|
|
|
|
April 12, 2003 Hi friends and supporters, Thank you for all of your emails, words and hugs of support. It means a lot to me, and when I spoke with Jesse very briefly on Friday afternoon, he was overwhelmed by the support that he is receiving from all of you. I spoke with Jesse for less than 10 minutes on Friday, and he told me that he is being re-designated to the women's FPC in Danbury, CT. When Jesse called me, he cried when he heard my voice, and I was really concerned about him. However, a few hours later, I got a call from the volunteers at the Alderson Hospitality House, who visit the federal prisoners regularly. John and Hillary helped to assuage my fears, and relayed the message that Jesse is doing really well, adjusting to prison life without any problems, and that he wanted us all to know that he felt very emotional when he heard my voice, but that he really was fine. However, I also learned from Jesse and John and Hillary that Jesse is to be moved for an unclear reason. Someone in the bureaucracy (we don't know who) told Jesse that he is to be moved for medical reasons. However, he also had already met with a medical staffperson at Alderson, who said that Jesse's hormone prescription had already been ordered and that it would be no problem. Other Bureau of Prisons staffpeople are saying that the transfer is because of overcrowding, which is a constant problem in the U.S. prison system, but seems to e an unlikely story because there are more SOA Watch activists to enter Alderson next week. I was on the phone the rest of Friday afternoon with two lawyers who volunteer their time to support the School of the Americas Watch activists who are arrested, Bill Quigley and Bob Phares. They made numerous calls to the regional BOP offices and to both Alderson and Danbury to try and find out who is responsible for making the decision to move Jesse, which seems to be unnecessary and potentially discriminatory. From the calls that we all made, none of us was able to ascertain just who was responsible for making this decision, therefore making it very difficult for us to advocate on Jesse's behalf for him to remain at Alderson. Jesse said that he would call me back on Friday between 5:00-6:00pm to let me know what was going on, and the call never came. Although I knew that things come up and it might not have been a big deal, I waited at my house until I got a call this afternoon at 4:00pm from Amy, the sister of SOA Watch activist Marie Salupo, who went into custody with Jesse. She relayed and confirmed the following information to me in that call and in our subsequent conversation tonight at 10:00pm, after she talked again with Marie. For some reason, Jesse's phone access card isn't working anymore, which is why he couldn't call me back. His message was to send out his love to everyone and to say that he is okay and will indeed be moved to Danbury on Monday. He will be unescorted, dropped off at the Greyhound station with a voucher for a ticket and $35 for a taxi when the bus arrives in Danbury. This is much better than an "escorted" transfer. Jesse says that he will call his parents asap when he gets there, and then he will call me with a message for the list. To get his phone access working at Danbury, very well not be until at least Friday. The bus schedule that Marie said Jesse will be taking was on Monday at 6:00pm from Lewisburg, WV to Danbury, CT. However, according to the Greyhound internet schedules, no such bus exists. It's possible that the bus will be leaving from or arriving in a different station, so this detail is probably not be a big deal in its confusion. Jesse and Marie have also apparently talked with someone who was transfered from Alderson to Danbury this week, and they have heard really good things about it. It seems that Jesse is now prepared and confident about this turn of events. So, below is Jesse's new contact information in Danbury, CT: Jessica Carr (you must write his legal first name) Phone: 203-743-6471 Please email me with any remaining questions or concerns that you have at sarah.saunders@o... I was really worried after speaking with Jesse, but I feel confident that SOA Watch has an excellent legal team and a strong support network that will be able to advocate for his rights and fair treatment whenever needed. It seems that no one at Alderson or in the BOP offices is "responsible" and therefore able to change Jesse's being moved to Danbury, so I think we will need to just go from here and continue to send him our love and support. Thank you again for all of your work and dedication. Take care and stay strong, |