Who We Are

Walkin' Steel is a production of the Committee to End the Marion Lockdown (CEML). The United States Penitentiary at Marion was opened in 1963 to replace the infamous Alcatraz prison which was closed that same year. Since then, Marion has become an increasingly inhumane institution. In 1972, a few months after the great rebellion at Attica prison, one wing of Marion was turned into a control unit. In 1983, the entire prison was locked down and turned into one huge control unit. CEML was founded in 1985, with three main purposes:

** to fight against the brutality of the prison;
** to work against the spread of control units throughout the United States;
** to expose the white supremacist nature of the prison system.

In early 1990 the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) announced that the "mission of Marion" would be moved to a new prison to be constructed in Florence, Colorado. CEML decided that, despite our small size, we must try also to fight against the opening of this "administrative maximum" prison. Fortunately, we are but one small part of a movement across the county that is fighting against the brutality of this newest U.S. technological nightmare.

Control units have existed for more than 20 years. Many organizations and individuals have done massive amounts of good work to oppose these torture chambers, but clearly much more needs to be done. If you are not yet involved in this struggle, and would like to become involved, please contact us.

BACK to Walking Steel Index