Hudson Valley, NY: Banner Drop in Memory of Samuel Harrel

On April 21, 2015, Samuel Harrell was murdered by a group of as many as 20 corrections officers known as the beat up squad at Fishkill Correctional Facility in Beacon, NY. Harrell, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was in the midst of an episode, was brutally tackled, beaten, kicked, and verbally abused with racial slurs by the officers before being thrown down a flight of stairs. Fishkill Sergeant Joseph Guarino was present for the attack and took no action besides calling for medical attention for Harrell, who was unresponsive upon conclusion of the attack.

Until medical personnel arrived, there was no attempt at resuscitation and officers claimed that Harrell was high on K2 and had lunged at and attacked officers first. An active cover-up took place and inmates who spoke out in the aftermath and gave testimonies to Harrell’s family, lawyers, and journalists were retaliated against and placed in solitary confinement. Harrell’s murderers remain on duty. An atmosphere of corruption and intimidation exists at Fishkill, clearly informed by white supremacist ideology embraced by officers and the prison industrial complex as a whole.

On the two-year anniversary of Harrell’s murder, Hudson Valley Antifascist Network dedicated a banner drop over I-84 in Fishkill to honor Sam and all other victims of the police state and prison industrial complex and to remind all who were witness that the fight for justice continues. With a racist leading the Department of Justice, it is unlikely that justice will arise from such systems, nor will the flow of individuals into prisons lessen.

The struggle against white supremacy and the prison industrial complex exists in our backyards.
We have more power than we realize when we get together and organize resistance.

Justice for Samuel Harrell
Abolish Prisons
Smash Fascism
All Power to the People

In Solidarity,
Hudson Valley Antifascist Network

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