|
Dear
Ekong Eshiet was transferred from Westville Correctional Facility in Indiana to Keen Mountain Correctional Center in Virginia late last week. The transfer is big win for Ekong and all those who support him! It is the result of tireless advocacy of his family, Team Ekong, and the hundreds of people who rise to the occasion when a call to action is issued.
In the months following his self-immolation at Red Onion, Ekong was fighting for a transfer to a VADOC SAMs Pod – specific units with resources for inmates with mental health needs. Instead the highest echelons of the VADOC moved to retaliate against Ekong for his refusal to be silent and transferred him to Indiana – the same playbook used for other whistle-blowers like Demetrius Wallace and Kevin “Rashid” Johnson.
While it’s a big step in the right direction to have Ekong back in Virginia, we are still not sure what his final placement will be. Later this week we expect that Ekong will be transferred out to a Reception Diagnostics Center and then, after a reclassification process, to a final placement. Ekong’s friends in Team Ekong and his family have determined the best strategy for the moment is to proceed with more targeted and limited advocacy before deciding whether an escalated call to action is necessary.
A big thank you to each and every person who has mail letters, placed calls, or fired out emails on Ekong’s behalf. Public pressure has played an enormous role in ensuring that the prison system does not silence or disappear Ekong!
|
