Which days/times are you out on second Ave with your telescope? Would love to meet you one day 🔭

Tiffany Caban: The death penalty is unconstitutional in New York State. So why am I out here embracing the family of Charizma Jones, a 23-year old whose time on Rikers was a death sentence? Why have 33 people died in custody under @ericadamsfornyc? @haltsolitary_ny should not have to keep gathering with grieving families. @nycmayor needs to follow the law and CLOSE RIKERS.

One of the biggest nuclear liars on the internet.

Electricity through the air, pulsing frequencies we can't see a million times a second what do we care but our cells know they're there buzzing crickets in our eardrums pushing us toward chaos with scattered thoughts and dimming eyes heartbeats faltering, sleep gone awry children with headaches in schoolrooms cry fetuses being altered in the womb sperm closing down birds and insects disappearing from earth and skies do we notice the silence bees no longer in gardens or ants on the wall wild animals in tracking collars seen to die wired race horses fall at the finish line lab rats carcinomas are known what do we care, because they're just rats flowers and trees turning brown as pulses pinion from all around from cell phone towers, streetlight poles smart meters, rooftop spars? from roadway signs and radared cars from constellations of fake stars beaming 5G to the back country beaming everywhere, at ships and fish under the sea at the trusting cat that sits on our knee the dog we walk so patiently grandma sitting in her chair all caught in a cloud of radiation why should I care, can't hurt me cellphone and wireless internet are so handy for me and for the military each know the mother lode for hacking and the end of privacy Oh, too bad, I got nothing to hide if we close our eyes to technology's dangers now will we ever seek a safer way or lose our dreams of tomorrow will this clever science end in devastating sorrow

@feltondavis5653 8 hours ago Hideko Otake took this video at the NYC monthly vigil to close Guantanamo, January 11, 2024.

Hideko Otake took this video at the NYC monthly vigil to close Guantanamo

The unity statement of the Women's Pentagon Action is posted here: www.jstor.org/stable/25651820 and is credited to Grace Paley (1922 - 2007). For info about her amazing life, see The New Yorker, May 1, 2017 The Art and Activism of Grace Paley By Alexandra Schwartz

I admire Pete Seeger for who he was and what he did to bring justice and equity to this world. I don’t think posting this is the best way to honor this American hero.

Plane Wreck at Los Gatos ("Deportees") By Woody Guthrie, Music by Martin Hoffman The crops are all in and the peaches are rott'ning, The oranges piled in their creosote dumps; They're flying 'em back to the Mexican border To pay all their money to wade back again Goodbye to my Juan, goodbye, Rosalita, Adios mis amigos, Jesus y Maria; You won't have your names when you ride the big airplane, All they will call you will be "deportees" My father's own father, he waded that river, They took all the money he made in his life; My brothers and sisters come working the fruit trees, And they rode the truck till they took down and died. Some of us are illegal, and some are not wanted, Our work contract's out and we have to move on; Six hundred miles to that Mexican border, They chase us like outlaws, like rustlers, like thieves. We died in your hills, we died in your deserts, We died in your valleys and died on your plains. We died 'neath your trees and we died in your bushes, Both sides of the river, we died just the same. The sky plane caught fire over Los Gatos Canyon, A fireball of lightning, and shook all our hills, Who are all these friends, all scattered like dry leaves? The radio says, "They are just deportees" Is this the best way we can grow our big orchards? Is this the best way we can grow our good fruit? To fall like dry leaves to rot on my topsoil And be called by no name except "deportees"?

Fort Apache: the Bronx dealt with real issues in the Puerto Rican and Black community such as poverty, police brutality, housing abandonment and decaying communities but failed to show the root causes and instead blamed the problems on the community. The campaign as described by Pérez proved that it is possible to have a unified, collective action against media racism. A clear description of the media’s power to amplify and perpetuate harmful stereotypes is followed by an overview of the movie industry, and how the increasing media conglomeration is connected to banks and to the cable industry. Pérez gives an overview of the tactics that were used in the campaign, including boycotts, breaking media blackouts to get media attention, garnering a broad cross section of multi-cultural support, targeting key players and most importantly creating the context in which media needs to be judged by individuals in the public for racism, sexism and classism

Yes, that is the legendary attorney William Kunstler (1919 - 1995), who faithfully stood by local activists who otherwise would only have minimal defense in court.

