Who’s Got A Hand In This Sh*t?

  • January 27, 2021 1:29 am

from Dreaming Freedom Practicing Abolition

By Michael “Safear” Ness

(Written January 22, 2021)

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections refuses to waste money on individual COVID-19 tests for the prisoner population, instead preferring to test each prison’s accumulated sewage for COVID levels.

An official PA DOC memo dated January 21, 2021 from Secretary of Corrections John E. Wetzel states, “Facilities will increase [prisoner cohort sizes] at different times, and in different amounts depending on their local infection rates, and the results of sewage testing.”

Recent sewage testing at SCI Fayette indicated increased COVID-19 levels, delaying an increase in prisoner cohort size until additional testing can be performed.

Prisoner cohorts, assigned groups for movement, are allegedly designed to limit the risk of exposure by reducing prisoner to prisoner contact. The theory is, if one person in the cohort is exposed to COVID-19, or tests positive, the entire cohort is quarantined to prevent spreading the virus.

In application, once a prisoner is exposed to, or tests positive for the virus, no other members of that cohort receive automatic COVID testing unless they register a fever. If a prisoner tests positive for the virus, their cellmate is not automatically tested, despite being forced to continue to live in close proximity to the infected person. Even if a prisoner is coughing or fatigued, they are not automatically tested.

By not testing these prisoners, the prison administration is allowed to keep the appearance of a low COVID-19 infection rate, choosing instead to test everyone’s feces collectively to see how many prisoners are actually sick.

Virtual Letter Writing Party For Marius Mason

  • January 26, 2021 1:26 am

from Instagram

Photo shared by Philly GAF on January 24, 2021 tagging @supportmariusmason. Image may contain: text that says 'SUPPORT TRANS X PRISONERS GAF VIRTUAL LETTER WRITING PARTY FOR MARIUS MASON TO CELEBRATE HIS BIRTHDAY January 26th, 2021 6:00 PM EST DM @PhillyGAF FOR MORE INFORMATION'.

Letter-writing party!

January 26th, 2021
6:00PM EST

Marie (Marius) Mason #04672-061
FCI Danbury
Route 37
Danbury, CT 06811

[DM @PhillyGAF FOR MORE INFORMATION]

Photo by Philly GAF on January 24, 2021.

Photo by Philly GAF on January 24, 2021. Image may contain: 1 person.

Monday January 25th: Letter-writing for Kamau Sadiki

  • January 21, 2021 1:35 am

from Philly ABC

kamau-sadiki.jpgThis month we are asking that folks write letters of support to former Black Panther, Kamau Sadiki. Kamau has been held in the Augusta State Medical Prison for years and suffered medical neglect. Right now, Kamau is in danger of needing his left foot amputated and needs to see a wound specialist. Before you join us next Monday to write a letter, please take a minute to tweet at @GovKemp & call the Augusta State Medical Prison at (706) 855-4700 to demand he be taken to the wound care clinic ASAP. At the letter-writing event, we will have an update about the medical campaign and send words of solidarity directly to Kamau so that he knows, and the prison knows, this situation is getting wider public attention.

At age 17, Kamau dedicated his life to the service of his people working out of the Jamaica office of the Black Panther Party. Kamau worked in the Free Breakfast Program each morning and then went out into the community to sell the BPP newspaper later in the day. At nineteen, Kamau was a member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA). Several members of the BLA, including Kamau, left New York City and lived in the Atlanta area for a short period of time. On the night of November 3rd 1971, witnesses observed three black males run from a van where a police officer was murdered at a gas station in downtown Atlanta. The witnesses failed to identify Kamau from a photographic line-up and there was no physical evidence that implicated him. In 1971, the Atlanta police department closed the case as unsolved.

In 1999, the FBI in pursuit of collaboration in their attempts to recapture Assata Shakur (the mother of one of Kamau’s daughters), a political exile in Cuba, threatened him with life in prison if he did not assist them. When he did not comply, the FBI convinced Atlanta police to re-open the case and charge Kamau. He was arrested in 2002 in Brooklyn, New York some thirty-one years later after the murder. In 2003, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and ten years to run consecutively for armed robbery. Much of his sentence has been spent in a medical prison because he suffers from Hepatitis C, Cirrhosis of the Liver, and Sarcoidosis. February 19th will be his 68th birthday so send him some birthday love as well!

This event will be held on Jitsi – we’ll post the meet link on social media the day of. You can also message us to get the link beforehand.

