Call for Maliki Shakur Latine! End medical neglect!
* Black Panther * Community Activist * Muslim * Prison Organizer * Prisoner of War

Demand from state officials,
In regard to inmate Maliki Latine #81-A-4469
at Great Meadow Correctional Facility,

1) Maliki Latine’s diet must be corrected immediately. He is not diabetic but he has life-long multiple food allergies which require a very specific diet as documented and mandated by the doctors in NY State Department of Corrections since 1983. I am deeply concerned about his health at this time.

2) It is essential that your office speak to Mr. Latine personally about this matter as soon as possible and that you do everything within your power to expedite his pending transfer to a facility equipped to handle his needs.

518-474-8390 NY Governor David Paterson

518-457-7072 NY DOCS Deputy Commissioner/Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Lester Wright

Maliki Shakur Latine- 81-A-4469 - has long-standing dietary needs that have been well-documented by doctors, medical staff, Department of Corrections officers, and a multitude of concerned outside observers since 1983. The sustained incapacity of Great Meadows to provide a humane and healthy diet for Mr. Latine, who is highly allergic to many common foods, is troubling. Mr. Latine has recently been designated for a medium-security prison. I ask that his transfer to a different facility be expedited. While I trust this information is in good hands, and proper, humane action will be taken by you accordingly, this is also being voiced to other offices, so that I can be sure that Mr. Latine's maltreatment will be rectified by an immediate transfer to a facility where he can prepare his own food with a careful eye to his own legitimate and well-documented health needs.

Who is Maliki Shakur Latine?
Maliki Shakur Latine is a Bronx-born community activist who has served in organizations such as the Nation of Islam and the Black Panther Party. Latine was driven underground by repeated arrests and FBI repression, including the infamous Panther 21 frame-up, until charged with wounding a police officer in a Harlem shoot-out. Latine is currently serving 25-to-life as a Prisoner of War in Great Meadow Correctional Facility where he serves as Secretary of the Inmate Liaison Committee and helps to represent the concerns of prisoners to the administration. His role in raising concerns as well as in helping to plan a Family Day helped to land him in Segregated Housing Unit (SHU) where he is on a harmful and inappropriate diet pending a transfer to a Medium security facility. Read more at  http://www.abcf.net/prisoners/latine.htm

Background on the dietary needs and negligence. . .

Mr. Maliki Latine has been put on a “Controlled B” limited-carbohydrate diet requested on August 26, 2008. This particular therapeutic diet would be appropriate for a patient with diabetes but it is inappropriate and harmful for Latine who does not have diabetes but rather, multiple food allergies. In efforts to address this problem, Mr. Latine has complained to medical staff, “sick-call” nurse, and filed three grievances with no response . Latine has a life-long history of allergic urticaria associated with various foods (high titers of IgE antibodies against foods).

He is allergic to
peas, peanuts, beans, soybeans, lettuce, cucumber, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, oranges, peaches, strawberries, black pepper, mustard, wheat, pork, and coffee.

Numerous doctors working in NY Department of Corrections have recommended that these foods be avoided, that a special meal plan be followed, that Latine receive vitamin supplements, and that he be allowed to prepare his own food. His restrictive diet has included Ensure supplements, goats’ milk, tuna, rice, potatoes, and bananas. This diet was instituted successfully at Clinton Correctional Facility by allowing Mr. Latine to prepare his own food under the instruction of Food Service Administrator John T McCloud. A facility such as Downstate or Sing Sing should be able to accommodate Mr. Latine’s needs without a problem.

Mr. Latine’s dietary needs have been documented in the following correspondences available upon request if not on file in your office:

December 19, 1983 recommendation to Clinton Correctional Facility by Dr. James A Phills / August 26, 1986 memorandum to Auburn Correctional Facility by Dr. Raymond Broadus/ July 15, 1993 NY DOCS Therapeutic Diet Order Form by Dr. Recht/ July 17, 1993 Memorandum to Clinton Correctional Facility from John T McCloud, Food Service Administrator/ February 16, 1999 Clinton Correctional Facility Allergy Evaluation by Dr. Jocelyn Celestin/ August 2, 2000 Clinton Correctional Facility Interdepartmental Communication by John T McCloud, Food Service Administrator/ September 28, 2001 and November 20, 2001 Interdepartmental Communications to Great Meadow Correctional Facility by Dr. Albert Paolano/ November 29, 2001 Letter to Mr. Maliki Latine from Lucien J Leclaire Jr, Deputy Commissioner, NY DOCS

You can read Maliki Shakur Latine's own letter to the Governor by pasting this link into your browser:
 http://www.abcf.net/abcf.asp?page=mlatine

In Solidarity,
THE ANARCHIST BLACK CROSS FEDERATION
local contact- nycabc[at] riseup [dot] net
ABCF.net