Category: action

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March 2018 call in campaign

Email Commissioner Turco:

click here to copy template and compose email

 

Call in script

(please see talking points below to help you get ready for calling)

Hi, my name is [name] and I live in [town/state].

I’m calling about the toxic water crisis in MA state prisons. As a concerned citizen/friend/family member of a prisoner in MA, I demand that the DOC provide immediate access to free, clean, safe, sufficient, and healthy water to all MA prisoners and until that is provided — 6 free bottles of water per day, with backpay for water bought at canteen since January 2011.

Given the disproportionate incarceration of people of color, the statewide toxic water situation can only be described as environmental racism causing a public health crisis.

I’m following up on the plans to build a water treatment plant, when will that be completed? Where is it located? How will you be addressing sediment and erosion in the pipes after the plant is completed? Will prisoners who have had to buy water for themselves be repaid?

Thanks for your time.


[note their response, and fill out our web form saying you called]

 

Thomas Turco:   (508) 422-3330
Fax:            (508) 422-3385

 

Talking points:

If they say…

“The water is clean and safe” – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Norfolk Inmate Council, Boston Globe, and [other sources] have all highlighted elevated levels of manganese, iron/rust, sediment, and other contaminants in nearly half or more water samples at MCI Norfolk, while public health experts and prisoner accounts  indicate such problems are widespread in MA facilities

“We’re already building it” – Yes, some movement has been made ostensibly to construct a new facility. They were ordered to do this 6 years ago, so everyone is understandably skeptical. Demand that they accelerate the progress. This delay has already caused innumerable health problems and is killing folks inside [see: top images in gallery].

“We’re not racist” – Regardless of intent or personal beliefs, the fact that the MA DOC’s prisoner population is over 25% Black and over 50% people of color when Black people make up less than 8% state population, and people of color less than 20%,, then deprives them of their health, safety, voting rights, and more through poor facilities, bad food, solitary confinement, inadequate health care, etc maliciously targets people of color and their communities.

“It’s not possible” – we know the DOC is capable of providing free bottled water to prisoners. This was done as recently as June 2017 after the release of the Boston Globe article; our demand is entirely reasonable.

“Where did you hear about this?” – #DeeperThanWater coalition outreach, the Boston Globe, Spare Change News, etc

For news sources: see our press page.

 

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Email and Call-in Scripts

On this #HumanRightsDay, Sunday, December 10, 2017, #DeeperThanWater is asking you to join us in flooding the email inbox of Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) Commissioner Thomas Turco to demand clean and safe water for everyone incarcerated in Massachusetts. And then follow up Monday, December 11, 2017 with a call-in campaign.

 

Email template for Commissioner Turco:

click here to copy template and compose email

Commissioner Thomas Turco,
 Department of Correction
 Thomas.Turco@MassMail.State.MA.US

I am writing to follow up on a letter that was mailed to you on November 28, 2017 regarding the urgent needs of prisoners currently held in Massachusetts prisons, by members of the #DeeperThanWater Coalition. To date, no reply has been received. As has been expressed numerous times by prisoners, public health and environmental experts – and at times even those employed by the DOC – the water at MCI-Norfolk and surrounding facilities represents a fundamental failure of the Department to live up to its most basic mandate.

We know that the DOC also considers the water to be dangerous, reflected by your provision of bottled water to employees and millions of dollars allocated but unspent for the overhaul of the plumbing system. We demand that you release a portion of these funds immediately to provide prisoners with the relief outlined in #DeeperThanWater‘s letter: the equivalent of 6 16.9oz bottles of water per day and back pay to all prisoners who have bought the overpriced water since January 1, 2011. We also want to make sure that you and your officers know that the public is watching; the ongoing retaliation against prisoners inside for talking to the public is an unacceptable act of despotism that must end now. For as long as prisoners are being targeted for standing up for their basic human rights, you will continue to hear from us.

Signed,

[your name]
 #DeeperThanWater

 

Email template for Governor Baker

coming soon

Call in scripts

 

Hi, my name is [name] and I live in [place].

