Ohio Super Max Hunger Strike Update

Contact:
RedBirdPrisonAbolition@gmail.com
Phone: 330-333-0826

June 14th, 2012, Youngstown OH- Two weeks after the hunger strike
that began on May Day at Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) one man named
Cornelius Harris resumed hunger striking on his own because of slow
progress on the realization of striker's demands. Mr Harris refused
more than 50 meals over at least 17 days. In a letter dated June 6th,
he was still refusing food and vowed to stay on until "a clear
picture is painted as to what changes will be made". A trusted
prisoner source has since confirmed that Mr. Harris resumed eating
after a meeting with Warden David Bobby.

It's unclear what changes have been made, but according to prisoners,
Warden Bobby has made changes. There have been reductions in
commissary prices, and there is a state-wide investigation into price
differences and over-charging. Level 5 B prisoners at OSP are still
separated from their visitors by bullet-proof glass, but are no
longer required to wear handcuffs during visits. There is talk about
more frequent and meaningful security review assessments.

During the hunger strike, Mr. Harris was transferred to the hole and
had his property destroyed in a cell search. Correctional Officers
Dillon and Carl searched Mr Harris' cell and destroyed his
prescription glasses, family photos, address book, personal letters,
a manuscript, and personal hygiene items. According to Mr Harris'
letter, correctional officer Dillon justified the search by writing
three tickets claiming that Mr Harris threatened to stab him. Harris
says that cameras show Dillon standing in front of his cell "several
times, for several minutes, making sexual gestures, grabbing and
thrusting his crotch at me and making threatening movements at me".
He says the administration has acknowledged these videos, but won't
discipline Officer Dillon, throw out the conduct reports, or
reimburse Harris for the destroyed property.

Harris also described being the target of harassment and abuse by
Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) guards in the past. An article and open
by Mr Harris are available at RedBirdPrisonAbolition.org.

Warden David Bobby has refused to give the public information about
Mr. Harris' hunger strike and told supporters on June 4th that there
were no hunger strikes happening at OSP, which is contradicted by Mr
Harris' June 6th letter. June 6th is also the day that another level
5 prisoner, Jason Robb started a hunger strike at OSP demanding
transfer to death row at Chillicothe Correctional.

Another OSP prisoner, who chose to remain anonymous, describes
dissatisfaction with the hunger strike. He says he remembers when
"the goal used to be to shut this place down, now it's starve
yourself to make it comfortable". He wants to see a process or
"method that is taken serious" for dealing with quality of life
issues, so people don't need to go on hunger strikes to get results.

Prisoners in Solitary Confinement in Ohio Stage Two-Week Hunger Strike

June 5, 2012 Solitary Watch

by Hannah Taleb

 

Recent hunger strikes at supermax prisons Virginia and California have gained a lot of public attention, but they are a part of a larger movement of hunger strikes in solitary confinement units across the nation. A less publicized strike occured at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown last month and lasted for over two weeks. All of the prisoners on strike were held in the highest levels of security in the Ohio state prison system–levels 4 and 5.  Prisoners at these levels are held in 7 x 11-foot solitary confinement cells, many for 23 hours a day. The strike swelled to include 48 prisoners missing at least nine meals in a row.

The two primary demands of the strike were for lower commissary prices and for a more transparent security level classification process. In conjunction with a lowering of commissary prices, which can be set up to a 35 percent mark-up, the striking prisoners were demanding an increase in state pay, which currently is only $9 dollars a month.  The small food portions served at the prison force many prisoners to buy supplemental food from commissary at these unaffordable rates.  Other grievances included the lack of any enrichment programming as well as the inadequate medical care at OSP, which has declined sharply due to austerity cuts by the prison.

Security level classification at OSP is similar to many other solitary units, consisting of a “step-down” program with increased privileges with each decrease in security level.  Once a prisoner transitions from level 4 they are transferred to regular population at another prison. There are no set guidelines for how long prisoners can or should be held at each security level, and therefore there can be no oversight of the program.

Prisoners classified at the highest level of security, level 5b, are given only five hours of solo recreation per week, must wear handcuffs during visits and must be escorted any time out of cell.  Though prisoners at security level 5b are reviewed every 90 days, it is rare that any prisoner, including those who remain misconduct free, can expect to level down for at least a year.  Also, prisoners have called attention to the fact that recently the number of level 4 and 5 prisoners has increased from 270 to over 400 because the removal of death row prisoners from OSP left additional cells to fill.  One prisoner, writing to the Red Bird Prison Abolition group, wrote that “someone who used to be sent to the hole for 16 days, now might be dropped a level 4 to 5″ as a way to keep the units full.  Another grievance submitted by the striking prisoners referenced the increase in misconducts issued for petty violations, like not returning a food tray to the slot.

Warden David Bobby first met with representatives of the striking prisoners on May 2.  This meeting resulted in the warden setting up a committee to review commissary prices in comparison with other prisons. The Warden would meet with the representatives another time before the strike officially ended on May 8, with all striking prisoners eating by lunch that day. According to reports from reliable sources in contact with the those on the inside, striking prisoners found Warden Bobby to be “reasonable” at the negotiations, and most of their demands were met. The exact terms of the negotiations are still unclear.