If you can’t join us on Monday, send him a message of hope and healing at:

Freddie Hilton #0001150688
Augusta State Medical Prison
3001 Gordon Highway
Grovetown, GA 30813

We also encourage sending birthday cards to political prisoners with February birthdays: Veronza Bowers (the 4th) and Oso Blanco (the 26th).

Political Prisoners and Prison Rebel Birthdays for January

  • January 6, 2021 1:33 am

from It’s Going Down

[This post only contains information relevant to Philadelphia and the surrounding area, to read the entire article follow the above link.]

Inspired by the spirit of the Political Prisoners Birthday crew, here’s a short listing of some rebel prisoners who have upcoming birthdays in January.

For an an introduction on how to write to prisoners and some things to do and not to do, go here. If you have the time, please also check IWOC’s listing of prisoners facing retaliation for prison strike-related organizing.

Wishing a very happy birthday to Jeremy Hammond, who will be celebrating in freedom this month! Please keep sending mail and books to Eric King, who’s off his mail ban for now but may end up being hit with another one soon. Chicano anarchist political prisoner Xinachtli is coming up for parole in the new year, you can find details on how to support his application at the end of this recent article he wrote. There are a number of ongoing clemency campaigns that could use some support, including ones for the aging political prisoners Russell Maroon Shoatz, Ed Poindexter, and David Gilbert. Two of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 have just begun prison sentences, with others expecting sentencing soon. Mumia Abu Jamal has won a victory in court against an attempt to replace his prosecutor with an even harsher and more vicious one, although his road to freedom remains long and difficult.

In international news, 22 anarchist groups from around the world have issued a joint statement in solidarity with the prisoners from the 2019 revolt in Chile. January 22nd is the Trans Prisoner Day of Action and Solidarity, so you may want to think about doing something for that.

Everyone should support the defendants facing charges related to their alleged participation in the George Floyd uprising – this list of our imprisoned comrades needs to be getting shorter, not longer. The status of pre-trial defendants changes frequently, but to the best of my knowledge they currently include:

Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal #70002-066
FDC Philadelphia
P.O. Box 562
Philadelphia, PA 19105

David Elmakayes #77782-066
FDC Philadelphia,
PO Box 562,
Philadelphia, PA 19105

Shawn Collins #69989-066
FDC Philadelphia,
PO Box 562,
Philadelphia, PA 19105

Steven Pennycooke #69988-066
FDC Philadelphia,
PO Box 562,
Philadelphia, PA 19105

Finally, much as I hate to see even more of our lives and communications being enclosed by tech companies, it seems inescapable at the moment, so for anyone who doesn’t want to leave their house to buy stamps/cards/envelopes or to send mail, a reminder that many prisoners can be contacted electronically, via Jpay or similar services.

Joseph “Joe-Joe” Bowen

Black Liberation Army (BLA) Prisoner of War, serving two life sentences for the assassination of a prison warden and deputy warden, as well as an attempted prison break which resulted in a five-day standoff.

Pennsylvania uses Connect Network/GTL, so you can contact him online by going to connectnetwork.com, selecting “Add a facility”, choosing “State: Pennsylvania, Facility: Pennsylvania Department of Corrections”, going into the “messaging” service, and then adding him as a contact by searching his name or “AM-4272”.

Birthday: January 15

Address:

In 2018, the PA Dept of Corrections instituted a restrictive mail policy where all mail to prisoners must be sent through a mail processing facility in Florida where all correspondence is scanned, copied and then the copy is mailed to the prisoner. There is an active campaign to get Gov. Wolf to repeal the restrictive policy so that friends and family members can send mail such as greeting cards again.

Smart Communications/PADOC
Joseph Bowen #AM-4272
SCI Fayette
P.O. Box 33028
St. Petersburg, FL 33733
United States

New Year’s Eve vandalism of federal buildings in Philly leads to multiple arrests

  • January 2, 2021 1:40 am

from mainstream media

New Year’s Eve vandalism of federal buildings in Philly leads to multiple arrests

[Philly Anticap note: Everyone arrested has been released. See Up Against The Law’s post here]

Several people were arrested Thursday night after police and city highway patrol officers responded to reports of large unruly crowds and vandalism at federal buildings in Philadelphia.

Police observed a crowd on the 900 block of Market Street at about 8:50 p.m. Thursday, on New Year’s Eve. A 25-year-old man threw a brick through a window of the Robert Nix Federal Building, according to police.

