Prison Radio
Dave Easley

This is coming from comrade Easley reporting live from maximum security and solitary confinement at Toledo, Ohio. Many of you know me from the 2018 national prison strike. I’m currently- I’m currently still in solitary confinement organizing The Right to Vote campaign for Ohio prisoners.

War has been waged upon communities of color: death by incarceration. A mirror KKK has 2.2 million people in prison and African-Americans represent 44% of the prison population. 42% of death row inmates are African-American. The United States makes up 3% of the world’s population and has 25% of the world’s incarceration rate.

The United States is number one in the world in incarceration, while Chicago school teachers strike for better conditions. You often never hear correction officers on strike. This because the prison industrial complex is so powerful. It literally perpetuates itself. As long as we continue to rely on the good old two-party system and electoral politics, it’s sad to say whoever got the most money could just buy the election.

If this is a democracy, why 2.2 million prisoners can’t vote in prison? Gerrymandering can determine who wins the Electoral College to determine who becomes president of the United States. We have a overreliance on representative democracy which can undercut rule by people.

For example, the electoral democracy relies mainly on private financing of electoral campaigns, particularly when there is a two-party system. This gives enormous influence to rich and powerful actors who are able to strongly influence this election of viable candidates. Broad portions of the electorate may retreat into private life to lead the business of governing through a select class of anointed professionals. We must break the grip of the two-party systems for the people’s movement and start engaging in direct democracy.

You can email me via JPay.com. That’s j, the letter j, p-a-y dot com. By setting up a JPay account and download the app to attach a reply stem to your email and into my Ohio prison number, which is the letter a as in apple, 306400. That’s a as in apple, 306400. Power to the people. And that’s JPay.com, David Easley, E-a-s-l-e-y. That’s how you spell my last name. And my Twitter Handle is @OH4prisoners.

(Sound of a cell door closing.) These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.