A Yuletide Tale of A Caroling Action and a Lockdown
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The holidays are drifting to a close. The singing-season brought those who tightened up their winter weather wardrobes to carol from door-to-door, home-to-home, and cause-to-cause. Well-versed are the larger lot of us in the usual reasons carolers go-a-wanderin’. Yuletide songsters often maneuver on gloves, pull on hats, and wrap ‘round scarves in religious observation. Others dust off their songbooks for pure nonsecular seasonal joy.
Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them.- Hebrews 13 ESV
On Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010, something of a good-cheer-crooning was on the agenda. Printed sheet music in hand, an estimated thirty activists gathered on the corner of Eager Street and Fallsway to clear their throats and sing in caroling-furor.
If the lockdown is off, then this is a celebration. If the lockdown is still on, then this is a protest. (Dianne Lyday, Baltimore Racial Justice Action)
From November 27th to December 21st of this year, the Baltimore City Detention Center had been on lockdown. Ambiguity surrounded the action as family members, friends, and advocates endeavored to learn details. Multiple sources confirm that the lockdown’s prompting was effected by a violent incident or possible series of violent incidents. Visitors rarely knew of the lockdown until calling or arriving at the facility. It seems that half a month whispered by before media attention was drawn to the situation. Even then, besides The Baltimore Sun and The Marc Steiner Show, mum seemed to be the word. Varying reports on what the lockdown actually entailed leaked through via inmate correspondence. During a lockdown, visitors are prohibited and recreation time is extremely limited, if existent. It also appears that inmates were denied hot showers for a period of up to ten days or more. They were serially restricted from hot meals; surviving solely off of peanut butter & jelly or bologna sandwiches. The inability to make purchases during the lockdown precipitated the evaporation of readily available stamps and writing materials. Many inmates’ main form of correspondence, letter-writing, abruptly ceased.
Essential services were denied for nearly a month, to those most arguably warranting. There was expotentially little to no communication on when the prisoners' "freedoms" might be restored.
Polly Riddims (Fusion Partnerships): The prison had been locked down for about three weeks, and some of the people we know that provide programs weren’t allowed to come in. There was actually a meeting scheduled with the commissioner to reach out to the community, which was on Monday. And the next day he announced that the lockdown was lifted. But we were still not necessarily trying to hook this with the lockdown- but to show support and to call attention to too many people being arrested, too many people incarcerated, and the fact that lockdowns prevent family visits. And we hear that they weren’t even getting hot showers and hot food and things like that. And program providers of course couldn’t come in. And this time of year is such a vulnerable time for people. So we thought we’d come out and carol and just hopefully show some support.
Indyreader: What was the reasoning or the prompting for the lockdown?
Polly Riddims: I’m not sure exactly but it was some kind of violent incident…. Lockdowns happen on and off- no one knows about it unless they’re a provider and going in…
Amidst the confusion and desire to act, a group of concerned citizens, including the Justice Policy Institute, initiated a ‘caroling-action’ for the early evening of December 22nd. The action was to happen outside the Baltimore City Detention Center. Activists were asked to bring their singing-voices in demonstration.
Conceived before the lockdown was lifted, the foremost intent was to show compassion to those who would be presumably denied visitation rights during a high-sensitivity season. Accompanying the humane-driven front, the political pursued. The demonstration was in protest to the lockdown's severity of measures, the length, the ambiguity and misinformation, and the denial of needed services (including, but not limited to: support groups, drug/alcohol counseling, religious services, educational courses, re-entry planning, civil advocacy and education, and visitations). The choice to carol was, yes, to give solace to those behind bars in the holiday season- but it was also to give voice to the many prison-care-providers who were afraid to speak-out against the lockdown; due to trepidation that discussion of the situation would permanently deprive them of access to their incarcerated clients. To arrest a group of carolers, three days before Christmas, would warrant anything but positive press. To carol was a way to act by using a tool that authoritative enforcement did not know how to fight. Chorusing Jingle Bells begot implications transcending December-jolly.
