1. Ethnographer Behind Bars:Arrested Activists, the General Population and Social Integration Beverly Yuen Thompson, Ph.D. [email_address] Womens Studies Program Texas Womans University, Denton Fifth International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry,May 20-23, 2009

2. Overview

The global justice movement

Jail solidarity

Tactical lifecycle of jail solidarity

Activist demographics

Jail population demographics

Edgy ethnography

3. The global justice movement

Platform:

• Fair trade not free trade; human rights; protect environment; remove structural adjustment policies (SAP)(privatization of social services, devalue currency, develop export economy)

Demand representation

Interrupt meetings where powerful elites make global policy decisions

Repressed/silenced with mass arrest and media demonization

4. What is jail solidarity?

• Genesis: WTO protests, Seattle, 1999

• • ~600 protesters arrested

• • jail solidarity (continued direct action post-arrest): demand dropped/reduced charges for unjust arrest

Jail Solidarity succeeds

• • Released after five days

• • Nearly all charges dropped

• • City loses court battle two years later and pays fine

• • Refused to provide names

• • Physical non-compliance

• • Hunger striking

• • Demand lawyers and jury trials

• • Outside support/publicity

5. tactical lifecycle

Utilizedat following protests:

• A16 IMF/World Bank in DC April 2000 (156 arrests)

• Republican National Convention in Philly 2000 (~420 arrests)

• Democratic National Convention in LA 2000 (~56 arrests)

• School of the Americas in Georgia 2001 (~40)

• World Economic Forum in NYC in 2002 (~201)

Jail solidarity falls intodisuse :

• Anti-war protest in DC 2002

• IMF/World Bank in DC 2002

• Republican National Convention in NYC 2004 (~1,700)

(Mass arrest continues at RNC/DNC in 2008)

6. activist demographics

Over-privileged

• Predominantly White, a few resisted this label; the very few people of color always spoke of racism in movement

• College and post-graduate education; study related to political activism

• Careers often related to political interests (non-profits, research, organizers, student activists)

• Few previous arrests, all activist related

7. jail population demographics

Under-privileged

• U.S. highest incarceration rate in the world at 737 per 100,000

• U.S. 25% global prisoners

• Cost: $60 billion/$88 p/d

• Poor people of color comprise majority of population

• ~80% convicted relied on public defenders ($305/felony)

• ~90% cases rely on plea bargaining= no trial/legal right

8. Outcomes: life-changing & solidarity?It was the first time we went into the holding cell for court and it was standing room only, so packed. We walked in there and they [the prisoners] were looking us up and down, checking us out. One of them asked us if we were protesters and we said yes. And they asked what were you protesting? We said, police brutality. And there was silence. All of a sudden there was this collective outpouring from the women, they all wanted to tell us their stories (Vanessa 2001). We began to hear all these stories. It became harder and harder to talk about how badly wed been treated. Awaiting trial for some could conceivably be six months, because they couldnt make bail. And we were able to get one a lawyer, which I think had the effect of winning us a lot of points with the population. So then were not just a bunch of smart-ass white kids, were smart-ass white kids who you can get something from (Christopher Day 2002). 9. Global justiceand the fight againstcompulsive imprisonment

Critical Resistance conference

• Strategy & struggle to abolish the prison industrial complex

• Criminalization of communities rather than education/opportunities

• Thirteenth Amendment Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime

10. Edgy ethnography

Jeff Ferrell, editor of the book on how to ethnographically observe:

• Crime

• Subcultures

• Homelessness

• Militarism

• Terror

• Sex work

• Drug dealers

Becker does not like the popular term labeling theory, instead he uses interactionist theory of devianceMy main professor Williams taught us how to conduct edgy ethnography 11. Write what you knowWashington, D.C. 1995Ending Violence Against Women Seattle 1999World Trade Organization protests Los Angeles 2000Democratic National Convention protests Research participation as street activist/legal observer, law collective office worker, and arrestee 12. Have you ever been to the D.C. jail At the very, very bottom of the justice system?There youll find quite a few resisters,Who go by the name of Jane.If you do, thats us,Were Jane Doe.We crossed the line, got pepper sprayed and now were in cell48 ,Solidarity. Its working! --Jane Doe (Washington DC 2000)