two decades with people who care deeply about what’s right and wrong. As he says, he does, he is anti-establishment and his civil rights work as included representing members of Black Lives Matter.
A few months ago, a letter from the Conviction Review Unit within the district attorney office, which will review my case, and I also received a response from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, who acknowledged my petition in which I presented a- a complaint against the United States pertaining to others and myself being tried by an all-white jury.
However, with the possibility of a new DA, Mr. Krasner still needs his feet held to the fire because politicians have a tendency to vacillate once in office. [inaudible] winning in the crowded democratic primary in Philadelphia for DA is being hailed across the country as a victory for progressive values. In the age of Trump, I still believe vigilance needs to be maintained.
These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.
![Prison Radio is sharing an abbreviated version of a press release covering recent racist incidents at SCI Rockview in PA and the organizing to demand accountability. We are reaching out to people incarcerated at Rockview as well as recently transferred folks, inviting them to call, in hopes of hearing commentaries from them.
Benner Township, PA.-
On November 24th, 2023, imprisoned people at SCI Rockview found two nooses hanging in the CO’s office, displayed visibly for many prisoners to see. When the prisoners asked the staff why the nooses were hung, they were told it was a joke.
By December 4th, prisoners filed a grievance to document what they saw, noting that the hanging of the nooses was “unethical, racially motivated, hateful, [a] deliberate debasement of black inmates" and “unsafe for inmates, staff, [and] the whole prison in general.” In the grievance, they demanded that Sgt. Mosser and CO Richard be fired and investigated for a hate crime, and for CO Kirchner to get therapy. Captain Andrews, the head of security, denied the grievance.
The sergeant and COs are still working in the prison to this day, with no repercussions...
As of March 10th, prisoners have reached out to Pennsylvania officials at the Dept. of Corrections in a letter campaign, sending 100 copies of the grievance. Copies of the letter also were mailed to Governor Shapiro, Senator Fetterman, Senator Street, and various advocacy groups. The demands for relief in the original grievance have now become the platform of demands for this campaign. About 20 of the 100 letters were withheld by the prison.
Activists on the outside are joining forces with prisoners to elevate their demands, flooding the phone lines of DOC offices, assisting with outreach to media, and circulating the stories of prisoners who have found unity in opposition to the facility's virulent institutional racism.
In any other workplace, hanging a noose would be grounds for immediate termination. However, Nicki Paul, the superintendent's assistant and "grievance coordinator" informed the public that they self-investigated their staff and found they did nothing wrong.
Read the full article at i
https://conta.cc/4ayDxlB](https://www.prisonradio.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)