The man, along with another man, age 24, and two 23-year-old women, all dressed similarly in black clothing, tried to flee the scene, but were taken into police custody.

The damage to the Nix building was estimated at $3,000.

Shortly after at 9 p.m., Philadelphia Highway Patrol officers were also in the area of 900 Market Street responding to reports of a large group of people breaking windows and spray-painting the federal building.

Officers stopped three individuals who had spray paint on their clothes, markers in their possession, and other suspicious materials.

A 25-year-old man had a glass jar with a fuse going into a bottle with a strong flammable odor, police said. He also had a container with a powder labeled “Fire Starter.”

A 22-year-old woman had bottles of liquids with chemicals and spray paint on her hands and clothes, police said.

And a 26-year-old woman had spray paint on her clothing.

The three individuals were taken into custody and charged with attempted arson, risking catastrophe, having an incendiary device, conspiracy and related offenses.

The materials they had with them will be examined by bomb technicians, police said.

Prison Break: New Year, Same Struggle for Abolition

  • January 2, 2021 1:32 am

from It’s Going Down

[This post only contains information relevant to Philadelphia and the surrounding area, to read the entire article follow the above link.]

With The Marshall Project reporting that 1 in 5 prisoners in the U.S. have had COVID-19, we are beginning the new year with an intense struggle ahead. In the last few weeks it was announced that political prisoners Russell Maroon Shoatz, Mutulu Shakur, Eric King, Rattler, Jaan Laaman, and Joe Dibee have tested positive for COVID-19. Since April, other political prisoners including Marius Mason, Sundiata Acoli, Reality Winner, Jeremy Hammond, and Jalil Muntaqim have also contracted the virus. Elder political prisoners Imam Jamil Al-Amin, Ed Poindexter, David Gilbert, Chip Fitzgerald, Leonard Peltier and numerous others face acute risks due to their continued confinement.

Looking back at 2020, we welcomed home several political prisoners, including Chuck and Delbert Africa (the last of the MOVE 9 still imprisoned), Ramsey Orta, Chelsea Manning, Red Fawn Fallis, David Campbell, Jay Chase, Jeremy Hammond, and Jalil Muntaqim. We mourn the passing of Delbert Africa in June, though we are glad he was able to do so from outside the prison walls. Since the police killing of George Floyd in May, we have witnessed a rise in people willing to directly confront the system, many of whom are currently facing lengthy prison sentences if convicted. Providing support and solidarity to these groups and individuals will be paramount in the year ahead.

Political Prisoner Birthdays

With four political prisoner birthdays in January, the new year is a great time to throw an online prisoner letter-writing party! The personal touch of a birthday card means so much to those inside, so write a letter, have people sign a card, and show your solidarity with those locked behind bars. Remember that prisoners at Federal prisons (USPs and FCIs) cannot receive cards, colored paper, or colored ink.

January 15th

Joseph Bowen*, #AM4272
Smart Communications / PA DOC
SCI Fayette
PO Box 33028
St. Petersburg, FL 33733
*Address card/letter to Joe-Joe

Ongoing Cases and Appeals

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has dismissed a petition to remove the DA’s Office from handling the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. What this means for Mumia’s case is yet unknown.

In Case You Missed It

 

  • “40 Years a Prisoner” is a new documentary exploring the MOVE 9, political prisoners connected to Philadelphia’s back-to-nature organization, which has faced police brutality and state repression since its inception.

 

What it’s like to get COVID-19 from a federal prison

  • December 31, 2020 1:17 am

from We Love Lore

Lore Elisabeth is among the hundreds of people who have contracted COVID-19 from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons’ federal detention center in downtown Philadelphia (FDC Philadelphia). She is recovering well and helping others to weather this storm wrought by the cruelty of a few and the incompetence of a great many more. The facility continues to obstruct information and preventative care to those who need it, but you know that’s when people like Lore can help the most ????

Virus_syntethises.gif

Lore contracted COVID-19 some time between October 26 and November 6. She was especially ill with flu symptoms for about 10 days but maintained steady breathing throughout. During this time she received no medical attention save for a nasal swab test and a bottle of tylenol. She was not informed of her positive test result.

FDC Philadelphia imposed a strict lockdown on November 1 due to the rampant spread of COVID-19 throughout their building. Lore and others in the women’s unit were let out of their cells weeks later, by which time more than half of them had contracted the virus. Another detainee then informed Lore that a warning sign was hung on her cell door during the lockdown. A staff nurse eventually confirmed to Lore this meant that she’d indeed had the virus. As they continue to get sick, women are now moved into the special housing unit (SHU)—solitary confinement—for weeks at a time, a regular violation of the United Nations Convention Against Torture committed by US federal prisons.

