Phone Zap for Santos Torres-Olan

from Twitter

CALL TO ACTION: As of last week, Santos Torres-Olan (#ML7947), a comrade of Dwayne Staats of the #Vaughn17, is on hunger strike at SCI Albion. He’s protesting the physical, psychological, & emotional abuses at Albion — the prison administration uses meals, showers, rec & mail as a form of punishment, retaliation, and psychological torture. His protest is against the prison system as a whole. Santos has also been charged with assaulting a guard, and the courts, public defender and prosecutors are trying to railroad him. He ended up having to go pro se in order to fight his case.

Help out Santos’s struggle against the prison system by calling SCI Albion today or tomorrow at (814) 756-5778. Ask to speak to the superintendent and make sure they know people on the outside are paying attention to their torture and abuse of prisoners.

Our incarcerated comrades are struggling against prisons on a whole different level — we MUST support them from the outside when they ask us for help! ???????????? #freethemall #fttp

#AmnestyForAll and #FreeAnt Banner Communique from Revolutionary Anarchists and Abolitionists in Rockford, Illinois

from AMW English

To our comrades in Philadelphia, Rockford and across the settler colony known as the United States,

The struggle for black liberation has intensified since the anti-police uprising that began in Minneapolis in May. The rebellion spread like wild fire across the so-called United States. In Rockford, we witnessed a black led multi-racial revolt against the Rockford Police Department on May 30th. Many of our comrades were arrested on that day and throughout the rest of the summer.

Despite the apparent Biden presidency, the state repression of the abolitionist movement will continue. It does not matter who is in office. The Federal charges against Anthony Smith in Philadelphia and others across the United States are proof that the State is attempting to create a new generation of black political prisoners. Repression will continue regardless of who is in power.

We encourage all revolutionaries to organize their communities to defend people being targeted by the State for their participation in the rebellion and radical political action. A truly resilient movement must support people facing state repression for their actions and organization. Let us build anti-repression councils in every city. Say no to the new Cointelpro!

We hope with our banner to amplify the demands of Philly revolutionaries to #FreeAnt. Furthermore, Ant’s charges and the charges of all others in Philly must be dropped. We also uplift the demands of the Black Philly Radical Collective to for the immediate release of Mumia Abu Jamal, Major Tillery, Arthur Cetawayo Johnson, Russell “Maroon” Shoatz, Omar Askia, Joseph “Jo-Jo” Bowen, and all Black Political Prisoners. 
We cannot forget our revolutionary elders.

It is imperative that revolutionaries in Rockford understand links between state repression in our own city and the larger State strategy to destroy movements for Black liberation. The Rockford Police Department and the Winnebago County Sherriff Office actions to surveill, repress and detain organizers, anarchists and movement participants is not unique to Rockford.

We demand that all protestors across the United States must be granted amnesty. All charges must be dropped. We have unconditional solidarity to all rebels, radicals and revolutionaries facing State repression.

Free Them All.

Fire to the Prisons.

Fuck 12.

Black Liberation Now.

Philly’s Federal Prison has a COVID-19 outbreak

from We Love Lore

No one has heard from Lore nor any other person incarcerated at FDC Philadelphia since Thursday, November 5. They are locked down for at least two weeks at the time of writing and cannot even communicate with their lawyers. This is happening because of a COVID-19 outbreak that the facility has yet to acknowledge publicly. I will do my best to keep this page updated as we learn more.

What we know:

  • An outbreak of COVID-19 among men incarcerated on the fourth floor of the facility was discovered at some point during the week of October 26.

  • All visits to the facility have been cancelled without explanation since November 1.

  • There has been no communication out of the facility since November 5.

What we don’t know:

  • Who or how many people are infected.

  • Lore’s health status.

  • What if any precautions staff are taking as they work in and commute to/from the facility.

This summer, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s prosecutors and judge brushed off the notion that Lore’s family could keep her safer than the FDC could. Now here we are.

