On Thursday Krystal Clark tried to reach us. The prison blocked her call. GTL, the prison phone service, dropped her number.
Our staff engaged with the prison phone system and worked relentlessly to reestablish contact. And we did. Krystal was able to call in again on Friday.
Our studio receives multiple calls every day from folks locked up and isolated around the country.
One of the most courageous people we speak to is Krystal Clark and her brave companions. Prison Radio is a critical avenue for Krystal and other women at Women’s Huron Valley (WHV) to gain access to the public.
We are a very important microphone that amplifies their cause. And you, your work, your gifts, and your energy, make this invaluable lifeline possible.
Krystal and her fellow inmates make their calls from “the valley of death” – Women’s Huron Valley in Michigan. They are resilient, courageous, and beautiful. In the face of tortuous conditions and medical neglect, they are reaching out. Take a quick look and listen to the sidebar. Many folks are responding and standing with the women at WHV. The solidarity is stunning.
Krystal, like so many people inside, suffers from myriad health issues, including a systemic allergy to the mold in her unit. Her treatment is haphazard, inadequate and dangerous. As Krystal would say, it is “insufferable.” But she continues to suffer, and she continues to call, and more than that, her friends continue to call – all risking retaliation. Their insistence on humanity through the Prison Radio platform ensures that they will not be silenced.
We know Krystal is very ill. We know the prison is doing little to help, and a lot to harm. We know this because Krystal and her friends call us. Without those calls, none of us would know what’s going on behind those fortress walls.
Portrait by Jesennia Rose
We urge you to write to Krystal, to show your solidarity and compassion, give her light and love as the machine that holds her offers only cruelty and neglect. She needs help.
Krystal Clark MDOC # 435064
Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility
3201 Bemis Road
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
We also urge you to write to the other correspondents from WHV, including:
Bobby Main MDOC # 874670
Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility
3201 Bemis Road
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
April Kurtz MDOC # 633055
Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility
3201 Bemis Road
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Shontil Estes MDOC #730528
Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility
3201 Bemis Road
Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Naykima Hill MDOC # 270530
Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility
3201 Bemis Road
Ypsilanti, MI 48197-0911
If you can today, please consider donating to help us keep our lines open so we can reach our microphone, and our humanity, across the prison walls and offer support to our correspondents. We rely on gifts from folks like you do this work as we get no foundation support. Any size gift is appreciated!
Towards Justice,
Jennifer Beach
Co Director Prison Radio