This is infuriating, but it is not surprising. FDC Philadelphia’s inability to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep its detainees healthy has been known since the onset of the global pandemic. FDC Philadelphia’s own staff joined an OSHA complaint against the Bureau of Prisons in March, arguing that their facility constituted an imminent danger to all. A lawsuit filed in April finally succeeded by October to force the facility into at least performing regular COVID-19 tests. The case reports, the complete lockdown, and a communications blackout followed.

birdcage.gif

Hundreds of people at FDC Philadelphia have been infected since October, including dozens of staffers and correctional officers. Still, we cannot expect conditions to improve meaningfully in the near term because FDC Philadelphia’s correctional officers continue to flaunt even the most basic COVID-19 protocols, like wearing masks and social distancing. I observed this during the very brief time in October when outside visitations were allowed. COs demanded that I remove my latex gloves before entering, claiming that they attract the virus. They refused repeatedly to maintain even a reasonable distance from our mom, a senior with elevated risks of COVID-19 complications. Even with us in the meeting room, groups of 5-6 gathered closely and maskless to socialize. It is no wonder that they continue to infect people, the majority of whom are simply waiting for their day in court.

This didn’t have to happen. Since the virus took hold in the United States, public health experts have clamored for home confinement of pre-trial detainees, compassionate release of medically vulnerable and/or suffering seniors, and other provisions available to prison wardens around the country. Their pleas fall on deaf ears. Wardens have approved fewer than 2% of the compassionate release requests they’ve received. FDC Philadelphia has even less reason to worsen this crisis. The facility is primarily a pre-trial detention facility, wherein people like Lore are confined before they even get to mount a defense. This may be because they cannot buy their freedom through the abominable cash bail system or, like Lore, they are just too useful as political effigies.

Virus_2.gif

We are lucky to still have Lore. We warned the US Attorney’s office that they weren’t equipped or motivated to protect Lore’s health. They countered first by blocking Lore from signing the HIPAA releases that were necessary to share her heart condition, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) affirms puts her at elevated risk for COVID-19 complications. When that failed, they falsely claimed that FDC Philadelphia could take proper care of her. Lore has been denied her prescription medications for Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) and other conditions since she was taken into custody. I’m relieved that we don’t currently need to call the facility every day, only to be denied any kind of proof-of-life, but we must now focus on the myriad potential near- and long-term effects of COVID-19 that FDC Philadelphia will not treat.

All of this could have been avoided. We begged for the opportunity to care for Lore safely at home until her trial, which still has no foreseeable start date. Sadly, the judge decided that Lore’s charges and treatment in confinement were too obviously political in nature and extent to grant her this safety, lest others take sympathy with her and join the movements for racial justice and against police brutality.

We need to step in for a broken criminal justice system. Lore is just one of the more than 275,000 people who were forced to contract COVID-19 in a prison cell —1 out of every 5 incarcerated people in the United States. I’m very grateful to the Marshall Project for collecting these statistics assiduously throughout the year, providing us some useful perspective on the scale of the crisis, and I encourage you to donate to their efforts. Likewise, the Amistad Law Project, who organize so well on the behalf of people incarcerated by the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The people incarcerated at FDC Philadelphia and other federal prisons nationwide deserve the same kind of support.

butterflies_flowers_md_wht.gif

At the moment, the women’s unit at FDC Philadelphia has Lore to help them ???? Since recovering from Covid, she has been absolutely tireless in collecting public health and legal information for them, quickly becoming a kind of unofficial librarian for the group in addition to its de facto therapist ???? I’m so proud of her! I know you are, too. If you haven’t had a chance recently, please send her your love and let her know that she isn’t forgotten. (We’re using the free Ameelio app to send pics too, and it’s good!). Lore’s wishlist is also up-to-date with reading material to share with the whole unit. And if you’re feeling especially generous, donate to her fund via PayPal or Venmo. With a major fundraising goal met, this money can go to her commissary fund—mostly pre-packaged food to augment the typical meal of an apple and a peanut butter sandwich.