Ohio State Penitentiary was opened in 1998 as a super maximum security prison as a response to what is known as the Lucasville Uprising–the 1993 prisoner rebellion at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, during which one guard was killed. Public outcry over the event was enough to justify the $65 million dollars in construction costs, and drastic increase in the state’s super maximum security level prisoners.

This most recent hunger strike at OSP was the second this year, the first taking place in February during the nationally coordinated “Occupy for Prisons” actions. Prisoners have stated that the strike this month was a direct response to demands in February not being met, specifically the demands for lower commissary prices.

Four prisoners, Siddique Abdullah Hasan, Keith LaMar, Jason Robb, and Namir Abdul Mateen, serving time at OSP after being charged for the Lucasville Uprising, also staged a hunger strike in January of 2011. The conclusion of that strike was the successful negotiation of demands pertaining to the incredibly harsh terms of their imprisonment, which included never being allowed to be in the presence of another prisoner. Their success has been cited as one of the inspirations for the hunger strike at Pelican Bay State Prison in California in June 2011.

Aside from previous strikes, the strike this month comes after almost two decades of attempts at reform at OSP, including a 2002 lawsuit, Wilkinson v. Austin, that went to the U.S. Supreme Court, and successfully won outdoor recreational facilities for all prisoners as ell as some expansion of review procedures. What has not changed is the practice of warehousing prisoners in long-term solitary confinement with little or no chance for release. In an Amicus brief for Wilkinson v. Austin, the ACLU described the conditions in which prisoners at OSP live:

High maximum security (Level 5) prisoners at OSP are locked in single cells except for approximately five one-hour periods per week. Each cell measures approximately 89.7 square feet, has a sink and toilet, a small desk, a concrete immovable stool, a narrow concrete slab with a thin mattress, and a narrow window to the outside that cannot be opened and that does not comply with the standards of the American Correctional Association.

Unlike cells in any other Ohio prison or even segregation unit, OSP has solid steel cell doors with metal strips along the sides and bottoms of the doors “that do not allow conversation with adjacent inmates.” ”The conditions at the OSP do not allow any amelioration of the prolonged isolation designed into the OSP’s structure.”…

Prisoners at OSP “have extremely limited contact with other individuals.” Phone calls can be made only to approved persons; an unsuccessful attempt may count as one of one or two ten-minute phone calls allowed per month. Any time prisoners leave their cellblocks, they are strip-searched, shackled and placed in full restraints, which include an uncomfortable “black box” that holds their hands in a rigid position. OSP inmates are strip-searched before and after visits even though physical contact with visitors, who are behind solid glass, is impossible.

No work assignments are offered other than one porter’s job in each pod. There are no educational programs beyond the GED level, which, the court found, reach the prisoner through closed-circuit TV and self-study workbooks, and offer no human contact. There are no vocational or jobreadiness programs. Prisoners are not permitted to share books, magazines, or other personal property. Prisoners may be punished if they save a piece of bread or a packet of sugar from a food tray for a snack at a later time, or place any photographs or other items on the cell walls.

Ohio Super Max Prisoner Resumes Hunger Strike

Contact: Ben Turk
Phone: 330-333-0826
Email: insurgent.ben@gmail.com

Sunday June 3rd, 2012, Youngstown- Last week Cornelius Harris, a
level 5 prisoner at Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) resumed the May Day
hunger strike, in protest of the warden's slow response to the
prisoner's demands. It is unknown when Mr. Harris began refusing
food, how many consecutive meals he has refused, and whether or not
other prisoners have joined Mr. Harris's hunger strike. OSP's warden,
David Bobby refused to comment or make any statement about Mr.
Harris's situation or condition, including how many meals he has refused.

Mr. Harris says that Warden Bobby has "found a way to twist this
hunger strike around to his favor by asking for more funding for
programs and material that a level 5 prisoner will never see". Mr.
Harris issued the following list of grievances.

- Warden Bobby has failed to keep his promise to address outrageously
high commissary prices.
- Lack of recreational material like exercise or sporting equipment,
even though there is money in an "I+E" fund earmarked for these materials.
- Low quality and lack of variety in television and movie programming.
- Phone calls, level 5 prisoners are demanding weekly phone calls to
home, rather than monthly.
- handcuffs on visits, prisoners are required to wear handcuffs in
front of visiting loved ones, even though they are separated by
bullet proof booths.

Up to 45 prisoners participated in a week long hunger strike from
Monday April 30 to Monday May 7th, in solidarity with the
international worker's holiday, May Day. According to Mr. Harris,
Warden Bobby has "breach[ed his] commitment" to the issues discussed
at the end of this hunger strike, so he has resumed striking and vows
"not to come off until everything pertaining to our issues are
addressed and resolved." Another prisoner, who knows Mr Harris has
stated that he's a very serious man, and will "most likely be on this
hunger strike for weeks". A full statement by Mr Harris can be found
at RedBirdPrisonAbolition.org. 

