| Report | May. 20, 2008 | 12:16 am |
Around the Rock, students protest harshness of American prisons
By
On Monday, metal bars encircled the Rock in a protest of the American prison system, while a handful students slept nearby.
During the protest, dubbed “Starving the Prison Industrial Complex,” fifteen people fasted and camped out by the Rock for 24 hours to protest the harshness of American prisons, especially in regards to drug offenders. Many protesters are members of NORML-SSDP, a group that advocates for legalized marijuana.
NORML-SSDP Vice President Joel Handley said the event was a different way to engage students.
“We’ve been bringing a lot of speakers, watching films, so we wanted something a little more interactive, a little more involved,” the Medill junior said.
Protesters first gathered Sunday evening for an educational panel composed of a lobbyist, a heroin user and experts on metropolitan affairs and ex-offender outreach. Sociology Lecturer Tom Durkin and recovering addict Stacy Johnson spoke Monday at noon.
Kaitlyn Patia, a member of the College Democrats who helped organize the events, said she was impressed by NORML-SSDP, which stands for National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws — Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
“I think it’s cool,” said Patia, a Communication junior. “The protesting, fasting, sleeping outside… It’s something I don’t think you see too often on Northwestern’s campus.”
The event’s Facebook page highlights the fact that the United States is home to five percent of the world’s total population, but houses 25 percent of the world’s prison population.
“We have the largest prison population of any nation in the world,” said NORML-SSDP’s president, James Kowalsky. “And a large increase has happened in the last 20 to 30 years, due to increases in the harshness of drug penalties.”
The Communication junior says that Americans should release the more than half-million incarcerated drug offenders, and give them treatment, he said.
“It’s less expensive, it would get them off of drugs, and it’ll help them become more productive members of society,” he said.
Kowalsky added that even more problems face ex-convicts once they get out of prison: Many have difficulties finding jobs because of their criminal records, increasing the chance that they resort to crime.
“Are we saying that if you broke the law once, you’re forever a criminal?” Kowalsky asked. “Or are we saying that if you serve your time, you’ve paid your debt to society, and you should be allowed to get back in.”
“We’ve tried putting people in prison to solve our problems, and it hasn’t worked,” he added.
Handley wasn’t sure how much Northwestern students would retain about the American prison system itself, but hoped that seeing the protest would have a long-lasting effect on some.
“It might stimulate some sort of student involvement,” he said. “Not necessarily our club, but just any club, any issue.”
Willie Horton said,
May 20, 2008 @ 11:22 am
What is a “fast” (tradionally, it means nothing but water, but who knows what this “fast” means to these slackers — a day off from McDonalds?) and who painted “The Rock”: who will clean the paint off? Meanwhile, there is no mention of what to do with violent people: maybe THEY can clean “The Rock” of the paint?
Kaitlyn Patia said,
May 20, 2008 @ 2:41 pm
Just to give credit where it is due, the members of NORML-SSDP were entirely responsible for the organization and planning of the events involved with “Starve the Prison Industrial Complex,” and it was consequently due to their hard work that the event was such a success. I was happy to facilitate the College Democrats’ involvement with this event, which we felt represented an excellent opportunity to establish a collaborative community between student groups on campus, as well as the chance to foster an interesting dialogue about salient current issues.
Laura said,
May 21, 2008 @ 10:38 am
I’m pretty sure they actually fasted… as in no food at all. And if you knew anything about Northwestern, painting the rock is a tradition here. No one needs to clean the paint off; the next group will just cover it up with more paint.
Willie t. Wildcat said,
May 23, 2008 @ 12:56 am
Willie Horton:
You have disgraced a my good name with your comment. You obviously have never met the students pictured because “slackers” is the last word that I would use to describe the individuals affiliated with NORML-SSDP. You should educate yourself about the prison-industrial complex and then apologize to the Internet and to North by Northwestern and to the members of NORML-SSDP for being so rude.
Sincerely,
Willie t. Wildcat
Willie t. Wildcat said,
May 23, 2008 @ 12:59 am
What I meant to say was that you disgraced *all* of my good name. You made Willies everywhere look bad, and you hurt the feelings of Wildcats at NU.
I’ll be waiting for your apology.
- Willie t. Wildcat
Dima said,
May 27, 2008 @ 11:30 am
“Are we saying that if you broke the law once, you’re forever a criminal?” Kowalsky asked. “Or are we saying that if you serve your time, you’ve paid your debt to society, and you should be allowed to get back in.”
Uh… you wouldn’t want to know of someone’s criminal background before hiring a babysitter, school teacher, etc…? Great rhetorical question, except when you realize that someone who has received jail time for a criminal offense is more likely than not going to commit another crime.
The most lasting, common sense, and reasonable way to prevent such treatment of prisoners: have them not commit crimes in the first place. It’s kinda sad that a group protests treatment of prisoners rather than raising awareness of the stupidity of committing crimes.
Daddy O said,
June 3, 2008 @ 12:11 pm
America is so two faced.Say one thing and mean another.But if you come from a place where you’re first judged by color,fool you would have already knew.America has the highest prison rate in the whole free world and 90% is black and other people of color.But blacks are barely 20% of this country.Not only are our males ,now they taking away women and children.While the real dangerous,the main crooks behind the problems runs free to cause more devilment!!