Please hold Lore and FDC Philadelphia’s detainees in the light with us ????☮️

Monday December 28th: Letter-writing for Eric King

  • December 22, 2020 1:24 am

from Philly ABC

eric-king-letter-writing-2020.jpg

Happy solstice everyone! As 2020 draws to a close and we celebrate the days getting longer, join us next Monday at 6:30pm to show anarchist political prisoner Eric King some solidarity and send new year’s cards to comrades behind bars! We’ll be joined by someone from Eric’s support crew to provide the most updated info and answer questions. This event will be held on Jitsi – we’ll post the meet link on social media the day of. You can also message us to get the link beforehand.

Thankfully the mail ban against King has been lifted for the time being, so we’re taking this opportunity to send him some love. 2020 has been a rough year for many, particularly people whose lives are in danger inside prisons and folks like Eric who are facing additional repression such as communication restrictions and solitary confinement. Eric’s account of life in solitary confinement in the Bureau of Prisons (Flipping the Script) was featured in Solitary Watch earlier this year. Read his take on the Kafkaesque existence of over 10,000 people being housed in segregation for at least 23 hours a day.

If you can’t make the event, please drop him a line without mentioning his current case, Covid, or anything about the mail ban.

Eric King #27090-045
FCI Englewood
9595 West Quincy Avenue
Littleton, CO 80123

We will also send birthday cards to political prisoners with birthdays in January: Fran Thompson (the 4th), Abdul Azeez (the 9th), Sundiata Acoli (the 14th), Joe-Joe Bowen (the 15th), and Marius Mason (the 26th).

Two Missives from a PA Prison, from Comrade Elliot

  • December 7, 2020 1:57 am

from Dreaming Freedom, Practicing Abolition

ONE:

What’s so sad now a days these young men would rather fight someone over $5 then peacefully stand up for their rights and what they believe in. I must specify because these devils are crafty that everything I am doing and attempt to do in the future is PEACEFUL so I do not care if they read it or know its from me. I would like to put certain information on these social media sites such as what’s going on in the prison as well as the individual it is occurring with. Sci ***** is EXTREMELY corrupt! They plant drugs and weapons on inmates, the guards bring in phones and drugs. In other facilities when the inmates get caught with these things they’re usually transferred. Not here. They sweep it under the rug and keep it in house because then it will prove the corruptness of this institution. They took away our mail and visits so please explain why and how the drugs are still entering the facility at an all time high after all the jails having NO VISITS for over 8 months!! I was transferred from SCI+++++ for no reason 200 miles away from my family because of grievances and a lawsuit I was filing. They kicked me out and said I was a high ranking gang member calling shots and I was a threat with no misconduct, no proof or anything. Placed me in the hole up here for two weeks telling me welcome to *****. That was September of last year. In this past year I’ve seen staff abuse both physically and verbally, officers lying on misconducts, racism and bigotry at an all time high and basic corruptness. The racism even lies with the officers and their co workers smh. I would appreciate pen pals and any literature you may be able to share. I believe we need a social media site where we can expose not only the institutions but the individual staff as well.

TWO:

CW: Racist, homophobic slurs and violence

There’s this one sergeant who is not only racist, a bigot and disrespectful but also abusive physically, verbally and mentally! His name is Sergeant HATER. The staff below him are intimidated because of his stripes and those above him are intimidated because of the union. He’s assaulted inmates and wrote misconducts stating the inmate assaulted him but once video is reviewed it is seen to be a lie; dusted under the rug. He’s lied on numerous misconducts; dusted under the rug. He’s been assaulted due to his behavior after he was put on suspension and wasn’t allowed to work on any blocks! Dusted under the rug. Now I’ve dealt with racism, belittling sexual context (Mexican cocksucker and I’m not even Mexican!), retaliation for placing numerous grievances and complaints on him and all that happens is grievances are denied and/or rejected. He’s continuously denied me showers, phone calls and the opportunity to clean my cell all on his watch during a pandemic. Continuous racist and derogatory remarks. I’ve had one lieutenant attempt to assist me by the name of [FRIENDLY] but honestly NOTHING has changed it continues to get worst! Today he once again denied me a phone call which I was signed up for as well as a shower and when I asked the other guards who was working with him why I wasn’t allowed the response was “I’m not getting in between you and HATER’s gang war.” Just like in the street when an officer is doing something wrong, instead of his partner or fellow coworkers letting him know he’s doing things wrong they turn a blind eye or condone in his actions. There needs to be a way that we expose these guards and those actions to society and the public. We must let everyone know what goes on even if that means we start a webpage and post all grievances up as well as the answers to the grievances so EVERYONE is held accountable for their actions. I understand the job of a correctional officer but the racist undertone and continuous abuse can not be acceptable! Thank you

Image thanks to Just Seeds, created by Roger Peet, available here: https://justseeds.org/graphic/prison-pandemic-1/

Political Prisoners and Prison Rebel Birthdays for December

  • December 4, 2020 1:55 am

from It’s Going Down

[This post only contains information relevant to Philadelphia and the surrounding area, to read the entire article follow the above link.]

