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Racial clash on “Hitler Day” predictable, some say. But the fight in which two Florence prisoners were killed by guards may not have been preventable. Courts have ruled against segregating inmates, even temporarily.
By Felisa Cardona
The Denver Post
2 inmates killed in fighting at federal prison in Colo.
FLORENCE, Colo. — Officials at the U.S. Penitentiary in Florence allowed white-supremacist inmates to mingle on the same recreation yard with black inmates on Adolf Hitler’s birthday with deadly results.
Two inmates - one black and one white - were shot to death by guards Sunday after authorities say they ignored commands and numerous warning shots to stop their fighting.
Given the date, a “holy day” to white supremacists, according to an expert on hate crimes, race-based conflict was predictable - particularly considering the popularity of white-supremacist gangs in U.S. prisons.
“I’m not an expert in keeping prisons calm, but it certainly does seem like a dangerous business to allow groups of white-supremacist criminals to congregate on Hitler’s birthday,” said Mark Potok of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups. “The truth is, it is an iconic day in the white-supremacist calendar.”
Investigations by prison officials and the FBI continued Tuesday into Sunday’s shooting. The union of corrections officers had long warned that understaffing could lead to trouble at the prison, a high-security facility holding nearly 1,000 men.
But even knowing all that, prison officials, who declined comment Tuesday on their reasons for not locking down the prison to prevent trouble, may have had few options for keeping inmates apart.
Federal and state prisons are integrated institutions where blacks, whites and Latinos and other races and ethnicities are housed together.
In California, a black inmate, Garrison S. Johnson, sued the California Department of Corrections for housing him with only blacks each time he was transferred to another prison. He argued that the moves forced him to affiliate with gangs in order to survive. In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that inmates in California could not be segregated by race, even temporarily during a transfer, unless absolutely necessary.
Terry Thornton, spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections, said inmates often self-segregate, but the prison system does not separate them or lock down institutions on significant anniversaries such as Hitler’s birthday.
One day that is noticed is the anniversary of the shooting death of Black Panther activist-inmate George Jackson by San Quentin State Prison guards on Aug. 21, 1971.
“That’s an example of anniversary dates of heightened awareness, but we do not routinely lock down just because it’s April 20. You have to have more to go on before you make the decision,” Thornton said.
The New York State Department of Correctional Services follows a similar policy and officials there say they have not had a major incident or riot in 11 years.
Leann LaRiva, spokeswoman for the U.S. Penitentiary at Florence, said inmates are not separated by race on Hitler’s birthday or any other anniversary in order to keep the peace.
“We don’t discriminate on race or ethnicity or segregate,” she said.
LaRiva declined to specifically address Sunday’s incident or whether the institution considered keeping the inmates separated on Hitler’s birthday, citing the ongoing investigation. The prison remains on lockdown.
Three of five inmates who were injured during the riot have returned to the prison. Two inmates remained in the hospital Tuesday and are not considered critically injured, LaRiva said.
Copyright 2008 The Denver Post