I’m calling because last week you received a letter from the Deeper Than Water coalition demanding that the Massachusetts Department of Correction effectively and immediately address the ongoing water crisis in its facilities by providing all state prisoners with clean, safe, sufficient, and healthy water within health standards, and until that is accomplished, provide 6 bottles of water per day to all affected prisoners at no cost, and provide them back pay for all water bought at commissary from January 2011 through the present.

DEP reports and prisoner accounts show the DOC has known about this problem for years. Neglecting the health and safety of MA state prisoners, who are disproportionately people of color, is environmental racism.

Will you commit to this course of action and not retaliate against prisoners through lockdowns, solitary confinement, and cutting off phone access and other resources?

Thanks for your time.

[note their response, and fill our web form saying you called]

 

Thomas Turco:   (508) 422-3330
Bruce Gelb:     (508) 422-3495
Charlie Baker:  (617) 725-4005

Talking points:

If they say…

“The water is clean and safe” – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Norfolk Inmate Council, Boston Globe, and [other sources] have all highlighted elevated levels of manganese, iron/rust, sediment, and other contaminants in nearly half or more water samples at MCI Norfolk, while public health experts and prisoner accounts  indicate such problems are widespread in MA facilities

“We’re not racist” – Regardless of intent or personal beliefs, the fact that the MA DOC’s prisoner population is over 25% Black and over 50% people of color when Black people make up less than 8% state population, and people of color less than 20%,, then deprives them of their health, safety, voting rights, and more through poor facilities, bad food, solitary confinement, inadequate health care, etc maliciously targets people of color and their communities.

“It’s not possible” – we know the DOC is capable of providing free bottled water to prisoners, this was done as recently as the June 2017 after the release of the Boston Globe article; our demand is entirely reasonable.

“Where did you hear about this?” – #DeeperThanWater coalition outreach, the Boston Globe, Spare Change News, etc

For news sources: see our press page.

 

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Letter to Commissioner Thomas Turco

Thomas A. Turco III
Office of the Commissioner
Central Headquarters
50 Maple Street, Suite 3
Milford, MA 01757-3698

Dear Commissioner Turco,

We call on you today to immediately and effectively address the environmental crisis in MA prisons. As you know from multiple Department of Environmental Protections (DEP) orders, there is a longstanding toxic water problem at MCI Norfolk; we also know from prisoner accounts and further reports that toxic, unhealthful water is a widespread problem in many of our state prisons.

Therefore, the #DeeperThanWater coalition calls upon you to immediately provide all MA prisoners with clean, safe, sufficient, and healthy water within health standards. Until that is accomplished, we demand that prisoners be provided 6 bottles of water per day at no cost, and receive back pay for all water bought at commissary from January 2011 through the present.

The MA DOC’s failure to address this environmental crisis statewide is an example of environmental racism, demonstrating a blatant disregard for the health of communities of color. The public health implications of incarceration and fundamentally racist nature of prisons and police indict this outdated institution. Below, we offer you a path to addressing the immediate crisis and the problems of incarceration in MA:

  1. Immediate provision of clean, safe, sufficient, and free water for drinking and daily use to all prisoners in MA
    1. Unless and until DOC provides clean, safe, sufficient, and free water re-institute furlough programs and/or release all affected prisoners
    2. Ensure the DOC complies with DEP orders to install a filtration system at the well, and take additional measures to ensure clean, sufficient, safe, and free water at the tap.
  2. Immediate end to solitary confinement and similar practices, to allow those prisoners access to clean, safe, sufficient, and free water
  3. Release all prisoners in affected prisons who are held on bail.
  4. Reduce the population of MCI Norfolk and other all MA prisons to originally intended levels, without building more prisons.
  5. End life without parole sentences that in particular subjugate elderly and disabled prisoners to a lifetime of environmental and health hazards.
  6. Restore voting rights to all prisoners in MA
  7. Begin to dismantle all prisons in MA and reallocate funding to addiction recovery programs, mental health services, education, housing, and job assistance.

We will continue to work for the freedom of our people, and look forward to your cooperation.

Sincerely,

 

Emancipation Initiative Showing Up for Racial Justice Boston
Black and Pink Boston Party for Socialism and Liberation
Young Abolitionists The City School
Jericho Boston Toxics Action Center
Black Lives Matter Boston ANSWER Coalition

 

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