(http://www.redbirdprisonabolition.org/2012/06/statement-from-osp-hunger-striker.html).

The May Day hunger strike was the 2nd mass hunger strike at OSP this
year. Dozens of prisoners at Red Onion State Prison, Virginia's super
max prison are also currently on a hunger strike that started May
22nd. Last year thousands of prisoners in California's SHU and super
max prisons went on a series of hunger strikes protesting their
conditions and the gang debriefing process used by CDCR. There are an
estimated 20 to 25 thousand prisoners held in super max prisons
across the us. These prisons confine people for up to 23 hours a day
in single cells the size of the average bathroom, often for years on end.

Supporters of Mr. Harris can write him letters at the following address:
Cornelius Harris 525-945
Ohio State Penitentiary
878 Coitsville-Hubbard Rd
Youngstown, OH 44505

People can also call, email or write the Warden at the following addresses:
Warden David Bobby
Ohio State Penitentiary
878 Coitsville-Hubbard Rd
Youngstown, OH 44505
(330) 743-0700 ext. 2006
JoAnn.King@odrc.state.oh.us

OSP Hunger Strike Ends

May 10, 2012 Red Bird Prison Abolition

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012, Youngstown OH- OSP Hunger Strike Ends. After long negotiations with Warden David Bobby on Monday, May 7th, the hunger-striking prisoners at Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) began eating again. Two of the men held out through Tuesday, unsatisfied with the agreement. The warden met with them separately, and they agreed to come off the strike. Warden Bobby reported that "by lunch time today, everyone was eating." This was confirmed by two prisoner sources. 

At this point, details on agreements are unclear, but sources inside say that the hunger strikers are satisfied and feel they achieved results. One source described the demands and the Warden's response as "reasonable".  Without going into detail, the main concerns were in regards to commissary costs, state pay rates, phone costs, length of stay, and harsh penalties for petty conduct reports. The Warden said that he discussed "many things" at Monday's meeting with strike representatives, "many things beyond the main demands" but he would not share any of the details.

The strikers are resting and recovering, but have mailed detailed information to outside supporters at RedBird Prison Abolition, which will be released to the public as soon as possible. The Warden admitted that one of the hunger-strikers was transferred to disciplinary segregation for an unrelated rule infraction, but stated that there were no reprisals or punishments for participating. One prisoner source agreed with this statement. 

The hunger strike began on April 30th and was timed to align with May Day protests outside. Prisoners have stated an interest in "joining hands in struggle toward common goals" with protest and resistance movements like Occupy Wall Street.

Ohio State Penitentiary Hunger Strike Enters Second Week

May 9, 2012 RedBirdPrisonAbolition.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OSP Hunger Strike Enters Second Week.

Monday May 7th, 2011, Youngstown OH- Prisoners at Ohio State
Penitentiary (OSP) continue the hunger strike they started on Monday
April 30th, in solidarity with May Day.

The number of prisoners refusing food has fluctuated from 24 to 48
over the last week, as some prisoners joined late. Communication with
the super max prisoners has been limited since the beginning of the
strike, but a clear list of grievances and demands has emerged from
at least two sources.

The two primary demands are:
1. Improved commissary practices and increased state pay. The prison
commissary can set prices at up to 35% mark-up on basic necessities
like shampoo, food, and soap. These prices fluctuate unexpectedly,
and are often prohibitive to prisoners without outside support, as
state pay is only $9 a month.

2. A transparent and accountable security level classification
process. OSP houses level 4 and 5 prisoners, the highest security
level in Ohio. Once prisoners are classified at these levels and
transferred to OSP, there is no clear process for how they can reduce
their level and get transferred out of the facility. Prisoners can
spend years in OSP without any negative conduct reports and still
have no hope of their level being reduced.

Other grievances include:

1. Food portions and quality have been reduced due to austerity measures.

2. Inadequate medical care. Also due to austerity cuts, prison
officials have stopped send prisoners to outside treatment centers
for MRIs and EEGs unless their conditions are considered life
threatening. They also often ignore doctor recommendations for pain
medications.

3. Lack of enrichment programming. There are strict bans on many
books and movies, and the institutional television channel has little
variety. One prisoner said they run the same programs on a loop every
six months.

The two sources for these demands are an open letter written to the
local Youngstown paper, by prisoner Marcus Harris, and phone
conversations with a trusted anonymous source inside the prison. This
source also stated that at least one hunger striker has been punished
for his participation, sprayed with mace in his cell and sent to
disciplinary isolation. This report has not yet been confirmed.

Warden David Bobby met with hunger strike representatives for 3 hours
on Wednesday May 2nd. He says he will "continue to communicate with
the inmates and listen to their concerns". Thus far, the Warden has
called a committee to review commissary practices, comparing them
with other Ohio Institutions.

