Editor's Note: The following article was written by one of the condemned inmates on Death Row, San Quentin, California who staged a three-day hunger strike in solidarity with the families and friends demonstrating on July 15, 2000, to demand the return of contact visits to the inmates of Death Row. Contact visits were taken away on April 1, 2000, after a minor altercation in the visiting room between two inmates. This was done as an "emergency" step to protect the visitors from any further "threatening" situations; however, the visitors have protested and generated over 5,000 letters to the California Department of Corrections asking for those visits back. They obviously do not consider the visiting room a dangerous place. Instead it is a place to express love, compassion and forgiveness.

IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL . . .I KEEP ON PUSHING . . . by Dennis Mayfield Brewer Death Row San Quentin, California July 15, 2000 I'm on California's Death Row, and at this time my fellow comrades (inmates) and I are on a hunger strike in support of our friends and family members and The Prison Reform Unity Project who are with us in the struggle to have our contact visits resumed. As I sit here in the midst of this struggle, my mind continues to flow with much energy. I know that I'm in a place that puts me up against the wall and against all odds, but I refuse to stand by or lay down and just let the oppressors walk over me. It feels wonderful to physically take part in this peaceful demonstration, and to join in with the many people on the outside who are trying to help us all in this inhumane place, San Quentin Prison's Death Row. My close friend, Charla Greene, had mentioned to me a few months back that we, the inmates, need to do something. When I heard her on the radio station KPFA, 94.1 FM, say "This is the first time that the inmates on death row have ever joined in with us in support on their behalf, " I could feel the positive flow of energy coming from her. I felt a chill down my spine of pure joy for our struggle. For me personally, the contact visits are something that I look forward to profoundly. My family members, who visit me, all live in Southern California. I have friends as far away as England and South Africa, and to have them come that far and go through the dread of maybe not getting an appointment for a visit to see me is more than I can bear. There are many other things that are going on in this place that I oppose greatly, like the death penalty, which is inhumane. I have been on Death Row now fourteen years and I'm 42 years old. This place, California's Death Row, has the worst living conditions that I have ever had to endure. Let me start with the food. Breakfast is rarely hot, and if they serve hot cereal, they will not serve the sugar for another thirty minutes so the cereal is cold by that time. They serve hash browns that are never even warm. But the worst of all is that they don't cover the food, and I watch all kinds of dust that is floating in the air land on the food. There is no real meat being served in San Quentin on Death Row. I haven't even seen a real piece of chicken in the last few months. As a result of the bad food I have become a vegetarian against my will. I have watched my body weight drop from 255 pounds to 235 pounds...all due to poor diet. That made this hunger strike for me something that I can do peacefully to show that I'm struggling just to survive under these conditions, as I have a right to live a healthy life. It was the State that put me here to house me, and that makes me San Quentin's responsibility, not their pet. The medical treatment is very poor. I have been waiting for weeks now to just get to the doctor to state my problem and hopefully receive the right treatment. I say hopefully, because the people who pick up our medical slips and pass out the medical supplies often enter this building with a bad attitude that brings about such bad bedside manners that sometimes harsh words are exchanged. Charla Greene stated in her interview on KPFA that San Quentin isn't one that follows the rules, and that they run this place as they see fit or desire in spite of what the courts or anyone else may order them to do. Some order has to come into effect in this regard before we are reduced to sitting here in our cells with only a book, a few sheets of writing paper and envelopes, and a pencil. I have served a lifetime in this place and not once have I ever seen the program of San Quentin's Death Row get better. Every six months or so they are taking something else away from us. Under these odds, I have conditioned my mind to do with nothing, because I believe that before too long that is just what we inmates are going to be sitting here in our cells with: nothing. The only way that we can get around that fact is to take a stand like we have with this hunger strike and join with the help and support of all of you that care. I will be on a hunger strike for three days prior to anyone's date of execution. I will be on a hunger strike in support of anyone that does a demonstration on the behalf of Death Row that I find out about prior to the demonstration taking place. My point is this, I will never again allow you people on the outside, my family, friends, and supportive groups and organizations, to take a stand on my behalf without my joining in support. I would highly appreciate it if you would please contact me via letter as soon as you put any plan into action on the behalf of Death Row. You will find my full name and address here below, and I thank you for taking the time to read this message. DENNIS MAYFIELD BREWER C-93626, 5-E-85 SAN QUENTIN STATE PRISON SAN QUENTIN, CA 94974 USA

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