Protesters holding ‘noise demo’ Monday at youth jail

Demonstrators are planing a noisy protest outside the King County Youth Services Center at 12th and Alder Wednesday at 8 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring “anything to make noise” to the demonstration as part of a national day of prison protests.

More details and reasons for the protest from the Occupy Seattle Calendar:

There will be a noise demonstration held at the King County Juvenile Detention Center in the Central District (Seattle) at 8PM.

This is organized to respond to the California prisoners call for solidarity with prisoners which was endorsed by Occupy Oakland. Occupy Oakland will be going out to the San Quentin Prison. Other cities including LA, Baltimore, Chicago and others will be joining in on the call as well.

Things to bring:

anything to make noise! (so the youth can hear us)

banners, flags, signs, fliers, etc.

This noise demonstration will be to express solidarity with all political and social prisoners as well as the youth imprisoned at King County Juvi to break the isolation that is both a requirement and a function of prisons.

We want the youth to know that they are not alone that there are those of us in the outer walls who are saying fuck prisons, down with every prison wall.

This prison society we live in, with every one of its laws, courts, cops, prisons and networks of surveillance, has made it very clear that the ‘life’ we’re supposed to accept is nothing more than a life sentence in an open air prison and upon violation a ‘life’ of extreme alienation, isolation, and degradation. Those prisoners who resist inside recognize this as they continue to refuse the meek existence that the state and capital tries to impose on them.

Prison has a long history within capitalism and governments, as being one of the most archaic forms of prolonged torture and punishment. It has been used to kill some slowly and torture those “undesirables” to the reigning social order – who have do not fit within the predetermined mold of civil society.

More information: occupy4prisoners.org

21 thoughts on “Protesters holding ‘noise demo’ Monday at youth jail

  1. Way to punish the youth. The building goes in to lockdown and visitors, AA meetings, religious support, GED classes, poetry writing workshops, all outside volunteer and family support is locked out and the kids go in to lock down. Good job, Occupy, shitting on those you allege to support. Again.

  2. Ditto to sad’s comments…

    These idiots from occupy are clueless to what is really going on. There have been long lists of serious problems at Alder Hall for decades now that have not been addressed properly by the courts or any other agency.

    The occupy statement is proof positive that it is being run by complete idiots. I’m a long time activist and have attended many a protest but all I want to do with these occupy clowns is shove my foot up their ass…

  3. Just when you though Occupy couldn’t get more loony, they go out and outdo themselves. I’m at a loss for words when I read these utterly bizzare, rambling statements. I get more coherent thoughts from a friend who is schizophrenic.

  4. Tell that to the kids on the inside who were banging on their tiny windows and cheering us on. Noise demos don’t “punish the youth”… they remind them that some people actually give a shit.

  5. Wow, you’re really steamed up about this. I’ll repost what I wrote in response to your facebook tirade:

    Some of us have spent time in juvenile detention facilities and jails, so please don’t assume that we know nothing of what goes on in there.
    These noise demos are meant for the prisoners themselves. They are effective… because the intention is to break the isolation of prison and to remind those on the inside that there are people on the outside who care about them and who want to see prisons destroyed. Tonight the kids in there were banging on the glass and cheering along with us. Noise demos aren’t primarily organized for educational purposes–though they could (and have) served a duel purpose, with people handing out leaflets to passersby and holding banners, etc.
    Also, all the horrors that go on inside of prisons are intrinsic to prison itself. We are against prisons, point blank. Though it is important to pay attention to the more obviously fucked up elements of prison life, a wider analysis of prison as a tool of social control is also important.

  6. Right on. I think they smoke a lot of pot or something…here’s what I wrote on their Facebook page (edited for a family paper…):

    You f***ing idiots…

    I mean seriously…what moron wrote that statement? Protesting just for the sake of protesting? You kids are dumb as a sack of rocks…

    Corruption, rape, and environmental hazards are but a few of the ongoing problems that have plagued the facility for decades and yet you f***ing idiots didn’t bother to mention any of these issues? What? Is rape in juvenile facilities okay with you?

    No. you’re lazy f**ks that don’t want to march too far from the rocks you crawl out from under…

    You have no agenda, no education and no f***ing common sense. And you wonder why all the real activists won’t get near your little actions? Well, I guess you don’t because you really don’t f***ing care.

