30 Years Behind Bars:
A 15 Day Interactive Art Installation at Batey Urbano, 2620 W. Division St., and will run 15 days consecutively from March 19th- April 3rd.
The National Boricua Human Rights Network (NBHRN) is excited to announce the opening of an art installation titled: “The Experience of Puerto Rican political prisoner Carlos Alberto Torres: 30 Years Behind Bars”
In response to the 30th year of incarceration of Puerto Rican Political Prisoner Carlos Alberto Torres, the NBHRN has recreated the isolation of prison. One participant has volunteered to spend 24 hours in a makeshift prison cell, with only notepad, pencil and book for comfort.
View the entire photo album on Facebook.
The installation will take place at the Batey Urbano, 2620 W. Division in Chicago and will run 15 days consecutively from March 19th – April 3rd. This project will be taking place simultaneously in four locations: Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and San Juan, Puerto Rico. People can stop by and view the cell and participants 24 hours a day and learn more about Carlos Alberto Torres and the other remaining Puerto Rican political prisoners, Oscar Lopez Rivera and Avelino González Claudio. The project will end with former Puerto Rican political prisoner Ricardo Jimenez being the last prisoner and a culminating activity—Jornada 360—on Saturday, April 3rd at 6pm, which will showcase 360 months (30 years) of activism, struggle & resistance.
Carlos Alberto Torres was arrested in 1980, accused of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 78 years in federal prison. April 4, 2010 will mark the 30th year of his incarceration, making him the longest held political prisoner in Puerto Rican history. In response to the 30th year of incarceration of Carlos Alberto Torres, the National Boricua Human Rights Network has recreated the isolation by the US Government of one of Puerto Rico’s patriots. This project is also to bring awareness about political prisoners that are being held in US Federal prisons and to show the US government the support there is for the release of Carlos Alberto.