2/28 SCOTT SISTERS UPDATE!

Greetings all,

Thanks so much to all of the supporters of Jamie & Gladys Scott! Jamie reported that she was taken to a vascular clinic last Monday and an attempt was made to correct the displaced catheter in her neck, but the doctor had a problem getting into her vein. Tests were also run to determine whether she had remaining infection in her body. She is being told that she will return there next week to see her regular doctor, who was not present at the time of this visit. She was not given any information regarding any of the findings by staff.

On Wednesday she began having chest pains following her dialysis and was taken to the hospital. No blockage was detected following ultrasound and catheterization of her heart. She was returned to the prison on Thursday before she was told of any results.

Jamie sounded a bit stronger and her family and your activism have helped her to regain some of her fighting spirit! She was told by staff that she will be allowed to purchase some food on Monday and she is grateful for the donations she has received to be able to do so! Also, she has been told that the chaplain will be coming by a couple of days a week to do her laundry.

Jamie should not be in the prison infirmary, locked in a cell on a hospital bed on the mens' side of the prison, where the care is absymal and frighteningly inadequate, she has had more than enough medical emergencies! There is a medical building on the prison grounds where the environment is greatly improved and where Gladys can help her tend to her activities of daily living, as other incarcerated family members are permitted to do with their ailing relatives. We need the prison officials to know that we want Jamie to be in the environment most conducive to her health and well-being as she struggles with her many life-threatening medical conditions.
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Please continue to sign-on to the Change.org petition for the compassionate release of Jamie Scott at
http://tinyurl.com/yfrj5g6 and pass the word!
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The 2/27 Empowerment Hour Online University radio show hosted by Bros. Kermit Eady and Earnest McBride featured Mrs. Evelyn Rasco, Marpessa Kupendua (nattyreb), Nancy Lockhart, and Shakeerah Abdul al-Sabuur. There was a whole lot of good info put out and the archive is available to all at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/eadyassociates/2010/02/27/the-empowerment-hour-online-university
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Empress Chi, coordinator of the MWM/Black Women's Defense League, is organizing a Free the Scott Sisters Demo and Rally in Mississippi on March 26, 2010. To get involved in planning this and for more information call 267-636-3802 or e-mail:
nationalmwm@aol.com or BWDL7@aol.com.
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PULLING OUT ALL THE STOPS! -- We definitely appreciate every initiative that anyone can take to help win freedom for these
women and Sis. Agnes Johnson gave a perfect example of exactly what we mean by pulling out all the stops. She not only has been able to speak to John Conyers and get info on the Scott Sisters directly to his office, but here are excerpts of a report she gave on Friday, 2/26:

"I moved thru the snow and slush to get to Columbia Univ to attend the Obama Admin's NY Universal Periodic Review (UPR). These sessions are being convened across the country to solicit information and recommendations regarding the US Gov. fulfillment of its obligation to protect human rights. Every four years, the UPR assesses each country's adherence to its human rights obligations under the U.N. Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), human rights treaties ratified by the country, its voluntary commitments, and applicable international law. Reviews are conducted by the UPR Working Group, which consists of 47 members of the U.N. Human Rights Council.

"I spoke during the comment time in both the Health Section and the Criminal Justice Section. In the Health Section I demanded that those in US custody had a right to proper and life saving measures and what Jamie Scott was going thru was not just a barrier but a crime. Both times the comments were well received and people actually joined in to say Free the Scott Sisters now.The panel for Criminal Justice was even more cleansed of any of the lightning bolt cases of police brutality or political prisoners or even the presence of historical prison reform advocates.

"I would like to suggest that wherever this national listening event happens that folks attend to keep the Scott Sisters on the floor and even get on the panel to do a presentation. On the phones were reps out of DC Justice Dept and we should be hitting their emails and phones as well. They are:
Julie Fernandes, Deputy Asst Attorney General, Civil Rights Div, USDJ
Daniel Baer, Deputy Asst Sec, Bureau of Dem,Human Rights & Labor, USDJ
Christopher Camponovo, Senior Adv, Bur of Dem, Human rights & Labor, USDJ
Georgina Verdugo, Dir, Office of Civil Rights, US Dept of Health and Human Serv.
The UPR website is at http://www.ushrnetwork.org/campaign_upr."
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If possible please tune into Bro. Rip Daniels' radio show weekdays from 9a-11a MS time. He gives regular Scott Sisters updates and conducts hard-hitting interviews with prison officials, politicians, and many others concerned with the case of Jamie and Gladys Scott. Access this show any morning at http://www.itisanewday.com/