    Read up as**oles…here’s three stories I found in two minutes:

    http://soundpolitics.com/archives/005205.html
    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011745760_d
    http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012668774_p

    Educate yourselves and stop acting like idiots…

  7. As far as I’m concerned the occupy movement should only be concerned about one central issue. That being, the removal of money from politics. Everything else is just a symptom of that one issue.

  8. Removing money from politics challenges the very foundation of US government. While this is fine by me, I think the people pushing for campaign finance reform don’t really realize what they’re asking for and how difficult (impossible?) it would be to reform away money’s influence on US policy. It is far too entrenched. You would need a hell of a lot of people in active revolt to even pass a reform like this–and at that point, you might as well go for the big R and do away with capitalism and the state altogether.

    I also think that the “Get Money Out of Politics” thing comes from a very middle class, privileged position. You say “focus on that,” but what about the million people (and their loved ones) locked up in prisons across this country? For them and for many poor people and people of color, prison is a huge and central issue. Though private prison corporations’ influence on politics has had a lot to do with rising incarceration, imprisonment (like Tides of Flame said) also serves as a vital tool for social control and for the maintenance of the status quo. Prison is where those in power stick those of us who dare to challenge the foundations of their power… You can’t ignore prison even when you’re talking about something as vanilla as campaign finance reform or else you’re missing a huge part of the picture.

    Also, let us not forget that societies with regimes that have not been funded by high capitalists also have lots of social problems and issues of repression. You need only look at the histories of various communist states to see this.

  9. In regards to money in politics, I don’t believe it’s as difficult an obstacle as you believe it is. 3 to 4 decades ago things were drastically different. It’s only been through constant stripping away of regulations that were previously in place which helped protect us from monied intrests. We’ve come to this point where our goverment is now an auction and not an election. Laws are written by corporate lawyers to benefit corporate intrests as you are already well aware of. The private prison system needs to be abolished. We can’t even get real discussions about issues and these types of problems until we get the money out.

    As far as the juvinile detention protest goes.. There are kids who commit crimes. Some of these crimes more severe than others. You may debate the nature of the crime, but the fact is there are some kids out there looking to hurt others for their own personal gain. I don’t want these kids free to do what they will and am grateful they are locked up quite frankly.

    Also why protest the state facility? It’s not like it is privately funded. If occupy was out protesting a private prison then, I’d get it.. This I don’t get.

  10. Mike, I honestly think you need to read up a bit on the US prison system. There are several really good books out there, particularly Lockdown America by Christian Parenti. Women Behind Bars, Golden Gulag, and Prison Nation are also full of lots of good information. I’m sure there are also several documentaries that would be worth taking a look at. Private or public, prison is prison. Even public prisons contract with private corporations for various services and private corporations get cheap labor (slave labor, really) when their goods are manufactured in prisons. And no matter the public or private nature of a particular prison, it still serves the social control role I outlined above.

    A hugely disproportionate number of black and Latino people comprise the US prison population. This is due to institutionalized racism and targeted policing, the foundation of which is, of course, slavery.

    The majority of so-called criminals are in for non-violent drug-related crimes; this is a symptom of this sick [capitalist] society. I have spent a lot of time with incarcerated youth and I know that they deserve much better than to be locked away and abused by the very government that has put its boot on their backs their whole lives. Prison does nothing to solve problems of violence and drug-addiction… it actually makes things much worse.

  11. People are in prison largely because they are violent criminal. Percentage of various races in the prison is directly proportional to the percentage violent crimes committed by members of that race. Solve the problem on the front end – the social fabric of communities. Stop pissing and moaning about the result (prison) of social failure.

    Many many more people need to be locked up and kept away from society. Especially rapists, pimps,pedophiles and other predators. And no, I don’t care how isolated they feel. Just don’t let them out.

    Racism does not cause people to become rapists and pimps. It is a societal disease that must be addressed head on, swiftly, and harshly. What promotes this social decay is all you sissies making up excuses for the poor little perverts in prison. Shut the F up befor….

