Charged for stealg hat and $1, Anthony Gay released after 22 years of solary nfement – The Daily Egyptian

Contents:

• ANTHONY GAY APPEALS FOR HELP OM FERAL PRISON
• ANTHONY GAY’S S SOLARY NFEMENT LED TO SELF-MUTILATN. NOW A PROPOSED LAW TO LIM PRISONER ISOLATN ILLOIS IS NAMED HIS HONOR.
• ANTHONY GAY SEEKS NEW TRIAL TO OVERTURN “TMPED UP GUN CHARG”
• ANTHONY GAY AWAS FED SENTENCG WHILE PLANNG ANTI-SOLARY NFEMENT EVENT
• SHIRLEY A. GAY
• AFTER 22 YEARS OF 'PSYCHOLOGIL TORTURE' IN SOLARY CONFEMENT, ANTHONY GAY FIGHTS FOR STATE LAW RTRICTG ITS USE
• CHARGED FOR STEALG HAT AND $1, ANTHONY GAY RELEASED AFTER 22 YEARS OF SOLARY NFEMENT

ANTHONY GAY APPEALS FOR HELP OM FERAL PRISON

Over three days of ttimony, the ernment prented evince to tablish that on May 31, 2020, a vehicle which Gay was a passenger was stopped by Rock Island police officers for a traffic vlatn, a news release says.

ANTHONY GAY’S S SOLARY NFEMENT LED TO SELF-MUTILATN. NOW A PROPOSED LAW TO LIM PRISONER ISOLATN ILLOIS IS NAMED HIS HONOR.

About two weeks later, on June 14, 2020, Rock Island police were lled to a Rock Island motel where Gay had been rentg a room when he was arrted for the gun charge. The ernment also tablished that Gay had multiple prr felony nvictns, cludg robbery, aggravated battery, and posssn of a weapon prison, the release says. At sentencg, Gay fac statutory penalti on each unt of up to 10 years imprisonment, a $250, 000 fe, and up to a three-year term of supervised release.

“A dark hole” is how Gay, who earlier was rcerated for nearly 25 years, scribed his time solary nfement when he spoke 2019 wh stunts at Augtana College, Rock Island, at the Augtana Wter Symposium wh the hope of brgg about change.

Frank Chapman of the Chigo Alliance Agast Racist and Polil Reprsn, who attend a pre-trial hearg for Gay on May 9 Peoria, said, “I’ve never heard of somebody reprentg themselv and gettg a hung jury a feral trial. Once aga behd bars he lls “prsive” for yet another crime he says he did not m, activist Anthony Gay is now a North Carola feral prison awag a mental health evaluatn before his September 20 sentencg. Currently isolatn, Gay’s rceratn began 1994 when he got to a fight wh a teenager who acced him of stealg his hat and $1, an allegatn he ni.

ANTHONY GAY SEEKS NEW TRIAL TO OVERTURN “TMPED UP GUN CHARG”

He was released om prison 2019 and had been engaged social jtice issu, such as promotg his Illois SB 3564 Anthony Gay Isolated Confement Rtrictn Act which passed the Hoe but is stuck the Senate. In May, 2020, Gay said he was asslted by Rock Island police, and when he reported the cint, he said they retaliated and filed “tmped up” charg agast him. He was found guilty on May 19, 2022, by an all-whe jury and was sent to the Peoria County Jail before Judge Jam Shadid who nied the motn to move Gay to electronic monorg.

ANTHONY GAY AWAS FED SENTENCG WHILE PLANNG ANTI-SOLARY NFEMENT EVENT

Spurred by a Chigo Tribune vtigatn volvg a man who spent two s isolatn after beg nvicted of stealg a hat and a sgle dollar bill, a proposed state law would lim how long an Illois prisoner n stay solary Anthony Gay Isolated Confement Rtrictn Act would bar the Illois Department of Correctns om placg an mate isolatn for more than 10 days a six-month perd.

”The bill is named for Anthony Gay, a Rock Island native who entered prison 1994 as a young man, nvicted of robbery after brawlg wh another teen who told police that Gay took his hat and stole $1. Shortly after the isolatn started, Gay began self-mutilatg and attemptg for 23 hours a day and starved for human ntact, Gay took extreme steps to get attentn. Once, he packed a fan motor si a gapg leg wound; another time he cut open his scrotum and serted a are visible on Anthony Gay's arm while he worships at the Church of Peace Rock Island 2018.

(Brian Cassella / Chigo Tribune)As his md began to terrate, Gay beme antagonistic toward his guards and ocsnally threw ure or fec at them, unlawful acts of fiance that stretched his origal sentence to more than two s behd Livgston County, where Pontiac Correctnal Center is suated, the state’s attorney’s office lodged a seri of 21 dictments agast Gay between 2000 and 2004 for the many tim he threw his own bodily fluids at guards. The Illois Department of Correctns would later intify Gay urt filgs as one of a few dozen mat whose mental illns were so acute and dangero that they required full patient re. But a Tribune vtigatn found his psychiatric treatment often nsisted of a therapist shoutg qutns to him through a he reunted how his mental health erod isolatn, the normally stoic Gay broke down tears Tuday durg a news nference promotg the proposed legislatn.

SHIRLEY A. GAY

While Illois has signifintly rced the number of days juvenile offenrs spend isolatn and no longer segregatn as a punishment for young people as part of a nsent cree between the partment and the Amerin Civil Liberti Unn of Illois, those polici do not extend to the adult has phed unsuccsfully for solary nfement reforms for nearly four years, but he believ the bill has s strongt chanc of passg durg the current legislative ssn given Gay’s volvement.

– A feral jury returned guilty verdicts today agast Anthony Tony Gay, of the 1200 block of 14th St., Rock Island, Illois, for posssn of a firearm and ammunn by a felon.