A West Philly activist facing arson charges in the burning of a police car is released from jail

from Mainstream Media

A West Philly activist facing arson charges in the burning of a police car is released from jail

Anthony Smith, a prominent West Philadelphia activist charged with arson in the burning of a Philadelphia police car during a racial injustice protest in May, was released from jail Monday while awaiting trial.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Curtis Joyner granted Smith, 29, release after hearing arguments from Smith’s lawyer and a federal prosecutor.

Smith, a social studies teacher at the YouthBuild Philadelphia charter school and one of the organizers of the Philadelphia Coalition for Racial Economic and Legal Justice (Philly for REAL Justice), was arrested at his home on Oct. 28. He was one of three defendants charged with arson and obstructing law enforcement after a police car was set ablaze outside City Hall in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

On Friday, the judge had agreed to keep Smith behind bars after federal prosecutors filed an emergency motion seeking to reverse an earlier ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Perkin, who had ordered Smith released to his home under electronic monitoring and a curfew. Perkin also said Smith should continue teaching. Joyner’s new order affirms the release conditions.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Reinitz has said that although the government doesn’t know who set the police car aflame, Smith added “fuel to the fire” by throwing paper and cardboard into the car in actions captured on helicopter video.

Smith’s lawyer, Paul Hetznecker said the evidence against his client was “a piece of paper” thrown into a car “already engulfed in flames.” He has argued that Smith is not a danger to the community or a flight risk.

Smith, who was being held at the Lehigh County jail, was released Monday evening, Hetznecker said.

Smith “is facing a seven year mandatory minimum penalty for allegedly torching a police car and endangering those around it,” U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain said in a statement Monday, adding: “If you engage in this type of criminal activity, it doesn’t matter who you are — you will face the consequences.”

In response, Hetznecker said he and Smith “intend to vigorously contest the charges in court.”

Sign the petition! Share/Boost! Eastern District of PA, United States District Court : Bring Ant Home!

from Instagram

Anthony Smith was arrested by federal officers and taken from his home in the early morning hours of October 26th based on his alleged involvement in the arson of a police vehicle during a Black Lives Matter protest on May 30th, 2020. Instead of charging him locally, the Justice Department made the decision to charge him under federal law. If convicted of the arson, he will face a mandatory minimum of 7 years in prison. Following his arrest by federal officers, Anthony received over 70 character letters attesting to his selflessness and dedication to serving his community. After Anthony Smith’s detention hearing on November 6th, 2020, the presiding judge ordered his release on his own signature with certain conditions; however, the federal prosecutors, determined to keep him incarcerated pending trial, appealed the judge’s order of release. This requires Anthony to remain in custody until the appeal hearing takes place. As we await his second detention hearing, we urge the community to recommit to standing by Anthony as we continue the fight for his release. Anthony has always fought for the equitable treatment of the members of our community, and now it is our duty to stand up and fight for him. Show your support by signing this petition requesting his release.

Can you join us and take action? Click link in bio or write out this link: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/bring-ant-home/

It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains. #FreeAnt

Political Prisoners and Prison Rebel Birthdays for November

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 November. 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.

Congratulations to Jalil Muntaqim and David Campbell, who were both finally released in October. You can donate to David’s post-release fund here. Wishing a happy birthday to former antifascist prisoner Jock Palfreeman, who was released from the Bulgarian prison system over a year ago but is still barred from leaving the country and going home. November 1st marks the first anniversary of antifascist prisoner Gage Halupowski’s incarceration, so Portland ABC are suggesting people write to him to keep his spirits up, and Trans Day of Remembrance is on November 2020, so you may want to do something for that, which could include showing solidarity with trans prisoners.

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.

You may also wish to check out the fundraiser for Trey Quinn, a defendant facing heavy charges in Colorado. Beyond that, if you have any money to spare, consider checking out Eric King’s defence fund, or the Fire Ant shirts being sold as a fundraiser for him, the ongoing fundraiser for Sundiata Acoli’s parole bid, Greg Curry’s fundraiser masks, and the fundraiser for the Bay View, a vital piece of prison movement infrastructure that also serves as Comrade Malik’s welcome home fund.

