The Committee to Decarcerate the Garden State
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ALERT #1!  LET RENEE FELTON VISIT KWADIR FELTON!

Aug 25, 2014: THERE HAS BEEN A POSITIVE RESULT OF THIS ACTION ALERT - PLEASE HOLD ALL CALLS FOR NOW!

There has been a small organizational victory for the Committee to Decrcearate the Garden State and a major victory for Kwadir and Renee Felton! Renee and her daughter (Kwadir's sister) have been approved for visitation of Kwadir at Southwoods State Prison in Bridgeton NJ! Since we have heard that they were denied visitation, we have been urging calls to the prison and state corrections calling for the visitations to be approved. We do not know what factor our calls played, and we understand we were not the only ones making such contact, but we do believe that this kind of action can bring temporary slight improvements to the oppression of NJ's incarcerated (as well as elsewhere). For now we are telling folks not to continue making such calls as the issue is for now resolved. We will continue to follow Kwadir's situation and I urge all of us to continue to demand justice for Kwadir.

His victimization by police violence and the criminal injustice system is chronicled in this link . . .

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/23220-jersey-city-man-shot-in-the-face-and-blinded-by-police-faces-30-years-in-prison

Congrats to all who made contact and to Renee and daughter and Kwadir!

The much bigger victory of freedom for Kwadir and justice is still at large though!


ALERT #1

Kwadir Felton was a victim of police violence – blinded by a Jersey City police bullet to the head when he was 18.  In a trial rout with irregularities, he was sentenced to 16 years including for gun charges for a gun there was no evidence that he was even connected to – a gun that according to police affidavit left the scene of the incident and was returned there before state police investigators came on the scene.

See: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/23220-jersey-city-man-shot-in-the-face-and-blinded-by-police-faces-30-years-in-prison

He has been remanded to Southwoods State Prison in Bridgeton NJ which is two hours from where the incident occurred and where his mother Renee Felton resides in Jersey City.  It is a $40 - $50 round trip for Renee to visit her son there.

For now though, as challenging as visiting would be, it does not matter because the prison administration refuses to place Renee Felton, her daughter and Kwadir’s sister and a Reverend family advisor’s names on the visitation list.

You are reading that correctly, the mother of a young man, blinded by police bullet, over prosecuted and sentenced to 16 years in a trial where evidence did not seem to really count – now his mother and sister are denied approval to visit him.

The Committee to Decarcerate the Garden State demands justice for Kwadir Felton and we demand that Renee Felton, Kwadir’s sister and the family advisor be placed on the visitation list.

We call upon members and supporters and anyone who stands for justice to call the Administrator of Southwoods State Prison, Administrator: Christopher Holmes, and to ask that Renee Felton, Kwadir’s sister and the family advisor be placed on the list of permitted viewers.

Calls should be made between 9 am and 5 pm – Monday through Friday.  Stay tuned to this page at http://DecarcerateNJ.org to see if we make a break through and the calls are no longer needed.

The number to call is 856-459-7000.

Please be polite and just deliver a message.  Ask to speak with Administrator Robert Buechele.

You probably will not get to talk to him.  If you do not, just say something like:

“I am calling on behalf of the Committee to Decarcerate the Garden State.  Please approve for visitation for incarcerated person Kwadir Felton, ID 443153E his mother, Renee Felton, his sister and their family advisor.  It is my understanding that all three have been denied approval.   It is of utmost importance to Kwadir, given the challenges he faces as a blind person trying to cope under incarceration that he be allowed visitation of his mother first and foremost, his sister and the family advisor.   His physical and mental health and his ability to survive under incarceration require this social connection.  We urge you to resolve this matter immediately by providing the approval.”

If you DO get to speak with Mr. Holmes, a similar message can be conveyed directly to him.

Once you call, please drop us a note and let us know how it went: Decarc@DecarcerateNJ.org .

Also pleae let Renee Felton know once you call - she needs to know that she has some support!  You can e-mail her at:  ladyd4407@yahoo.com .