We are posting this statement from Hunger Strikers at the Northwest Detention Center in order to disseminate information about the on-going struggles of those who are held in detention. However, as anarchists we are critical of the language of rights, the american dream and the greatness of this or any state. Despite these political differences anarchists in the northwest and elsewhere have chosen to show solidarity with this struggle and so, we find it to be pertinent to spread news about the end of the strike.
STATEMENT FROM HUNGER STRIKERS:
Assessment of one phase of struggle
Today, May 1st, a 30-day hunger strike came to a conclusion. It had a prelude of 72 hours of fasting begun on March 27th, occurring in a climate of persecution, harassment and application of disciplinary punishments, invented and prefabricated by personnel from GEO (the private company that runs the Northwest Detention Center – Tacoma “NWDC – T”), with the goal of stopping us from adding our voice to the voice of those on the outside clamoring for Not1More, stop deportations, end the destruction of families, deferred action for all, yes to immigration reform; despite suffering through rigged “hearings” under false accusations, with no respect for due process, taking out of context the actions of the “accused,” impeding free exercise of ideas and the exercise of freedom of expression, as well as the right to information. In an atmosphere of voluntary and strictly peaceful action, they unleashed a chain of “disciplinary sanctions,” applying isolation and segregation to the participants who were on rolling fasts and hunger strikes, from March 24 until April 2nd, with an eye towards the great action on April 5th. These resulted in sentences of 2 to 30 days of punishment, with which they attempted and are attempting to discourage our unity in becoming a single voice regardless of whether we are on the inside or on the outside. With certainty we affirm that they did not succeed in containing and silencing the voice of those on the inside, the voice of the detained. They did not succeed in hijacking our emotions or our disposition to struggle despite drastically limiting our rights and falsely accusing us of insurrection. The campaign to marginalize us carried out by a cruel and unscrupulous bureaucracy that represents immoral and indecent interests cannot contain a just struggle that uses peaceful methods to make itself heard.
The fortifications, the walls that attempted to contain our participation have cracked and with ever growing unity we will finish knocking them down; the voice that initially struggled to filter out is now heard with greater firmness and clarity. With dignity, with self-respect, we are honored to signal that we are also present and that we add ourselves to the work yet to come until we succeed in NOT ONE MORE person added to the deportation statistics, and NOT ONE MORE FAMILY destroyed, and NOT ONE MORE IMMIGRANT with their American dream cut short and treated like a second class citizen.
Our voice is added to the single voice that is part of the echo that is heard in the White House and in Capitol Hill.
To those who join forces with this struggle today.
To those who cry out in different plazas and streets today.
To those who have opened their hearts to a just cause.
To those who add their pen, their voice, their image, their untiring support, their now inseparable company.
To the girl, the boys, and the youth who exercise solidarity and love of their peers.
TO ALL OF YOU THANK YOU FOR NOT LEAVING US ALONE.
We will not let you down and we will carry out our contribution so that we signal to history, as many millions of immigrants have done before, that we too added to the strength and greatness of this GREAT COUNTRY.
We reiterate to Mr. President Barack Obama that he be bold and honor his word.
We send a signal to Congress to rise to the challenge of what is justly and morally asked of them.
NOT ONE MORE! YES WE CAN!
– Collective of NWDC-T Detainees
We are posting this statement from Hunger Strikers at the Northwest Detention Center in order to disseminate information about the on-going struggles of those who are held in detention. However, as anarchists we are critical of the language of rights, the american dream and the greatness of this or any state. Despite these political differences anarchists in the northwest and elsewhere have chosen to show solidarity with this struggle and so, we find it to be pertinent to spread news about the end of the strike.
STATEMENT FROM HUNGER STRIKERS:
Assessment of one phase of struggle
Today, May 1st, a 30-day hunger strike came to a conclusion. It had a prelude of 72 hours of fasting begun on March 27th, occurring in a climate of persecution, harassment and application of disciplinary punishments, invented and prefabricated by personnel from GEO (the private company that runs the Northwest Detention Center – Tacoma “NWDC – T”), with the goal of stopping us from adding our voice to the voice of those on the outside clamoring for Not1More, stop deportations, end the destruction of families, deferred action for all, yes to immigration reform; despite suffering through rigged “hearings” under false accusations, with no respect for due process, taking out of context the actions of the “accused,” impeding free exercise of ideas and the exercise of freedom of expression, as well as the right to information. In an atmosphere of voluntary and strictly peaceful action, they unleashed a chain of “disciplinary sanctions,” applying isolation and segregation to the participants who were on rolling fasts and hunger strikes, from March 24 until April 2nd, with an eye towards the great action on April 5th. These resulted in sentences of 2 to 30 days of punishment, with which they attempted and are attempting to discourage our unity in becoming a single voice regardless of whether we are on the inside or on the outside. With certainty we affirm that they did not succeed in containing and silencing the voice of those on the inside, the voice of the detained. They did not succeed in hijacking our emotions or our disposition to struggle despite drastically limiting our rights and falsely accusing us of insurrection. The campaign to marginalize us carried out by a cruel and unscrupulous bureaucracy that represents immoral and indecent interests cannot contain a just struggle that uses peaceful methods to make itself heard.
The fortifications, the walls that attempted to contain our participation have cracked and with ever growing unity we will finish knocking them down; the voice that initially struggled to filter out is now heard with greater firmness and clarity. With dignity, with self-respect, we are honored to signal that we are also present and that we add ourselves to the work yet to come until we succeed in NOT ONE MORE person added to the deportation statistics, and NOT ONE MORE FAMILY destroyed, and NOT ONE MORE IMMIGRANT with their American dream cut short and treated like a second class citizen.
Our voice is added to the single voice that is part of the echo that is heard in the White House and in Capitol Hill.
To those who join forces with this struggle today.
To those who cry out in different plazas and streets today.
To those who have opened their hearts to a just cause.
To those who add their pen, their voice, their image, their untiring support, their now inseparable company.
To the girl, the boys, and the youth who exercise solidarity and love of their peers.
TO ALL OF YOU THANK YOU FOR NOT LEAVING US ALONE.
We will not let you down and we will carry out our contribution so that we signal to history, as many millions of immigrants have done before, that we too added to the strength and greatness of this GREAT COUNTRY.
We reiterate to Mr. President Barack Obama that he be bold and honor his word.
We send a signal to Congress to rise to the challenge of what is justly and morally asked of them.
NOT ONE MORE! YES WE CAN!
– Collective of NWDC-T Detainees