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HRDC quoted in article re protest at CCA 2013 annual meeing

Channel 5 News, Jan. 1, 2013. http://www.newschannel5.com/story/22273266/prot...
HRDC quoted in article re protest at CCA 2013 annual meeing - Channel 5 News 2013

Protest Outside CCA Shareholders' Meeting

Posted: May 16, 2013 1:54 PM CDT Updated: May 16, 2013 4:04 PM CDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A wave of demonstrators made their way from several different states to Nashville Thursday to stand up for human rights.

The Public Safety and Justice Campaign protested outside the doors of the nation's largest private prison company, the Corrections Corporation of America.

The Nashville-based company held a shareholders' meeting this morning, and celebrated their 30th anniversary.

Demonstrators outside commemorated the milestone by protesting. They want to end for-profit incarceration and immigrant detention in the United States.

"It affects real people--not just numbers; not just the dollar signs that they count on their ledgers at the end of the day when they're calculating their profit; not just their stock price in the New York Stock Exchange. But what CCA does impacts real people and real families," said Alex Friedmann with the Human Rights Defense Center.

Some of the demonstrators were also CCA shareholders, and gave their opinion inside the meeting.

In response to the protest, CCA Public Affairs Manager Mike Machak said in a statement:

"These groups continue to demonstrate that they will go to any lengths to attack our company and the dedicated correctional officers, chaplains, teachers and nurses who work every day to safely and securely house inmates and provide them with meaningful rehabilitation opportunities. For 30 years, CCA has successfully built and managed detention and corrections facilities in partnership with government at all levels that maintain the highest industry standards and provide the best value for taxpayers. It's sad that these organizations are so closed-minded when it comes to facts and perspectives that might challenge their political agendas."