Hugo

Keep your eyes on this case. A man who was incarcerated in Alabama filed a federal lawsuit against 3 prison officials for alleged retaliation after he spoke to the media about prison labor. Carlos Anderson was doing a prison work-release program at Ju-Young, which is a a manufacturer in Hyundai's supply chain. According to his lawyers, officials punished him with additional unpaid labor, suspended telephone, visitation and commissary privileges, and spread statements that endangered his safety. He was also transferred to a more restrictive prison. This is an important First Amendment case that tests the constitutional rights of incarcerated individuals, including their right to speak to journalists about living and working conditions behind bars without the fear of retaliation. The fact that incarcerated people are being human-trafficked to do labor for a very profitable global supply chain involving giants like Hyundai is extremely troubling to say the least. I also want to highlight how all these xenophobic, reactionary, right-wing "tHeY tOOk oUr joBs" people who hate immigrants are super quiet about the fact that corporations exploit mass incarceration for jobs that could be going to unionized workers and offer families a decent living.