A Horrifying Tragedy At Red Onion State Prison

I am posting this tragic account with the permission of Natasha White, Washington, DC-based Director of Community Engagement for IAHR, an organization dedicated to "abolish unnecessarily punitive practices such as solitary confinement and to instead focus on rehabilitation and successful reentry of our citizens" in Maryland, DC and Virginia.

On September 15, 2024, a horrifying incident at Virginia’s Red Onion State Prison exposed the unbearable conditions that incarcerated individuals face daily. In a recent radio essay, Kevin Rashid Johnson reported that two men, Ekong Eshiet, and his cellmate Trayvon Brown, set themselves on fire, driven to this tragic act by the intolerable racism, abuse, and inhumane treatment they endured.

Ekong suffered third-degree burns, while Trayvon Brown’s injuries were even more severe. Last we have heard, Ekong is being treated at UVA. He is currently engaging in a hunger strike– reports state that he has refused meals for five days. As of now, we are working to gather more information on the other men involved, and any information the public has will be useful.

The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) has gone too far. I am heartbroken and enraged by this level of desperation. The torture and dehumanization of incarcerated people are not only violations of the law but also crimes against humanity. As someone who has fought for freedom and been directly impacted by this system, it infuriates me that institutions continue to disregard human life with such impunity.

This must stop. We need everyone involved in addressing the crisis at Red Onion State Prison. When is enough enough? How many of our brothers must physically or spiritually suffer before meaningful change occurs?

IAHR and the Virginia Coalition have worked tirelessly year after year, to end solitary confinement—one of the main abuses taking place at the torturous Red Onion—and we will continue to do so with your help. Please contact me to help eliminate the abuses faced by incarcerated individuals; I can be reached via email, call, text, or through our website. Further, you can take part in advocating by contacting your local legislators

(https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov)

To the families, friends, and communities of those suffering within these walls: We see you, we hear you, and we stand with you in this fight for justice.

This was not an isolated act of desperation. Since then, nine more men at Red Onion have reached their breaking point, resorting to similar tragic measures. These are not protests, but cries for help from individuals pushed to the brink by a system designed to rehabilitate but instead breeds despair.

This cannot be ignored. Let this serve as a call to action for every person of conscience to demand accountability, transparency, and an end to the gruesome practices within our

prison systems.

In solidarity,

Natasha White

Director of Community Engagement (IAHR)

Interfaith Action for Human Rights

https://www.interfaithactionhr.org/

email: nwhite@interfaithactionhr.org

phone/text: 318-295-5343

P.O.Box 55802, Washington, DC 20040 318-295-5343

nwhite@interfaithactionhr.org www.interfaithactionhr.org