Inspired by the spirit of the Political Prisoners Birthday crew, here’s a short listing of some rebel prisoners who have upcoming birthdays in December. For an an introduction on how to write to prisoners and some things to do and not to do, go here. If you have the time, please also check IWOC’s listing of prisoners facing retaliation for prison strike-related organizing, and keep an eye out for New Year’s Eve noise demos happening in your area.

Everyone should support the defendants facing charges related to their alleged participation in the George Floyd uprising – this list of our imprisoned comrades needs to be getting shorter, not longer. The status of pre-trial defendants changes frequently, but to the best of my knowledge they currently include:

Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal #70002-066
FDC Philadelphia
P.O. Box 562
Philadelphia, PA 19105

David Elmakayes #77782-066
FDC Philadelphia,
PO Box 562,
Philadelphia, PA 19105

Shawn Collins #69989-066
FDC Philadelphia,
PO Box 562,
Philadelphia, PA 19105

Steven Pennycooke #69988-066
FDC Philadelphia,
PO Box 562,
Philadelphia, PA 19105

Please do not write anything to pre-trial defendants that could in any way have a negative impact on their trial, and keep an eye out for changes in their status.

There’s an urgent call to free Russell Maroon Shoatz, the long-term Black Liberation prisoner and anti-authoritarian writer who has caught Covid while already suffering from cancer.

Dwayne “BIM” Staats of the Vaughn 17 recently wrote a report on psychological torture in the Pennsylvania prison system

Finally, much as I hate to see even more of our lives and communications being enclosed by tech companies, it seems inescapable at the moment, so for anyone who doesn’t want to leave their house to buy stamps/cards/envelopes or to send mail, a reminder that many prisoners can be contacted electronically, via Jpay or similar services.

Fred “Muhammad” Burton

Fred Burton is one of the Philly 5, a group of men accused of an alleged attack on a police station that left one officer killed. He was sentenced to a life term for murder. Burton has maintained his innocence since his arrest. His preferred name is Muhammad, but envelopes should be addressed to Fred Burton.

Pennsylvania uses Connect Network/GTL, so you can contact him online by going to connectnetwork.com, selecting “Add a facility”, choosing “State: Pennsylvania, Facility: Pennsylvania Department of Corrections,” going into the “messaging” service, and then adding him as a contact by searching his name or “AF3896.”

Birthday: December 15

Address:

Smart Communications/PA DOC
Fred Burton
AF3896
SCI Somerset
Post Office Box 33028
St Petersburg, Florida
33733
USA

Alejandro Rodriguez-Ortiz

A former Vaughn 17 defendant. While the state has now dropped its attempts to criminalize Alejandro in relation to the uprising, all Vaughn-related prisoners continue to be targets for retaliation. More than three years later, these prisoners are still being abused for staying in solidarity with one another against the state.

Pennsylvania uses Connect Network/GTL, so you can contact him online by going to connectnetwork.com, selecting “Add a facility”, choosing “State: Pennsylvania, Facility: Pennsylvania Department of Corrections”, going into the “messaging” service, and then adding him as a contact by searching his name or “NW2883”.

Birthday: December 17

Address:

Smart Communications/PADOC
Alejandro Rodriguez-Ortiz, NW2883
SCI Mahanoy
PO Box 33028
St Petersburg, FL 33733
USA

Jonathan Rodriguez

A former Vaughn 17 defendant. While the state has now dropped its attempts to criminalize Jonathan in relation to the uprising, all Vaughn-related prisoners continue to be targets for retaliation. More than three years later, these prisoners are still being abused for staying in solidarity with one another against the state.

Pennsylvania uses Connect Network/GTL, so you can contact him online by going to connectnetwork.com, selecting “Add a facility”, choosing “State: Pennsylvania, Facility: Pennsylvania Department of Corrections”, going into the “messaging” service, and then adding him as a contact by searching his name or “NU0434”.

