ANDRE JACOBS - Human rights defender and jailhouse lawyer under attack

Contact: Bret Grote, HRC-Investigator - hrcfeup@gmail.com 412.654.9070

The Human Rights Coalition-Fed Up! has received 4 affidavits stating that Andre Jacobs, a Pennsylvania state prisoner in solitary confinement, has been physically abused, issued death threats, denied medical treatment, called racial slurs, and had his legal property illegally withheld and confiscated by prison staff at SCI Huntingdon in the past week.

On January 3, 2011, prison guard Cook yelled out to prisoners on the solitary confinement unit, "You niggers are always complaining, we're about to turn it up!" He then told Andre, "We already know you file paperwork, file a grievance and you'll die here!"

On January 4, 2011, prison guard Cook told Andre, "We got a shitload of your legal mail out there. Either you sign an agreement to not try to sue about yesterday or you're not getting it. That's per Lt. Taylor and approved by Wakefield and Eckard [ranking staff]." After other prisoners spoke out, Andre was given some-but not all-of his legal mail.

On January 6, 2011, guard Uzenski made obscene comments when conducting a visual strip-search prior to escorting Mr. Jacobs to a physical. When Andre requested to see a Lt., Uzenski grabbed his arm, which was still in the door slot, and the other guard present slammed his arm in the slot, causing an abrasion. Uzenski said, "You got a problem with me looking at your f***ing c**k?! I'll break you f***ing neck, nigger!" Mr. Jacobs was deprived a physical examination as a consequence, which he has been waiting on for 3 years.

In 2008, Mr. Jacobs was awarded $185,000 in a lawsuit against the PA Department of Corrections (DOC) in which he represented himself. Andre has been held in solitary confinement since 2001, when he filed his first lawsuit at age 19. He is now 28 years old.

Since that victory he has been transferred to three different prisons, repeatedly assaulted, attacked with electro-shock and chemical weaponry, strapped to the "restraint chair" for 18 hours at a time, held naked in a cell without property for 7 days on multiple occasions, deprived of food and water, and subject to other human rights violations. Andre has also been issued dozens of fabricated misconducts in order to keep him buried alive in solitary confinement.

The PA DOC has been made aware of these criminal violations on multiple occasions and have taken no action to hold perpetrators accountable.

Andre has recently filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the Middle District of Pennsylvania over these acts of torture, naming more than 100 DOC and state law enforcement agents as defendants.

Acting Secretary Shirley Moore-Smeal, the first African-American woman to head the DOC, along with SCI Huntingdon Superintendent have been made aware of these human rights violations.

Human Rights Coalition-Pittsburgh
FedUp! Chapter
hrcfedup@gmail.com
http://hrcoalition.org
Posted by Prison Watch International
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aygj7MTsdbk