Category Archives: Alisha Walker

The day is almost here! ❤️😭🎉 Sever of our comrades are currently hurtling toward Lincoln (aka evil cornfield prison land) to stay the night in preparation for picking up our beloved comrade and friend Alisha early in the morning! Please send your love and well wishes as we navigate every emotion under the sun rightContinue reading “Freedom Day Eve”

Alisha has been moved to Housing Unit 4, the “sick unit.” She’s dealing with bad headaches now but no other change, it’s definitely covid, her test results came back positive. For now, she can still call and email but is unsure about video visits because the GTL kiosk screen on the “sick unit” has beenContinue reading “Updates from Alisha as of this afternoon, 12/12/20:”

Logan Prison is on increased lockdown AGAIN because a CO tested positive. Governor JB Pritzker, Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton when will our loved ones be released?? Our friends, family and comrades are trapped inside these deadly cages. We see and hear about this injustice. We are watching. Comrades, rise up with us to call, email,Continue reading “Action Reminder!”

Last night Alisha had another video visit cancelled, but she was able to have one earlier in the week with another of our comrades and she was able to get a call out this morning with updates from “Hell” aka Logan Correctional.  After almost all of her personal items (clothes, letters, food, photos, bedding, etc)Continue reading “Updates from LeLe (9/23/20)”

Alisha is finally out of quarantine/isolation after her forced relocation/transfer to Logan prison from Decatur prison. She just got a call out to Red and wanted some updates shared!  She’s beginning to recover from stomach/digestive issues that were a result of her not having access to safe drinking water or edible food for the pastContinue reading “Update as of Wednesday, August 5th!”

Those who’ve been emailing her, she’s sending updates as fast as those CO censors will approve them!  She’s got lots of takes on Logan vs Decatur! She’s hating the isolation, the lack of edible food, the lack of art supplies but she is looking forward to reconnecting with friends + family inside at Logan.  She’sContinue reading “We got word from LeLe last night (7/30)!”

Alisha got word to us last night that she’s at Logan, still very concerned and has been put in lockdown (no regular phone use, no video visits) for 12-13 more days.  They won’t disclose how long it will take to “move her commissary funds” to Logan from Decatur, so we’ve sent new funds that sheContinue reading “Updates from LeLe: 7/25”

We received word from our emergency phone tree that Alisha is being relocated (against her will) to Logan prison. We do not know specifically why, but we believe it is in direct relation to the existing harassment and retaliation she has recently endured. Her mom Sherri was able to get through to the prison to confirmContinue reading “Update as of Wednesday 7/22: LeLe forcibly relocated to Logan Prison”

C-grade kicked in so I cant make phone calls! I don’t know what else that includes as of right now..I can only call on Mondays I think? Tell everyone please! Idk about video visits? I just don’t know about anything, but I’m grieving it all because it’s very excessive for what actually happened! So it’sContinue reading “Update from Alisha (as of 7/21) via email”

**Update! LeLe called and even though her legal call was cancelled by the prison because of lockdown she’s still going to be allowed 1 call a day. Very relieved to have heard her voice. She says so far they ARE going to let emails and video visits go thru for now. ** This morning weContinue reading “Updates from LeLe // July 10”

Well the prison cancelled Red + AH’s first video visit with Alisha this morning. No warning, started the visit, empty chair where LeLe should be and then shut it off after 2 min. They waited for their second visit (so they’d have almost half an hour to visit) and that one was left on aContinue reading “Video Visit with Alisha cancelled”

Alisha just called with an update! As of Saturday, May 2nd, 2:30pm est: Each incarcerated person inside Decatur has been given one (and only one) “medical grade” mask with their name and ID number written across the front of it in sharpie (so all they can smell are the marker fumes). She also mentioned that theContinue reading ““We got masks today.””

We got word from Alisha last night (4/28/2020) that Decatur had put itself on “Level 1 Lockdown,” as of a few minutes ago we still believed she’d be able to leave her cell for scheduled video visits.  However, an email she sent early this (4/29) afternoon that just posted notified Red that all video visitsContinue reading “Level 1 Lockdown”

4/6/2020  Just got off a video visit with Alisha! GTL cancelled our 50min and swapped with a “free” 15min but kept our money. She was able to use the new kiosk on unit which meant a little more comfort (durag on, makeup off), and no awful “strip and squat” search prior to our visit. She’sContinue reading “Video Visit Update”

We finally got word from another one of our comrades who’s currently incarcerated in Illinois right now.  On 3/21 Lorena (pseudonym) wrote us:“So I am here on an immigration warrant, I was at work release and tried to fix my green card and it put a red flag out and got me a warrant.. MyContinue reading “Updates from Lorena!”