She reminded the crowd that the last time such a huge number gathered in NYC, in June of 1982, they were opposing the threat of nuclear war. Unfortunately, the recording of her speech was cut short, most likely due to the logistical nightmare faced by the crew at WBAI, who were trying to cover the systematic effort by the police to prevent people from getting to 1st Avenue, and subjected to constant interruptions.

Love this clear spoken, heart and mind balanced Artist....thank you. Thank you for speaking up.... No nation has the right. speak up against war and violence all. blessings. onward together.

maybe dont commit crimes? its a pretty simple concept.

IM A BROWN PERSON AND IVE NEVER BEEN LOCKED UP. AND THERES PLEANTY OF WHITE PEOPLE LOCKED UP IN RIKERS, JUST A MAJORITY OF THEM ARE MINORITES BC MINORITIES COMMIT MOST CRIME. FACTS.

I applaud these men and women to stand up against such an archaic system of incarceration. It is barbaric, demeaning and wrong. It does NOT rehabilitate any person. We do have a responsibility to do better in the twenty first century! How backwards are we as a society?

Been to New York, never been to rikers. Crazy man that I am, I followed the law. People with mental health issues that can't cope with life legally need to be in a hospital, whether they like it or not. Those that refuse end up in jail. Their choice, you do believe in choice don't you?

Chaplain Phillips - “I wish to extend my gratitude to the Public Advocate and the New York City Council for the passage of legislation known as Intro 549. I would also like to acknowledge and pay tribute to former Council Member Danny Dromm, who initially introduced a bill aimed at discontinuing the use of solitary confinement within the Council several years prior. The unwavering commitment of the impacted individuals, their families, advocates, and all others instrumental in bringing about this change has ultimately led to the present action being taken by the council. The devastating consequences of solitary confinement were tragically exemplified by the cases of Kalief Browder, who perished almost a decade ago, Layleen Polanco, who lost her life nearly five years ago, and Brandon Rodriguez who died in solitary in a shower cage two years ago. Some members of the council have consistently spoken out against these practices. On the date of her demise while confined in a solitary setting on Rikers Island, Layleen Polanco had been confined to her cell for two or more hours prior to her passing. For far too long, our incarcerated community has endured appalling and inhumane correctional conditions without any respite. It is our responsibility as leaders to uphold and enforce the principles of human rights and civil law. Today, the Council has fulfilled its obligation to be a responsible governing body. By consistently acknowledging the names of Kalief Browder and by recommitting to their previous promises following Layleen's death while in NYC DOC custody, they have demonstrated their commitment to the cause. The prohibition of solitary confinement in all its forms is of paramount importance, as underscored by the introduction of this bill. As we approach the end of 2023, we wholeheartedly commend the City Council for their steadfast dedication to the principle that the incarcerated members of our community, though deprived of their freedom, remain on American soil and deserve a minimum of dignity and respect while under the care and control of the New York City Department of Corrections. It is crucial to emphasize that the foundation of correctional safety measures must first be rooted in compassion and humanity. This is a positive step in moving towards a holistic approach to corrections.”

NY City Council 22nd District Representative Tiffany Cabán is a former public defender and member of the Working Families Party and the Democratic Socialists of America.

Jumaane D. Williams is an American activist and politician who has served as the New York City Public Advocate since 2019. He is a former member of the New York City Council from the 45th district, which includes East Flatbush, Flatbush, Flatlands, Marine Park, and Midwood in Brooklyn

abc7ny.com/rikers-island-solitary-confinement-not-guilty/1204045/ Six weeks after her arrival at Rikers Island, an argument over who should clean a jailhouse shower sent Candie Hailey to solitary confinement - known as "the bing." It was the first time, but it would not be the last. A month later, records show, she cursed and spit at a guard and resisted when she was put in a hold. Ninety-five days in the bing. She later got 70 days for cursing at an officer, splashing the guard with toilet water and refusing to stop. She was handed 60 days after breaking the light fixture in her cell and using the shards to cut her wrist. Among other infractions: fighting (40 days), disrespect of staff (30 days) and blocking her cell window (15 days). Of her first 29 months in jail, Hailey served about 27 alone in a 6-by-10-foot cell, with a bed, a toilet and a few books to pass the time. When she did go outside, it was just for one hour in 24. And she had yet to be tried for any crime, let alone convicted. At least eight times in the course of her more than three-year incarceration, she would be taken to the hospital after suicide attempts in solitary that included trying to swallow hair remover product, pills and the chemicals inside an instant ice pack, banging her head on a wall and trying to electrocute herself by putting a phone cord in her cell's toilet.