On Marc Steiner's December 13th program, Rick Binetti, the Communications Director of the Department of Public Safety & Correctional Services, stated that the youth jail still had all of its in-house regularly scheduled programs, such as school. Binetti also stated the entire facility was still able to attain legal counseling or receive essential healthcare. This information came as an enormous sigh of relief to providers everywhere who were utterly in the dark concerning all related details. All they knew was that they were disallowed to provide care and the very few leaked correspondences painted grim pictures.
Why were the youth and women's prisons on lockdown? The violent incidents that derived the lockdown were reported to take place in the male ward. Many at Wednesday's action repeatedly discussed their amazement. What situation could be so severe as to lock down two entirely separate wings? Was the commissioner afraid that fifteen-year-olds were manufacturing contraband in their spare time to shuffle over to the men's prison via their guidance counselors? An absurd example, perhaps, but without information, we cannot draw logical conclusions. From many current stances, the lockdown of the entire facility seems disproportionately unreasonable. The month-long lockdown itself seems as overkill . Is the new commissioner trying to make a statement about his authority? Is the new commissioner attacking a pervasive system from the roots? One commentator on the Baltimore Sun's webblog stated that:
There is little doubt over blatant and subtle wars happening in our injustice system. However, without casual information we cannot make sound judgements. If there's a reason for the silence, where is that quote?
It has been over a week now since the lockdown has been lifted. Invisible results may perhaps be in full circulation, but decoders are far from invented.
Who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free. -Pslam 146:7 ESV
In a seeming tangle of contradictions, Maryland Commissioner of Pretrial Detention and Services, Wendell M. France, is the responsible party for this and at least one other lockdown, in 2010. This year, France was appointed commissioner. He has been "tough on crime" ever since. From previous years of department service, France carries the reputation for slashing homicide rates in East Baltimore and utilizing a scrupulous eye for justice. Combined, France has over "...thirty-nine years of law enforcement, correctional, and criminal justice experience."
France served in the Baltimore City Police Department for twenty-seven years as a commanding officer. After his nearly three-decade position with Baltimore's police department, he became a consultant in D.C. for the U.S. Department of Justice in order to review police departments patterns and practices. From there he went to Cincinnati to fill as the new Executive Director of the Citizen Complaint Authority, i.e. a police watchdog. His duties as watchdog, were:
France holds a Masters degree in Management from Johns Hopkins University. He is also a graduate from the Senior Management Institute for Police, which is sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum and Harvard JFK School of Government. Before France became our now commissioner, he was the Assistant Commissioner for the Eastern Region of the Maryland Division of Correction. As previously mentioned, France became the Maryland Commissioner of Pretrial Detention and Services. This means that he is accountable for, "... the operational oversight for the Baltimore Central Booking and Intake Center, Pretrial Services, and Baltimore City Detention Center."
France's resume is long.Listed above are just the highlights.
As an African American male, France has held an extremely critical stance towards the system he serves within. He has been upfront about the latent, the blatant, and the pervasive racism,classism, and sexism that have historically defined the American injustice system.
Racism has been rampant in law enforcement historically... Racism and sexism and different cultural biases have impacted most government agencies, not just law enforcement....We don't need any more programs. We need to stop with the gimmicks...When people violate the law, hold them accountable and cut out the foolishness. Stop letting the whole criminal justice system be the mockery it's becoming. The real solution is not in the arrests. It's what happens after. Time and time again, people have gone through the arrest cycle only to be right back in our face.
At an NAACP convention in 1997, France stated, "If we decided tomorrow to take the police out of our communities and to replace the police with people who . . . understand the community, we'd be much better off."
Placing discerning and critical individuals, such as France, in key positions within the criminal justice system is potentially one of the better inside uses of taxpayer funding.
