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DOC sent men from work release back to prison in response to loved ones’ protest, families allege
Six men were transferred from a work release facility back to prison last month in response to a peaceful demonstration by loved ones about conditions in the facility during the COVID-19 pandemic, families and advocates allege.
The state Department of Corrections transferred the men out of the Reynolds Work Release facility in Seattle following the May 1 demonstration. Two of the six have convictions out of Pierce County, according to the nonprofit Columbia Legal Services.
Families and advocates held an online press conference Thursday, during which they demanded the immediate release of the men, who advocates said had been less than two months from their release dates. They also called for accountability from DOC, for due process rights to be upheld during administrative hearings and for safe and humane treatment of people in DOC custody, particularly during the pandemic.
There have been seven confirmed cases of COVID-19 among those incarcerated at Reynolds and two cases among staff, according to DOC’s website Friday.
“These families come from black, Muslim and indigenous communities,” Aneelah Afzali, the executive director of the American Muslim Empowerment Network, said at the press conference about the men who were transferred. “They feel the blows of structural racism every day.”
DOC spokesperson Janelle Guthrie said in a statement Thursday evening that DOC “takes very seriously any allegations of racism or racial bias, and accordingly investigates such allegations,” and that: “The Department has initiated a comprehensive internal review of the situation and pledges to quickly and dutifully respond to the allegations made (Thursday).”
She said staff requested residents to stay in their rooms during the May 1 demonstration.
“Five men did not comply with or follow the directives issued,” the DOC statement said. “On May 1, the five men were given verbal notice of the infractions they received and notified of their transport to the Washington Corrections Center to be held pending hearings regarding the infractions.”
Another person was transferred to the Monroe Corrections Center for “health care reasons,” the agency said.
That person has recovered and has a transfer date back to the work release facility this month, as does one of the other men who “was determined not to have been involved in the incident,” the statement said. “The other four had their hearings.”
A press release from Columbia Legal this week said: “Families who took part in a peaceful May Day demonstration calling on the Reynolds Work Release facility to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak have been punished for merely speaking out. Instead of heeding the call for safety, the Department of Corrections (DOC) aggressively retaliated by kicking out not only one mother’s son but also five other Black men who, too, were all just a stone’s throw from being home safe with their families.”
The release went on to say: “After their transfer to prison, the ‘Reynolds 6’ were placed in solitary confinement with little to no access to outside contact or basic hygiene. Before being taken, Muslim members of the group were targeted as they were fasting for Ramadan and even as one of them tested positive for COVID-19.”
At the press conference Thursday, families said their loved ones were told they had been sent back to prison for using the restroom.
They identified the six men as Liban Adem, Isaiah Thomas, Daniel Kibby, Abdizikar Mohammed, Anthony Sams and Zemetrious McNeal. McNeal and Sams have convictions out of Pierce County, according to Columbia Legal.
“During a deadly pandemic, our loved ones were sent from work release to prison for just using the bathroom, just hours after a peaceful rally at which I spoke at, demanding for safe and healthy conditions inside,” said Ayan Adem, one of Liban Adem’s sisters.
Nick Allen, with Columbia Legal, said Mohammed was removed from the work release facility and sent to Monroe after he tested positive for COVID-19. He was in isolation for 22 days, on 24-hour lockdown, until about a week ago, Allen said. He said Mohammed had severe symptoms, and that he was not given any medication.
State Senator Rebecca Saldaña and King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay were also among those who spoke on behalf of the men at the press conference, which was moderated by community organizer Nikkita Oliver.
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