Patients at Coalinga State Hospital ("CSH") began a HUNGER-STRIKE on Monday, September 2, 2007, with a significant number participating.

The patients hope that their families, friends, and concerned citizens will telephone, fax, email, or write letters to the hospital's administration and their elected representatives.

Because they cannot even get the hospital's administration to acknowledge there is a strike, the striking patients are asking people outside the hospital to ask this question: Why are people forced to starve themselves to call attention to issues such as the horrendous medical care patients/prisoners are receiving in California?

On August 6, 2007, approximately 90 percent of the patients at CSH began a sit-down strike. The Hospital tried to play-it-off as a big joke and laugh at the patients. The sit-down strike was a non confrontational, peaceful, protest. The patients simply refused to participate in hospital programs. This infuriated the administration, who ordered the hospital police to retaliate against the striking patients. The hospital police then attempted to instigate several confrontations, but the patients refused to react.

Instead, these patients whom the State has deemed to be some of the most "dangerous" people in California remained peaceful. The hospital authorities proved themselves to actually be the most dangerous and out-of-control people in California.

On Monday, August 20, the patients did an almost total sit-in. They added refusing to go to all three meals for that day to their strike. They also refused to leave their housing units. The total sit-in continued for two days, then on Wednesday, August 22, the patients returned to eating and some recreational activities. They continued to show 80 to 90 percent refusals to attend any treatment groups.

Patients' friends and families, and even the news media, who have called the hospital to ask what is going on, have been lied to. They have been told that nothing is going on, and that everything is normal.

On August 31, 2007, the patients again refused to go to meals. The hospital's administration continues to laugh at the striking patients. This failure of the hospital's administration to deal with the patients and resolve issues has now led a group of patients to this last resort of a righteous hunger strike.