Prison Reform Boiled in 2007 as the UNION published 470 Newsletters, attended Legislative Hearings, Coordinated Rallies, Worked with Television and Radio Producers, Gave Speeches, Wrote to Editors Daily, Published Columns - Thousands of Hours of Donated Work to Bring Prison Reform to a Boil

 

As has been my tradition for nine years in the past, I send out a summary of newsletter titles to remind the 53 journalists and publishers on our list of the prison news that we thought was important to respond to over the past year
 
You cannot access these links but for the journalists on our list, I will retrieve archived material over the next four days to help you with your year-end stories.
 
I compiled and wrote editorial comments in 470 separate newsletters in 2007 which takes me about three hours each for UNION subscribers a total of approximately 1410 hours. This did not include another 6 hours a day in answering email from subscribers and non-subscribers on every topic from soup to hay or answering more than 12,000 letters from prisoners.
 
In addition, I wrote 25 columns for American Chronicle and their Internet Magazines which goes into 26 states and on the national news wires.  Most of those were also published by the Republican site of Webcommentary.com
 
You can read those very detailed commentaries, written in simple language here at this link
 
 

I worked with the producers of PBS who did a television special about the homelessness that Prop 83 creates which benefits no one. The UNION members came in and made posts beneath the video of this televised special which is still online at the PBS website.

http://www.kcet.org/lifeandtimes/blog/?p=219

UNION members aided in educating the public and editors about the collateral damage of at least one million women and children affected by Prop 83. As you can see at the link above, UNION members posted beneath the video.

------------------------------

I issued calls to action to come to the Capitol hearings to oppose SB 40, and to attend two important hearings to support AB 1539, the television videos of these hearings is still online which you can view

 http://www.1union1.com/SB40_sentencing_1.htm

A video of the hearing is online at www.calchannel.com, click on webcasts, click on search archives, enter date 032207, select committee, Assembly then enter Appropriations.

It will come up on a list of links, Appropriations committee hearing 3/22/07. The hearing is only 35 jam-packed minutes long but what it portrays is an attitude that the State lawmakers do not want to re-try the 54,000 people unconstitutionally sentenced to prison.

The legislators sidestepped the Supreme Court ruling on Cunningham for a period and given unprecendented power to judges.

 
 

I called people to attend an important hearing in Sacramento to support Judges Thelton Henderson and Lawrence Karlton which resulted in a record-setting, historic turn-out of an overflow crowd of UNION members
as well as great attendance by many of the journalists who read our newsletter daily.

 
I was one of only two people to testify against the appointment of James Tilton as CDCR Agency Secretary and made it clear that he and the legislators were breaking the law.
 
 
I coordinated a major rally with many human rights and labor union leaders in attendance on Sept 7 at the Capitol to support the passage of two Sentencing Bills and AB 1539
 
AB1539 was signed into law October 14, 2007 after ten years of our hard work as unpaid volunteers.  While the judges still have the ultimate power,
our UNION members and their lawsuits, their testimonies at these hearings
and our cussed determination and constant letters to editors, editorials
and alerts to the media resulted in this important reform.
 
This 3000 plus hours that I donated as a columnist, publisher and event coordinator was enough labor to have written three books and several
screen plays. I could have learned a huge salary doing this type of work
for some other cause where advocates are treated well by those whom they represent.
 
 
Why did I do this thankless, brutal work as an unpaid volunteer for the ninth year in a row?
 
Because people are still suffering and dying preventable deaths in the prisons.  I did all of this writing to give UNION subscribers at least ten ways to fight back for their loved ones every day - either with a penned letter to an editor, a protest sign, or by giving testimony before a legislative committee. 
 
I wanted to help a few hundred more people see that they only reason in the world they have their current problems is due to their own inaction to organize and elect their own people to office, to stand up against oppression by supporting lawsuits and educating the public constantly by posting at the news sites.
 
I wanted these devastated mothers and other family members to be able to see that there is nothing more powerful than a large, funded citizen's group and that prisons only exist because they allow them to exist by not organizing large enough.  Since there is zero justice in the courts, I wanted the desperate family members to see that when everyone gets together they can force reform as the politicians must go with the group that has the noisiest voters.
 
Most of the people who did the work in the prison reform movement besides mine of  compiling newsletters, coordinating rallies, appearing at hearings, filing and fighting lawsuits were also UNION members, and they deserve thanks and recognition which I will do separately.
 
Remember that the contents of these newsletters were tens of thousands of letters to editors that our UNION people posted at the news sites.  With very few exceptions, it is the UNION subscribers who do that job, even though it is critical to ever getting initiative campaigns past the voters, we seem to be the only ones who do it.
 