Birthday: December 31

Address:

Smart Communications / PA DOC
Jonathan Rodriguez – NU0434
SCI Houtzdale
PO Box 33028
St. Petersburg, FL, 33733
USA

Antoine Walker is on Hunger Strike

  • December 4, 2020 1:01 am

from Dreaming Freedom Practicing Abolition

Comrades,

Hello, my name is Antoine, better known as Indy. I’m a 28-year-old Black, Bisexual man, incarcerated in Pennsylvania. I am an LGBT activist and prison abolitionist. I’m serving an 8 to 20-year sentence and I’m 10 years into it. I have been in solitary confinement since September 26, 2017 on the allegation of assaulting a prison cop. Which is part of why I’m reaching out to you all. This officer attacked me days before. I reported it.

I will be going on hunger strike to bring awareness to the unconstitutionality surrounding this status of long-term solitary confinement in Pennsylvania, which is called “Restricted Release List” or RRL. I’m on this status because of the officer’s actions.

It seems I will be flying solo on this strike, which is why I’ll need as much outside pressure as possible.

Although there are a lot of issues in relation to solitary, I can only list a few of them in my demands because I am riding alone. My ultimate goal is to be released to general population, but I don’t see that happening by me striving alone and with little outside support.

My Demands:

  1. Access to my mandatory parole programs. I have been past my minimum, and therefore potentially eligible for parole since July 2018. I’m not given access to programs on RRL. So I will continue to be denied parole for not doing my programs. Although it’s not my choice.
  2. Work. I need to be allowed to come out of my cell and be able to work. I’ve sat in solitary for 3 years with no work, education, or psychology programming structure.
  3. RRL Review. My annual RRL review was supposed to be in December 2019. It never happened, which is a violation of my due process. And when I started filing grievances about it, I received a stream of false misconduct reports (starting in February 2020). All to justify keeping me on RRL. The duration of my time in solitary can no longer be ignored.
  4. Sufficient Food, Drinkable Water. The food we get while in solitary is less than 2,000 calories per day. The water is brown at random times.
  5. A real grievance process. We need a change in the grievance system because these problems never resolved and constantly recurring.

As I said, there’s more. But these are the simplest and most urgent demands. Your help and support is needed and appreciated. Please circulate this to as many as you know. Thank you.

Solidarity from Solitary,

Antoine

Image thanks to Just Seeds and artists Dey Hernández, Jorge Díaz Ortiz and Sylvia Hernández. Read more about it here: https://justseeds.org/graphic/if-all-lives-matter-cause-were-all-equal-why-are-some-lives-more-equal-than-others/

Free Political Prisoner Russell Maroon Shoatz

  • November 29, 2020 1:12 am

from AMW English

Free Political Prisoner Russell Maroon Shoatz

Russell Maroon Shoatz is a founding member of the Black Unity Council, a former member of the Black Panther Party, and a soldier in the Black Liberation Army.

“Police brutality is the reason our people are inside,” says Russell Shoatz III, Maroon’s son. Maroon has been in prison since 1972 because he was a leader in the fight against police in the 1960s and ’70s. He’s an elder of the most powerful movement this country has ever seen.

Maroon was held in solitary confinement for nearly 30 years, after two escape attempts he made over 40 years ago in the tradition of the maroon communities that escaped enslaved Africans created throughout the Americas. In his book, Maroon the Implacable, he makes this history come alive for younger generations. During his almost half-century in prison, he has mentored dozens of fellow prisoners, some of whom have joined the movement on the inside and outside.

As COVID-19 surges through the state and tears through its prisons, loved ones of incarcerated people are asking for the immediate release all elderly and medically vulnerable people in prison, and simply for prison staff to wear face masks and be tested for COVID-19.

Amid the horror that is the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections right now, Black liberation movement political prisoner Russell Maroon Shoatz may be one of the best examples of how that horror is playing out for elderly prisoners and their families. Maroon is 77 years old and has been fighting stage 4 colon cancer for over a year. After testing positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 11, Maroon was held in a gymnasium with 29 other men—and only one toilet to share between them. His urgent surgery for the cancer is being denied.

According to Theresa Shoatz, his daughter, Pennsylvania prisoners have been unable to make phone calls to let people outside know how bad COVID is inside right now.

Maroon must attain freedom. In an act of solidarity, while suffering in innumerable ways, Maroon himself told his daughter to advocate for the other 29 guys left in the gym.

