The patient strike, which began on August 6, 2007, is now in its third week?and going strong.

The Hospital is trying to play-it-off as a big joke and laugh at the patients.  However, they fool no one.  As the old saying that has become one of the striker slogans goes, “The pig don’t squeal unless it hurts!”  In this situation, the pig is really squealing, and loudly.

This is evidenced by the pettiness that is being ordered by the administration.

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

The Hospital’s Department of Police Services (“DPS”) stepped-up their petty harassment on Wednesday, August 22.  They used the excuse that most patients were wearing some sort of paper protest badge.  Most of these were approximately 3” by 5” hung by a piece of masking tape from the patients’ shirts.  They contain various protest language, e.g.:

“When Injustice Becomes Law
 Resistance Becomes Duty
Support Your Rights”

The Acting Executive Director of CSH is presently Rocky Spurgson.  Thus my personal favorite is:

“Another Patient Who’s had enough of the
Rocky Horror Show!”

When attempting to print several of these out at the CSH copy center earlier today, the Hospital staff confiscate 5 8 ½ x 11” sheets of paper, each containing six of the small paper signs.  The Office Technical, Grace Mendoza, did this with the justification that she was ordered to do so.  After demanding a Denial of Rights Form be completed, as is required by State law but never done, Grace checked with her supervisor, John Catano, who also approved of her action because he was ordered to do so.  They also attempted to avoid giving a receipt for the confiscated papers.  After much arguing, they did write a receipt, but did not want to provide me with a copy.  After more  arguing, they finally made a copy.

This pettiness is much like the Shasta County Jail’s effort to stop the many articles I wrote at that time, by confiscating my ink pens and writing a disciplinary infraction.  It didn’t work then either.

After dinner, on August 22, the DPS overreacted to the wearing of the small paper signs.  There were many verbal confrontations, resulting on the police closing-down all activities at the Hospital, e.g., the library, the yard, classes, and leisure activities, forcing all patients to return to their housing units.  This sort of petty retaliation has only caused the strike to gain momentum.