Tuesday, 3/24 Afternoon Call  LeLe, and many others inside, elected to get flu shots that were being offered by Decatur yesterday.  Last night through this morning Alisha and others she knows on unit, including a close friend experienced allergic reactions as a result of the shots ranging from mild to serious. Alisha’s friend went intoContinue reading “Updates from Alisha!”

3/21 Morning Call  Decatur has implemented “Administrative Quarantine” furthering their lockdown practices. The incarcerated mothers with babies have been released. Many had no where to go, LeLe heard some had been sent to shelters/hotels but has no way of confirming this. She’s worried for them. She’s worried for herself and those left caged. They prisonContinue reading “Updates from LeLe”

3/18/2020 More updates from Alisha, as of this afternoon!  Red and LeLe had a check-in call, LeLe’s voice was bright and hopeful. Alisha let us know that so far no one inside Decatur is sick/showing signs of symptoms, commissary is still open, and soap is still available. LeLe is super worried about her fellow incarceratedContinue reading “Updates from Alisha!”

Red spoke with Alisha on Friday (3/13), and LeLe said Decatur is going on lockdown. All in-person visitation has been cancelled, and video visits are tentatively going forward, but that it is unclear if GTL tech staff will be allowed into the prison for technical support and administration of video visitation. LeLe also mentioned thatContinue reading “Updates from LeLe during this on-going pandemic:”

LeLe finally has access to phone use again!!!  Red just got a call this (2/18) morning! Alisha is doing alright, considering. She wanted folx who had tried to email while she was on b grade to know that she should have access to connect network again now too—but you might have to resend your messages!Continue reading “No longer on B Grade!”

Much love to everyone who tuned into our #HoPowerHour today on Twitter to celebrate Alisha’s birthday with us! Follow us there too, if you don’t already: @supporthosechi Thank you for amplifying LeLe’s resilience and story! Here’s to building more radical care that uplifts all those who love themselves so much, they survive, by any means. #HappyBirthdayLeLe

It may be a new year, but we’re our same old “fuck prison” selves. LeLe sends love and appreciation to everyone who sent holiday solidarity! Below are some reflections from Red about their visit: Finally getting together my notes and reflections (that I can share on here) from our visit. Reeling from the news ofContinue reading “From yesterday’s (01/02/2020) trip to see Alisha.”

December 18th, 2019  On our way to see LeLe! Excited to see our beautiful comrade and catch up in person! Shoutout to the comrade at the IDEVASW vigil last night who gave us cash to use on vending machines for visitation today! Want to support Alisha? Give here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-alisha-walker

Just had a video visit with Alisha this morning! Of course the quality of the video was terrible and the sound kept cutting in and out, again. This has become expected, but no less frustrating.  We caught up on organizing tasks for our collective, what she’s reading now (digging into some romance novels after finishingContinue reading “Today’s Video Visit”

Just had a video visit with Alisha! Of course the quality of the video was terrible and the sound kept cutting in and out, but we perservered. We caught up on organizing tasks for our collective, CO drama which seems never ending, and how she’s preparing remarks for Aaron’s students.  She recited a sonnet she’sContinue reading “Recent Video Visit”

My best friend and Lele were able to meet and visit today! The visitation room still hasn’t restocked bottled water, but the three of us got to bond and the COs weren’t the absolute worst this time. 

Yesterday was a solo trip to see Alisha. Those drives are filled with corn fields and rage. It’s tradition though at this point; a full range of photos documenting visits over the years, so who am I to not take one even though I felt and looked worse for wear. We had a great longContinue reading “One of our organizers went out to see Alisha on August 10th:”

Look at our beautiful comrade! Have you been looking for ways to support Alisha? Please donate toward commissary and visitation needs here: https://www.gofundme.com/support-alisha-walker You can also contribute via Venmo now: @SxHxCollective Please sign and share this petition created by a supporter:www.care2.com/FreeAlisha Please write to Alisha by mail:Ms. Alisha Walker #Y12381Decatur CorrectionalPO BOX 3066Decatur, IL 62524 Please writeContinue reading “LeLe sent us updated photos!”

We brought her a copy of Emily Thuma’s “All Our Trials” and some of her favorite magazines (unfortunately the racist mailroom at Decatur censors Source Magazine now, so we couldn’t bring that one in to her). We spent over 5 hours with our friend, and have lots to share in reflection posts soon! Want toContinue reading “A few of us roadtripped to see Alisha yesterday!”