City Council Representative Carlina Rivera (District 2) is the Chair of the Criminal Justice Committee.

Chaplain Victoria Phillips introduces Victor Pate, co-director of the NYC Campaign for Alternatives to Solitary Confinement nycaic.org/

Speaker should say it with more feeling/passion. Rikers is a moral outrage

Freedom Agenda Co-Director Darren Mack said, “As a candidate, Eric Adams said the city should do an emergency build out of offsite facilities for people in DOC custody with the most serious treatment needs. But as Mayor, he's delayed the opening of the first of these beds by more than a year. His inaction speaks volumes. It’s time for Mayor Adams to act on his words - to get stuff done, to create real treatment options for people languishing in jails, and to follow through on the legal and moral mandate to close Rikers.”

Lmaooo. This delusional lot.

Rev. Adriene Thorne, Senior Minister, Riverside Church“ Closing Rikers and investing in communities is the forward thinking leadership New York City needs from Mayor Eric Adams,” said Reverend Adriene Thorne, Senior Minister of The Riverside Church. “Responding to the urgency of creating units for those experiencing acute medical needs is what leadership looks like. It’s what impacted families demand, and it’s the direction the mayor needs to move. As a faith leader, I urge the mayor to exhibit the moral courage he showed as Brooklyn Borough president and during his run for mayor. Work with the city council to close Rikers and invest in our communities.”

Danielle Minelli Pagnotta / Providence House 703 Lexington Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11221 Email: [email protected] Phone: (718) 455-0197

Chaplain, Dr. Victoria A. Phillips, of the Jails Action Coalition and Mental Health Project, Urban Justice Center said, “In 2019, on the record, Dr. Ford discussed the impending introduction of therapeutic units within NYC hospitals, designed to treat individuals being held within the New York City Department of Corrections. As we approach the conclusion of 2023, the persistent absence of adequate medical care and concern for those confined within NYC DOC correctional facilities has elicited vocal objections from advocacy groups and directly affected individuals. Notably, during the vote on the closure of Rikers in October of 2019, approximately 40% of the incarcerated population exhibited a mental health concern. Fast forward to the present day, and this percentage has escalated to 51%. This raises pertinent questions regarding the city's self-proclaimed position of national leadership, juxtaposed with its failure to provide essential care to one of its most vulnerable communities. These individuals are not merely statistics but members of our society with names, identities, and beating hearts. They include veterans who, upon their return from deployment, are compelled to self-medicate, as well as survivors of human trafficking who are subjected to further trauma by our collective disregard for their well-being. By prioritizing the establishment of comprehensive rehabilitation services, we not only contribute to the restoration and upliftment of our community but also pave the way for successful reintegration into society. Therefore, it is imperative to expedite the activation of all committed therapeutic beds, as the healing process of our community members cannot continue to be delayed any further.”

NY City Council Representative Lincoln Restler

Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams said, “It is urgent that we close Rikers on an expedited timeline, to end the crisis of negligence there. The city has shown itself to be unable to meet the needs of those under its custody, and unable to provide adequate medical care. Closing Rikers means taking steps on and off the island, including moving forward with creating therapeutic housing units for those in DOC custody experiencing serious medical needs. This is a crucial step in helping provide care for people who are incarcerated, and preventing the kinds of harm and loss of life that occurs all too often out of sight and mind.”

Joanne de la Paz: "Since my children have been on Rikers Island, they have experienced nothing but pain and suffering, which is starting to impact their mental health. One of my sons was stabbed twelve times, and this is something that has happened more than once. I couldn't even imagine being in that pain of having open wounds, living in the most horrific conditions, and being ignored by the people who are supposed to provide you with care -- people who have complete control over you. No one deserves to be treated this way -- not my children, or any other person."

NY City Council representative Mercedes Narcisse is the Chair of the Committee on Hospitals

“Each year, thousands of people with serious mental illness or substance use disorder are arrested and enter a jail facility on Rikers Island, where adequate treatment is only available to a select few. Outposted therapeutic housing units provide an alternative that keeps people safe and leaves them in a better position than when they entered the system. However, as of now, none of these facilities are open and people continue to suffer under the status quo. It is critical that the administration marshal its resources toward getting these outposted units online, and make consistent investments to ensure people have access to programs and services that are more appropriate and effective than incarceration,” said Council Member Carlina Rivera, Chair of the Committee on Criminal Justice.

like the British empire before them, where ever the yanks dip their beaks there is war, division, unrest and lives destroyed... but change is coming.

