RETALIATION ENDANGERS LIFE OF SOY LAWSUIT PLAINTIFF
RETALIATION ENDANGERS LIFE OF SOY LAWSUIT PLAINTIFF
Beating, Lack of Medical Care, Puts Larry Harris in Peril
WASHINGTON, DC, January 19, 2010
Prison activist Larry Harris, chief plaintiff in a lawsuit against individuals employed by the Illinois Department of Corrections, is the object of severe retaliatory measures from Illinois prison personnel.
The lawsuit, captioned Harris et al. v. Brown, et al., (Case No. 3:07-cv-03225) seeks an injunction against the serving of high levels of soy, which is causing serious digestive, thyroid and cardiovascular disorders among Illinois inmates.
Immediately following a May 1 Internet posting about the lawsuit, Harris was placed in segregation for ninety (90) days on a charge of exercising his constitutional right by helping eleven other inmates file grievances and write letters to the judge involved in the case.
He was then shipped from Western Illinois Correctional Center to Pinckneyville Prison where he was again placed in segregation and denied commissary privileges for alleged infractions.
Harris was then placed in a cell with Jason Jenkins - an inmate with a history of violence. While in the shower, Jenkins punched Harris in the eye, following orders to “Beat the old man up” from Pinckneyville guards Bradley and Runyun. After having been promised reward, Jenkins was then punished with more jail time.
On December 8, officials shipped Harris to Lawrence Correctional Center, where he was placed in segregation on December 30 and remains to this day. His possessions, including typewriter and glasses, have been taken from him, and thyroid medications critical to his health have been denied.
Although prescribed a diet free of soy, to which he has life-threatening reactions, Harris receives soy-based food (often thrown onto his bunk), which he cannot eat, for many meals. Other privileges to which he is entitled, such as access to the commissary, telephones, general yard, cafeteria and library, have also been denied. Without pen, typewriter and phone privileges, Harris has great difficulty communicating with his attorney.
Support for the lawsuit comes from the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit nutrition education foundation that provides research on the dangers of modern soy foods. “Officers and employees of the Illinois Department of Corrections are depriving Mr. Harris of his constitutional rights,” said Sally Fallon Morell, president of the Foundation. “And the soy-foods policy instituted in 2003 deprives all inmates to their court-confirmed right to a nutritious sustaining diet.”
Another plaintiff in the case, Dominick Giampaolo, also describes retaliation by IDOC personnel. He has protested actions against himself and other defendants by embarking on a hunger strike on September 15, 2009, which is ongoing to this day. Giampaolo is being force-fed a soy-based beverage that is steadily undermining his health.
In a related incident, inmate Andre Jacobs was assaulted and deprived of his writing materials by officials of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections after a jury awarded Mr. Jacobs $185,000 in a federal civil rights case for violation of his rights by prison officials.
Individuals wishing to support Mr. Harris and other defendants in the suit should contact Pat Quinn, Governor of Illinois, or Michael Randle, Director, Illinois Department of Corrections.
Office of the Governor
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph, 16-100
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 814-2121
http://www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm
Michael P. Randle, Director
Illinois Department of Corrections
1301 Concordia Court
P.O. Box 19277
Springfield, IL 62794-9277
(217) 558-2200
For background, see www.chicagotribune.com/health/chi-soy-prison-diet-dec21,0,1740841.story.)
PRESS CONTACT
Kimberly Hartke
703-860-2711
press@westonaprice.org
One comment
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I am a C/O with IDOC. I work at LawCC. Yes I will agree that the food is loaded with soy. Yes I have read the effects of soy consumed in large amounts. I see Mr. Harris everyday, he goes to dietary everyday, he eats what is served to him. Now that b eing said, A lot of the staff employed, frontline staff not administrators, think that the quility of the food should be better. I have seen a lot of Inmates come to IDOC thin and haggarded. I have yet to see one leave that same way.
I am not condeming the rights of the Inmate, but when we hear of Inmates stating that they are deprived of phone calls, writing paper and pencils, and medications, I must call B.S. They are given phones in Segragation, all be it once a month. They do have acess to their pen paper and legal paperwork, and the Health Care Staff pass medications daily. Though some Inmates in seg refuse to take them, then state they were not offered.
There are allways two sides to a story granted. Most C/Os are professional, they do not retailiate because the administration say to. They know right from wrong. Inmates are not all angels. Some do their time causing no problems. But then you have bad apples in all walks of life.
If in fact the soy in the food is a problem for at risk people then great get that info out there. But people should not creat stories about situations that make them look more like victims than they are. Mr. Harris should just state the facts and then feel good about what he may accomplish with the truth.