Phone Zap for Lakesha!
Lakesha Norrington is a trans woman incarcerated at Miami Correctional Facility (MCF) who has been increasingly targeted for her gender as well as her legal work and knowledge which she has used to push back against repression from CO’s and prison officials against her and others as well as the inhumane conditions that incarcerated at MCF face. Earlier this month Lakesha was placed back in a cell with somebody who had previously made transphobic threats against her. Staff refused to move Lakesha to safety despite this person making verbal threats against her physical safety in front of staff and other prisoners. On May 4th this person physically assaulted her, hitting her on the jaw. When she reported the assault to the staff Lakesha was penalized. We are asking for calls to demand that Lakesha be transferred and that her concerns be addressed immediately. We will not stand for this retaliatory response to her being assaulted. The DOC must abide by their own policies and procedures in regards to a response to physical violence.
From Lakesha:
“I was assaulted by a gang member on the 4th of this month by Terrance Harris who was put back into my cell after being removed from my cell for being a gang member. When he was put back into my cell he repeatedly confessed to staff and prisoners that he did not want to be in my room on the base of my being a fag or homo. He was very debasing toward me in front of staff and prisoners and threatening yet staff kept him in my room resulting in him putting his hands on me. Now I am in a unit which is DIRTY hell no cleaning supplies or anything. The night that Harris hit me in my jaw I reported it to staff but I was penalized. I was told that Captain Fisher told staff to put me in this unit pending 2 reports that had nothing to do with my being assaulted by him. A few days ago caseworker Issacs showed me paperwork stating per approval of Lieutenant Bales I was put over here pending the outcome of the two reports (interference with staff and interference with count)-only one I had already been screened for a week prior and was unaware of the other. I have not seen it to date. Then the prison was placing all the people that I filed requests for protection against and reported to staff that they were trying to harm me and were discriminative toward me and harmful towards me in the same dorm with me! Where they do that at?! These people are playing with my life! I am fearful and it’s crazy to be in this state of mind. They still did not process my classification request. I submitted December 2020 and again April 2021 and have not responded to my status request on the same, though I contacted the classification supervisors here about it. I feel as if they want to keep me here to cause me more harm they are causing to me! I need help. I and my property need to be transferred up out of here. Staff are lying on paperwork to conceal the reported violations and “misplacing” paperworks to cover things up. Staff here lie, lie, lie to people that call up here to get answers for obvious reasons.”
“Due to unfair and unsafe classification practices the Indiana Department of Corrections has, and is pulling the black veil over the eyes of the public locally, and nationally, and as a result internationally, by, when and where the Indiana Department of Corection (“IDOC”) in its official capacity (“working and business related dealings”) and its staff in their individual capacity (“dealings in the workplace done but not permitted by or as a result of ‘working and business related dealings'”) subject women, men and children therein confined that identify as, has been, and is identified as, and is commonly known to be and present as Transgender, Intersex, Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and any variation thereof to: (1). Unfair and unsafe housing practices-though telling members of the free roaming public society that unfair and unsafe housing practices has no place in the operation and organization of the IDOC pursuant to state approved policy mandates such as, but far from limited to, Policy 00-00-101, The Use and Operation of the Department of Corrections.
Whoa! free roaming public, who is unaware, the IDOC is subjecting confined minorities to the hardships of unfair and unsafe housing practices. The account of one woman, Lakesha L. Norington, brings sight, light and truth to the perspective of a woman of color that the IDOC is, and has, subjected her, as others, to unfair and unsafe housing practices. Though the accounts attested to are not limited to those provided, it is for the free roaming public society to make inquiries into the truth of the said attestants by contacting the state public agency, IDOC, requesting, even demanding to see related records, policies etc…, of which the free roaming public society is entitled to, by mandatory legal due processes, and is as follows: (A). Lakesha L. Norington, age 36, height 6’3″, weight 159 lbs has been in the Indiana Department of Correction since 2003 and the Miami Correctional Facility. Due to unsafe classification and housing and treatment practices the body of persons known as transgender are being assaulted by the IDOC and its staff and as a result the confined persons therein. It is unhealthy for the IDOC to allow such widespread practices and conditions of confinement which includes, but is not limited to, we women in male prison environments being cross-gendered pat and strip-searched against our will and against PREA laws and the correlating policies”
Please call director Jack Hendrix to demand Lakesha’s transfer!
Phone number: (317) 232-2233
Email: jdhendrix@idoc.in.gov
“Hello, I am calling/emailing out of concern for Shawntrell Norington DOC #138726 who is incarcerated at Miami Correctional Facility. She has been subjected to physical violence and repression from other staff and other incarcerated people at MCF which when reported was ignored and used to penalize her instead. Her requests for protection have not been honored and she has been intentionally placed in dorms with those who have threatened and harmed her. We are demanding that her request to be transferred is met immediately to ensure her safety!”