Members of the “San Quentin Six,” as well as former Black Panther Leader, Ronald Freeman, met at CSUS on March 20 to discuss the impact of the “prison industrial complex” and its effects on education and minorities in California.

“California has the third-largest penal system in the world, following China and the United States as a whole,” according to a fact sheet presented by the Ali Nation, an organization founded on the principals of unity, action, and truth, which co-sponsored Wednesday?s event.

“People have to realize that the prison industrial complex is connected to the lives on our streets,” said Freeman. “Building prisons instead of schools will not stimulate the economy. A majority of the people in prison are [minorities]. Incarceration is not a solution to the vast array of social problems that people involved in the prison system face on a daily basis.”

Luis Talamantez, one of the members of the “San Quentin Six” who was charged with murder during a prison uprising and later acquitted and released from prison, discussed the politics behind the construction of the prison system in California.

“You live in a ?prison state.? There are already 33 prisons and that number is growing. There are lobbyists at the Capitol persuading the politicians to allocate money to the prison system. There are currently plans to build 13 more prisons and only one university, ” said Talamantez.

The panel discussion concluded with a personal speech from Sundiata Tate, another of the “San Quentin Six,” who described his experiences in prison.

“It was an absolute power trip. By dehumanizing someone, do you think that it will make a positive difference on his/her life? I don?t think so,” said Tate.

He also pled for students to take action and demand a change in how the government decides to build prisons instead of universities. “Without the support of people like you, we would have been convicted unquestionably and would still be part of the prison industrial complex,” added Tate.