Indiana DOC lawsuit: Mentally ill Black inmates are majority in segregation
This piece from NPR illustrates the intersection of racism, criminal justice, and mental illness that leads to medical incarceration. “Black inmates who need mental health care spend more time in segregation and far less time with counselors than their white counterparts in Illinois prisons, according to a new complaint filed in federal court seeking better […]
Sami Schalk’s New Book Discussing the Importance of Disability Justice for Black Liberation
In her newest book, Black Disability Politics, Dr. Sami Schalk, Associate Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison discusses the parallels between racial activism and advocacy for those with disabilities. The book partners the archives of the Black Panther Party and the National Black Women’s Project with interviews of present day Black disabled cultural workers. […]
Somalian with Schizophrenia Kidnapped and Beaten by Local Police Trio
(Malta, EU) A Somali man was allegedly kidnapped and beaten by police last month in a racist-motivated attack had a long-standing mental illness. The victim was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. This incident is currently under trial in Malta. Compilation of evidence against Rika Mifsud Gretsch, 22, of Floriana, Jürgen Falzon, 24, of Santa Venera, and Luca […]
Police Reform Protests in New Jersey
Widespread support from the New Jersey community appeared at Bridgewater. Many have demanded police reform over the past year, especially since America’s racial reckoning heated up in 2020, yet very little has changed. The incident that sparked this protest started with two boys at the Bridgewater Commons Mall. Z’Kye, a 14-year-old boy who was Black, […]
#FreeDarik Protest in Riverside CA, April 22 1-3pm
#FreeDarik Protest, April 22, 1-3pm pt at Riverside DA’s office, 3960 Orange Ave. Riverside CA. Darik Schaaf is a young Black man with no criminal record who was arrested after a mental health crisis. Instead of allowing Darik to enter the mental health diversion program as recommended, District Attorney Mike Hestrin is pursuing a lengthy […]
Abolition Must Include Psychiatry – by Stella Akua Mensah and Stefanie Lyn Kaufman-Mthimkhulu
“Prison culture is not solvable by ‘funding the mental health system’ more robustly. The mental ‘health’ system is fundamentally carceral, meaning that it is one of the many kindred systems that function to contain and surveil people, take away their locus of control, isolate them from their communities, and limit their freedom. As it functions […]