Akiana Smith read to us from the words of Fred Hampton, gunned down by the police in Chicago in December of 1969: "I’m telling you that were living in an infectious society right now. I’m telling you that were living in a sick society. We’re involved in a society that produces criminals, thieves and robbers and rapers. Whenever you are in a society like that, that is a sick society. And anybody that endorses integrating into this sick society before it’s cleaned up is a man who’s committing a crime against the people. We’ve got to face the fact that some people say you fight fire best with fire, but we say you put fire out best with water. We say you don’t fight racism with racism -- we’re gonna fight racism with solidarity. We say you don’t fight capitalism with no black capitalism; you fight capitalism with socialism. Martin Luther King said that he heard somewhere that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. And we’re not worried about it being dark. He said that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward heaven. We went into the valley knowing that the people are in the valley, knowing that our plight is the same plight as the people in the valley, knowing that our enemies are on the mountain top --our friends are in the valley, and even though it’s nice to be on the mountain top, we’re going back to the valley. Because we understand that there’s work to be done in the valley, and when we get through with this work in the valley, then we got to go to the mountain top. We’re not going to the mountaintop because there’s capitalism on the mountain top. We’re going to the mountain top because there’s a man on the mountain top that’s playing King, and he’s been bullshitting us. And we’ve got to go up on the mountain top not for the purpose of living his life style and living like he lives. We’ve got to go up on the mountain top to make this man understand, goddamnit, that we are coming from the valley!"

thankyou and solidarity with Okinawa! fyi: President of National Veterans For Peace, come on at 12:40 gratitude.

www.nysfocus.com/2023/03/21/rikers-island-intake-contempt-federal-takeover/ New York Focus, March 21, 2023 Rikers Intake Is a Mess, But We Can’t Expect Too Much Progress, Federal Judge Rules By Chris Gelardi Excerpt: Nearly a year and a half after they were supposed to fix their system, jail officials still don't know how long they’re keeping people in notorious intake pens. A FEDERAL JUDGE has found New York City’s jail agency in violation of her 2021 order to monitor the whereabouts of people held in Rikers Island intake. The Department of Correction has continuously failed to track how long it’s holding people in the jails’ violent and chaotic intake pens, Judge Laura Taylor Swain wrote in a ruling released last week. But Swain declined to hold the agency in contempt, which would have allowed for more rigorous and immediate oversight. It’s the latest development in an almost 12-year legal battle over conditions at Rikers, where the federal government has been threatening to take over operations if the city can’t get rampant violence and neglect under control. It’s also another sign of the federal court’s reluctance to wrest too much power from the embattled jail department, which has repeatedly failed to implement court-mandated reforms. The judge handed her original order down in 2021, shortly before photos surfaced revealing squalid conditions in intake units: people held for days or weeks in packed pens, forced to sleep on dirty floors and relieve themselves in plastic bags. Last year, oversight testimony and surfaced documents revealed that conditions had barely improved. Jails send people to intake immediately upon arrival for processing and when they are transferring them from one facility to another. According to the DOC’s own policy - the result of a three-decade-old federal court order - no one is supposed to be kept there for more than 24 hours. The open-plan group cells don’t have beds or any private spaces.