He says that the security level classification system is not uniform
because it takes the reasons a prisoner was transferred to OSP into
account. One prisoner source was familiar with this argument. He
described a situation where someone got sentenced to Level 5 at OSP
for 48 months or less. He got no negative reports for those 48
months, but was still denied a security transfer because of "the
reasons he was originally classified Level 5, but they already knew
that when the brought him in and told him it'd be 48 months or less".
This prisoner also said that consequences for petty conduct reports,
like refusing to cuff up or return a food tray, have recently
increased, "someone who used to be sent to the hole for 16 days, now
might be dropped a level from 4 to 5". He considers these changes an
attempt to keep OSP full of prisoners as "job security" for the
Warden and Officers.

The Warden said OSP currently has the most prisoners it has since it
opened in 1996. He also said the current hunger strike is the biggest
hunger strike since he became warden 4 years ago. It is also the
second hunger strike this year. In February, twenty-five prisoners
went on hunger strike for 3 days. Two major demands from that hunger
strike were: increased recreation time, to the court required minimum
of five hours a week, and improved commissary practices. The
recreation time demand was met, but the prisoners say the current
hunger strike "follows directly" from the neglected commissary demand
from February. The warden says he does not remember what the demands
in February were, and that the recreation schedule has changed
repeatedly since the transfer of death row from OSP to Chillicothe
last December.

Prisoner Mark Harris's letter ends: "in short, we are sensory
deprived, underfed, isolated with little to no movement, unable to
hug our children, family and friends, and we are stuck for an overly
extended period of time, with limited programming". He requests that
people use "whatever resources [they] have to help spread the word of
our cause, to call and check up on us and our health and also to look
into these matters".

Warden David Bobby 330-743-0700
ODRC Director Gary Mohr 614-752-1164

FBI Supplied the Anarchist “Terrorists” Arrested in May Day Plot

by Will Potter on May 1, 2012 Green is the New Red

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As the Occupy movement carries out massive May Day protests around the country, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task force is trumpeting the arrest of “self-proclaimed anarchists” and “terrorists” who allegedly conspired to destroy a bridge in Ohio. Integral to the development and advancement of this plot, however, were FBI agents themselves and an informant with a drug and robbery record.
Douglas L. Wright, 26; Brandon L. Baxter, 20; and Anthony Hayne, 35, Connor C. Stevens, 20, and Joshua S. Stafford, 23, were arrested by the FBI on April 30, just in time to make the announcement as the nation turns its attention to May Day protests.

The affidavit reveals a plot by the FBI that continues a pattern of behavior in “terrorism” investigations against political activists. Most importantly, undercover FBI agents helped shape the “plot,” offered advice on how and where to use explosives, and allegedly sold explosives to the activists.

Pervasive Use of Informants and Undercover FBI

The informant in the case has been working with the FBI since July 20, 2011, and has a criminal record including possession of cocaine, conviction for robbery, and four convictions for passing bad checks. (The FBI’s proclivity for using down-and-out criminals was a key issue in the “Operation Backfire” Earth Liberation Front cases. The lead arsonist and informant, Jacob Ferguson, had a heroin addiction, and is now back in prison on drug charges).

 

The informant and the others haphazardly talked about various plans, starting with the use of smoke grenades and destroying bank signs off the top of large buildings.

For instance, on April 10, 2012: ““…BAXTER explained that he does not know what to do with the explosives and he has never considered blowing anything up before.”

Conversation shifted to other outrageous plans. According to the affidavit, “WRIGHT joked that he would wear a suicide vest and walk in and blow himself up, but advised he would have to be very drunk.”

“The CHS [the informant] asked the others what it is they wanted to do… BAXTER said that they had never decided on the bridge, they were just throwing out options and they had never decided on anything.”

FBI Guidance

The defendants flitted between hyperbolic conversations -– some about destroying bank signs, some about destroying a boat, some about a bridge — and various spy tactics such as secret email accounts, wiping computer drives, and disrupting surveillance. At every step of the way, the informant (who was paid nearly $6,000, plus expenses) and undercover FBI agents were there to correct course.

At one point Wright asked the undercover FBI agent “if there was any work he could do… to pay for the items he was going to purchase” from the agent. Later, Connor Stevens told Wright that he no longer wanted to be part of the plan, but wanted to know if the informant might hire him to do some work on his house.

At another point, Wright told the informant that he and others thought one of the individuals involved was an undercover cop (which he was). To allay his fears, the informant said he would help provide the explosives.

Clamoring to Thwart “Terrorist Plots”

U.S. Attorney Dettelbach called this a violent terrorist plot, and said: “The defendants stand charged based not upon any words or beliefs they might espouse, but based upon their own plans and actions.”

What’s troubling is that the government has had a heavy hand in creating the very plot it thwarted.
And on top of that, the defendants, by the admission of the FBI, said repeatedly that they had no intention of harming anyone. At one point Baxter and Wright “stated they don’t want people to think they are terrorists.”

This isn’t an isolated instance.

