[van-announce] ACTION ALERT!

[Tami Starlight]

ACTION ALERT!
Please Forward

SUPPORT ARRESTED RNC PROTESTERS!  TAKE ACTION BY CALLING NOW!

Thousands of people have been arrested protesting the Republican National
Convention in NYC. Many are being held at a temporary detention center @
Pier 57
under extremely unhealthy conditions & without apporoiate accesss to
experiened
lawyers. We're asking everyone to call and demand prisoners be immediately
released or transfered to a safe and sanitary facility with access to
National
Lawyers Guild Attornneys. Call the Police Commissioner at 646) 610-5410 or
(646) 610-5000 and Mayor Bloomberg at (212) 788-7418.

END HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS
Medics treating people being released report chemical burns, allergic
reactions,
severe respiratory problems, skin infections, rashes, welts, wounds and
cuts --
all caused by the grossly unsanitary conditions of Pier 57.   Arrestees are
being housed in a former bus garage, the floor covered in motor-oil and
grease.
With nowhere else to sit or sleep, people are laying in this toxic residue.
People are coming out of jail with their skin and clothes covered in a thick
black sludge.  One person went into toxic shock from so much motor oil being
absorbed through their skin.  Many have no access to food, water, phones or
lawyers.  Prisoners also report the bathroom lacking toilet paper, toilet
seats
or stall doors.  This morning, United for Peace and Justice organized a
rally
to protest these appalling conditions.

ACCESS TO APPROPRIATE LAWYERS
As well as this medical crisis, please also call to demand that everyone
have
access to meet with experienced lawyers from the National Lawyers Guild
(NLG)
well before their arraignment. Arrestees participating in jail solidarity
through not giving their names are not being allowed to meet with
experienced
lawyers. Public Defenders often have no experience with jail solidarity;
these
people need to be able to meet with NLG lawyers.

CALL NOW - PRESSURE POLITICIANS
We're asking for your support by calling to demand that all arrestees be
immediately released, or transferred to a cleaner, safer facility and Pier
57
be closed.   This is especially crucial for arrestees with asthma, emphysema
and other respiratory problems. Also, demand that all prisoners be able to
meet
with experienced attorenys from the National Lawyers Guild well before their
arraignment, including those who have not given their names.

Demand Pier 57 be closed, and prisoners transferred!  Demand access to
experienced lawyers! Call:

 The Police Commissioner: (646) 610-5410 or (646) 610-5000
 Mayor Bloomberg: (212) 788-7418
 Corrections Department: (212) 266-1000
 The District Attorney: (212) 335-9000
 The Court Administration: (212) 428-2500

JAIL SOLIDARITY
If you are in NYC, you can help out by coming down to the jail to welcome
protesters as they are being released.  Most are being released from the
Courthouse at 100 Canal Street, or around the building at 125 White.  Take
the
4,5,6 or N,R trains to Canal.

UPDATES
To follow some of the events around the RNC protests, check NYC Indymedia at
http://nyc.indymedia.org/

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
If you want to financially support the legal defense of people arrested
during
the RNC protests, you can contribute money through the following groups:

United for Peace and Justice
(212) 868-5545, http://www.unitedforpeace.org.
(Specify the donation is for legal defense.)

Anarchist People of Color Prisoner Defense Fund
http://www.illegalvoices.org/apoc/

National Lawyers Guild
http://www.nlg.org/contribute/contribute.htm

MEDICAL & LEGAL RESOURCES
If you or someone you know has experienced medical problems from police
misconduct during the RNC or from the conditions at detention facilities,
call
Medical Activists of NY at 1-888-744-7856.  If you or someone you know has
been
arrested, you can call the National Lawyers Guild legal hotline at (212)
679-6018.

Thank you for your help!  Pass this message on and distribute as widely as
possible!