The morning of Saturday, March 23rd, Alisha called and said she’s being refused a slip for our rescheduled video visit this evening. Right now there is nothing closer to Hell for someone on the outside, trying to reach someone caged, than talking to prison COs on the phone, and trying to get answers to anythingContinue reading “Video Visit with Alisha Walker”

Alisha was denied a video visit on March 17th, 2019 with the excuse that the COs on duty “were unable to complete a check-in.”  They come for Alisha’s mail, emails and now her video visits. Cutting off access to communication is a priority harassment tactic for COs. Prisons are violence.

Shout out to these amazing comrades in Grand Rapids, Michigan for their self-organized letter writing event for Alisha! Want to host your own? Reach out to us and we’ll send resources to support! 

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/143/022/268/ TODAY celebrate Alisha’s birthday by signing and sharing this newly created petition! The community member who created this is working with us to ensure actions and urgent updates can be sent out to all those who sign! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our comrade and dear friend #AlishaWalker! Alisha turns 26 years young today! LeLe has now unjustly spent 7 birthdays behind bars. Please send her some love today in the following ways listed in our info-graphic! 

For today’s birthday solidarity resource, we ask you to watch and share this video about #AlishaWalker’s case from us and our comrades @survivepunish @bcrwtweets

Alisha reflects on the importance of visitations and the heartbreaking reality of being kept apart from loved-ones, she sent us this statement today: My family is everything to me. They we’re the push behind my hustle, and my motivation to keep pressing through hard times. No matter what I do or where I go myContinue reading ““Help me stay connected to my community.””

We spoke with Alisha last night, and have some disappointing/upsetting and urgent updates: She received word that her legal team’s latest efforts for an appeal have been denied by the Illinois Supreme Court. They have taken the case as far as they can, and as such, will no longer be representing her. There is oneContinue reading “Updates from Alisha”

Two of our comrades had a great (albeit always frustrating because of COs and new prison visitation policies) visit with Alisha yesterday! We’ve got some important updates to reemphasize! Alisha is so overjoyed by all the letters y’all send! If you’d like a response from LeLe in a timely fashion and in a manner that’sContinue reading “We’ve got some important updates to reemphasize!”

Last week Red drove out to visit Alisha again, and LeLe had some new asks to share! -She is so overjoyed by all the letters y’all send! If you’d like a response from LeLe in a timely fashion and in a manner that’s more comfy for her to write a lot using AND is theContinue reading “Updates from Red’s recent visit on June 28th”

Alisha was nervous about us driving in the rain. She called twice to check on us while we were on the road. It’s about three hours without traffic or under normal weather conditions. It took us a long while to reach the prison because the torrential downpour forced us to take it slow almost theContinue reading “Visitation Reflection June 21st, 2018”

Look at our beautiful comrade! This photo was taken for Mother’s Day and the prison finally released it to us! Learn about her case here: https://vimeo.com/255412331 Support her here: https://www.youcaring.com/alishawalker-1147127 Sign our petition for her clemency here: https://www.change.org/p/bruce-rauner-clemency-for-criminalized-survivor-alisha-walker

I really anticipated not being able to write a reflection that would be of much value after this visit.  I was excited to see my little sister light up a stage, as I expected she would, and she did.  It occurred to me that A Midsummer Night’s Dream was the first Shakespeare play I couldContinue reading “Visitation Reflection, April 28th”

This weekend we got to celebrate with Alisha as she nailed her performance in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream! This year she acted instead of playing cello in the band! (She tried to do both, because of course she did.) We’ll have visitation reflections as soon as we can…though it was an amazing performance, theContinue reading “Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Alisha Walker is a 25 year old sex worker from Akron, Ohio. In January 2014 when she was 19 years old, Alisha was attacked by a client, Alan Filan, in his Chicago home. Filan had become angry when Alisha refused unsafe services, punching her in the face before grabbing a knife from the kitchen. AlishaContinue reading “Alisha Walker – Survived and Punished”

She is such a positive force in our lives and she should be free to heal and grow with her friends and family! #SurvivedAndPunished #FreeLeLe Today we will celebrate Alisha’s resistance, her strength to survive and fight her criminalization. Please consider supporting her with one or more of the ways below: GIVE directly to Alisha’s commissary: https://www.jpay.com/PMoneyTransfer.aspxAlisha’sContinue reading “Happy 25th Birthday to our friend, our comrade, our fellow collective member Alisha Walker!”

