San Quentin News WRITTEN BY THE INCARCERATED-ADVANCING SOCIAL JUSTICE VOL. 2020 NO. 45 September/October 2020 Edition 129 SAN QUENTIN, CALIFORNIA 94964 www.sanquentinnews.com POPULATION 3,010 The #STOPSANQUENTINOUTBREAK coalition break in a podcast interview with of Re:Store justice, a justice advo- Brie Williams of the Geriatrics cacy organization. and Palliative (GeriPal) Care blog. Abercrombie is a singer/song- “Physical distancing is impos- writer whose music can be heard sible in prison and jail,” said Khan on the Fox Sports documentary Q- on the broadcast. “They’re not Ball and the San Quentin podcast built for it. Walkways three feet Ear Hustle. wide. Bunk beds where you can In July the #STOPSANQUEN- feel all your neighbors’ breath TINOUTBREAK coalition move- ment reached the gates of the prison. Chants of “Free Them All” and banners calling for ac- “There must be space tion waved in the background. The coalition held a press conference in society for the that included these elected offi- humanity of every cials: State Sen. Scott Wiener, D- San Francisco; Assemblymembers single person”. Marc Levine, D-San Rafael; and Ash Kalra, D-San Jose. Some of the officials called for “To compound the issue, prison- a continued monitoring of the ers are afraid that if they get sick COVID-19 outbreak inside Cali- they will be put in The Hole (soli- fornia prisons. “We must sustain tary confinement). So they don’t attention here at San Quentin and admit when they’re sick,” Khan at every facility where people are and Abercrombie added. “The ma- sentenced for time and locked up jor response should be decarcera- across the state of California,” tion. Reduce the crowding in our said Assemblymember Levine. overcrowded correctional facili- “We must sustain this attention ties.” because unfortunately COVID-19 Since returning home, the pair is not going away, so we can’t let has worked tirelessly to bring our guard down.” File Photo awareness to the community. San Quentin’s COVID-19 out- Participants in front of the prison’s main gate “Many people think of prisons break ballooned to more than as disconnected from society, like 2,000 positive cases and the death By Marcus Henderson reduction in the incarcerated rate King paroled from San Quen- a cruise ship,” said Khan. “But for of 26 prisoners and one correc- Editor-in-Chief is necessary for public health tin in December after being found every two people in a correctional tional officer. safety,” said James King, former suitable for release by the Board of facility, there’s about one person Activists and family members Major protests, media appear- San Quentin resident, member of Parole Hearings. King worked as a who works in the facility and lives are calling for release of those ances and a growing social media the Ella Baker Center for Human lead clerk for the Prison Universi- in a community. The workers are incarcerated to make it easier to campaign are being led by former Justice, and state campaigner for ty Project, the institution’s college bringing out whatever they’ve control the spread of the virus in- San Quentin prisoners, families of the Oakland-based organization, program. been exposed to in prison.” side the prison, and bringing the the currently incarcerated, prison #STOPSANQUENTINOUT- Adnan Khan and Eric “Maser- Khan and Abercrombie pro- medical care within the system reform advocates and some gov- BREAK. ati-E” Abercrombie, two former duced short films and public ser- into compliance with the consti- ernment officials. The campaign is “not just for San Quentin residents, took to the vice announcements through First- tutional standards that were court- “We (the coalition) continue to people inside the prison but people airwaves via social media and ra- Watch, a film-making program at mandated. agree with public health experts outside of prison,” King contin- dio. Both men bought awareness San Quentin before paroling. who have said that at least a 50% ued. to the prison’s COVID-19 out- Khan is the executive director See STOP from Page 4 CDCR and how they’re SQ’s Sgt. G. Polanco handing the global pandemic passes from COVID-19 By Rahsaan Thomas ness as just one example. “Also, outbreak caused when officials Contributing Writer before I would do that, I would be transferred infected men from looking at the empty housing units one prison to two others. The pur- California prison officials are that do exist within CDCR and pose of the hearing was to review doing everything they can to pro- maximized zones to reduce density CDCR’s plans to prevent further tect incarcerated people from at institutions.” spread. Coronavirus outbreaks, except re- Diaz as well as Clark Kelso, the Senate committee members, lease half the population. federal receiver over CDCR health activists, healthcare experts, and “What we are