Vigil and Demonstration at CIW Prison to Protest Recent Preventable Deaths

Family members and advocates to hold vigil for Vickie Lee Hammonds, who died in custody at the California Institution for Women (CIW) 

CORONA, CA—- The family of Vickie Lee Hammonds and California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP) will hold a vigil and peaceful demonstration on November 9th, 3pm PST at the California Institution for Women (CIW) state prison in protest of her preventable death while incarcerated. 

Vickie Lee Hammonds’ death on June 5th was one in a long series of avoidable injuries, suicides and preventable deaths caused by a culture of negligence that persists throughout the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and at CIW in particular, despite years of public scrutiny. In the weeks leading up to her death, Vickie––diagnosed with COPD and diabetes––had repeatedly informed CIW staff that it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to breathe. Multiple witnesses report that her repeated requests for emergency care were sidelined or ignored. 

“Our sister Vickie was not just an inmate with a CDCR number, she was a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother,” said Alma Hammonds, sister of the victim, from a statement on behalf of Vickie’s family. “We all want to know why she was so neglected and allowed to die.” 

Advocates for prisoners held in CIW, which was once identified as having a suicide rate 8x the national average, report a wide range of troubling issues plaguing the facility: refusal to provide emergency medical care by custody and medical staff; incredibly long wait times to have medical needs met; botched surgeries; and extreme medical indifference to people suffering with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes. 

“The State of California, the CDCR and CIW have to take responsibility for in-custody deaths, the neglect that allows them to continue, and the callousness of their collective response when they occur,” said CCWP organizer Eva Nagao.  “We’re here to support Vickie’s family in their demand for justice, and to make sure others in the prisons know we are watching––that we’re fighting alongside them for their survival.”

TIME: 3pm PST 

DATE: Saturday, Nov 9th, 2019 

LOCATION:  In front of CIW Prison (16756 Chino Corona Rd, Corona, CA 92880)