JUSTICE FOR THE
DALLAS 5
PACK THE COURTROOM
December 9, 2013
9:00 am
Luzerne County Courthouse
200 N. River St
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711
Judge Lisa Gelb
In
April 2010, at SCI Dallas (PA), after a series of abuses at the hands of
corrections officials, 6 prisoners housed in the solitary confinement unit
decided they had enough and decided to stage a protest in response to the
inhumane conditions and mistreatment of prisoners. Each prisoner involved in
the protest is now collectively referred to as the Dallas 5. They
are Andre Jacobs, Carrington Keys, Anthony Locke, Duane Peters and Derrick
Stanley. They peacefully covered their cell windows and barricaded their doors
to protect themselves from harm after guards began beating prisoners one by
one. They asked for an outside official to come into the prison and mediate
between the inmates and guards, who were abusing prisoners. Instead of receiving this mediation by an
outside official, guards attacked the Dallas 5 with pepper spray, Tasers, and
their fists.
For peacefully
demonstrating for an end to human rights abuses, these men suffered retaliation
and criminal charges of riot. Contrary
to the charges, these men did not incite riot. They did not cause or create riot!
They had no ability to do so within a single cell solitary confinement
unit! These same men contributed to the
Human Rights Coalition report which detailed ongoing abuses and human rights violations
within the dungeons of this state and especially at SCI Dallas. These charges are
inappropriate; non-violent protests are always handled through internal
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections disciplinary actions not criminal court.
As
revealed in the Human Rights Coalition report and before the House of
Representatives, there has long been a policy within the prison walls of Dallas
and the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) to operate a corrupt
administration under an iron wall of silence. Under this code of silence, SCI Dallas, PA
DOC, District Attorney’s Office, Attorney General’s Office as well as the
Pennsylvania State Police operates in participation and conjunction with one
another to cover up crimes and misconduct by overlooking video footage of
officers, the real criminals, committing human rights violations. The guards should be on trial and not the
Dallas 5.