not going to do is care for incarcerated people, spoke state assembly members Marc make a bad situation worse,” said at the California Senate Public Levine and Ash Kalra lined up to Ralph Diaz, Secretary of the Cali- Safety Committee Meeting July 7. have their say and get their ques- fornia Department of Corrections The meeting, chaired by State tions answered. and Rehabilitation (CDCR) at a Senator Nancy Skinner, was initi- Levine called for accountability; recent hearing. He cited homeless- ated to review the Corona virus Senator Scott Wiener said that if the state wants to control the virus, it will have to reduce the prison Due to the COVID-19 outbreak in San Quentin, San Quentin population Senator Hannah-Beth Jack- News had to temporarily suspend production of the newspa- son was so concerned about the per and Wall City magazine. We are currently working on the situation, she questioned whether best practices to bring you a quality paper that meets the administration’s CDCR saw incarcerated people as protocols. Our voices truly matter and it’s important to keep human. In his opening remarks Diaz out- our families and our incarcerated communities informed. Photo courtesy of CDCR lined the efforts CDCR has taken to Sgt. G. Polanco We thank our readers and supporters for your patience. You prevent Coronavirus outbreaks (see all know the challenges of working from within the prison. sidebar) and he responded to Sena- San Quentin News would like to give a special thanks to Warden Ron tor Jackson’s remark about whether By Marcus Henderson to this deadly disease. Polanco be- CDCR viewed incarcerated people Editor in Chief came the first correctional officer Broomfield and CDCR Headquarters for giving as human: “…that’s the farthest to die of the illness at San Quentin. SQ News the opportunity to re-launch in these trying times. from the truth. We care about in- Sad news: West Block has lost The daily interactions between We thank our advisers, volunteers and former staff members who mates, we care about staff.” another guiding light. On Sunday guards and prisoners are always have returned home and continue to work to produce this pa- By May of this year, there were August 9, Sergeant G. Polanco died complex: from the hardliners (on hundreds of positive COVID-19 from coronavirus. Polanco, 55, a both sides) who view each other per. We we would not be able to do this without you all. cases at the California Institution West Block unit Sergeant, is among with disdain, to the humane, who This pandemic has caused all of us to find new ways to move forward. So for Men at Chino, a prison in South- the growing death list in our San try not to lose their true selves in we thank you again for your patience.-Marcus Henderson ern California. Quentin community. this environment. We have lost 26 of our incarcer- See COVID from Page 5 ated peers, friends and associates See POLANCO from Page 6 Page 2 SAN QUENTIN NEWS www.sanquentinnews.com September/October 2020 San Quentin News is written and produced by prisoners. We are supported solely by grants and donations from the outside community. To make a tax-deductible donation, visit our website at: sanquentinnews.com or send a check or money order payable to: Social Good Fund/"Friends of San Quentin News," P.O. Box 494, San Quentin, CA 94964 Thank you for your support!! UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Graduate School of Journalism AroundSkid Row Runningthe Club inWorld the Ecuadorian Amazon giving a shout out to their running friends th in the 1000 Mile Club-October 5 , 2019 Photo courtesy of Melissa Arcaro September/October 2020 SAN QUENTIN NEWS www.sanquentinnews.com Page 3 Survivor describes his struggles battling COVID-19 By Alfred King distance themselves, and had been virus-free and the City, where he was placed longer infected, though he after losing 30 pounds and Journalism Guild Writer who face unclean living men were quarantined with in a special Intensive Care still suffered from a variety cannot stand for longer than conditions and poor health- no infections; within a short Unit for people from San of symptoms. a couple of minutes. The Covid-19 outbreak care delivery. time, thousands of men and Quentin. There he saw a lot Dr. Coleen Kivlahan, As harsh as the virus was at San Quentin has caused numerous guards had it. of guys he knew from the head of primary care at on him, he is glad to have the death of 26 prisoners Jeffrion’s first symptoms prison. the University of Califor- survived, thinking back to and one guard. Ron Lee Jef- were the loss of taste and He was not allowed to nia San Francisco, sees some of the guys he saw at frion, 55, is a survivor of the “I’m lucky to smell, followed by extreme notify his family that he up to 20 patients like Jef- Seton Hospital who did not outbreak.