[1792] in peace2
Jaoudat Abouazza court date June 27
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Julia Steinberger)
Mon Jun 24 14:59:58 2002
Message-Id: <200206241859.OAA16140@biohazard-cafe.mit.edu>
To: peace-announce@MIT.EDU, act-ma@igc.topica.net
cc: answerboston@iacboston.org
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 14:59:38 -0400
From: Julia Steinberger <julias@MIT.EDU>
WHERE: JFK Federal building, Govt Center on the Green line
WHEN: Thursday June 27, Meet at noon
WHAT: First INS hearing for Jaoudat Abouazza
BOSTON-June 21, 2002
A court date has been set for Jaoudat Abouazza, a Palestinian activist
and Canadian citizen, arrested on traffic charges in Cambridge on May
30, and who has since been held under incredibly brutal conditions in
the INS Bristol County jail.
The court date will be Jaoudat's first INS hearing, and will be held
on Thursday June 27 at 1 PM in the JFK Federal Building at Government
Center. A rally will be held at noon beforehand. Please come and bring
your friends! Ahmed Bensouda (a Chicago-based Palestinian activist
arrested the same day as Jaoudat) was released on bail Friday, and a
large factor in the judge's decision was the large community support.
More information will be available at
http://www.iacboston.org/answer
However, here are few recent facts.
Jaoudat has not yet been seen by a doctor, even though 1 of the 4
teeth that were forcibly removed was not removed all the way, and he
is in considerable pain. However, due to pressure from the Canadian
Consulate and the ACLU, he is now receiving antibiotics and pain
medication. A dentist who attempted to visit Jaoudat on Saturday was
turned away, the prison guards claimed that someone else had already
come to visit Jaoudat. This mysterious visitor is unknown of the
defense committee or Jaoudat's family, and we suspect was there only
to prevent Jaoudat from being seen by a qualified medical person.
Moreover, Joudat is not alone in his detention or special
treatment. Indeed, his case is probably the exception: his friends
were present at his arrest, and were able to keep track of him as he
went into INS detention. Who knows how many people were swept up in
Massachusetts in this last raid? And who knows where they are now, and
in what conditions? The INS has the power to ship people all over the
country at will.
Another fact that has come to light is that the director of the
Bristol County jail is Sheriff Thomas "chain-gang" Hodgson, who
brought chain gangs back to Massachusetts in 1999. The jail phone
number is (508) 995-6400 if you feel like talking to him about what a
great job you think he's doing with your tax dollars. Sheriff Hodgson
has personally called Jaoudat Abouazza's supporters to intimidate them
and silence them. If he has nothing to hide (very unlikely), he has
nothing to fear. And if he has something to be ashamed of, such as
brutalizing inmates, he had better start making amends soon, starting
with providing real healthcare instead of torture.
Julia
PS here is a fun article about Sheriff Hodgson. Remember, as tax
payers, this man is your employee.
March 9, 2002 Boston Herald
Single room, no amenities, just $ 5 a day, bars included
By DOUG HANCHETT
Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson, known for his controversial jail
reforms, has hatched another plan sure to drawn fire from inmate
advocates: making prisoners pay for their three hots and a cot.
In three months Bristol County will begin charging prisoners a $
5-per-day administrative fee aimed at blunting the blow from a $ 4
million budget cut and giving them a taste of the real world.
"If they've got money to buy things from the canteen, they have money
to pay their own way," said Hodgson. "Inmates need to learn
responsibility. They have to be accountable just like everyone
else. They shouldn't be inflation or recession free." Bristol County's
average daily prisoner count is 970, with most hitches lasting
anywhere from seven to 10 months. Last year 11,000 prisoners came
through its system.
The average cost to house a prisoner for a year is $ 23,000, Hodgson
said. By charging prisoners $ 35 a week, Hodgson said he can raise $
1.7 million in revenue to offset other budget cuts.
While there is no way for prisoners to generate an income while behind
bars, Hodgson said most come in with money that is put into an account
that they can use to pay for things from the commissary.
The $ 5-a-day payments would be deducted automatically from an
inmate's account.
Hodgson has been blasted by inmates rights advocates for some of his
other measures, which critics have called draconian. In addition to
bringing back chain gangs, he also charges inmates for haircuts,
medical care and even "cab fare" when they have to be transported
somewhere.
But he said the time has come for repeat offenders not to view jail
time as a way to "kick back" for a few months, free from worrying
about bills and other normal responsibilities.
"My critics, frankly, are largely responsible for why we have problems
in prisons across this country," said Hodgson. "They've enabled these
(prisoners) to
continue in these cycles of dysfunction.
"Hey, this is the real world. Don't try to protect or hide (inmates)
from it. Prisons have failed inmates across the country by giving
them everything for free."