  12. Most of the kids in juvie are there for minor infractions or non-violent crimes (out after court-ordered curfew, soft drug charges, etc). Speaking from experience. In the short time that I spent there, how I wish something like this noise demo had occured. Juvie is a place where kids, good or bad, are forgotten, tread upon, brutalized, and ultimatly ignored. It is sick to think that we are so ready to turn a blind eye to youths in our community, and then talk trash on anyone who shows creative solutions, large or small. So you can keep pretending that the facility is not in your backyard…but don’t be rude to people who give a damn.

  13. whose “we” because I know it doesn’t include any of the people who I personally know who also live in the CD.

  14. is it just me or has grumbo become grumbier? what was the last positive comment you’ve left? what exactly is your point of coming on here every day and spewing your discontent and pessimistic attitude? that sir is the definition of “trolling.” if you don’t have anything positive to add to the conversation keep it to yourself. i’m tired of reading it.

  15. Well golly Hunter. I guess you missed my many positive comments such as on thee pizza contaner and the trotters and 76% of what. I say. Furthermore, accuracy is inherantly possitive. You can spin wonderful sounding BS all day long as you ignore unpleasant trends that are solved only when admitted and addressed. I didn’t open.the assinine thread about the poor criminal masses. I commented that you must address the social decay rather than accept clearly criminal behavior. I do tire of ignorant silly heads deamonizing the justicee system and police. Policing is a reaction to very obvious problems of violence right here in Seattle. See tweet from SPD today:

    Recently there has been an increase in violent crime in many of our neighborhoods. The Seattle Police Department views this increase as a public safety emergency.

    To date, the Seattle Police Department is investigating nine homicides, and many shootings that could have easily become homicides.

    Seattle Police detectives are investigating each and every one of these incidents, but they cannot solve these crimes alone. Investigators need the public’s assistance with information

  16. Malarky. KCJ is not housing kids that stay out late. They are holding people that are serious threat to Seattlle and themselves. Admit that at the time you were taken to jail you were in fact a danger to civil society. I don’t care about blame. Just tell the truth.

  17. People like you are more to blame than any kid locked up for some silly bullshit. seattle? rampant violent crime? laughable. baltimore has a violent crime problem. L.A. has a violent crime problem. All seattle has is a bunch of whiney uptite property owners complaining every time they see someone black walk on the same side of the street as them. and frankly the neighborhood homocides have nothing to do with 16 yr old kids in lockdown as a result of the cities inability to accommodate afterschool programs for children who didn’t grow up in 100k households.

  18. Nobody is blaming the kid locked up. Just saying that it isn’t the police and courts fault. The real problem is the exusing of and justifying the commonly known sins until young adults – and adults don’t know the difference between right and wrong. They think the system is out to get them because they have very little concept that the problem is their own lack of spine and moral compass. I’m not in the least bit religious but I understand the simple problems of sloth, pride,greed coveting, adultery and the rest. They have a dissordinate effect on poor kids in terms of conflict with the law. Though vitually everyone is made unhappy by the embracement of an idealess society.

    Violence and murder on our streets is directly related to how we manage crime trends amoung our youth. The past few years have seen SPD under attack and retreating. Now in 2012 Crime is unhinged.

    Re fear of blacks – that is rediculous. What I see is black men generally avoid me. They cross the street or step back for no particular reason (other than my dog). Where do you come up with all this racist mumbo jumbo Lucas? You poor white kid with so much concern for what – making sure everyone has an excuse to fail?

  19. I spent time in juvie in the 1980’s and it wasn’t for being out late, hon. And what noise demos – or any event that puts the bldg in lockdown does – is shut off what little contact with positive influences kids in juvie have. Volunteers teaching creative writing – which I did at Juvie as an adult in the 90’s – religious services (this Catholic school kid appreciated), drug counseling, etc. all shuts down – as does visitation – when you do this shit outside Juvie. So a few kids already in iso banged on the windows. So what? What about the rest whose visiting you terminated or whose other services you ended until next week? As usual Occupy is run by the Anarchists who totally stole Seattle’s lame Occupy movement, and as usual Occupy is clueless to that fact and the same old same old tiny Seattle Anarchist group is laughing, and posting here, and doesn’t give a shit about the kids in juvie. Hi, Lucas.