At 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, residents of Washtenaw County came together in the 90-degree weather to protest the conditions of the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility.
The prison has come under public scrutiny in the past month after three inmates died in quick succession. Khaira Howard died May 13, Rebecca Fackler died May 17 and Ashley Hoath died June 6.
After Hoath's death, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell sent a letter to Governor Gretchen Whitmer Monday requesting intervention and increased transparency.
Read more: Dingell requests intervention, transparency after new Ypsilanti prison death
Although the problem has risen to the surface in the last few weeks, it’s not a new issue. Krystal Clark, an inmate of the prison since 2011, has been vocal about the unhealthy conditions of the facility. Clark spoke over the phone during the protest, mentioning symptoms such as trouble breathing and coughing fits that she said were due to black mold in the building.
There were many other organizations at the protest. Michigan Student Action had a table where attendees could write a message for Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Christian Alvarado with the MSA said the conditions the prisoners face are disgusting, with reports of mold growing on some women's bodies. Alvarado said the people in charge, like Governor Whitmer and Director of Michigan Department of Corrections, Heidi Washington, need to be held accountable.
“No one has any will to go against Whitmer,” Alvarado said.
The short-term hope is to get prisoners who are sick, like Clark, medical clemency, said Daniela Walbridge, another member of Michigan Student Action.
The clemency would allow the prisoners to leave the facility to get medical attention. The protests started May 20 and will continue to happen every Wednesday at 6 p.m. to put pressure on the people in power, Walbridge said.
“We need to get eyes on the issue,” Walbridge said.
Another group at the protest was Workers Against Oppression, a student-run organization in Washtenaw County. Their table had scripts for people to use when calling their representatives and printed out letters to sign that would be sent to government officials in Michigan. Ben Prokopow, a member of WOA, said the organization is new this year.
“We’re looking to get very involved, especially in Ypsi,” Prokopow said.
When the protest started at 6 p.m., there were around 20 people in attendance, but by 6:15 p.m., there were nearly 50. With megaphones and handwritten signs, members of the community gathered across the street from the correctional facility to voice their outrage at the way the inmates are treated. Protesters shouted "shame" and "let them out" at the prison.
People protesting outside Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility for inmate Krystal Clark to get medical clemency.
Attendees also had a chance to take the microphone and speak to the crowd. Zane Parker, one of the founders of Workers Against Oppression, called out the politicians and described the prison as a modern-day concentration camp.
Another attendee who took the microphone was Trisché Duckworth, the founder of Survivors Speak, a non-profit organization that works to give a voice to victims. Duckworth said everyone deserves justice, even those behind prison walls. Back in 2023, Theresa Dunlap died in the Huron Valley Correctional Facility from Stage 4 lung cancer. She was 67 years old and serving a life sentence for murder. Duckworth said there was mold growing on Dunlap’s chemotherapy port, and they were fighting for her to be given medical clemency and receive her hospice treatment at home. However, release was never granted and Dunlap died in prison.
“It’s a pattern of abuse: a pattern of neglect,” Duckworth said.
The pattern can be followed into 2025, when Jennifer Wallace died of sepsis between prison walls. Wallace’s brother, Lloyd Simpson, said Wallace had a mechanical heart valve and after not receiving proper dental care, a tooth infection spread to the heart and caused sepsis. Simpson said these deaths are entirely preventable, and after his sister’s death the prison should have been more careful, but instead the death rate is increasing. However, he said, the show of support does instill some confidence.
Protesters hold signs for Khaira Howard, an inmate at Huron Valley Correctional Facility who died in May.
“It makes me feel like we’re seeing real change,” Simpson said about the protests.
Another attendee, Carolyn Anderson, spoke on the importance of protesting. A member of Ann Arbor Indivisible, a branch of the national organization Indivisible, Anderson hopes more young people will use their voice.
“If we’re not out here making ourselves known, then we’re complicit,” Anderson said.
Protests will continue Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at 3201 Bemis Road, Ypsilanti.
