Black Autonomy Federation received this report from Ann Brooks, the mother of Spokesperson Ray.

START CALLING ST.CLAIR TODAY @7AM 205-467-6111 AND DEMAND MELVIN RAY TO GET MEDICAL ATT.

We are receiving reports from St. Clair prison that my son, Melvin Ray,[one of the leaders of the Free Alabama Movement prison organization] is ill. Yesterday after lunch, Melvin indicated that he wasn’t feeling well. (As you may know, when we went to March at St Clair yesterday, officers were already aware that we would be arriving).

At around 9 p.m., Melvin began having problems urinating and was experiencing pain in his lower abdomen and bladder. At around 11 p.m., Melvin began passing excessive blood through his urinary tract. Melvin has been in isolation since January, and we believe that someone introduced something through his food yesterday.

Melvin informed Off. Cosby of his condition and was told that the medical staff said that he should fill out a sick-call form and that he would be seen by the nurse at pill-call.When pill-call came around at 3 a.m. (4 hours later), the nurse (Holcombe) and officer refused to stop at his door. Melvin banged on his door until Officer Mackesy appeared at 3:10 and informed Melvin that he would have to fill out a sick-call slip (which Melvin had already done, but Nurse Holcomb and Off. Humphries refused to pick up), and that he could turn it in at 12 p.m. and wait to be called by the doctor.

By 12 p.m. Melvin will have been passing blood for over 13 hours with no medical attention. The shift commander was Sgt. Hamilton, who is the same officer that was presented when Melvin’s hand was slammed in a door by another officer. We are asking that you please contact St. Clair @ 205 467 6111, or dial 911 and report that we belive that Melvin’s food has been tampered with. [ NOTE: THIS IS HOW PEOPLE DIE IN PRISON, AND WE CANNOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN, PLEASE HELP US WITH AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE, Call 205-467-6111, and demand medical care for this prisoner activist!