On Monday, February 12th we will be beginning a new online campaign for Alisha with the help of Survived and Punished and folks from Barnard Center for Research on Women – BCRW. We will celebrate Alisha’s birthday this coming Sunday and the next day launch into a petition and letter writing drive demanding clemency for LeLe. This couldn’tContinue reading “New Campaign for Clemency”

On February 11th LeLe will be celebrating her 25th year around the sun. Unfortunately, she will be spending in behind bars. We are organizing so that this is the last birthday she will ever have to spend incarcerated. Support Alisha. Support Survivors. Support Sex Workers. Help us celebrate our comrade a few different ways: GIVEContinue reading “Alisha’s birthday is less than a week away!”

What it gets you: Knowing the enemy and which is the weaker sex.  “I have been around men for too long” to be taken advantage of ever again.  She can be afraid and she can be wrong, she can be beaten and, apparently, caged, but only for so long.  There is no further margin ofContinue reading “Sex Worker, Capacious Heart, Revolutionary Gestation”

We drove through snowy desolate bullshit to see our friend on January 3rd. Thankfully our visit lasted for over 4 hours and the heat was working in the visitation room at Decatur. Our conversation was stream of consciousness, chaotic, excited, it later morphed into reflection and pause while we imagined things to come. She hadContinue reading “Visiting; a new year.”

We heard from Alisha earlier today. Decatur’s medical unit is refusing to give her a blood test to screen for the cause of severe joint pain and swelling she’s having for no damn reason. Offering her advil only, not approving doctor visits even tho she’s paid to see one. She described unbearable pain when speakingContinue reading “Decatur Correctional is withholding medical care”

Pictured here are our xmas presents to her based on her requests (she loved them!). All in all Alisha was in good spirits and looked great! We were able to spend just over 4 hours catching up and she was able to do a property release for a poster she created for domestic violence awareness.Continue reading “We were able to visit Alisha yesterday to celebrate the New Year!”

Perhaps this is the difficult center now.  The span when the drive down doesn’t seem so long, and we know the highway exit names, when we inadvertently make the same stops on the way down, and deliberately on the way back.  We do not need to bring any particular agendas to see Alisha, and thereContinue reading “Reflecting on our 5th visit to see Alisha.”

How did I get here? What wrong did I do? Defending myself? I guess was the wrong thing to do. They said I should have laid down, that I should have gave up and quit. Should have been a compliant little whore. Gave into a trick. That I have no right to say no, IContinue reading ““Battle” by Alisha Walker”

Y’all! Solidarity all the way from Seoul, South Korea! Organizers from Survived and Punished traveled to work with Rainbow Action Korea, an amazing group of queer and trans activists, to do workshops on supporting criminalized survivors and they featured Alisha’s case!! We are so thankful for this support and love! Printing out these to send to LeLeContinue reading “Rainbow Action Korea”

We got some good news, LeLe is doing alright and expects to be off of “D Grade” in just four days! That means she’ll be able to spend normal commissary amounts, receive and send electronic correspondence, and make regular phone calls again! LeLe let us know that they received word that programs are coming backContinue reading “Just got off the phone with Alisha & Sherri!”

We have some updates now about her “d graded” status. Even though Decatur COs have heavily restricted LeLe’s calls, commissary, access to gym/rec, and taken away her electronic correspondence she is doing okay with the support of others inside. Sherri let her know how much money we’ve been raising and that folx on the outsideContinue reading “Sherri finally received a call from Alisha last night!”

Erica, Aaron and I were visiting fresh on the heels of Alisha being released from Segregation; punished for articulating she would defend herself if attacked, and naming the COs who had been targeting her for continued harassment. We wanted to be sure to bring her some things to brighten the visit and made a stopContinue reading “Visiting my friend again.”

I do not ever want to know this trip, completely.  I want the exits to remain foreign, the buildings along the way to stay strange.  I never want to recall that the first entrance to the parking lot doesn’t go anywhere, and so I’ll always be just about to pull into it, and then continueContinue reading “My Fourth Visit”

Alisha was in much better spirits during this visitation (aside from her cello performance) and that may have been due to the fact that she had been released from segregation after 5 days. A conversation with her mother, Sherri, resulted in her placement into isolation- not an incident, an altercation or any type of “misbehavior”Continue reading “Visiting LeLe (Part 3)”

We just got a call from LeLe! She has been released from Seg! They released her a couple hours ago! She has been in there since Monday ( approximately one hour after her phone call with her mother). She said it was unbelievable cold where they had her, and it took days of pleading withContinue reading “***UPDATE!!!!***”

We received word early this morning from Sherri, Alisha’s mother, that Alisha might be in Seg. We were finally able to get through to Decatur correctional to confirm this though they wouldn’t tell us when, why or for how long she would be removed from General Population and be in Segregation. This is typical, butContinue reading “LeLe should be free.”

