Updates from the Toxic Prisons Campaign

By: Tricka Parasimo AKA Sonny

Hello Freedom Fighters,

We’ve been working hard to raise awareness about the toxic environment at SCI-Fayette and other Pennsylvania state prisons. Recently, B. Preston and I attended Climate Week in New York City to debut the trailer for our documentary, I Can’t Breathe. The full film will be screened on October 11th in West Philly at Cedar Works Community Center. Our campaign is also continuing to work with representatives and legislators on House Resolution 280 (HR280), which would require the Department of Corrections to conduct environmental studies in state prisons. In addition, we’re partnering with the Emerald Cities Collaborative to develop a curriculum for folks on the inside, focused on Energy Democracy.

Photos by: Jeff Weiner

During Climate Week (September 22nd), activists, scholars, and community members came together to address the impacts of climate change. The Toxic Prisons Campaign was invited to join a panel hosted by Counterstream Media, a nonprofit dedicated to environmental justice storytelling. B.P. spoke on behalf of HRC at a Story Salon alongside filmmaker Alexandria Norris and Native American activist Chantel Comardelle.

Thanks to the support of Frontline Resource Institute and the Environmental Defense Fund, we were able to share your stories. After the trailer screening, the audience engaged in a powerful discussion about conditions behind prison walls and the fight for basic human rights. It was inspiring to be surrounded by predominantly people of color who deeply understood the intersections of environmental racism and incarceration. We left with new connections, energy, and a shared vision of building toward collective liberation.

Our October 11th screening will feature a panel discussion with B.P., Shakaboona (co-founder of HRC), and Caine Pelz (a recently released HRC member). We are building a community to face the trauma caused by incarceration and to support one another in challenging a system that cages and tortures human beings—regardless of guilt or innocence. Through this documentary, we hope to reach all audiences with a clear message: no one deserves to be dehumanized.

On the legislative front, we are working closely with Representative Emily Kinkead to move forward HR280, a resolution directing the Department of Corrections to conduct environmental studies at every state correctional facility. The goal is to ensure that people inside are not being exposed to harmful, hazardous, or unsanitary conditions, and that they receive clean air and pure water. We are proud to have met with co-sponsors Rep. Tarik Khan, Rep. Ben Waxman, Rep. Benjamin Sanchez, Rep. Perry Warren, Rep. Darisha Parker, and Rep. Carol Hill-Evans. In each meeting, we lifted up the stories you’ve shared with us. If you or someone you love has been impacted by the coal ash at SCI-Fayette, please send your testimony to the Toxic Prisons Campaign.

Finally, we’re excited to share progress on our Energy Democracy curriculum. Energy Democracy is a movement to shift from centralized, corporate-controlled energy systems to decentralized, community-owned systems that prioritize equity, sustainability, and public benefit over private profit. It demands that energy be recognized as a right, not a commodity, and that communities have real power in shaping a just, low-carbon future.

We are developing this curriculum through a carceral lens—including a scorecard that invites participants to imagine a world without prisons and without an extractive economy. This is about building the skills and vision we need to dismantle harmful systems and create new ones rooted in justice.

We want to hear from you. Write to the Toxic Prisons Campaign at the HRC address and tell your story:

●      How have the environmental conditions in prison affected you?

●      What do you want people on the outside to understand?

●      What would you like to see politicians advocating for?

Keep On Fightin, Soldiers,

Sonny