Since, France was instated, he has imposed at least two lockdowns. One was in April-May, that was apparently a resultant from prison protests over France's uniform policy. Criminal Justice Coordinating Council meeting notes reflect France's requirement for all inmates to wear uniforms instead of street clothing. His logic is not apprehended, nor is it an easy task to find sources dictating his decision. There is little to no readily available information on why France requires pretrial inmates to now wear uniforms nor is there of the details of the April prison lockdown.
These are pretrial inmates we are discussing. They have not gone to trial. They are presumed innocent. If you clothe someone in an identity, you multiply the likelihood of that content absorption. France has previously stated comments in agreement. The more an individual's selfhood is wrapped up with the prison system, the less likely they are to be successful on the outside.
Again it should be stated, these are individuals presumed innocent. The more their identity becomes inexplicably entwined with an inmate self- the harder post-prison adjustment will be for those whose selfness was bought and paid for by a number stitched on their shirt, a court of law, and a pair of handcuffs.
Contradictions without explanations are at best confusing.
In September, the new commissioner placed fifteen correctional officers on administrative leave. This action is rumored to have stemmed from allegations regarding excessive use of force. It appears that France acts on his declaration towards a zero-tolerance policy on violence- regardless of who is the perpetrator. Remembering France's history as a commanding officer and a police conduct watchdog, the swift action is nearly confidence-boosting.
Then, during a radio interview with Maryland Morning, about the proposed youth jail construction, France was quoted saying, "... made a concerted effort to ensure that they're arresting the right people- and so we're confident that the right people that are being arrested are actually coming to us. So, we're arresting bad guys with guns..."
So much for innocent 'til proven guilty. If you are committed to changing a system, as sometimes France appears to be, that is rife with injustices, by re-insinuating those old ideals of who is "bad" and who is "good", who should be arrested, and who is sentenced to guilt even before they're charged, you perpetuate that long told tale.
The minimal press on France makes him out to be a quiet but commanding man. As mentioned, he was a watchdog for police indiscretions, as well as once a commanding officer. At the end of November, the detention center was theoretically put on lockdown after a series of violent incidents, supposedly involving contraband (some sources point to likely knife fights, though the reality is unclear). The incidents happened in the male ward. Yet, both the youth and female sections were also placed on lockdown. Without clarifications as to the reasoning, extraneous explanations are drawn. It is hard to imagine why the severity of measures were induced. With so little briefing from the commissioner and so little media coverage investigating the situation, what are we to conclude? The details are hazy. If you call the jail, they are happy to inform you that the lockdown has ceased. However, there are no sources explaining the lockdown's lift, though it has been a week since the desist.
As we found during the caroling-action. Despite best intentions, it easy to draw negative depictions towards someone with whose practices you disagree. It is easy to villanize a circumstance when you're left in the dark. Who is Commissioner France? Different fingers point different ways. Without details, hypotheses create fire-hazard experiments.
The evidence usually speaks for itself. But in some cases, the evidence isn't there, so you have to go digging for it. -Commissioner France
To hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die. -Psalm 102: 20
There is no easy tonic to lend a cure. There is no panacea to mend our deeply-trenched wounds. Baltimore has one of the twenty largest jails in the United States. It holds the solemn record for imprisoning the highest nationwide percentage of its population.
Nine out of ten people incarcerated in Baltimore City are African American.
Less than a third of the those in the Baltimore prison system were arrested for a violent offense. Most arrests are drug-related. The war on drugs and the prison industrial complex maintain one another. But that is a tangential statement and another story for another time. The more immediate fact, is that many of those incarcerated are kept while addicted to drugs. Others suffer a host of ailments from various circumstances. While the jail might be providing extremely basic care to a select few, while the lockdown is in effect, most are denied their necessary treatments.
Nine out of ten people in the Baltimore City detention system are pretrial, meaning they have yet to be sentenced. They are otherwise presumed innocent. They must stay in a pretrial facility unless they can meet bail or are released on their own recognizance. Guess who meets bail.