The criminal complaint reads like the spitting image of the case of Eric McDavid, who was coaxed  by an undercover FBI operative named “Anna.” In that case, like this one, the FBI supplied bomb making recipes, bomb making materials, and attempts to distill activist boasting and hyperbole into a coherent plan.

McDavid did nothing, and was arrested on conspiracy charges, like these defendants have been. As readers of this site know, conspiracy charges are the fall-back for the government when there is not enough evidence to get anything else to “stick.”

Demonization of Anarchism

In addition to a continuation of undercover informants and FBI-manufactured plots, this case also reflects on on-going focus on demonizing anarchists.

The government’s press release proclaims that the defendants are “self-proclaimed anarchists.” The affidavit notes that they attended anarchist protests and carried anarchist flags.

The affidavit also says that the defendants talked about anarchists “rioting and destroying each city” that holds May Day protests, and that it will be “off the hook.”

Demonizing anarchists has gone one for over a century, of course, but in recent years the rhetoric has dovetailed with “War on Terrorism” hysteria.

For example, in Scott Demuth’s case, the government argued that: “Defendant’s writings, literature, and conduct suggest that he is an anarchist and associated with the ALF movement. Therefore, he is a domestic terrorist.”

In another case, the government sought a high cash bond against environmentalist Hugh Farrell because “the defendant has been observed advocating literature and materials which advocate anarchy.”

It should come as no surprise, then, that the announcement of these arrests was carefully unveiled yesterday, so that the top news story this May Day would not be about how anarchists are preventing home foreclosures, starting community gardens, teaching collective organizing skills, and re-framing class consciousness, but about how they were part of an FBI-guided “terrorist plot.”

Ohio Super Max Hunger Strike Continues and Expands

Thursday, May 3, 2012 Red Bird Prison Abolition

 According to a level 5 prisoner participating in the hunger strike at Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) there are forty-eight (48) prisoners who have refused nine meals and should be officially recognized as on hunger strike. Warden Bobby has not returned calls requesting information about the hunger strike.

The prisoner's demands include the following:
1. Lower commissary prices. One striker writes: "Commissary items are permitted to be marked up.to 35% above retail, while many of us receive only $8 a month."
2. No more indefinite terms. Prisoners on the highest security level at OSP (level 5) currently have little prospects for reducing their security level and increasing privileges. "We are taken in front of a privilege review board every 90 days, yet can expect no [increase in] privilege for a year or longer" the hunger striker says of prisoners on Level 5B. Men on Level 5A have a privilege level review every six months, but there has been no increase in their privileges in recognition of good conduct for some time.
3. Healthy and nutritious food. According to the hunger striker, "austerity cuts have allowed our food portions to be shortened."
4. Access to educational and enrichment materials. "There has recently been a major ban on books and music" the hunger striker said.

The hunger strike started on April 30th and was timed to coordinate in solidarity with May Day demonstrations and celebrations happening outside of prison. May Day is an international worker's day, commemorating the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago. The hunger strikers are asking supporters to call Warden David Bobby (330 743-0700) and ODRC director Gary Mohr (614-752-1164). They say they intend to continue on their hunger strike until their demands are met.

This is the second hunger strike at OSP this year. The first occurred on Feb 20th-23rd in solidarity with the Occupy movement's call for an "Occupy for Prisoners" day of action. That hunger strike ended with Warden Bobby, as well as officials from Central Office in Columbus, promising to increase recreation time to the court-mandated minimum as well as improve enrichment programming, food quality and commissary practices. Until recently Ohio State Penitentiary housed death row as well as the highest security level prisoners. When all but 6 death row prisoners were moved to Chillicothe, the number of Level 4 and 5 prisoners at OSP increased from 270 to over 400, and rec time was reduced to 3 or 4 hours per week. The court required minimum is 5 hours per week.

Yesterday, OSP officials confirmed that rec time has been increased. According to a unit manager and Warden Bobby's secretary, after recent changes, Level 4A prisoners receive 5 hours a day congregating with up to 8 other prisoners at a time. Most level 4B prisoners are allowed to rec in pairs, for 5 one hour and forty-five minute periods a week. All level 5 prisoners rec alone, most receive 5 one hour and fifteen minute periods per week. The four exceptions to this rule are Level 5 prisoners sentenced to death for alleged involvement in the Lucasville Uprising. These men are allowed 7 hours a week due to an agreement following a twelve day hunger strike they staged in January 2011. Recreation is the only time when any of the prisoners are allowed out of their 7' x 11' isolation cells.

Updated information about the hunger strike can be found at RedBirdPrisonAbolition.org and LucasvilleAmnesty.org.

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Monday April 30th: 25 Ohio Super Max Prisoners Start a Hunger Strike

. Today at least twenty five prisoners at Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) began a hunger strike. They are demanding that the Warden meet and negotiate with them for improved conditions in Ohio's super-max prison. These hunger strikers say they intend to continue to refuse food until their demands are met. Another, larger group of prisoners will show symbolic solidarity with the hunger strikers, and workers outside of prison by also refusing food on a one-day fast tomorrow, for May Day, the international day of worker solidarity and resistance.

