“I’ve not seen this extreme level of total denial of environmental stimulation and solitary confinement anywhere else in my 35 years of confinement.”
Rashid needs your support.
| Longtime Prison Radio correspondent and Red Onion whistleblower Kevin “Rashid” Johnson has just spent months in solitary confinement and was moved a few days ago into the general population of South Carolina’s Perry Correctional Institute. When We Fight, We Win, and this release from the hole is a result of Rashid’s unwavering commitment to exposing injustices from the inside and the unrelenting calls and emails from his supporters demanding his release from solitary. In May, Rashid was violently transferred to South Carolina in an attempt to silence his reporting. This transfer can only be seen as punishment for speaking up about the unconstitutional abuses taking place at Red Onion State Prison. While being held he was denied outside communication, legal mail, and basic medical care. Those in South Carolina prisons can be held in solitary 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The methods by which SC practices solitary confinement are officially classified as torture under international law by the United Nations. |
| Rashid recently detailed the abuse that those in solitary at Perry are experiencing: They are confined to small, cold cells where bugs, spiders, and mice crawl over them. They are not allowed outside, there is no view of outside the cell, and no fresh air. They are not allowed any personal property or books to read. The food is disgusting and the portions are insufficient, everyone complains about hunger pains. On the weekends they often go 20 hours in between dinner and breakfast. Prisoners are routinely gassed and beaten by guards, sometimes they’re hogtied and left naked in empty cells for hours on end. Withholding food, medications, and showers is a common form of punishment and control. |
| Rashid Still Needs Medical Attention: After weeks of Rashid and his supporters demanding he receive medical care, the prison dentist gave him an x-ray which confirmed he has an abscess in one tooth and another tooth that is broken. If untreated, the infection can spread to other parts of the body and cause sepsis and necrotizing fasciitis, which can lead to death. After still being denied proper medical treatment, Rashid resorted to lancing and draining the abscess on his own, using soap and water. His first attempt was unsuccessful and has resulted in major swelling of his lip and face. He plans to try again using salt water now that he is back in the general population. |
| WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP: Rashid urgently needs medical attention and is calling on his supporters to demand that he receives the care he needs. Please call the following two numbers and demand he receive medical attention: SCDOC Medical Services: (803) 896-8547 VADOC Medical Services: (804) 887-8118 Sample message: Hello, my name is ___ and I’m calling about Kevin “Rashid” Johnson – SCDC #397279 / VADOC #1007485. He has repeatedly suffered various forms of abuse at Perry Correctional Institute and is being denied medical care. He currently has a dangerous abscess on his tooth and I am calling to request that he immediately be given the proper medical treatment and that he be given access to phone calls, emails, and his personal belongings. |
| Use the link above from UPROAR to email and call all the decision makers responsible for the abuse Rashid and many others across SCDOC and VADOC facilities are facing. |
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