Originally posted on Black Ink at https://black-ink.info/2023/08/04/phone-zap-for-khalique-brewer/
Put an End to Sexual Abuse in Prisons
Justice for Khalique Brewer!
Call Monday and Tuesday, August 7–8, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
There is a war on children in the United States. No, it’s not just the waves of anti-trans legislation that seek to deny gender-affirming healthcare and criminalize transition, nor is it confined to the mass criminalization of skateboarding Black and brown youths in San Francisco last month. The war is diffuse and permeates all aspects of our lives. Here in Michigan, one of the mechanisms by which this war against youth is being waged is the criminal legal system, carried out by police, prosecutors, and guards throughout the state.
Here are some recent examples. In 2017, Ann Arbor police officers beat up and arrested 16-year-old resident Ciaeem Slaton at the bus station, as he was waiting for the bus to go home. In 2020, workers at Lakeside Academy suffocated 16-year old Cornelius Fredericks to death as an attempt to subdue him in the cafeteria. Today, so-called “progressive prosecutor” Eli Savit has charged 16-year-old Kendall Newbern as an adult, despite speaking out against such “punitive” approaches during his election campaign.
The damage and oppression dealt by the criminal legal system against youths reverberates into their adulthood: one such story is that of Khalique Brewer, who has been dealing sexual and verbal abuse in the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) since he was locked up as a 16-year-old in 2014. As a minor housed with adults, Khalique was raped by two adult prisoners in Jackson, Michigan. When Khalique reported this violation to the Corrections Officers, he was told “This is prison, you’re going to grow up fast!”
Minors housed in adult prisons and jails are at least five times more likely to be sexually assaulted, 36 times more likely to commit suicide, and more likely to be held in solitary confinement.
Now, as an adult still held captive in the MDOC, Khalique has not seen any justice, healing, or care for the multiple episodes of sexual abuse that he has faced inside (he’s not the only one either). In fact, the retaliation he has faced from speaking up about his abuse has only doubled, underscoring how prisons only perpetuate gendered and sexual abuse, rather than addressing or preventing it.
In collaboration with supporters of Khalique Brewer, MAPS calls for a two-day phone zap targeting Governor Whitmer, MDOC Director Heidi Washington, and Attorney General Dana Nessel to demand immediate relief for Khalique. The demands are as follows:
- Immediate medical attention for Khalique, including access to his inhaler
- Immediate release of Khalique from the hole, full communication with his loved ones, and dismissal of his bogus retaliatory ticket
- Immediate action to protect him from further retaliation and harm
- Protection of all MDOC inmates from abuse and violations of their constitutional rights
This is why the call is to Free Them All, and this is why we fight for a world with autonomy for children, freedom from abuse, and freedom from policing and prisons!
How You Can Help!
* Join the Phone Zap on August 7–8 (Monday and Tuesday)
Call the following three numbers and ask to leave a message:
MDOC Director, Heidi Washington
(517) 241-7238
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer
(517) 335-7858
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel
(517) 335-7622
Suggested script:
“Hello, I’m calling about Khalique Brewer, a current MDOC inmate, #892805. Since he was 16 years old in 2014, Khalique has been subject to sexual and physical assault and verbal abuse by inmates and corrections officers. He has repeatedly reported the assaults and abuse, but MDOC, the legislature, and the governor’s office have fixed nothing. I’m calling to demand that Khalique be given immediate medical attention, including access to his inhaler. I also demand that he be released from the hole, given full access to communication with his loved ones, and that his retaliatory ticket be dismissed. And I demand that immediate action be taken to protect him from further retaliation and harm, and to protect all MDOC inmates from abuse and violations of their constitutional rights.”
Remember, you do not need to give a (real) name, number, or location to leave a message, even if you are asked for one. It is your choice.
If you would like to hide your phone number, dial *67 before dialing the rest of the phone number.
* Spread the word for #JusticeForKhaliqueBrewer