Rev. Shumake with his tent cities and prayer chain participated in by 50 churches is a very special human rights leader even in his 70's, he still makes a huge difference and supports our UNION work too every chance he gets.
 
Nora Weber and Cindy Canon with their lawsuits fighting for Mark Grangetto showed CDCR that not all family members are too stupid to fight back when prisoners are tortured and murdered, especially those who are mentally ill.
 
Donald Specter and his Prison Law Office, Judges Henderson and Karlton and now several other Judges cannot be thanked enough for their tireless work, even though, unlike UNION members they all draw a salary for doing it. They went above and beyond the call of what their money covered after UNION members delivered many messages to support their work.  We caused an overflow crowd to their hearing unlike any ever seen in prison reform and it was a historic day that I shall never forget!
 
Eight months out of the year in 2007, I had full time responsibilities at the college which exceed 30 hours per week.
 
 
Most other UNION members also work a full time job, and all but two live at the poverty level, so when we have a call to action, it is very difficult for people to bring the ten people they are supposed to have lined up and ready to go.
We have been doing at least one protest a year for ten years straight at the Capitol while those who knock us never do any, but this year, the young people from Los Angeles DID have a Capitol protest, so this was progress.
 
The Drug Policy Alliance is a great group of people who have brought 25,000 members together and raised $8 million dollars.  They are focused on drug laws only, but this sort of organizing power, combined with our lawsuits over medical neglect and overcrowding has put the proposal for 22,000 releases on the table.  Drug Policy Alliance is one of four groups who has shown up consistently in the legislature during the past decade to support or oppose the bills concerning their members.  The others are ACLU and Friends Committee on Legislation who pay their advocates to do this important work.  In 2007 the Catholics were showing up more frequently in years past.
 
On January 3, 2008 the Drug Policy Alliance will circulate an initiative campaign which has a good chance to win because they organized more than 6500 workers and raised more than a million dollars.  This is what the legislators must see before they take anything seriously that the funds and
volunteers are all gathered together and that the people leading the effort
are professional organizers. 
 
Just filing an initiative without money and
trained volunteers does not shake law enforcement's puppets, especially
if the public education isn't reflecting the need in the newspapers. Drug Policy Alliance made huge strides that is benefitting everyone now and they
deserve tribute, even though they focus only on drug laws, they are demonstrating what it takes to change laws and that families of prisoners
can do it when they want to focus and get serious.
 
I will have more to say on our year in Review over the next several days
as we decide what, if anything, we have the funds and volunteers to do
in 2008.  With my work on the movie describing our decade-long work and UNION members' lawsuits coming to court this year, in addition to my
full time responsibilities at the college, I will be unable to donate another
3,000 hours in 2008 just writing in order to teach people that organizing is

the only way to find justice in their individual cases. By now the subscribers to the newsletter should have learned this lesson well, and if not, the deeper reforms will never be achieved which is what all famous advocates before me told me would be the case as they ran into brick walls when they all tried. The ignorance and apathy could not be overcome. I have a clear conscience that I communicated that simple organizing is the only way to overcome repression to enough people who can save themselves if, and when they get serious about getting this work done in large enough numbers. The welfare mentality still prevails amongst the younger people who are looking for a free rescue from some attorney, judge or lawmaker which is never going to come, but the parents of the prisoners know that only when they get serious about organizing will it be possible to win initiative campaigns and file enough lawsuits to where the "tough-on-crime" politicians will be put at bay and hopefully out of office.

The organizing in large enough numbers has yet to happen, but all I can do is teach the lesson, not do the recruiting work for people, their choice to be oppressed or not is completely up to them. Most do not want to be inconvenienced to reach out of their comfort zones at the prisons, and expect that someone else is going to do the recruiting work - not them. Jesse Jackson told me on the steps of the Pasadena City Hall that this attitude has been the block to all prison reform in California for three decades. This attitude is why he left California and went to Washington to set up the Rainbow Push group.

 
I feel that enough people know the formula now, and I will see by
January 6 the level of commitment and help I have to determine our
UNION focus in 2008.  I certainly do want to recognize those people
who actually helped in 2007 so we will have our UNION subscriber of
the year awards and recognize the California Journalists of the Year
as we have always done in the past.
 
