History
Snyder grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, where at age 9 his father abandoned the family. After a stint in a correctional facility for breaking into parking meters, Snyder worked in job counseling on Madison Avenue in New York City, as well as selling appliances and construction work. In 1969 he left his wife and children and started hitchhiking west. Police found him in a stolen vehicle, and he was arrested and convicted of grand theft auto. He served two years in federal prison, 1970–1972, for violating the Dyer Act, which outlaws the interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle. Snyder ended up in Danbury Federal Correctional Institute in Danbury, Connecticut, where he served time with Philip and Daniel Berrigan. Following meetings with them and prolific reading, especially of the Bible, Snyder started participating in hunger strikes and work stoppages over prisoners' rights issues.
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