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.

Dwayne Staats

One of the two Vaughn 17 defendants to be convicted for taking part in the Vaughn prison uprising of early 2017. Dwayne and his co-defendant Jarreau “Ruk” Ayers bravely admitted to their own parts in the uprising, and then, free to testify openly without fear of incriminating themselves any further, tore holes in the prosecution’s attempts to convict anyone else – as he put it, “we’d accept being stabbed in the chest to present others from getting stabbed in the back”. To learn more about Dwayne in his own words, you can read his account of the whole case here, check his writings on the Vaughn 17 site, his recent letter to the Kentucky Attorney General, or his contribution to the Vaughn zine, “Live from the Trenches”.

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 “NT0000”.

Birthday: November 10

Address:

Smart Communications/PADOC
Dwayne Staats, NT0000
SCI Albion
PO Box 33028
St Petersburg, FL 33733

Anarchists prisoned in Belarus

Submission

Hello, dear comrades!

Anarchists Dmitry Dubovsky, Igor Olinevich, Sergei Romanov and Dmitry Rezanovich were detained at the Belarusian border. Firearms, ammunition, grenades and pepper spray were found in their belongings. Everyone is accused of art. 289 (terrorism) and art. 295 (illegal arms trafficking) of the Criminal Code. The punishment under article 289 is up to the death penalty.

Now everybody is in a KGB jail in Minsk. They are accused of attacks on regime facilities in Soligorsk and Mozyr.

You can support them financially via ABC-Belarus – https://abc-belarus.org/?page_id=8661&lang=en

You can write letters of support via our online form – https://abc-belarus.org/?page_id=8682&lang=en

____________________________________________________________________________________

What’s happened?

On October 22 in Soligorsk (Belarus) administrative building of State committee of forensic examination was attacked and cars were set on fire at the parking lot of Soligorsk district prosecutor’s office. On the night of October 28 the building of traffic police department of Mozyr district police department was set on fire. Soon a group of anarchists-revolutionaries: Ihar Alinevich, Dmitry Dubovsky, Dmitry Rezanovich and Sergey Romanov were detained by a mobile group of Mozyr border detachment near the Ukrainian border in Zabozye village of Yelsky raion (Belarus). The detainees are currently held in a KGB remand prison in Minsk. They were charged under part 3 of article 289 of the Criminal Code (act of terrorism committed by an organized group).

Anarchist Revolutionaries

Each of the detainees had been an opponent of the fascist state for many years and had regularly experienced its repressions.

Ihar Alinevich – an anarchist from Minsk, former political prisoner of the Belarus regime. In November 2010 he was captured by the special services in Moscow and in May 2011 was sentenced to 8 years in a reinforced regime colony under Art. 218.3 (intentional destruction of property) and Art. 339.2 (hooliganism by a group of persons). He was pardoned by presidential decree on 22 August 2015. In prison he wrote a book “Going to Magadan”, which was translated into several languages. In 2013, the book was awarded by Belarus PEN Centre with the Frantishk Alekhnovich Award for the best work written in prison. In 2016 Ihar was awarded the Victor Ivashkevich Prize. After his release, Ihar lived abroad and participated in the anarchist movement.

Dzmitry Dubouvski – an anarchist from Soligorsk. In 2010, he was put on the wanted list in connection with the “case of Belarus anarchists. In November of the same year, Dubovsky managed to escape in Moscow when the FSB tried to detain him and Ihar. For 10 years, Dima was hiding in Russia and Ukraine, published diaries of his travels and participated in the anarchist movement.

Dzmitry Rezanovich is an anarchist from Gomel. He was detained on March 16, 2014 after crossing the Ukrainian-Russian border in Kursk. He had his brother’s documents with him. He was detained on suspicion of committing sabotage on Russian territory. The FSB failed to find sufficient evidence for this version and opened a criminal case under Article 332 part 1 of the Russian Criminal Code (crossing the state border of the Russian Federation without valid documents for the right to enter the Russian Federation). He was kept in a deportation center in Kursk region. On July 3 the court ordered to deport Dmitry from Russia and also sentenced him to pay a fine in the amount of 15,000 roubles. On 25 July Dmitry was deported to Belarus. He remained an active participant in the anarchist movement.