www.ny1.com/nyc/manhattan/politics/2023/05/19/council-fights-program-cuts-on-rikers NY1, May 19, 2023 Department of Correction cuts nonprofit programs amid City Council backlash By Courtney Gross As part of widespread budget cuts across city agencies, the Department of Correction is planning to slash $17 million in contracts with local nonprofits, like the Fortune Society and the Osborne Association, who provide programming services on Rikers Island. What You Need To Know The Department of Correction is set to slash $17 million in contracts with local nonprofits in next year's budget Those contracts provided programming services to detainees on Rikers, like financial literacy and job readiness At a hearing Friday, council members said they would fight the cuts Those contracts cover programs including group sessions on reentry, family, and wellness, as well as other workshops on financial literacy and job readiness. The advocates say they are crucial to reform on Rikers. “Effective July 1, none of us will be out on Rikers providing groups, hard skills training, employment readiness, trauma informed groups,” said Stanley Richards of the Fortune Society. “None of us will be providing those services and those services will cease.” And much of the City Council agrees. “To be clear, I don’t think these contracts should be canceled,” said Council member Tiffany Caban. “I am deeply concerned about this 17 million dollar cut,” said Council member Lincoln Restler. “If you’re working on it, you should at least have something to present to us today to give us some clarity around the steps you are taking,” said Council member Althea Stevens. It was the primary topic of conversation at a City Council budget hearing on Friday. The council is the process of negotiating the budget with the mayor, which will be due at the end of June. The chair of the criminal justice committee says reversing the cuts will be a council priority. “Right now [the] Department of Correction says they want to move these services in house,” said Council member Carlina Rivera. “We really, really have concerns about their ability to deliver core operational functions.” Department of Correction leaders say they can provide these services on their own. They’ll be conducted by correction counselors. “It’s not ideal,” said Deputy Commissioner Francis Torres. “It’s not what we have been doing for the last few years. It was a responsibility that between 2016-2019 was handled by our own staff.” But some council members remained skeptical the department was up to the task. For years, it has been dealing with a staffing crisis - where officers were chronically not showing up to work. The commissioner says the situation has improved. “Why wouldn’t we cut the funding and eliminate the staff lines from our chronically absent workforce?” asked Restler. Louis Molina, the commissioner, countered: “We’ve decreased staff absenteeism by 70%. Only 62 people called out sick yesterday when that number used to be 1,500 people on January 2022.”

Did you ever have a lonely battle, a fight that only you can feel and hear, a fight that only you alone are fighting, and then you seem to see the savior near. Fight on , my brother, fight on; there's victory awaiting for you; If your faith is based upon the savior, then you'll fight the battle through. At night I lie awake and watch and worry, and toss and turn and wonder who can help And if I turn my eyes upon the savior, and find that through my tears he hears my prayer. Fight on, my brother, fight on, there's victory awaiting for you; If your faith is based upon the savior, then you'll fight the battle through.

Does Jesus care when my heart is pained Too deeply for mirth or song, As the burdens press, And the cares distress, And the way grows weary and long? O yes, He cares, I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief; When the days are weary, The long night dreary, I know my Savior cares. 2 Does Jesus care when my way is dark With a nameless dread and fear? As the daylight fades Into deep night shades, Does He care enough to be near? 3 Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed To resist some temptation strong; When for my deep grief There is no relief, Though my tears flow all the night long? 4 Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye” To the dearest on earth to me, And my sad heart aches Till it nearly breaks, Is it aught to Him? Does He see?

Thank you

A transcript of Lincoln Restler's speech is below. . .

www.flickr.com/photos/felton-nyc/albums/72177720301789028 Emergency Demonstrations at City Hall, Inmate Deaths at Rikers www.flickr.com/photos/felton-nyc/albums/72157717249739837 No More Executions - 2020 www.flickr.com/photos/felton-nyc/albums/72157654737609999 Justice for Kalief Browder - 2015

Transcript: This was an avoidable death, just like every one of the 17 deaths we have experienced on Rikers Island this year. And the 16 death we experienced last year. When a New Yorker enters a government facility -- whether it be a school or a hospital or a jail -- our most solemn responsibility is just to keep them alive, and we are failing at that. The City of New York is failing its people. The Department of Corrections has blood on its hands. Yesterday, I went to the G. R. Vierno Center. I went to the housing unit where Eric lived. I saw men living in squalor: leaks all across the floor with old brown water; garbage thrown everywhere; food tossed everywhere. This is no condition for human beings. I talked to men who were being strip-searched multiple times a day. And forever in New York City jails we have guaranteed individuals in the general population 14 hours a day out-of-cell time. Now the Department of Corrections has decided unilaterally that they are cutting that down to 7 hours out-of-cell time. That's 17 hours stuck in a box, 17 hours stuck in a teeny cell. This is not rehabilitative, this does not provide access to mental health programming, this does not provide people with the help they need. This exacerbates the mental health problems that unfortunately plague too many of the people on Rikers Island. Instead of expanding the PACE units, instead of expanding the CAPS units, units that we know, evidence-based, provide help, support and stability [see CAPS and PACE info below], we are worsening the situation. We are expanding the approach of solitary confinement at a time when it needs to be eliminated. So I want you to know, Tavira family and Ms. Pondexter -- each and every person who has suffered the deep pain of losing a family member on Rikers Island, these deaths are not in vain. We will roar for justice. We will fight to ensure that solitary confinement ends. We will work to ensure that Rikers Island closes, and we will demand dignity for the people in DOC custody.