Information about the hunger strike is limited at this time, because super-max prisoners have very constrained access to communication with the outside world. The hunger strikers are asking supporters of their cause to participate by calling Warden David Bobby (330 743-0700) and ODRC director Gary Mohr (614-752-1164). The hunger strikers are asking people to encourage Warden Bobby to meet with the prisoners and take their demands seriously.

This is the second hunger strike at OSP this year. The first occurred on Feb 20th-23rd in solidarity with the Occupy movement's call for an "Occupy for Prisoners" day of action. That hunger strike ended with Warden Bobby, as well as officials from Central Office in Columbus, promising to increase recreation time to the court-mandated minimum as well as improve enrichment programming, food quality and commissary practices. At this time, it is unclear if that promise was kept and what relationship, if any, the current hunger strike has with February's Occupy for Prisoners hunger strike.

Ohio State Penitentiary opened in 1998. It houses over 270 level 4 and 5 maximum security prisoners, and until recently also housed 116 of Ohio's death row prisoners. OSP was built in response to the 1993 uprising at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville.

Bridge bomb plot: 5 suspects arrested, charged with failed attempt to blow up the Ohio 82 bridge

May 01, 2012 By James F. McCarty, The Plain Dealer

 

  5 men arrested in Cleveland area bridge bomb plot Law enforcement officials arrested five men, Connor Stevens, Anthony Hayne, Brandon Baxter, Joshua Stafford, and Douglas Wright, for plotting to blow up the Ohio 82 bridge over the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The bridge also links Brecksville and Sagamore Hills. 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Self-proclaimed anarchists text messaged a four-digit code into a cellular phone Monday night, expecting to detonate eight packs of plastic explosives strapped to a concrete abutment of a much-traveled bridge spanning the Cuyahoga River, federal officials charged Tuesday.
The five men waited at an unspecified location near the Ohio 82 bridge between the suburban communities of Sagamore Hills and Brecksville, FBI agents said, hoping to hear the boom and watch the smoky collapse of the pillars.

But there was no explosion, no bridge collapse, and by Tuesday afternoon, the five men were in shackles and leg irons, appearing in U.S. District Court on federal terrorism charges that reference possible attacks on other landmarks, including Cleveland’s Federal Reserve Bank.

At a news conference, U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach identified the men as members of a radical fringe of the Occupy Cleveland group, a national movement formed to protest corporate greed and home foreclosures.

Dettelbach said all evidence points to the five suspects acting alone, without the sanction of other mostly non-violent Occupy members.

“Let me be clear, the FBI and Department of Justice are not conducting an investigation of any specific group,” he said. “We do not investigate movements or groups, we investigate individuals.”
Here is how Dettelbach and the FBI say they foiled the plot.

For nearly seven months, a confidential informant who had penetrated the group’s inner circle, secretly recorded meetings in which they plotted mayhem against symbols of corporate America in greater Cleveland. The unidentified informant reported back to the FBI.

Douglas Wright, 26, of Indianapolis, took the lead from the start, according to a 21-page affidavit filed by the lead FBI agent on the case. The suspects started by thinking small, with plans to topple the signs of banks from atop downtown Cleveland skyscrapers. The plot included a diversionary tactic of smoke bombs exploded on the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

Wright, alias Cyco, and the confidential informant were later joined by Brandon Baxter, 20, of Lakewood, Anthony Hayne, 35, of Cleveland, Joshua Stafford, 23, of Cleveland, and Connor Stevens, 20, of Berea. They attended Occupy Cleveland protests in attempts to recruit like-minded anarchists, but were unsuccessful, according to the affidavit.

Their plots were willy-nilly, ranging from schemes to blow up the Cuyahoga County Justice Center, the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the I-480 bridge in Valley View, and a cargo ship before settling on the Ohio 82 bridge, according to federal documents. (See the DocumentCloud viewer below to read the documents in their entirety.)

Other potential targets included the abandoned streetcar tunnels beneath downtown Cleveland, a Cuyahoga County Homeland Security operation called the Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center, an unidentified Ku Klux Klan location in Ohio, and the new Horseshoe Casino on Public Square.
But all were eventually discounted for a variety of reasons.

The gang’s bible, officials said, was the “Anarchist Cookbook,” a 1970 how-to book on building bombs using household items and dealing with police during riots. They also devised ways to cover their tracks electronically, and obtained computer programs they hoped would destroy their trail of Internet searches.

On March 22, the confidential informant met with Wright at an unidentified location.
“Tell me what all we need to make the bombs so that we can start gathering -” the informant is quoted in the affidavit as saying.
“Mainly bleach,” Wright replied.
“Bleach?” the informant said.
“You can make plastic explosives with bleach.”