Sergey Romanov is an anarchist from Gomel. In 2013 he was sentenced to two years in prison with a suspended sentence for keeping 14 grams of gunpowder at home. (Article 295.2 of the Criminal Code). In 2014 he was sentenced to 6 years in prison, after complaints they reduced the sentence to five years. (Art. 295.3 of the Criminal Code). He was released in July 2019 and was sentenced to preventive surveillance restrictions, such as a ban to leave the city and change his place of residence, a ban to visit bars, restaurants, stores and other places where they sell alcohol, a ban to leave the place of residence between 22:00 and 6:00 without a valid reason, the obligation to visit the inspection once a week.

All the four are mature individuals with strong moral principles and well-established views. Each of them is a convinced anarchist, each of them is an idea-oriented and worthy person. Each of them is a fighter for a new, free Belarus, where there is no place for brutality of police and paramilitary units and other law enforcement agencies, where there is no place for violation of freedom in all its manifestations.

Police Departments in Philadelphia

Submission

Federal Agents Arrest Outspoken Philadelphia Activist Amid Rising Repression of the Black Lives Matter Movement

from Instagram

For Immediate Release
***Contact Info***
Phone: 267-566-7671
Email: phillyforrealjustice@gmail.com
Facebook: PhillyforREALjustice
Twitter: @PHLRealJustice
Federal Agents Arrest Outspoken Philadelphia Activist Amid Rising Repression of the Black Lives Matter Movement
Philadelphia, PA (October 28, 2020)Early Wednesday morning, federal agents raided the West Philadelphia home of Anthony Smith, an outspoken community activist and a leader in the movement for Black lives in Philadelphia. Smith, 29, was arrested and is being held on multiple Federal charges several hours away from his home at the Allenwood Jail as he and his community struggle to pull together his legal defense. Smith’s arrest comes after nights of community uprising in West Philadelphia after the police killing of Walter Wallace Jr. There have yet to be any charges brought against the officers involved in the shooting and as of yet the community has not even been told the names of the officers.

“After two nights of mass arrests and police brutality against community members calling for justice for Walter Wallace, seeing Federal charges brought against a movement leader like Anthony is sickening,” said longtime friend James Miles. “All this makes you wonder, ‘Is the Federal government arresting and charging movement leaders to try to scare the rest of us?”

Anthony Smith has been the victim of police brutality on multiple occasions throughout his life. His first encounter with police violence was being stopped and frisked by Philadelphia Police officers at the age of 10. Over the years, as he became more outspoken about the injustices Black people face at the hands of police, he has become an explicit target at protests. Earlier this summer, Smith was arrested while peacefully protesting in West Philadelphia in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. He was held without charges and threatened with violence from the police before being released hours later and forced to walk 3 hours home in the middle of the night.

“We’re tired of Black Philadelphians being targeted and held on trumped up charges for having the audacity to stand up for their community, ” said Philly for REAL Justice steering committee member Kamau Mshale. “Whether it’s Mumia 40 years ago, or Anthony Smith last night, Black people are being thrown in prison for speaking truth to power.”

Smith is a beloved social studies teacher at YouthBuild Charter School, where he is known for the genuine connections he builds with his students inside and outside of the classroom. In his free time, he is an organizer and volunteer with multiple organizations throughout Philadelphia. He is a fixture at 60th and Market each Friday, where he serves free food to the community with Food not Bombs Solidarity. In addition to being a valuable asset to his workplace and a standout organizer, Smith is a beloved community member with a passion for making sure that everyone around him is protected at all times.

“Anthony is one of the most selfless people I know,” says college classmate Dr. Jasmine Peake. “Anything that he’s ever done has been in defense of his community. It really hurts to see him ripped from his family and friends in the middle of the night and thrown in jail.”