www.nyc.gov/site/doc/media/caps.page CAPS and PACE Backgrounder About 40% of the DOC population are individuals with current or a history of mental health issues. DOC works closely with Correctional Health Services to improve coordination and appropriate information-sharing between health and security staff and provide additional training on working with inmates diagnosed with a mental condition. To keep seriously mentally ill inmates out of punitive segregation, DOC created CAPS (Clinical Alternative to Punitive Segregation) in 2013 for seriously mentally ill inmates who have infracted. The CAPS units provide patients with intensive, therapeutic schedules that include morning meetings, multiple day and evening programs, and one-on-one encounters with a wide range of mental health staff, including counselors, psychologists and psychiatric providers. The program has grown from 4 inmates in 2013 to 44 inmates as of July 2017. Since its inception, PACE has served over 500 individuals; and CAPS has served over 700 individuals. Created in January 2015 to build on CAPS, PACE (Program to Accelerate Clinical Effectiveness) encourages adherence to treatment, including medication, and jail rules for patient-inmates who struggle to function adequately while incarcerated due to chronic mental illness, risk of acute psychiatric decompensation, and/or behavioral disruption. CAPS and PACE are considered national models for therapeutic treatment of seriously mentally ill inmates. Inmates in CAPS and PACE are involved in fewer Use of Force incidents and show lower rates of self-harm than similar inmates in other housing. There has been a decrease in inmate involvement in Use of Force by 43% in CAPS and by 69% in PACE. There has been a 72% decrease in assaults on staff in CAPS; and a 63% decrease in assaults on staff in PACE. An 8-hour Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) mandatory training course helps officers to recognize the signs of distress in mentally ill inmates. The course was rolled out in August 2014 for new recruits.

Thank you so much Felton! Bless Rev. Paul. Much gratitude. March, 1981 !! The anniversary of Three Mile Island. "There is such a thing as a non nuclear world, and we are not going to stop until we have it." Go TPNW

Thank you for this also and thank you for visiting my blog. #wewillallbethere

Zainab Salbi, founder of Women for Women International (zainabsalbi.com), and author of "Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam," "If You Knew Me You Would Care," and her latest, "Freedom is an Inside Job," spoke at the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan rally at Dag Hammarskjöld on Saturday, September4 25, 2021. (Her speech begins at 2:30 into this segment.)

Autopsy Results Provide ‘Virtual Medical Certainty’ that Prisoners will Experience ‘Excruciating Pain’ During Federal Executions Posted on Aug 26, 2020 As the federal government began to carry out the second round of executions it has scheduled for 2020, autopsy results from the first round of executions in July suggest to a “virtual medical certainty” that federal death-row prisoners will experience “excruciating pain” while they are being put to death by lethal injection with pentobarbital. An autopsy of Wesley Purkey (pictured), authorized by Purkey’s next-of-kin and conducted by Western Michigan University forensic pathologist Joyce L. deJong, found that Purkey suffered “[s]evere bilateral acute pulmonary edema” during his execution on July 17. Reviewing the autopsy results, Dr. Gail Van Norman - an expert for the death-row prisoners who are challenging the federal execution protocol - said Purkey had experienced “flash pulmonary edema,” a condition that can occur only when a person is still alive. Purkey’s autopsy results were consistent with those of other prisoners executed with pentobarbital, Van Norman said. The results, she said, affirmed the opinion she had provided before the execution that “premortem flash pulmonary edema is a virtual medical certainty in any execution carried out” under the federal government’s pentobarbital lethal-injection protocol. Van Normal said the prisoners would experience a sensation “identical to that reported by victims of near drowning or suffocation” like that produced during “enhanced interrogations” such as waterboarding. “These are among the most excruciating feelings known to man,” she said. “Prisoners executed by lethal injection in accordance with the Federal Protocol remain sensate and able to experience the extreme pain and suffering related to the occurrence of flash pulmonary edema,” Van Norman said. Dr. DeJong’s autopsy reported evidence of “[f]rothy pulmonary edema” in Purkey’s trachea and mainstem bronchi, meaning that fluid had built up in both of his lungs and spilled into his airways during the execution. Dr. Van Norman said the autopsy results showed that Purkey’s lungs increased in weight to “between 2.73 and 4.3 times that of normal lungs” as a result of the fluid build-up. Federal prosecutors said that the three federal executions in July “were implemented without any pentobarbital-related complications” and were “humane.” The government executed Lezmond Mitchell August 26 and Keith Nelson on August 28th.