Tell Governor Northam and the Virginia Department of Health that Release is the only way forward3/24/2020
Call Wednesday 3/25 all day!!!
As prisons, jails, and detention centers around the country begin to see outbreaks of COVID-19, it is clear that administrators are at best ill-equipped to keep people safe and informed. We need to put pressure on public power to act in the interest of public health. The only way Coronavirus is spreading to incarcerated and detained people is from staff bringing it in, and we know that people can carry the virus without being symptomatic. Social distancing is impossible in these facilities, and the availability of testing is so limited that the only way we know about infections is from people on the inside reporting outbreaks. By then it is too late. The only way to prevent illness and death in prisons, jails, and detention centers under these conditions is to release people in large numbers. People are already reporting outbreaks in Virginia facilities. Many jails across the US have implemented large-scale releases. It's past time for ICE and the Virginia Department of Corrections to follow suit. Numbers to call
Suggested Script
Hello my name is ____. I am calling to request that your office take steps to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in VADOC and ICE facilities. I am aware that staff at these facilities are not being tested, and that people at ICA Farmville and Coffeewood Correctional are reporting symptoms. Social distance as a preventative measure is impossible in jails, prisons, and detention centers. Given that comprehensive testing is also impossible, the only way to minimize risk is to effect large-scale releases. Coronavirus is an imminent threat to the secure operation of VADOC and ICE facilities, and must be taken seriously. Will Governor Northam demonstrate his commitment to public health by granting clemency and commuting sentences? Or will he release a statement accepting responsibility for inevitable illness and death? If you reach a voicemail Ask for a callback. Note the time of call and where you left a message (in the case you were forwarded to another answering machine) If you reach a person Note the time and length of the call and who you spoke with. Get the direct number and email of the person you were transferred to. Push for a formal response. If the person you're speaking with can't speak to the office's response, ask them who can. Leave a report in the comments, or email one to [email protected]
19 Comments
Tamar June
3/25/2020 09:51:30 am
Left a message with the script at the Office of the Governor requesting a call back at approx 9:45am on 3/25/2020
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Sam
3/25/2020 11:32:47 am
Left a couple messages after selecting menu option 2
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Sam
3/25/2020 11:40:35 am
Got a person on the line at governor Northman’s office: Selena. She said to call the DOC covid-19 hotline and DHS (since ICE is their jurisdiction). I told her I’m aware of what the DOC is capable of and that the governor has the power to release people, and that’s the only way to minimize risk.
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Alec
3/25/2020 12:31:35 pm
I called the governor’s office the first time and left a voicemail. The second time I called the governor’s office I spoke with James Donald, director of constituent services. I read him the script. He told me that family visits and transfers between facilities have been suspended. I reminded him that the guards are not being tested and that that poses a public health risk. He told me he wasn’t aware if guards were being tested or not. I told him VA should follow the example of other states and counties and begin large scale releases of prisoners. He said he would pass that along to the governor.
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kay
3/25/2020 12:45:19 pm
Left a message at governors office. the department of healths said the voicemail is full.
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Christian
3/25/2020 01:56:43 pm
I called the Commissioner of Health at approximately 1:46 PM. After listening to several menus (the order is 0-1-3 in terms of choosing options), I finally got on the phone with a person named Kim. I began saying the script, and she said “Can you hear me? Can you hear me?” I could hear her just fine, but either she could not hear me or she was pretending. She said “Let me try something with my phone” and put me on hold for about ten seconds, then picked back up. I spoke loudly and clearly into the phone, but got the same issue as before (“Can you hear me? Hello?”). After several attempts with no response, I hung up. I know my phone is working fine, as I made a phone call to someone earlier today. I have a sneaking suspicion that the employees have been told to “not hear” if anyone says ICE (I specifically said “I’m calling about conditions in VADOC and ICE facilities” before Kim started saying I was not coming through). I heard her just fine the whole time.
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Andrew
3/25/2020 01:59:24 pm
Called at 1:55pm. Selected “talk to staff” but no one answered and went to voicemail. Read the script and asked for a call back to discuss further.
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Christian
3/25/2020 02:08:25 pm
Called the Governor’s Office and left a voicemail at 2:05 PM. I read the script and changed the ending slightly, asking the governor what HE PERSONALLY is going to do to help the most vulnerable people in his state. What is he going to do?
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Sherri Ferritto Williams
3/25/2020 02:43:39 pm
After calling several times and not reaching a person, I left a voicemail to the governor's direct line (as it was described in the automated option #1). In addition to paraphrasing the suggested script, I mentioned that jails and prisons across the United States are releasing inmates early due to coronavirus concerns and that he do the same. I said that keeping people in a prison without testing and with exposure to the virus is cruel and is essentially assigning them to a death sentence.
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Graham
3/25/2020 02:53:47 pm
I was able to leave a message at Ralph Northam's office, but when I reached the voicemail for the Virginia Commisioner of Health, I was informed that the voice mailbox was full.
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Helen
3/25/2020 03:41:42 pm
I spoke to JD at Gov. Northam's office. He said that the government can't make any decisions regarding ICE detention since that falls under federal government. When I repeated the concerns pertaining to VADOC, he referenced the "press release last week for justice involved individuals" where the governor's office made the decision to have VADOC suspend visits and said they are complying with CDC guidelines. I said they weren't if staff aren't being tested and that people in prison cannot socially distance. I reminded him that there are already people experiencing symptoms at Farmville and Coffeewood. He said he would bring these concerns to the governor.
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Rachel
3/25/2020 03:45:04 pm
I called at 3:38 and chose option two to speak with a member of the governors office. I spoke with someone in the governor’s office and read the script. They asked my name I gave a pseudonym.
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Anika
3/25/2020 04:00:27 pm
I called at 3:34 pm-option #2- I got in touch with a Special Assistant within the Governor's office. They did not give me their name. They said they will pass along the message(script). They gave me the number of the DOC COVID line [804-887-8484]. The call duration was 4m10s.
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Rachel
3/25/2020 04:29:03 pm
4:25pm I called Virginia health department and was unable to leave a message.
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Rachel
3/25/2020 04:35:26 pm
4:29 pm I called the governors office, chose option 2, went to voicemail, I left a VM and I asked for a callback. Duration of call 3 min.
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Rose
3/25/2020 04:36:27 pm
Left a message at the governor's office after pressing 1 at 4:30. DoH messaging machine was full :(
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Jean-Pierre Seguin
3/25/2020 05:13:57 pm
Called governor's office at 5:11 PM. Left a message on the main line. Asked for call back.
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Anna
3/25/2020 06:20:16 pm
Called Governor's office at 6:16 pm, selected option #2, left a message with my number. Call duration 2:47.
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Amy
3/31/2020 10:20:22 pm
I have emailed the govornor the statements above, and had previously sent him 2 orhet emails on this same subject, but if you do not go through the govornors website to prove it is not spam and you are not a robot, his office will never recieve the emails directly from our email addresses, so please follow the link below to insure these emails are not rejected. Thank you.
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