“A Podcast From Prison.”
A young man named Sekou from north Philadelphia broadcasts weekly from prison. He shares with his growing group of listeners his thoughts, his hopes, and his concerns. What concerns him? What concerns any of us: the point of young people in this city, and the daily flood of self-directed violence on Philadelphia streets.
What began his concerns? He said he was going to court one day and he saw a youth awaken on the street, roll up a sleeping bag, and slip it into his backpack. He was being transported to Phoenix, the state’s newest prison, when he noticed students walking to school who looked like zombies? His word: zombies. He was looking at the opioid crisis among school kids while he was in Graterford and Phoenix.
He worked with a group called Fathers And Children Together, known as FACT, for what the prison called the fact experience. His passions are to save black babies and children and thereby to change the world. FACT impacted his thinking and inspired him. You want to hear his podcast? Type in W8KUP_NOW, or Wake Up Now, an Instagram program. His on-air name is Sekou the Wolf. Air time: Saturday afternoons.
From imprisoned nation, this is Mumia Abu-Jamal.
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)