1970 Folsom Prison strike

The 1970 Folsom Prison strike was a significant event for U.S. prison reform and protest. During the strike, over 2,400 incarcerated individuals at Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California, initiated a work stoppage and hunger strike. The strike began on November 3, 1970, and lasted 19 days. The strike was organized to address various grievances, including racial discrimination, inadequate medical care, overcrowding and labor conditions. Prisoners from different backgrounds, including members of the Black Panther Party and Brown Berets, participated, helping the strike gain attention nationwide. The strike was declared the day prior to the 1970 California gubernatorial election, increasing public and political attention to the demands.

1970 Folsom Prison strike
Date	November 3, 1970 – November 22, 1970 (54 years ago)
Location	Folsom, California, United States
Lead figures
Martin Sousa, Inmate Sal Candelaria, Brown Berets Huey P. Newton, Black Panther Party Charles Garry, 3rd World Legal Defense Counsel
Number
over 2,400 incarcerated workers

Item courtesy of Freedom Archives- "1970 Folsom Prison Strike Manifesto"

Manifesto

The Folsom Prison manifesto, issued in 1970, outlined key areas where the incarcerated individuals sought reforms in the prison system. The organizing committee issued a manifesto, which reads in part:

"We the inmates of Folsom Prison have grown to recognize beyond the shadow of a doubt that because of our posture as prisoners and branded characters as alleged criminals, the administrators and prison employees no longer consider or respect us as human beings, but rather as domesticated animals selected to do their bidding in slave labor and furnished as a personal whipping dog for their sadistic, psychopathic hate.

In our efforts to intellectually expand in keeping with the outside world, through all categories of News Media, we are systematically restricted and punitively offended to isolation status when we insist on our human rights to the wisdom of awareness. "

Demands

The Folsom Prison demands, as outlined in the manifesto, issued in 1970 outlined the key areas where the incarcerated individuals sought reform to the prison system. There were 31 demands listed in total.

1. Access to Legal Counsel
2. Improvement of Medical Services
3. Improved Visitation Rights
4. Explanation for Solitary Confinement
5. Set Time Limits for Solitary Confinement
6. No Political Segregation
7. Freedom from Political and Racial Discrimination
8. Right to Refuse Forced Labor
9. End Tear Gas Use on Isolated Prisoners
10. Abolition of Indefinite Sentencing
11. Fair Employment and Compensation
12. Right to Unionize
13. Earning Wages ( to support families)
14. Accountability for the Misconduct of Guards
15. Enforcement of Minimum Wage Laws
16. Political Asylum for Political Prisoners
17. Trial by a Jury of Peers
18. End to Physical Abuse
19. Protection for Political Prisoners
20. Expanded Legal Aid for Prisoners
21. Improved Working Conditions
22. Workplace Injury Compensation
23. Accredited Vocational Training
24. Transparency in Welfare Funds
25. Reform of the Parole Board
26. Creation of an Oversight Board
27. Compliance with the Folsom Manifesto
28. Stop Racial Manipulation by Authorities and Guards
29. Culturally Relevant Counseling
30. End Racial Bias in Parole Decisions
31. Right to be Present During Searches

Many of the demands raised in the manifesto continue to be points of discussion in the ongoing debate around prison reform and criminal justice. Topics such as overcrowding, racial disparities, and healthcare for inmates are still relevant concerns. While some of the reforms have been implemented since he demands were made, many of these issues remain central to prison reform advocacy efforts.

Media

In October 1970, Sacramento’s KXTV (Channel 10) first reported a planned strike at Folsom State Prison set for November 3. Martin Sousa, the strike’s main organizer, worked in the prison print shop, where he printed copies of the demands and manifesto. Sousa then sent copies to the Prison Law Project and the Coordinating Council of Prisoner Organizations, both Bay Area activist groups. Fueled by outside support and media coverage from both local radio and television stations, the strike gained enough fire to last a historic 19 days. On November 17, 1970 outside support groups for the strike called a press conference. This formed the United Prisoners Union with the aid of Sousa. On November 22, Warden Craven broadcast a speech to the prisoners, offering them a chance to return to work, along with the consequences if they refused, thus ending the strike.

Effects

During the strike almost all of the prisoners at the Folsom Prison refused to leave their cells for 19 days, becoming the longest prison strike in the U.S. The strike's notability has come from being nonviolent and the prisoners' unified stance despite their diverse political and racial backgrounds. The strike inspired a wave of prison reform movements across the country, most notably seen in the Attica Prison riot.The legacy of the Folsom strike continues to resonate in contemporary debates over prison conditions and systemic racism, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the humanity and rights of all individuals within the justice system.

Historical context

The 1970 Folsom Prison strike was a significant event in the context of prison reform movements in the United States, emerging during a time of heightened civil rights activism. Incarcerated individuals, particularly from marginalized communities, began organizing to address the systemic injustices they faced within the prison system, drawing inspiration from the larger struggles for social justice and equality happening outside prison walls. This strike was influenced by a history of prison organizing that gained momentum in the 1960s and 1970s, as activists recognized the connections between their confinement and the ongoing racial oppression prevalent in society. Many prisoners saw their experiences as reflective of a broader pattern of social control that disproportionately affected African American and other minority populations. The Folsom strike, in particular, highlighted grievances such as inadequate healthcare, racial discrimination, and inhumane living conditions, echoing demands made by other prison movements of the time.

The manifesto produced by the inmates at Folsom outlined a series of demands aimed at reforming these injustices, such as improved medical services, access to legal counsel, and an end to racial segregation and forced labor. These demands were not only a reflection of the immediate needs of the inmates but also connected to the larger civil rights movement's calls for justice and equality. The Folsom strike set a precedent for future uprisings within the prison system, influencing subsequent movements and discussions around prison reform and racial justice.The historical context of the Folsom Prison strike underscores the enduring connection between incarcerated individuals’ rights and the broader fight for civil rights, illustrating how these movements intersect and inform one another.