With funds that we raised from selling our zines Chicago Zine Fest, Alisha was able to purchase a small multi-media player from commissary! This means she can send/receive emails via jpay and listen to music! These things of course come at a cost and are very expensive but we’re so happy that she has musicContinue reading “WE LOVE YOU LELE!!!”

Getting updates from Sherri, LeLe’s momma! The fam had a wonderful 6 hour visit with Alisha! Apparently LeLe held Voni (her new nephew) the whole time! She really appreciated her momma making the sacrifice to come down with the family even though the warden still won’t allow Sherri to visit Alisha (something we’ve been organizingContinue reading “Photos of Alisha’s family from their recent trip to see her!”

This is a link to her fund, moderated by her mother Sherri: https://www.generosity.com/fundraising/alisha-walker-survived-and-punished–2/x/16154967 Please consider making a donation so that her family and friends can afford to visit her, and so that Alisha may be able to have necessary commissary funds. Alternatively, you can find LeLe through the JPay system with her “offender number” Y12381 this way youContinue reading “Alisha and her family still need your support.”

I spent the day preceding our visit being transferred around on the phone into oblivion, from one CO to a Major, to someone who was “supposed to know what’s goin’ on with that.” All the while biting my tongue, the inside of my cheek, hearing myself use a sickly sweet tone so they wouldn’t hangContinue reading “LeLe slays on cello”

     I was not able to make it to our last planned visit- the first visit to Decatur, following Lele’s transfer from Logan- so I was beyond excited to hear we would be watching her in a theater performance of Shakespeare’s As You Like It.      None of us knew Lele had played theContinue reading “Visiting Lele: The Cello Performance!”

I’ve said it before, but really, it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been to see someone in prison, you never get used to it. It never becomes routines. It never gets “easier.” Not that you’d want it to get that way, but it not ever being that way reminds you of how fucking wrongContinue reading “First Visit At Decatur”

        Home again, whatever that means exactly.  Moving for most people is terrible because it involves putting a bunch of small things into larger boxes, carefully wrapping delicate items—heirlooms, art, instruments, televisions, anything which is not really designed to be packed into a van or truck or other vehicle and moved any distance.  It alsoContinue reading “Our Third Visit”

I was a little less nervous going into our visit this time, but still on edge. I hate having to see my friend in clothes she doesn’t want to wear, her movement limited, her freedom denied. I hate having to talk to COs. We each bought a book at the Joliet Barnes & Noble toContinue reading “Visiting LeLe (Part 2)”

         Speaking to another of our collective members upon returning, I found myself having difficulty expressing just what this most recent visit to Alisha had impressed upon me.  The arbitrariness of prison regulations was hardly a surprise, and the length of the drive and waiting around were, at least for me, vastly condensed by knowingContinue reading “Visiting LeLe (Part 1)”

I had never visited a prison before we went to go see Lele. I had no idea what to expect. I knew what I’d seen on television was bullshit, and that was it. I was nervous. What if she thought it was weird that these people who she barely knows were all crowding in toContinue reading “Meeting LeLe (Part 4)”

When I told my mother that a group of Support Ho(s)e and myself weregoing to visit Alisha Walker at the Logan Correctional Center, I wondered aloudabout the correctional officers we would be forced to comply with prior to meeting her. My mother responded to my rhetorical question with something along the lines of, “you’d haveContinue reading “Meeting LeLe (Part 3)”

As we pull past the last of the cornfields, and the complex of chicken wire, squat brick buildings, and tinted-windowed towers emerges from the green, I am struck, in spite of myself, by thinking of definitions of two terms which are thrown about nearly indiscriminately in the modern vernacular: courage and heroism.  Each of theseContinue reading “Meeting LeLe (Part 2)”

I’ve visited people in prison before, but not since Texas really. It’s hard to describe the mixture of rage, anxiety, and excitement I was feeling at the idea of visiting someone I already loved, though I’d never met, in a place I think has no business existing. I prepared myself the way I used toContinue reading “Meeting LeLe (Part 1)”

Prisons seek to isolate & dehumanize. They want us to forget those who are inside. In an effort to combat this we’ll be sharing reflections from our visits with LeLe.

Alisha, a sex worker, was criminalized for both the work she did and for defending her life. As Support Ho(s)e, the main group supporting her in Chicago, has written, “Alisha Walker was working when she was attacked.  Posted by Love & Protect, 2016. Read the full post here.