Denver: Banner Drops and Noise Demos as Strike Enters Second Week

Submitted to It’s Going Down

With the strike entering its second week, folks in Denver continued with actions of solidarity. On Thursday, September 15th, some anarchists dropped a banner during the morning rush hour commute along I-25. Typically banners dropped in Denver last only a short time, being quickly removed by the cops. This banner somehow managed to stay up throughout the day until the Thursday evening rush hour, meaning that tens of thousands of vehicles clearly saw this call to end prison slavery as this stretch of highway is almost always gridlocked.

In an effort to keep things going, people planned to gather at a jail in a neighboring county, Jefferson County Jail. This jail has seen a number of medical neglect complaints in the last year or more, two of these resulting in death. On Monday March 2, 2015 38 year old Jennifer Lobato died in her jail cell in Jefferson County Jail in Golden, Colorado. Jennifer and her cell mate repeatedly begged guards and medical staff for medical care before she died.

Jennifer Lobato had been in custody for little more than 24 hours before she died in her jail cell, despite multiple requests for medical attention. Even after Jennifer had been seen on the floor of her cell uncontrollably vomiting by jail guards, jail medical staff denied her emergency medical care.

Again in June of this year, Patrick O’Day, a 53-year-old man, was booked into Jefferson County Jail and 8 hours later he was dead.

This is the state of jails, detention centers and prisons across these so-called United States. Gathering at the jail as the evening visitation hours came to a close, visitors were met with folks carrying a large banner stating “BURN DOWN THE AMERICAN PLANTATION.” People had drums, various noise makers, megaphones and their loud voices. Because of the design and layout of the jail, prisoners inside could clearly see the demonstration and were interacting almost immediately. They were banging on their windows, dancing, waving, making signs for us to see and more. The guards in the lobby had turned off the lights and disappeared, not even willing to look out the windows at those of on the outside chanting things like “BURN YOUR MATTRESS, FLOOD YOUR CELL, TELL THOSE GUARDS TO GO TO HELL.”

People in Denver will be continuing to do noise demos at various facilities across the Front Range as long as the strike continues. We will continue to find ways to connect this national struggle to our struggles locally. We will continue to find ways of connecting with both prisoners and their loved ones in hopes of spreading the strike for now and spreading rebellion forever.

SPREAD THE STRIKE! FIRE TO THE PRISONS!
JUSTICE FOR JENNIFER “POOH BEAR” LOBATO! JUSTICE FOR PATRICK O’DAY!

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