This Just In piece on the Black Bird Collective, a group of Portland-based pri

Abstract

This Just In piece on the Black Bird Collective, a group of Portland-based prison activists, who next week will launch a a statewide petition drive as part of what the group hopes will be a national effort to enact state and federal laws requiring that all prisoners and detainees be treated in accordance with the U.N. Convention Against Torture. David Bidler, Black Bird organizer, says his group is trying to show any potential legislative supporters that there is community support for humane treatment of prisoners. The Black Bird Collective was formed earlier this year to support Deane Brown, a former Maine State Prison inmate who was shipped out of state in retaliation for his protests over conditions at the prison