 

Enlarge Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer View of the Ohio 82 bridge that links Brecksville and Sagamore Hills, photographed, Monday, May 1, 2012. The bridge is reflected by the Cuyahoga river. Five men were arrested for plotting to blow up this bridge. (Marvin Fong /The Plain Dealer) Bridge Bomb Plot gallery (3 photos)

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Six days later, while driving across the I-480 bridge, Baxter asked, “How much do we need to take out a bridge?”

Rather than make their own bombs, the group eventually opted to buy C-4, a plastic explosive, plus bullet-proof vests and gas masks, for $800. What they didn’t realize was that the seller was an undercover FBI agent and the two bombs were fakes - inert devices constructed to look like the real thing, with wires, switches, and detonators that could be triggered by a call from a cell phone.
“The defendants went to the bridge last night,” Dettelbach said at a Tuesday morning news conference. “The defendants planted the explosives at the base of a busy bridge. The defendants went to an off site location to arm the explosives, and the defendants then entered a code they thought would blow that bridge up.”

Dettelbach said the arrests show the evolving nature of terrorism the FBI is confronted with today.
“This case demonstrates that the threat we face is a diverse one,” he said. “That terrorism can come in many hues and from many homelands.”

At their court appearances, the suspects spoke in one- or two-word answers.

U.S. Magistrate Greg White found them all indigent and appointed them lawyers. They will be held without bond until at least Monday.

“Love you, Connor," shouted James Stevens, father of suspect Connor Stevens, as federal marshals led the group away. Stevens' sister cried in the back of the courtroom.

Debbie Kline, of Cleveland’s Jobs with Justice, coordinated with the Occupy Cleveland on a number of protests and community actions. On Tuesday, she called the involvement of the five bombing suspects as “fringey”

Baxter, she said, had recently attended a training session on non-violent action. Kline said he seemed young and could have been impressionable.

“I wonder who else was pulling the strings of those in the group,” she said.

FBI arrests five people who allegedly tried to blow up Brecksville bridge, other targets discussed

May 1, 2012 Newsnet5.com By Mike Waterhouse and Bob Seeley

CLEVELAND - The Cleveland office of the FBI announced Tuesday the arrests of five people who allegedly tried to blow up a bridge in northeast Ohio.

The FBI displayed a photo of the Route 82 bridge in Brecksville, just east of Riverview Road and referred to it as the "Brecksville-Northfield High Level Bridge" during a 10 a.m. news conference, and confirmed that was the target. The bridge crosses the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and connects Brecksville to Sagamore Hills.

According to a news release from the US Attorney’s Office, these five were arrested Monday evening and charged with conspiracy and attempted use of explosive material to damage physical property affecting interstate commerce:

- Douglas Wright, 26
- Brandon Baxter, 20
- Anthony Hayne, 35
- Connor Stevens, 20
- Joshua Stafford, 23

WEB EXTRA: Click here to see photos of each suspect and some of the targets: http://on.wews.com/JLrAXM

According to the FBI, the five thought they had purchased two improvised explosive devices with a C4 remote detonator. They suspects placed them at the base of the bridge Monday night. At 9:09 p.m., the FBI said the suspects tried to trigger the inert explosives with a remote access code and the bomb did not go off. The five were then arrested by agents who were monitoring the group via video.
The FBI said the bombs placed at the bridge were duds.

According to the FBI, Wright, Baxter and Hayne are self-proclaimed anarchists who formed into a small group and considered a series of evolving plots over several months.

The FBI said the public was never in danger from the explosive devices, as the transaction was handled by an undercover FBI employee.

"The safety of the citizens of the Northern District of Ohio is and continues to be our primary focus. The individuals charged in this plot were intent on using violence to press their ideological views," said Stephen Anthony, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge.

According to a spokeswoman from the Ohio Department of Transportation, 13,610 vehicles travel over the Route 82 bridge each day.

The National Park Service estimates 2.161 million visitors to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park each year.

The FBI said the group has been plotting to target various landmarks in the region. One involved the use of smoke grenades on the Veterans Memorial Bridge to distract law enforcement in order for the co-conspirators to topple financial institution signs atop high-rise buildings in downtown Cleveland.
The affidavit said the FBI learned two of the suspects in the bomb plot thought doing some kind of attack during the opening of the new casino would make a good statement.

The court document also details a conversation an FBI source allegedly had with Baxter and Wright on March 28, discussing bridge targets. They said blowing up a bridge would cause a lot of financial damage.

Here is an excerpt of the document:

"They continued to discuss how taking out a bridge would lead to the government having to put security on every bridge in the country. The "Detroit" (Detroit Superior) bridge was identified as a potential target by Wright because it connects downtown Cleveland and Ohio City. The men talked about the defunct subway system on the bridge and possibly using the subway as a way of accessing parts of the bridge. Baxter and Wright stated they don't want people to think they are terrorists, so they would want to blow up the bridge at night or possibly pretend to be a construction crew and drop orange cones off at each end of the bridge to stop traffic before blowing up the bridge, thus limiting the number of casualties and the potential for killing possible supporters."