 
 
Rev. B. Cayenne Bird
 
 
   
 
2009
More Posts Needed on Burning Issues from Our Side-WAKE UP
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 28, 2007
2008

 

Jessica's Flaw/UNION family members write on the issues

B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 27, 2007
2007

 

Prison Costs up 79% since 2003 due to Harsh laws/Education cuts

B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 26, 2007
2006

 

Murders down across America/Billionnair e backing oppressive laws bus

B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 25, 2007
2005

 

Press Advisory - major riot

w/serious injuries was missed/Battle upd
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 23, 2007
2004

 

Time to fight for Liberty - Opposition from both parties to release

B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 21, 2007
2003

 

Celebrate! Gov Proposes to Release 22,000 Prisoners

B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 20, 2007
2002

 

More deaths in Richmond/Parole Investigation or Posturing?/News

 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 20, 2007
2001 Prison Pharmacists charged/Church and State/Warden Writes Book B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 19, 2007
2000 Larry is Published!/ Prepare for Releases! B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 17, 2007
1999
Cunningham conviction set aside!/UNION families voice priorities/How
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 16, 2007
1998
Judges Move Feb Court
Date/Gov declares $$$ crisis tax hike predicte
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 15, 2007
1997 Prop 83 Goes to Court/Turn in Your Survey/Posts Needed B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 14, 2007
1996
State claims it didn't know about delayed releases!/Lockdowns
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 13, 2007
1995
 
Congrats UNION writers -33,000 inmates to get re-sentenced
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 12, 2007
1994
Politicians & Prisons are breeding hate, violence in our society
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 11, 2007
1993 50 Churches formed Human Chain/Judges defy Gov/sentenced to "science B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 10, 2007
1992
 
State defies Judges' Order - Fails to Turn Over Records !!!!!
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 8, 2007
1991 Parole Official DUI suspect/New Warden at Mule Creek/Great Posts B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 8, 2007
1990
 
Another Judge gets involved
 in Prison Cap Evidence - HOORAY!
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 7, 2007
1989 Rough draft - Women, Kids, Elderly Robbed and Abused by Prison Syste B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 6, 2007
1988
 
Update on one of our lawsuit/One in 31 Citizens Imprisoned/Runner s
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 6, 2007
1987
 
Rev. Shumake appeals for human chain - let's include organizing work
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 5, 2007
1986
 
New Report on Sentencing Reform/Several inmate deaths
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 3, 2007
1985
 
Very Important Video by Naomi Wolf - Stand up for Democracy
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Dec 1, 2007
1984
 
Repugs set up site against early release/We could lose America Naomi
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 29, 2007
1983
 
Lawsuit Win!/New Initiative Unconstitutional -Will Cut Education $/
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 28, 2007
1982
 
Prison Agency Catches Flak/Young, Black and Locked Up
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 27, 2007
1981
 
God help us all - The Ugly Machine has launched an Initiative from h
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 26, 2007
1980
 
WOW! What it looks like when the UNION shows up for the battle
Messages: Show Message Summaries   (Group by Topic) Author Yahoo! ID Sort by Date v
1979
 
Pls Pay very close attention to this - Big Plan Stumbles
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 25, 2007
1978
 
 
Documentary Sun Night/Crime Rewards Rarely Paid/Posts are Needed
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 24, 2007
1977
 
Posts needed/What we need to be able to continue
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 23, 2007
1976
 
A Thanksgiving Prayer and a few Reasons Why I am Grateful today
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 22, 2007
1975
 
Sex Offender Law Overturned/Guard gets $1 mil/Green Plan helps Youth
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 21, 2007
1974
 
Suicide Season & Callous Bureaucrats/ Better Link to Torture Video
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 20, 2007
1973
 
CBS Catches Torture of US Prisoner on Video -Feature is shocking
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 19, 2007
1972
 
Press Advisory - Inmate killed - guards apparently arrested - war zo
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 19, 2007
1971
 
Jail inmate awarded $85K/Med Workers get big raise/Theresa Writes
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 17, 2007
1970
 
Nation Abuzz about Ghost at Gas Station & Chemtrail experiments?
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 16, 2007
1969
 
Our press release in the news/Pink moms & Green Men
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 15, 2007
1968
 
Press Advisory - Inmate death/Riot, stabbings - the usual
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 14, 2007
1967
 
Prison Guards Challenge the facts/Hip Hop Kids on the Move
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 13, 2007
1966
 
Border Patrol attacks mostly kids protesting/Fed inmate releases
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 13, 2007
1965
 
Sharpen Your Pen, - Guards mad as hell over court loss/Update
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 11, 2007
1964
 
Prisoner Wins Lawsuit Over Lockdown - Cruel & Unusual
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 11, 2007
1963
 
Human Bondage & Internment Camps increase profit 28%
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 9, 2007
1962
 
Journalists denied info/Women & children hurt/no access to legal lib
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 9, 2007
1961
 
