A tentative deal is shaping up that would end the ongoing, illegal New York state correction officers' strike, which has stretched for 12 days. While the government appears to be making significant concessions to the correction officers, a memo the state sent to incarcerated New Yorkers in the midst of the work stoppage carried a much different message.
On the sixth day of the strike, and one day after 61-year-old Jonathon Grant was found dead in his prison cell at Auburn Correctional, southwest of Syracuse, the head of the state's prison system, Daniel Martuscello, sent a missive to the more than 33,000 people incarcerated in New York's prison system.
"While this is far from an ideal situation, I ask each of you to stick with us during this challenging time," Martuscello wrote in the memo that was obtained by Hell Gate. "Be honest. Be friendly. It's okay to be frustrated, but there is nothing lost by being respectful during a time of adversity."
At times, Martuscello sounds as if he is a CEO writing to his staff amidst massive layoffs, rather than a government appointee who has been in charge during this unsanctioned strike, which has created chaos in the state's prisons. Incarcerated people throughout the state have described to Hell Gate crucial medications being administered late or not at all; going days without showers; meals being served at odd times or replaced with paltry sandwiches; limited or no access to calls with legal counsel; and in some facilities, an experience akin to nearly 24-hour-a-day solitary confinement.
"Who we are and how we behave during difficult times can define us in our own eyes and in the eyes of others," Martuscello writes. "I challenge each of you to be proud of how you behave during this time of uncertainty. This is an opportunity to show the world that you are part of the solution."
Subscribe to read the full story
Become a paid subscriber to Hell Gate to access all of our posts.
Subscribe