Another possible target of the group was blowing up the Federal Reserve Bank with C4 by driving a car into it. The affidavit said the group also talked about attacking the Fusion Center -- a government-run terror watch organization -- located in the Cuyahoga County Justice Center, but the suspects decided it would kill too many inmates.

According to the court filing, discussions with the FBI source said that on April 10, the group also talked about targeting cargo ships on May 1, the day of the "fest."

"Ships are a 'd--n good target," Wright allegedly said during the meeting, adding that all of the cops would be downtown for May Day.

Baxter then allegedly said, "May 1st is going to be crazy." He then suggested getting masks to wear.
During the same meeting, the group talked about what they would do to avoid getting caught. Baxter allegedly suggested getting tacks they could throw out of the back of the car if they get in a chase.
But on April 19, the focus turned to a bridge, as Wright allegedly told the FBI undercover agent there was a change in the plan. The group went to the Route 82 bridge the next day to try to figure out the best place to put the explosives. They decided to place the IEDs toward the back of the bridge because the columns are out of the way and not in plain view.

On April 29, the FBI staffer picked up Wright, Baxter and Hayne near downtown Cleveland and went to pick up the explosives from the undercover FBI agent. The affidavit said Wright gave the agent $450 out of the agreed $900 in return for duffel bag containing vests, smoke grenades and gas masks, as well as two black boxes containing two inert IEDs.

The agent then explained how the device would need to be detonated via cell phone. The suspects said their plan was on for the next day.

ROLES OF EACH SUSPECT
 
According to the affidavit, these are the roles each suspect allegedly played in the plot:
- Wright recruited Baxter and Stevens to participate in some form of direct action, initially involving smoke grenades and destruction of signage on buildings in downtown Cleveland.

- Wright repeated said he downloaded the Anarchist Cookbook in an attempt to learn how to make explosives.

- Wright and Stevens visited the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to scout locations for a bomb under the Route 82 bridge.

- Two days before getting the IEDs, Wright recruited Stafford into the group to help with the execution of the plan.

- The day the group received the IEDs, Wright reintroduced Hayne into the group by disclosing details of the plan to him and bringing him to the delivery.

Read the full 22-page affidavit here: http://on.wews.com/ITBw3Q

The Occupy Cleveland group confirmed it had an event called "May Day" scheduled for May 1 at the GE Lighting building in East Cleveland, but it said none of these suspects "were in no way representing or acting on behalf of Occupy Cleveland."

Here is the full statement sent by Occupy Cleveland:

"While the group arrested Monday evening by the FBI were associated with Occupy Cleveland they were in no way representing or acting on behalf of Occupy Cleveland or the event that was planned for later today at the GE Lighting building. The May Day Event that was sponsored by Occupy Cleveland, the North Shore AFL-CIO, Cleveland Jobs with Justice, Fight for a Fair Economy and SEIU Local 1 has been cancelled because of the alleged actions of the autonomous group arrested last night. Occupy Cleveland has had affirmed principles of non-violence since its inception on October 6, 2011."

The suspects appeared in federal court Tuesday afternoon, where it was determined that all are eligible for a court-appointed attorney. Their next court date is set for May 7 at 11 a.m.
Keep checking newsnet5.com for more information, and make sure you have the newsnet5 apps on your smartphone (iPhone & Android) to keep up with the details of this developing story while on the go.

25 Ohio Super Max Prisoners Start a Hunger Strike

CONTACT: Ben Turk
PHONE: 614 704 4699
EMAIL: insurgent.ben@gmail.com

Monday April 30th. Today at least twenty five prisoners at Ohio State
Penitentiary (OSP) began a hunger strike. They are demanding that the
Warden meet and negotiate with them for improved conditions in Ohio's
super-max prison. These hunger strikers say they intend to continue
to refuse food until their demands are met. Another, larger group of
prisoners will show symbolic solidarity with the hunger strikers, and
workers outside of prison by also refusing food on a one-day fast
tomorrow, for May Day, the international day of worker solidarity and
resistance.

Information about the hunger strike is limited at this time, because
super-max prisoners have very constrained access to communication
with the outside world. The hunger strikers are asking supporters of
their cause to participate by calling Warden David Bobby (330
743-0700) and ODRC director Gary Mohr (614-752-1164). The hunger
strikers are asking people to encourage Warden Bobby to meet with the
prisoners and take their demands seriously.

This is the second hunger strike at OSP this year. The first occurred
on Feb 20th-23rd in solidarity with the Occupy movement's call for an
"Occupy for Prisoners" day of action. That hunger strike ended with
Warden Bobby, as well as officials from Central Office in Columbus,
promising to increase recreation time to the court-mandated minimum
as well as improve enrichment programming, food quality and
commissary practices. At this time, it is unclear if that promise was
kept and what relationship, if any, the current hunger strike has
with February's Occupy for Prisoners hunger strike.

Ohio State Penitentiary opened in 1998. It houses over 270 level 4
and 5 maximum security prisoners, and until recently also housed 116
of Ohio's death row prisoners. OSP was built in response to the 1993
uprising at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville.