Resources:
Sarah Rigg's Feature Article: Ypsi activists advocate for women’s prison to address mold and related health concerns
Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility
Fighting for Krystal Clark Linktree
NOTE: Sarah Rigg's article contains the following response from MDOC:
In an emailed statement, Jenni Riehle, public information officer for MDOC, said: “The Michigan Department of Corrections is committed to the health and safety of those under our supervision and those employed by the department. Routine inspections of all MDOC facilities regularly take place. In the event that dangerous or hazardous conditions are found, they are addressed in a timely manner. We take the health care of incarcerated individuals very seriously and provide a consistent community standard of care which includes access to onsite medical staff, outside specialists when needed, and quality medications and medical equipment.”
Transcription:
Lee Van Roth: You're listening to 89.1 WEMU, I'm Lee Van Roth, and this is On the Ground Ypsi. The local nonprofit Survivors Speak is working hard to spread awareness about toxic living conditions at the Huron Valley Women's Correctional Facility and are calling for the compassionate release of current inmate Krystal Clark to receive much needed medical attention for exposure to black mold. Survivors Speak has reported that Clark has been incarcerated at Huron Valley for over 13 years, and her requests for medical assistance have gone largely ignored by the Michigan Department of Corrections, including a failure to provide medication to Clark for over a month. Poor conditions have been impacting inmate well-being for years with a group of inmates launching a class action lawsuit against the state in 2019, which only just started to move forward over the summer after having been initially dismissed back in 2023. With me today to discuss Krystal's case, the situation at the facility, and what community members can do to help is Survivors Speak founder and executive director, Trische' Duckworth. Hi, Trische'! It's so great to hear from you!
Trische' Duckworth: Hi! Thank you all so much!
Lee Van Roth: So, can you just start by telling us how you and Survivors Speak first became aware of what was happening inside Huron Valley and what made you decide to take action in this way?
Trische' Duckworth: Sure. So, a dear friend of ours and a sister who works at Silent Cry, Shawana Vaughn, had been getting calls from the women just about a myriad of things that were going on there from the mold to women being violated sexually to just a plethora of things that were going on amongst the women. And at that time, we were advocating on behalf of Teresa Dunlap, who was in hospice due to cancer, and she had mold growing out of her chemo port. From there, one of our comrades, J-Love, began to connect with Krystal. And on the podcast every Friday, J-Love would share about what was going on with Krystal. And it was just so despicable to know that people that are incarcerated are being treated this way. And so, for us, it was a no-brainer to just continue to work alongside J-Love and anybody else that wanted to help do the work.
Lee Van Roth: And Survivors Speak is known for its advocacy work and particularly in giving voice to the voiceless when they feel they don't have that ability to. And I'm curious. If this particular case, Krystal's case, is if you feel it's an example of the overall kind of work you're trying to do for the community as far as the problems and issues that you want to address.
Trische' Duckworth: Yes, it really does! Really, I would say, it centers what we stand for as an organization to be the voice of the voiceless. A lot of these women and our siblings that are behind the walls have been crying out for help, and, due to retaliation, they have been silenced one by one. But thank goodness for the strength of Krystal Clark to just continue to stand no matter what, and it gave us the fuel that we needed to stand with her. I mean, again, this is a violation of civil rights, the Eighth Amendment, right? This is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment, right? And so, for us, it's a no-brainer to just continue to stand until, not only Krystal, but all of the women are in a safe place.
Lee Van Roth: And once this organization effort started, what steps did you take to start bringing attention to this situation, or more attention to this situation, either within the prison itself and working with Krystal and other inmates or in the broader community as well?
Trische' Duckworth: Yeah. So, because it had been so isolated, we felt that it would be best to educate the community on what was going on, because a lot of people really didn't know. And so, that looked like news outlets, news stories, having rallies. We were even blessed to be able to have a community conversation, partnering with Project Community, a sociology class at University of Michigan, Dr. Rebecca Christensen. And it's just seemed to grow from there. We actually have a research group now that's going to be doing some research around this. We have students that are now going to be during PSAs around this. We had youth in the summer doing PSAs around this. And so, this is just good. This has been an all-hands-on-deck mission to save lives because women have died. And if we don't do something, they will continue to die.
