Protesters complete walk, protest at Thomson prison

THOMSON – As the heat index climbed into triple digits Saturday, a group of activists ended their 150-mile trek to protest isolation cells being built at the federal prison in Thomson.

Representatives from the Chicago-based organization Voices for Creative Nonviolence began walking from the Windy City to the village of 600 residents on May 28, traveling 10 to 19 miles a day and averaging about 8 hours per stretch.

About 50 people, ranging in age from 6 months to the mid 80s, participated in the walk, sleeping in churches and at campsites along the way.

In for the long haul was 73-year-old Razia Ahmed, a Pakistan native who traveled from her home in Scottsdale, Arizona, to be at the starting line in Chicago. She became involved with the organization in 2007.

"It's been very hot, but I think about the prisoners, and conditions are much worse for them," Ahmed said while holding a picket sign above her head for a reprieve from the sun.

The 25 protesters finishing the last mile to Thomson oppose several practices by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, including plans to build as many as 1,900 isolation cells at Thomson, and talk of transferring some of the 91 remaining Guantanamo Bay prisoners to the facility.

Tim Meadors, of La Plata, Missouri, said solitary confinement is a form of torture that is amoral.

"This would be the largest concentration of solitary confinement in the U.S.," he said. "Being in a cell 23 hours a day doesn't pacify anyone; it leads to more violence in society because they don't know how to cope."

Maya Evans, a London native and a peace activist in the UK, has worked with the Chicago organization for 4 years and said mass incarceration in the U.S. reinforces social inequality based on race and economic class.

"Detaining people indefinitely is one of the worst international crimes happening presently," she said. "The prison system is becoming a modern form of slavery."

The practice has also been denounced by the United Nations, she said.

Juan E. Mendez, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, in 2011 called on countries to ban long-term solitary confinement practices, stating that prolonged or indefinite isolation exceeding 15 days can cause mental damage.

Buddy Bell, one of the lead organizers of the walk, advocated for Illinois residents to push lawmakers to support the Isolated Confinement Restriction Act, a bill that would limit solitary time to 5 days in any 150-day period and prohibit the practice for prisoners who have disabilities or serious medical conditions, who are pregnant, or are younger than 21 or older than 55.

“This has been a great way to raise awareness and highlight this undesirable situation and brutal reality that’s hidden away from our daily routines,” he said.

In regard to housing Guantanamo detainees, remaining prisoners are likely to stay put pending congressional approval of the fiscal year 2017 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill that prohibits Guantanamo prisoners from being transferred or released in the U.S.

The U.S. House of Representatives' Appropriations Committee approved the $56 billion spending bill May 24, legislation that would also provide funding to the prison.

Sterling resident AJ Segneri, 35, said the prison has not spurred economic development in the area, and funding would be more beneficial if put toward education, infrastructure and health care.

“The money should be spent elsewhere to better the community and for rural development,” he said. “It’s a burn off of our back, and we as taxpayers pay for this eyesore.”

The Thomson facility was built in 2001to be a state prison, but never opened because of an inability to gather funds to operate it. In 2012, the federal government bought the prison from the state for $165 million.

The maximum-security prison is scheduled to be fully operational next year, and minimum-security prisoners were moved into a satellite camp at the facility in September. According to the BOP, Thomson currently houses 113 inmates.

Following the federal appropriations bill passing the Senate Appropriations Committee in April, U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline, said the full activation of the prison would generate more than 1,000 jobs in the area and $60 million in local economic activity.

March participants came from Arizona, Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa and New York. Illinois marchers came from Sterling, Crete, Naperville, Chicago, Harvard, Crystal Lake, DeKalb and Rochelle.

Protesters stood in the grass holding signs reading "Solitary confinement is torture" and "Schools not prisons" across the street from the prison, located at 1 Mile Road, and took turns voicing their opinions or stories on a loud speaker.

A prison guard was posted throughout the day at the front gate of the facility, and more than a dozen State Police cars were stationed in town. No incidents were reported.

Thomson prison officials could not be reached for comment.

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