HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST IN
TEXAS PRISON FILES FEDERAL LAWSUIT CITING RETALIATION AND RELIGIOUS
DISCRIMINATION!
MEDIA RELEASE
Keith ‘Malik’ Washington
is a Human Rights Activist, Environmentalist, Jailhouse Lawyer, and Freedom
Fighter currently incarcerated in Texas. (Eastham Unit Ad-Seg located in
Lovelady, Texas)
In 2015, Malik was housed at the Pack I Unit, a prison located in Navasota, Texas and the center of a current legal battle which seeks to force the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to install air conditioning at the facility.
In 2015, Malik was housed at the Pack I Unit, a prison located in Navasota, Texas and the center of a current legal battle which seeks to force the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to install air conditioning at the facility.
While housed at Pack I
in June thru September 2015, Mr. Washington (known to his friends as ‘Malik’)
discovered the presence of high levels of ARSENIC in the water supply. Malik,
who has become an accomplished journalist, began to expose the toxic water.
Malik also witnessed the
mistreatment and abuse of elderly and infirm prisoners who were housed at Pack
I. The abusers being TDCJ employees. Malik who is also an orthodox sunni muslim
witnessed and was personally subjected to horrible acts of religious
discrimination.
With the help of a
dedicated network of Free-World Activists, Scholars, and Media Correspondents
Malik was able to File Grievances while his supporters filed Formal Public
Complaints with the TDCJ Ombudsman Office. (All of these actions are well
documented.)
In a blatant act of retaliation for engaging in what the US Supreme Court has described as ‘Protected Conduct’, Malik was Transferred to a Maximum Security Prison with a Gang Problem. The Unit also has the distinction of being the largest prison in the Texas System. It is the HH Coffield Unit located in Tennessee Colony, Texas.
In a blatant act of retaliation for engaging in what the US Supreme Court has described as ‘Protected Conduct’, Malik was Transferred to a Maximum Security Prison with a Gang Problem. The Unit also has the distinction of being the largest prison in the Texas System. It is the HH Coffield Unit located in Tennessee Colony, Texas.
Upon his arrival on the
unit in September 2015 Malik was informed by leading members of the Prison
Muslim Community at Coffield that TDCJ Employee Chaplain Akbar Shabazz had
phone the unit and ORDERED THEM not to allow Malik to speak at any Muslim
Services and that Malik was not to be allowed to hold any position in the
Muslim Community. It is noteworthy to mention that Malik has been the Muezzin
on many Units. The Muezzin is the person who makes the Call to Prayer or Adhan
before Salat (prayer). Not only did this TDCJ employee infringe upon Malik’s
Religious Practice, he went further by telling the Muslim Inmate Leaders that
Malik was an Islamic Extremist and a ‘Troublemaker’ who should be watched very
closely. In essence this slanderous activity placed Malik in harm's way.
This was only the
beginning of a long history of reprisals against Malik for exercising his Free
Speech Rights or attempting to Access the Courts or teach others to do so.
Many Prison
Abolitionists know that on September 8th 2016, one day before the largest
Prison Work Strike in history, Malik was placed in solitary confinement and
charged with a Riot that never materialized. Malik still languises in Ad-Seg
locked in a small cage 23 to 24 hours a day!
Recently in the Eastern
District of Texas, Tyler Division: Malik has filed a Civil complaint (Lawsuit)
against TDCJ - CID Director Lorie Davis as well as a long list of TDCJ
employees which includes Chaplain Akbar Shabazz. In the Lawsuit Malik alleges
that TDCJ employees engaged in an elaborate conspiracy to violate his Civil
Rights, infringe upon his Religious Practice and Retaliate against him for
filing grievances and Federal Lawsuits. The lawsuit also addresses the Toxic
Water issues at Eastham:
The Cause#
6:17-cv-00401-RC-KNM. (Eastern District of Texas)
The Case is being
supervised by Chief US District Judge Ron Clark and has been assigned to US
Magistrate Judge K. Nicole Mitchell. Judge Mitchell will be handling all
hearings of Pre-Trial matters and she will be submitting all recommendations
for the disposition of Malik’s petition to US District Judge Clark.
At this time, Malik and
his Support Network is sending out a plea for Legal Representation. We would
like the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the American Civil
Liberties Union (ACLU), the Center for Constitutional Rights, as well as the
Texas Civil Rights Project to review Malik’s allegations against TDCJ as we
have seen a pattern of practice in which TDCJ conspires to retaliate against
all prisoners who engage in ‘protected conduct’ and attempt to Access the
Courts.
Malik is a Jailhouse
Lawyer who is well versed in Constitutional Law, but he is no match for the
State of Texas Attorney General Office which has employed unscrupulous tactics
in the past in order to sabotage Malik’s litigation efforts.
We are reaching out to
Civil Rights Lawyers everywhere who will be willing to come to Texas and aid
our brother in Struggle.
Keith 'Malik'
Washington is a humyn rights activist currently incarcerated in Texas. He is a
co-founder and chief spokespersyn for the End Prison Slavery in Texas Movement.
Malik is a proud member of the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC)
and he is the Deputy Chairman of the New Afrikan Black Panther Party (Prison
Chapter). Malik has been instrumental in calling for the abolition of legalized
slavery in Amerika and is very active in the Fight Toxic Prisons campaign. You
can view his work at comrademalik.com or write him directly at:
Keith 'Comrade Malik'
Washington
TDC #1487958
Eastham Unit
2665 Prison Rd. #1
Lovelady, Texas 75851
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