For years, Smith has organized with Philly for REAL (Racial Economic and Legal) Justice, an organization which just been recognized as being at the forefront of the movement to take #RizzoDown, has called for an end to stop and frisk policies in Philadelphia, and has supported the families of victims of police murder in calling for accountability for their loved ones. Philly for REAL Justice is also one of the convening organizations of the Black Philly Radical Collective which has released 13 demands calling for an “End to the War on Black People.” Smith’s arrest comes on the heels of mass arrests across Philadelphia over the last few nights and in the wake of federal charges being brought against Black Lives Matter movement leaders across the country.

We demand that these baseless, politically-motivated charges be dropped,” said fellow REAL Justice steering committee member Felicia Teter. “We demand the immediate release of Anthony Smith and all others who have been arrested for their participation in the Black Lives Matter movement We will not let Anthony become yet another political prisoner at the hands of this fascist government”
Up Against the Law Legal Collective is supporting Anthony Smith and all those on the streets protesting against Walter Wallace’s murder.

If law enforcement, federal or otherwise, approach you on the street, come to your home, or contact you in any way, do not speak to them without a lawyer present. You have the right to remain silent, exercise that right.

Monday October 26th: Letter-writing for Jamil Al-Amin

from Philly ABC

imam-jamil-al-amin.jpg

Join us on Monday, October 26th, 5:30 pm at the picnic bench just north of the playground at Clark Park. We’ll be writing letters to Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown).

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.

Snacks and all the letter-writing supplies one could wish for will be provided. We will also sign birthday cards for political prisoners with birthdays in November: Ed Poindexter (the 1st), Joe Dibee (the 10th), and Josh Williams (the 25th).

Urgent: Stimulus Check Forms

from Dreaming Freedom Practicing Abolition

***PDF is at bottom of this post***

Hello comrades! We have just learned that everyone locked up in a US prison is eligible for the $1200 stimulus check. Remember that check? The one we are all supposed to be living on months later? Anyway, it’s a lot of money for our friends, family and comrades inside… But they only have until October 15 to send in a form (1040) to the IRS.

We have to spread the news, spread the form, and help people get it out ASAP. If you know anyone inside, you can send them this PDF. We are mailing it to everyone in our network, so we’re sharing it with you all here.

What’s in this document:

-Instructions.

-Addresses by region for the completed form.

-2 copies of the 1040, so that your contact can hand a form to someone else or make copies.

-1 copy of the 1040-SR, for anyone over 65.

If you print this front and back, you can send it with one stamp.

We are also running a phone zap this week to try and pressure PA-DOC to let everyone know that they are eligible for this check, and to provide the 1040 with postage-paid envelopes themselves. We know that they went on the prison media channels to tell everyone they were NOT eligible before this decision, and even threatened to punish people for filing.

Here are some graphics you can post on social media to help us with this zap.

Local Prisoner And Repression Updates

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.]

If you correspond with longtime political prisoner Maroon Shoatz, know that he has been moved. His new address is as follows:

Smart Communications/PA DOC
Russell Maroon Shoatz #AF3855
SCI Dallas
PO Box 33028
St Petersburg, FL 33733

Running Down the Walls

The 2020 Running Down the Walls (RDTW) events that took place in early September seem to have been successful, raising awareness and lots of money to support those locked away. A really well-done video of the Philly run captures the revolutionary spirit and solidarity involved in RDTW, in case you missed it. Find out more about how funds are used and how to get involved.

Fundraising

Unrest in Lancaster, Pennsylvania following the police murder of a local man has culminated in 12 protesters facing riot charges, with each being held on an astronomical $1 million bail.

Support sites for Urooj Rahman, Colinford Mattis, and Lore Elisabeth Blumenthal are still active, with each facing heavy charges from protests in response to the police murder of George Floyd.

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.]

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.

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.

