By Angie Jackson
Detroit Free Press
DETROIT — Advocates and loved ones of incarcerated people plan to rally against the Michigan Department of Corrections as COVID-19 cases in prisons continue to surge, claiming the lives of 95 prisoners so far.
A rally is planned for Friday afternoon outside Gus Harrison Correctional Facility in Adrian, and a second event, a car caravan, is scheduled for Saturday in Lansing.
As of Thursday evening, 17,413 prisoners — 44% of people housed by the Department of Corrections throughout the pandemic — had tested positive for COVID-19. The number of active infections hit an all-time high in recent weeks. There were 8,003 active cases among prisoners as of Thursday.
Members of the organization Michigan Abolition and Prisoner Solidarity (MAPS) are describing Saturday’s car caravan in Lansing as a funeral procession to honor those who have died behind bars.
Zoe Jackson, a Lansing resident and member of MAPS, said she hopes the caravan sends the message that advocates, loved ones and prisoners want Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to mitigate the spread of the virus by using her clemency powers to free some prisoners before their earliest release date.
When asked about the issue at a news conference last week, Whitmer said the parole board “has worked diligently to ensure communities stay safe but that we are able to get people who are close to have completed their time through the system as quickly as possible.” She did not say whether she plans to consider action to release prisoners early in response to the pandemic.
“There are actions that could’ve been taken at a state level,” Jackson said. “But nothing has been done. So we’re trying to continue to bring awareness to the conditions inside and to the struggle that prisoners are facing.”
Rep. Tenisha Yancey, D- Harper Woods, said she thinks the Legislature should revisit the Truth in Sentencing law, which requires that prisoners serve their minimum sentence before they are eligible for parole.
“There’s an argument that can be made that it’s needed — it’s needed more now than it has been in the past,” said Yancey, who planned to join advocates and three other state representatives at Friday’s rally outside Gus Harrison Correctional Facility.
The escalating prisoner death count comes after a number of facilities saw outbreaks that infected hundreds of people at a time.
Department of Corrections spokesman Chris Gautz said, “No one is advocating for herd immunity” in the prison system.
“No one wants all the prisoners to get it. No one wants all the staff to get it,” he said. “I think that our policies, procedures and protocols we have been following do help to slow the spread.”
Yancey said she and other lawmakers plan to ask Whitmer to form an oversight committee specifically for MDOC’s handling of COVID-19 after hearing from families of incarcerated people.
“I really want to express to her that we are the ones who are getting the phone calls from the families of inmates who are saying completely conflicting things than what the department is saying,” she said.
Yancey said she and other members of the Detroit Caucus worked with the Department of Corrections to plan Zoom calls with groups of prisoners at every facility to hear their concerns related to COVID-19.
Sandra Parker of Monroe said her son is among the 1,357 prisoners at Gus Harrison who have tested positive for COVID-19. Morale has tanked as prisoners have witnessed death and sickness, she said, and Parker worries that her son and others will suffer from PTSD when they are released.
“It just is disheartening. Look, my son did something wrong. A lot of these people did. None of us expected a five-star hotel, but none of us expected this big of a mess,” Parker said. "... at the end of the day, he did not get a death sentence.”
Prisoners who want to take part in the Zoom calls with lawmakers may have a loved one can call Yancey’s office at 517-373-0154.
Friday’s rally is scheduled for 1-3 p.m. outside Gus Harrison, 2727 E. Beecher St., in Adrian.
People who want to join the memorial car caravan Saturday are asked to meet at noon at Mac’s Bar located at 2700 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing.
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