Abuse Red Onion Prison Continues

Dear Fed Up! Community:

We were alerted Sunday evening (March 16) to a report of assault at Red Onion State Prison targeting Fed Up! co-founder Kevin "Rashid" Johnson #185492. Last Thursday, fellow prison advocates received a letter from another prisoner at ROSP stating the following:

"I am writing to you concerning a situation with Rashid. The police set him up today. Gassed his cell numerous times and did a cell extraction on him after they got him down on the floor, they punched him in the face and pulled his hair."

Fed Up! is asking our community to mobilize itself in defense of Rashid. In his time at Wallens Ridge and Red Onion State Prison the last several years, Rashid has documented and exposed countless cases of physical abuse, medical neglect, abuses of power, and the white supremacist ideology that dominates prison life at Red Onion. His struggle to expose conditions of torture and organize prisoners and advocates to fight for human rights have not been without grave risk, however, and Rashid has been subject to physical abuse, including assault with chemical and electro-shock weapons.

Because of Rashid's tireless efforts to expose conditions at Red Onion any assault on him can only be understood as a deliberate attempt to punish those who resist abuse and silence the voices of prisoners.

Please call and express your concern about the alleged assault of Rashid last week. Remind Warden Tracy Ray that he is responsible for actions of his staff and ultimately accountable for the health and safety of all prisoners in his custody. Please contact his superiors at the DOC and the Governor's office to alert them to yet another allegation of violent abuse.

Warden Tracy Ray of ROSP – 276-796-7510
Director of the Department of Correction, Gene Johnson – 804-674-3000
Special Investigations Unit – 804-674-3023 (DOC unit that is supposed to investigate these things)
The VA Governor Tim Kaine – 804-786-2211

We understand that we are only receiving one side of the story. Because Prison Staff has every ability to cover up their tracks, because they are the ones in the position of power, because the prisoner is always assumed guilty, and because the prisoners' story seldom is told we believe it is important to give voice to this side of the story.

Human Rights Coalition, Fed Up! Chapter