Inmates who were offered solar eclipse viewing glasses to watch the rare phenomenon – only for the state prison to change its mind – are fighting for their right on the grounds that it is a ‘religious event’.
Six men incarcerated in New York state facilities are arguing that they have a constitutional right to witness the ‘religiously significant’ total eclipse on April 8, which last happened in the US in 2017 and won’t again until 2044.
This coming Monday afternoon, those in the path of totality including some viewers in New York state will experience a period of darkness as the Moon blocks the face of the Sun from the Earth.
The six prisoners of five different religions filed a lawsuit in federal court against the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) on Friday.
‘A solar eclipse is a rare, natural phenomenon with great religious significance to many,’ states the complaint.
The inmates at Woodbourne Correctional Facility in Sullivan County ‘have each expressed a sincerely held religious belief that April’s solar eclipse is a religious event that they must witness and reflect on to observe their faiths’, it reads.
Jeremy Zielinski, who is an atheist, first requested that the solar eclipse be recognized as a religious event in late January, more than two months ahead of the date.
On March 5, he was ‘informed that the facility would buy and provide him with solar eclipse viewing glasses for use to watch the eclipse’, states the suit.
But six days later, the DOCCS acting commissioner issued a statewide ‘lockdown memo’ saying that the facilities would operate on a holiday schedule on April 8 and that inmates ‘will remain in housing units’ from 2pm to 5pm, which is their usual outdoor recreation window.
Each of the six prisoners expressed their own reasons for needing to see the solar eclipse.
‘Mr. Zielinski firmly believes that observing the solar eclipse with people of different faiths is crucial to practicing his own faith because it is a central aspect of atheism to celebrate common humanity and bring people together to encourage people to find common ground,’ states the suit.
Two of the co-plaintiffs are Christian, including Travis Hudson who is a Baptist and David Haigh who is a Seventh Day Adventist.
Hudson ‘believes that it is vital to his faith to observe the solar eclipse and reflect on what he believes Jesus saw moments before he died on the cross to forgive (his) sins,’ the suit reads.
Meanwhile, Haigh ‘sincerely believes that it is key to his faith to observe the solar eclipse and reflect on what he believes is the same phenomenon experienced by Jesus Christ before he died’, it states.
A fourth plaintiff, Jean Marc Desmarat, is Muslim and ‘sincerely believes observing the solar eclipse and saying a special prayer is critical to practicing his religion’, according to the suit.
Two more plaintiffs are followers of the Santeria religion. Prisoner Bruce Moses’ ‘sincerely held religious beliefs include the practice of witnessing the solar eclipse and making a spiritual offering’, per the suit.
Fellow Santeria follower Oscar Nunez’s ‘sincerely held religious beliefs include the practice of praying and chanting to the moon and the sun for blessings while they meet at the time of the solar eclipse’, it reads.
The prisoners’ lawyers are urging a judge to make a ruling on the matter before the end of the week.
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