You can donate to support Maroon’s Global Network here: https://russellmaroonshoats.wordpress.com/donate/

Monday November 23rd: Letter-writing for Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin

  • November 22, 2020 1:16 am

from Philly ABC

imam-jamil-al-amin.jpg

Due to the rainy weather and police killing of #WalterWallace on the day of last month’s letter-writing event, we decided to postpone until this month. We’ll be writing letters to Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown) on Monday, November 23rd at 6:30pm! To observe social distancing, we will hold this event on Jitsi and post the meet link on social media the day of. You can also message us to get the link beforehand.

Jamil became known as a Black liberation leader as the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Justice Minister of the Black Panther Party. In the early ’70s, he did five years as a political prisoner before being paroled in 1976. Upon his release, he moved to Atlanta, GA and led one of the nation’s largest Muslim groups, Al-Ummah. He is known to have greatly improved social services to the West End community in Atlanta.

From 1992 to 1997, the FBI and Atlanta police investigated Imam Jamil in connection with everything from domestic terrorism to gunrunning to 14 homicides in Atlanta’s West End, according to police investigators’ reports, FBI documents and interviews. On March 16th, 2000, Fulton County Deputy Sheriff Ricky Kinchen is shot and later dies, while another deputy Aldranon English is wounded after being shot by a man outside Imam Jamil’s store. English identified the shooter in the March 16th incident as Imam Jamil, yet testified that he shot the assailant — who “had grey eyes” — in the exchange of gunfire. Imam Al-Amin’s eyes are brown, and he had no gunshot injury when he was captured just four days later.

Now that Fulton County has a Convictions Integrity Unit, there is a good chance that Imam Jamil’s case will be reopened due to the known incongruities. This is doubly important because he has medical challenges — symptoms of Sjogren’s syndrome and smoldering myeloma (a form of blood cancer) as well as untreated cataracts. Due to his eyesight, write letters to him in large print if you are participating remotely.

We will also announce political prisoners with birthdays in November and December, and encourage participants to independently send them cards: Ed Poindexter (Nov 1st), Joe Dibee (Nov 10th), Josh Williams (Nov 25th), Reality Winner (Dec 4th), Fred “Muhammad” Burton (Dec 15th), and Casey Brezik (Dec 30th).

Dwayne “BIM” Staats on Psychological Torture at S.C.I. Albion

  • November 20, 2020 1:18 am

from AMW English

“The job is never over; it simply changes from one task to the next. What I’m looking for, I suppose, is balance, and that is a moving target. Balance is not a passive resting place – it takes work, balancing the giving and the taking, the raking out and the putting in.”

-Robin Wall Kimmer

Peace & greetings!

The administration at S.C.I. Albion has empowered corrections officers and the psychologist who works in the RHU (Restricted Housing Unit) to deny our meals, showers, recreation and mail as a means of punishment, retaliation, and psychological torture.

Back in April/May 2020, my neighbor Rufus Davis committed suicide, and in July, another one of my neighbors Phillip Root attempted suicide, but was saved by a C/O named Nolan. Sadly, Nolan was chastised in front of the whole pod by Captain Campbell who said, “Don’t go in there saving nobody. If they want to hang, let them hang!” That statement underscores the total disregard for the lives of RHU inmates at S.C.I. Albion. The same tactics used on Rufus, Phillip and countless others who’d rather kill themselves instead of facing the mental torment, are still in place. It’s upsetting to see how desensitized guards have become towards denying prisoners meals, showers, recreation and mail. The RHU psychologist condones their behavior, the grievance system is useless, and once again, it’s looking like we’ll have to take matters into our own hands (which comes as no surprise).

The reality is we “the incarcerated” are unable to capture footage of excessive force, abuse of discretion, physical, psychological and emotional abuses, cruel and unusual punishment and any other acts of immorality committed by civilian staff, officers, and administrators inside these facilities. Therefore, the dissemination of our truths must be conveyed through word of mouth, writing, communiqués, articles, protesting and uprising.

Power is the people,

BIM

#Vaughn17

Phone Zap for Maroon and Elderly Prisoners

  • November 17, 2020 1:18 am

from Instagram

COVID-19 poses a great threat to the lives of prisoners. We all know that the elderly are more at risk when it comes to COVID-19. Russell Shoatz who is 77 years of age has colon cancer and is COVID-19 positive. He’s being confined to a cubicle inside of a gymnasium with 30 other COVID-19 positive prisoners containing only 1 toilet for all of them to use. Maroon is being denied an urgent surgery to aid his colon cancer. Please call @governortomwolf now and demand his unconditional release, along with ALL elder prisoners with COVID-19 — (717) 787-2500.

[Video Here]