Over three days of ttimony, the ernment prented evince to tablish that on May 31, 2020, a vehicle which Gay was a passenger was stopped by Rock Island police officers for a traffic vlatn. Approximately two weeks later, on June 14, 2020, Rock Island police were lled to a Rock Island motel where Gay had been rentg a room when he was arrted for the gun charge. Stunt Essay CompetnHome: QuoteROCK ISLAND MAN FIGHTS TO END SOLITARY CONFINEMENT IN ILLINOIS PRISONSAnthony Gay was arrted 1994 for gettg a fight.

AFTER 22 YEARS OF 'PSYCHOLOGIL TORTURE' IN SOLARY CONFEMENT, ANTHONY GAY FIGHTS FOR STATE LAW RTRICTG ITS USE

"I've been that dch, and I've experienced that dch and nothg speaks lour than experience and my experience is too ep for ceptn, " he HTML EmbedTHE ANTHONY GAY ISOLATED CONFINEMENT RESTRICTION ACTCreat the Isolated Confement Rtrictn Act. After spendg 22 years solary nfement, Anthony Gay is tryg to make sure no other prisoner Illois has to experience the same level of trma that he went is the face of the state's Anthony Gay Isolated Confement Act, a bill veloped over the last 10 years that would lim solary nfement to no more than 10 days per six-month perd.

CHARGED FOR STEALG HAT AND $1, ANTHONY GAY RELEASED AFTER 22 YEARS OF SOLARY NFEMENT

"The worst part is beg trapped a cell 24/7, not beg able to receive social ntact and human ntact, " said Gay, who was released om prison 2018 after reprentg himself over 80 appeals before he was able to reta the help of a 's path to solary nfement began when he was 20 years old.

"After spendg 22 years solary nfement, Anthony Gay is tryg to make sure no other prisoner Illois has to experience the same level of trma that he went, of Rock Island, Illois, said he was arrted durg his probatn for drivg whout a license. "When we learned about Anthony Gay's suatn and how impacted him mentally, and what he had to do to get out of solary nfement, was vastatg, " said Ford. The proposal is lled The Anthony Gay Isolated Confement Rtrictn Act, named after former mate Anthony Gay, who was held solary nfement for 22 years.

Those behd the bill said Gay was "nied appropriate and necsary mental health treatment which ma impossible for Gay to port wh prison l and regulatns, leadg him to btally mutilate himself untls tim and endure years of mental and physil torture. Anthony Gay, ially nvicted of robbg a teenager of $1 and stealg his hat, who spent 23 years solary nfement numero prisons, is aga fightg for his eedom another se volvg Rock Island police, who he says amed him on a 2020 “tmped-up” gun charge.

In hirg a vio expert, Gay says an enhanced picture of the Rock Island officer’s m rerr prov there was no gun or ammunn prent at the time of his arrt 2020. In a telephone terview om the Livgston County Jail Pontiac, Illois, Gay told the Chigo Csar the Rock Island police claimed when they arrted him they nfisted the gun and ammunn. However, based on the enhanced police body m imagery, Gay is seekg a new trial and alleg police filed “tmped-up charg” agast him retaliatn for his beatg a prev feral se pro se and reportg them to the mayor of Rock Island.

Actg pro se, on his own behalf, reprentg himself, Gay said the feds were allegedly embarrassed by his beatg them urt wh a hung jury, but they filed an appeal right away. However, the terim, Gay was arrted by Rock Island police on the “tmped-up gun and ammunn charge” out of retaliatn bee he reported them to the mayor of Rock Island.

In Illois, Gay has a bill, HB 3564, sponsored by Reprentative LaShawn Ford (D-8), rtrictg solary nfement to 10 days that has passed the Hoe. It remas the Senate, spearhead by Senator Robert Peters (D-13); however, Gay wants a feral bill passed so rtrictg solary nfement would be a natnal law. Once aga rcerated for a crime he says he never mted, activist Anthony Gay is urgg all to attend an anti-solary nfement awarens fom, as he prepar to be sentenced on posssn of a “bog” firearm and ammunn charge he says was planted by Rock Island police.

Usg my hotel key, they went to my room after my hotel room rervatn had expired and planted the ammunn, ” Gay said, referrg to his Rock Island hotel room.

This latt charge was filed agast him 2020 by two Rock Island officers who Gay says allegedly amed him on a “tmped up” gun and ammunn charge. A whe officer doubled back and said they had found the gun claimg that I tripped and fell where they found the gun, which is not te, ” said Gay. “Then after they locked me up, they waed until my hotel room expired and went si after they had already been my hotel room and planted ammunn and said they found my hotel room, ” reunted Gay.

He said the police lied durg his first trial, where Gay reprented himself, but he lost his send trial and now fac a possible sentence om parole to 10 years a feral prison. But the ray of hope Gay hangs onto is the fact that even though the Rock Island police turned his se over to the feds and he was nvicted of posssg a firearm and ammunn, which he ni, the vio expert he hired has the alleged proof that the ps amed him. Gay said he unrstands sometim the wheels of jtice turn slowly and even though by then he will have been sentenced and sent to a feral prison, the end, he believ he will be ee aga one day.

In an terview wh the Chigo Csar om the Livgston County Jail Pontiac, Illois, Gay, now 47, said bis keepg the anti-solary nfement movement alive, the event will also honor high school junr and senr stunts. Gay said Curtis Dorsey will do an excerpt om the Rope of Hope, a play about Gay’s life, and durg a mil performance by Ashley Stewart, she will sg a song about solary nfement.

Senator Peters, who has been phg HB 3564, which would have created the Isolated Rtrictn Act, better known as the Anthony Gay Act now renamed the Nelson Manla Act, will speak via Zoom at the event.