Collateral Damage - Another family w/kids destroyed by Prop 83
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 8, 2007
1960
 
Federal sentencing reduction/Editors think problems are over
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 7, 2007
1959
 
Jerry Brown postures nonsense at summit/Term Limits/Back on Track
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 6, 2007
1958
 
Runner's launch another destructive initiative/Gov Vetoed Justice
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 6, 2007
1957
Lockdowns/no place to go for help/suffering before our eyes
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 5, 2007
1956
Sandy is Published/Another inmate death/Internment camp issues
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 4, 2007
1955
More MRSA/Governor' s record on public access/fed oversight
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 3, 2007
1954 Remember Pelican Bay and the SHU Torture B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 2, 2007
1953

Editors think problems are over

 

B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 2, 2007
1952
$21K Fine for not reporting Staph fast enough/Mentally Ill/News
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Nov 1, 2007
1951
Halloween Horror - Staph outbreak worsens at
 
 
Folsom/Arrests
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 31, 2007
1950 MRSA outbreak in Sac schools/Vanity Veto/Scary Fed Legislation B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 30, 2007
  Check All | Clear All  
^ 
Messages: Show Message Summaries   (Group by Topic) Author Yahoo! ID Sort by Date v
1949 Worse than Gitmo/Update on SVSP Package Rip-offs/Visitor Parking B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 29, 2007
1948
 
 with guards/Prof Berman re Cocaine/
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 27, 2007
1947
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 26, 2007
1946
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 25, 2007
1945 Prison slaves and guards sent from many prisons to fight fire B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 24, 2007
1944
 
 
Wake Up
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 22, 2007
1943
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 22, 2007
1942 Oct 22 Police Brutality Protests Nationwide/Your posts needed B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 21, 2007
1941
 
Bar Assoc. FINALLY clamps down a prosecutor/Med doctor speaks on inm
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 21, 2007
1940
 
 Bill/Judge Comments on Herald Series
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 20, 2007
1939
 
and empire building - what RU doing about
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 19, 2007
1938
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 18, 2007
1937
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 17, 2007
1936
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 17, 2007
1935
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 16, 2007
1934
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 16, 2007
1933
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 15, 2007
1932
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 13, 2007
1931
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 12, 2007
1930
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 11, 2007
1929
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 11, 2007
1928
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 10, 2007
1927
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 9, 2007
1926
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 8, 2007
1925
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 7, 2007
1924
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 6, 2007
1923
 
 
this cleaned up version now on the news wires B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 4, 2007
1922
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 4, 2007
1921
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 4, 2007
1920
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 4, 2007
1919 Go post at this link/letters from destroyed people rolling in B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 3, 2007
1918 Don't forget tonight at 7 pm PBS- Fall out of Prop 83 B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Oct 2, 2007
1917
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 30, 2007
1916
 
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 30, 2007
1915
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 30, 2007
1914
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 29, 2007
1913
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 28, 2007
1912
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 27, 2007
1911
 Against Parole, humane treatment of pris
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 26, 2007
1910
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 25, 2007
1909 Historic Federal Three Judge Panel to Hear Arguments Today on Prison B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 24, 2007
1908
 
ticking/Reformers say #1 block to reform is apathy
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 23, 2007
1907
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 22, 2007
1906
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 22, 2007
1905
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 21, 2007
1904
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 21, 2007
1903
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 20, 2007
1902
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 19, 2007
1901
 
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 19, 2007
1900
 
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 18, 2007
1899
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 14, 2007
1898 CDCR Public hearings on rules changes/Posts are needed B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 14, 2007
1897
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 13, 2007
1896
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 12, 2007
1895
 
 APPEAL OF PRISON PANEL CREATION
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 11, 2007
1894
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 11, 2007
1893
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 11, 2007
1892
 
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 9, 2007
1891
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 8, 2007
1890
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 7, 2007
  Check All | Clear All  
Messages: Show Message Summaries   (Group by Topic) Author Yahoo! ID Sort by Date v
1889 Updates on Rally/Gov & Law enforcement scaring public re Prison Cap B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 6, 2007
1888 I am working through my tears again.... B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 5, 2007
1887
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 5, 2007
1886
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 5, 2007
1885
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 4, 2007
1884
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 4, 2007
1883
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 2, 2007
1882
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 2, 2007
1881
 
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 2, 2007
1880
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 1, 2007
1879
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Sep 1, 2007
1878
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Aug 31, 2007
1877
B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Aug 31, 2007
1876 Let's Come up With our Rally Theme for the Flyer B. Cayenne Bird Offline Rightor1 Aug 30, 2007
1875 Nurses U