Lee Van Roth: With all of this broad community support that you've described to, what has the response been from the prison or from state officials so far? Has there been one? Has there be another attempt on their end to kind of explain what's been happening or if there are steps being taken to help, or are we still waiting?
Trische' Duckworth: Well, I would say that the wheels are starting to turn a little more now. We have been reaching out to our elected officials here in this local area, so Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, Senator Jeff Irwin, and, at that time, former State Rep. Felicia Brabec, State Rep. Jimmie Wilson. And so, this has been a long road advocating with our elected officials and the ombudsman of this prison, which is Keith Barber. And it just seems to be folks just kicking the can down the road, right? Because, honestly, elected officials can't do anything by themselves. Collectively, as a body, they have to pass law. So, I can understand where it'd be frustrating for them. But our governor could end this nightmare with the stroke of her pen, and that is what we are calling to happen.
Lee Van Roth: And then, as far as this ongoing lawsuit that was just pushed once again and is being looked into a little bit deeper now, is Survivors Speak involved in that process at all with the women who organized that lawsuit? Is there any assistance or guidance from your end to enact this larger change that seems to already be in motion?
Trische' Duckworth: Well, unfortunately, we are not satisfied and, at times, Krystal has not have been satisfied with her legal representation. They've only seen Krystal two or three times this whole entire time. It just doesn't show like they're more for their case, as opposed to the civil rights of what's going on with Krystal and the other women. And so, we have been pushing the attorneys. One of her attorneys, actually, was the president of Michigan Coalition for Human Rights. She never even brought it to the Human Rights Board.
Lee Van Roth: Oh my goodness!
Trische' Duckworth: She never brought it to the Board of Directors, and I know because I was on that board. And so, until J-Love and myself started talking about it, this lawyer hadn't even brought It forward yet. So, we just believe that Krystal needs different representation, and we hope that that can happen in the future.
Lee Van Roth: This is WEMU's On The Ground Ypsi. I'm talking with Survivors Speak executive director and founder Trische' Duckworth. So, Trische', for community members who maybe this is their first time hearing about this case or maybe it's been just in their general purview, what are some of the more immediate ways that folks can help or show support for Krystal or for this ongoing initiative to improve conditions for these women?
Trische' Duckworth: I would tell everyone to head to Krystal's Linktree, "Fighting for Krystal Clark". There's information there that you can get, all the latest news reports, there's video accounts of other women who have endured this as well, and Krystal's medical records, so people can see for themselves. But we want people to have that education, so that they will know what they need to speak to the governor about. And we're asking everyone. This is a call to action for everyone to reach out to Governor Whitmer and ask Governor Whitmer to release Krystal and all of the women that are deathly ill and then to do something about the conditions. We really need the governor to step up and do what is right in this situation. These human rights violations cannot go on any longer. She must act now!
Lee Van Roth: You know, obviously, this case, in particular, this work is directed at Huron Valley. Do you see this case and this work as a potential jumping-off point for other kinds of long-term changes that you and Survivors Speak want to see in the correctional system in our state, overall, not just in Washtenaw?
Trische' Duckworth: Yes, it does! As a matter of fact, we already have cases and reports of poor health care across MDOC-wide. So, this goes beyond Women's Huron Valley Prison. And this is why the governor needs to take action because there are people in other prisons that are suffering as well. And she has the power to do something.
Lee Van Roth: And I'll wrap things up just by asking, and you mentioned Krystal's Linktree with the information that's all there, are there other ways for folks to stay connected with not just this case, but all of the work that Survivors Speak does within the community and continue to support that work far beyond this individual case?
Trische' Duckworth: Thank you for that! Yes! People can follow us on social medias. We are on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. We also can be reached on our website, and that is www.survivorsspeak.info.
Lee Van Roth: Well, Trische', thank you so much for joining me here today and for sharing Krystal's story and for all of these ongoing advocacy efforts over at Survivors Speak! It's really a delight to learn about it!
Trische' Duckworth: Thank you! Thank you so much for having us and for sharing this important information!
Lee Van Roth: For more on today's conversation and a link to the full article, visit our website at WEMU.org. On the Ground Ypsi is brought to you in partnership with Concentrate Media. I'm Lee Van Roth, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU-FM Ypsilanti. Celebrating 60 years of broadcasting at Eastern Michigan University!
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