Monday, 9/28: Reportback Mailing and Card-writing

from Philly ABC

rdtw-2020-reportback-zine

Join us this Monday, September 28th, at the north side of the dog bowl in Clark Park as we package and mail the Philly RDTW 2020 reportback to US-held political prisoners. Snacks and card-writing supplies are provided. We encourage people who want to discuss ideas on how to support political prisoners and prisoners of war to come hang out, and send some quick notes of solidarity to political prisoners with birthdays in September and October:

Running Down The Walls 2020 Reportback

from Philly ABC

We’re happy to report the success of our third annual Philadelphia Running Down The Walls in support of political prisoners, held on September 6th 2020.

On this beautiful sunny day, participants began gathering in FDR park to check-in for their t-shirts, make donations, set up tables, and hang banners. With a nice breeze coming off the lake, Sheena Sood led another amazing yoga warm-up – this time right on the boardwalk by the shore. Blak Rapp MADUSA with the Dignity Act Now Collective kicked off the event with an epic introduction to Maroon and his book, Maroon the Implacable.

Walkers left the start line around 11:30 am, followed by folks moving at a medium pace, and finally the runners around 11:50 am. Afterward, we gathered to hear from two former juvenile lifers who were mentored in prison by Maroon– Kempis “Ghani” Songster and Robert Saleem Holbrook. We were also blessed to have Chuck Africa – the last of the MOVE 9 to be released from prison – speak for the first time since he was paroled on February 7th of this year. Check out this video for highlights of these speeches.

We’d like to thank Solidarity Food Not Bombs, Mike Africa Jr., and Dadaji Odinga from Akbar Originals for refreshments. More big thanks to Hate5six, Unicorn Riot, and photographers Joe Piette and Clifford Smith for media coverage, and the campaign to free Mumia Abu-Jamal for the banners that decorated the stage area. It was a huge honor to have all of the remaining Move 9 participating in this event with us; they not only donated themselves, but provided an additional donation from the Move organization. It was also an honor that we were joined by former Black Liberation prisoner of war, Ojore Lutalo, a founding member of the ABCF. We would like to thank Saleem and Ghani for sharing their powerful experiences spending time with Maroon, and Chuck Africa for choosing our event as the outlet for his first speech back home. We thank the tablers – Socialist Rifle Association, Here & Now Zines, the Never Give Up project, Khalid with the political prisoner artwork, as well as the families of Eric Riddick and Omar Askia Ali. Of course, we also thank the comrades behind bars who ran with us, and the families of people in prison who came out.

Together we raised a total of $14,012! As described in the event announcement, funds are split between Russell Maroon Shoatz and the ABCF Warchest– a fund sending monthly stipends to 19 political prisoners with lacking, little, or no financial support. A full breakdown of Warchest funds in and out since 1994 is available here. In accordance with Warchest policies, any funds over the reserved amount needed to send the monthly stipends will be disbursed as one-time donations to other political prisoners who demonstrate financial need. Philly ABC contributed our organization’s savings to the production of the event t-shirts, lovingly hand-printed by the Reclaim Printshop.

We look forward to more successes in the next year as we further the struggle to free Maroon and abolish the carceral system!

Until all are free!
Philly ABC

Showing up for Lore

from We Love Lore

banner.png

The Trump regime hasn’t allowed incarcerated people to see their loved ones for five months and we’re sick of it. This weekend we showed up for Lore Elisabeth, the beloved community care worker and unconvicted political prisoner whom the government hides at Philadelphia’s Federal Detention Center.

[Video Here]

It was a joyous opportunity us to show our love and support for Lore (and for each other!). We will never stop fighting the cruel and violent intimidation tactics that are being used against Lore to chop down all of our rights, including free speech and the presumption of innocence. And we’ll do it dancing ???? Join us ????????

LORE.png

How you can help Lore right now:

Donate here (or Venmo @WeLoveLore) to Lore’s support fund. Every penny supports Lore’s health, well-being, and legal defense.

Write or send books. Your love, solidarity, and support is critical.

⭐ Share this message, the website, our Instagram, and Twitter, with your communities. Help us spread the word and strengthen Lore’s safety net.