African Americans make-up only sixty-four percent of Baltimore City. African Americans comprise eighty-four percent of Baltimore's prison system. Even Commissioner France believes that our system is stacked on injustice. Abolishing such an entity cannot be fueled by wishes of Happy Holidays alone, but it's a start.
Indyreader: Why would a group such as BRJA be at a protest... of a lockdown of a prison. What's the link?
Dianne Lyday (Baltimore Racial Justice Action) : Because we think that the US criminal justice system is not representing justice, because of the inequities in incarceration and convictions/prosecutions. So, this is part of our trying to make a statement about the unfairness of the system.
Caging our Fellow Human Beings
...to bring good news to the poor;... to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound... -Isaiah 61:1
The holiday season is many things to many people. For the Christians and Jews, they worship their deities in separate manners, with diverging purposes. For the consumerist, you run through the mall halls to find the "perfect gift". For most, it is easy to say that the holidays have become a time for family, for friendship, to celebrate one another, regardless of perhaps founding implications. This is not a Hallmark card. This to emphasize the fact that as atheists, agnostics, Jews,Buddhists,and Christians joined a huddle outside of Baltimore's Central Booking Detention Facility last Wednesday, December, 22nd, 2010, belting Hark the Herald Angels Sing, it was in conversation with the larger situation. Taking a step back from individual beliefs, most can comprehend why the holidays could potentially be very difficult for incarcerated individuals. In order to give back the incarcerateds' stolen humanity, we must acknowledge realities and needs.
While at the action, it was apparent that no one was there because they could define point-by-point the lockdown and its surrounding aspects. Most didn't know if the lockdown was lifted or not. Most didn't know why it was in place to being with-- does anyone? After all, how could we? In a media culture that has recently hushed the largest national multi-racial prison strike for human rights in history, the Georgia Prison Strike (see Indyreader's and AK's coverage!), how can anyone be surprised that there are so few facts released on our own local prison position?
Bundled-up, people gathered to sing for the unsung larger cause. The lockdown was the incentive to discuss our criminal injustice system on the entirety. The system that breeds the ability to lock each other behind bars and deny rights.
Activists from an assortment of groups: The Baltimore Algebra Project, VIVA House, Baltimore Racial Justice Action, Fusion Partnerships, Out for Justice, Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse, Justice Policy Institute, etc., etc., rotated in pockets around the facility, hoping that as many prisoners as possible would see or hear the carols. A bit of warmth was meant to cross those walls to those steadfastly denied such a phenomenon.
As the event dispersed, the specifications towards the lockdown were as veiled as ever. However, a common desire prevailed. The want for those inside to know their well-being was a concern. There was the hope to bring a bit of humanity into an inhumane affair.
Indyreader: Why are actions like this important?
Brendan Walsh (VIVA House) : Hoping against hope that it makes somebody's day a little bit less gruesome.
Citations:
http://www.baltimorecitycjcc.org/download.asp?ID=126
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-jail-l...
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/03/27/loc_france27.html
http://www.justicepolicy.org/content-hmID=1810&smID=1544.htm
http://www.justicepolicy.org/images/upload/10-06_REP_BaltBehindBars_MD-P...
http://mdchiefs.org/conferenceagenda.html
http://mdmorn.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/69101-is-baltimores-jail-overcrow...
http://steinershow.org/steinershow/radio/the-marc-steiner-show/december-...
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2010/09/15_corrections_o...
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2010/12/city_jail_lockdo...
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2010/12/inmate_lawsuit_s...
Any seemingly held beliefs in this article are the author's own and not necessarily The Baltimore Indypendent Reader's.
Corey Reidy is an Indyreader collective member. She is also a collective member at Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse. Beyond these two grounding projects, Reidy aims to be an ever rabble-rouser, hoping always to be a part of multiple different radical projects, campaigns, and actions. While a devoted DIY journalist for Indyreader, she sometimes writes for other independent media projects, like: Baltimore OUTloud. Reidy is also working on her thesis, someday to be a book, (and would love contributions and insights!) that aims to research and analyze radical feminism and eating disorders.
