Update: Greg is out of the hole! (was: Greg is locked up in the hole)

Today Aug. 15 Greg called to let the webmaster know he is out of the hole! He was told he will not get a write-up, and that he did nothing illegal basically.

Greg is still pursuing his request to be moved out of Ohio State Penitentiary, since everything he does is turned into something bad. He said, if I would shout, I would already be suspiciously looked at (by staff). I cannot do anything right here for them. I have to keep a low profile all the time.

Also, at OSP, there are “dog cages” as they are called for recreation time. So Greg and others do not get to stretch their legs on a real yard, but they have to go to cages for their “rec. time.” And this has been going on for 20+ years…

So it is still important that we stay supportive of Greg’s need to get moved to a real level 4 prison away from this atmosphere that is causing harm to Greg’s wellbeing.

Thank you to everyone who made calls and who emailed!

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(edited 8-14-2018)
Since August 10th or 11th, Greg is in the hole at OSP and he has not yet had any charges/writeups against him.

The shadow of “Lucasville” is cast over Greg, who had no participation in the Lucasville uprising back in 1993, but who was charged and sentenced solely due to snitch testimony, an ineffective public defender and basically a court and jury not of his peers. Ever since, he has received harassment from those who keep him locked up.

Greg has asked many times to be moved out of Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP), but they keep him there because they say “Level 4 is appropriate for him,” but in other prisons “level 4” does get recreational yard time, eating in the chow hall, etc. which he does not get at OSP. He has been at OSP since its beginning, and it is and remains a supermax prison, with very few chances to progress to lower levels with less restrictions, such as more and a better recreation yard, going to the gym, going to the chow hall, simple things that mean so much.

After all these years we support Greg’s request to be moved, for his personal well-being, and because he should not get the disciplinary treatment he gets at O.S.P. because of the label that was put on him following the Lucasville prison disturbance, with which he had nothing to do. It is unprofessional to treat someone with personal hatred and retaliation when one is a professionally hired person working for the state.

Greg has asked to email the overall director of ODRC to ask why he cannot be moved to another level 4 prison with privileges such as contact visits, recreation time, etc.

Greg has also asked everyone of you to gather behind him and to write him via Jpay, but to also include with every letter a return-stamp, otherwise he cannot respond. Thank you.
Greg’s registration nr is: #213-159. Look his name up in Jpay.com, he is in Ohio if you hadn’t guessed!

His address is:

Greg Curry #213-159
OSP
878 Coitsville-Hubbard Road,
Youngstown, OH 44505

Remember: Greg has no stamps, you must write a Jpay (jpay.com) and add an additional stamp for him to respond to you! Thank you!

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Hunger Strike at OSP ends: Greg and Hasan send a press release out

 May 6th, 2013
For Immediate Release to the Public From: Siddique Abdullah Hasan and Gregory Curry:

Lucasville Media Access Hunger Strike Ends

YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO– Today, at 3:15 p.m., Greg Curry and I, Siddique Abdullah Hasan, decided to end our almost month-long hunger strike. The strike commenced on April 11, the 20th anniversary of the Lucasville prison uprising. The sole purpose of our strike was to vigorously challenge the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) continuously denying us to have direct access to the media- that is: on-camera interviews with the media.

While both death-row and non-death row prisoners in Ohio are granted on-camera access to the media, those who have been reailroaded and convicted of crimes stemming from the Lucasville Uprising have continuously been denied equal protection under the law. 

And though ODRC policy permits its prisoners to meet with the media to discuss their criminal cases, this policy has not been applicable to those of of convicted of riot related offenses. In fact, in 2003, the then-prison chief, Reginald Wilkinson, made it perfectly clear to Kevin Mayhood a staff reporter at the Columbus Dispatch that: “no inmates convicted of riot crimes will be permitted to speak with [them].” This blanket and collective denial is contrary to ODRC’s own state-wide Media Policy, which Mr. Wilkinson’s successors have been unconstitutionally enforcing his vindictive directive. 

We want to thank all our supporters, as well as some reporters in the media, who have been agressively assisting us in challenging this unconstitutional media blockade.

We also want to thank the various organizations who have expressed interest in this matter– that is, the flagrant violation of our first amendment guarantees which protect freedom of speech and redress from government excesses.

Finally we want to thank Warden David Bobby for negotiating with us in good faith and for being the liaison between us and his hard-line superiors at Central Office.

Because of these factors, we decided to end our hunger strike and allow this crucial matter to be litigated through the court. God willing, we will be granted a resounding legal victory against the prisoncrats who wish to silence us in a deliberate ongoing attempt to prevent us from revealing the truth about our criminal convictions, convictions which are a serious affront and travesty of justice. Until then, I remain…

In the trenches,

Siddique Abdullah Hasan.
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