Monthly Archives: September 2016

Call for Renewed Actions in Solidarity With the Prison Strike, October 15-22

From It’s Going Down

It hardly seems necessary to summarize what has gone down inside U.S. prisons since September 9th. Hunger strikes, work stoppages, and riots have spread throughout the country on a scale that we likely aren’t even fully aware of yet. Some uprisings appeared took us by surprise, such as in several Florida prisons, while others presumably grew from recent organizing endeavors on the inside, such as at Kinross in Michigan or Holman in Alabama. By rough estimates, over 20,000 prisoners were involved in some way. That’s huge.

On the outside, solidarity burned so brightly all over the world. Banner drops, graffiti slogans, noise demonstrations and more showed that we had the backs of all who would partake in the strike. It is worth noting however that the vast majority of this took place the first weekend of the strike. But this prison strike—and the struggle against prisons more broadly—is about more than a day or a week. It didn’t start on September 9th and it isn’t ending any time soon. Some prisoners may return to work while others decide to stop working for the first time. It’s easier when there is a definitive date to take action on, to build momentum towards, but that’s not going to be enough.

Therefore, we would like to offer a call for renewed actions in solidarity with the prison strike and the struggle against prison society. Right now many are organizing anti-repression campaigns for striking prisoners and that is of course very necessary and not nearly as exciting work. But it would be a mistake to conceive of this struggle in a linear fashion—that is to say, a single wave where we demonstrate as it crests and write letters as it crashes. How many prisoners hadn’t heard about the strike until after it had started? How many knew but didn’t think people would actually be there to support them? Three weeks after the start of the strike, inmates in Turbeville, South Carolina rebelled against a guard and took over their dorm. How can we stop while inmates are still risking their lives for freedom? Continue reading →

Merced County Jail & John Latorraca Jail Hunger Strike 9/9/2016

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Immediate asks:
First and foremost we would like to advise you, that we as individuals on our own accord
have decided to invoke our First Amendment Right to assemble and have a peaceful
protest to address our grievances that go unanswered. We are in solidarity with the Nation &
World Wide Prison/Jail Strikes on the 45th anniversary of the Uprising of Attica Prison
and also want to expose our own local issues. For this we expect there not be any
repercussions or reprisals or any form of disciplinary actions taken during or after this
peaceful protest, which will be a hunger strike and refusal of all movements. Continue reading →

Message from Menard Illinois

A prisoner in Menard Illinois wrote this in response to a noise demo outside of the prison on September 9th.

“Last week we heard the love outside. No doubt we gave it back. They sent a few police up here and around on other wings to quiet the noise, but it was already said and done. We really appreciate the love. It’s always appreciated.”

Keith “Malik” Washington: campaign to end prison slavery

Peace and Blessings Ladies and Gentlemen. Many in the Media and those who operate prisons across America may attempt to label our Movement as being militant and violent. I shun that distinction. If you would like to know the Truth I will tell it to you. There are many Corporations and Department of Corrections Agencies throughout the United States that prey on and exploit prisoners. Free or super-discounted inmate labor is a big business in America. However, the inhumane treatment of prisoners in America has become the norm and fully accepted status quo. At the heart of this issue is the exception clause present within the context of the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. As a black man I tell you today that we as a people and a Nation have un-finished business to attend to.

Request from FAM to Support Prison Rebel Accused of Stabbing Warden

In March of this year, the Sun of Kinetik was accused of stabbing Warden Davenport at Holman prison in Alabama. He was then shipped to Donaldson. He has since been assaulted, harassed, and tortured in Solitary Confinement. If you support FAM and the work we do then let Kinetik’s Sun know his sacrifices for change were not in vain. Those willing, drop him a postcard and those able, put a small donation on his books via the ADOC website.

Amir “Jaja” Davis #268646
G-4 WE Donaldson CF
1000 Warrior Lane
Bessemer, AL 35023

In Revolutionary Solidarity,
Kinetik Justice

International call for solidarity campaign for us prisoners on 1 October

This is a call for a concerted solidarity campaign for the struggle of us prisoners on 1 October
In solidarity
Abc-solidarity cell ( Athens,Greece)

Prisons in the usa – The dark side of slavery in american society

In order to be in the position to understand the importance and necessity of the us prisoners’ struggle, we first need to analyze the role of slavery in the foundation and evolution of the american state and its historical and integral ,until today, link with the capital.

Slavery in its many forms was actually the foundation on which the omnipotence of american overlordship was gradually built. The root of this phenomenon can be traced back in the era when the christian empires of europe started a race to conquest unknown lands, founding colonialism regimes, in the era of brutal genocides of the indigenous populations and the slave trade of the non-white african population.

Continue reading →

Women Prisoners in Washington Facing Retaliation.

UntitledFrom anonymous prison staff:

“I would like you and supporters to know that there was a symbolic protest at Washington Correctional Center for Women in Gig Harbor on September 9. Three women refused to go to work in the prison library. The emergency response team was dispatched and the women were taken to Segregation. At their hearing last week, they were given 20 days in seg, and are facing reclassification and probably the loss of their jobs. In my opinion, this was a peaceful, non-violent expression of their opinions meant to draw attention to the issue of prison labor, and the response was much more disruptive than the event itself. The library has been closed since September 9. According to DOC, this was the only action in the entire state of Washington.”

Arizona Prison Lockdowns

azdocMany prisons in Arizona refused to answer questions from the person who called to help track the strike. They neither confirmed nor denied. Some did admit lockdowns, but none admitted to the cause. From the volunteer who made calls: “Nearly every prison I called was immediately suspicious of my call and seemed to have a canned “we’re not allowed to share that publicly,” line ready. Most asked me repeatedly who I worked for.”

Perryville – They were the most hostile of all the prisons I called. They transferred my call around several times and eventually I was hung up on by someone who told me that is not any of my concern and do not call back.

Yuma – Hung up on me. Though the website says several units are not accepting visits. From website: Dakota Unit : No visitation, East yard, Building 6 No visitation, West yard, Building 8 Visitation hours as normal for West yard, Building 7
Continue reading →

14359222_175498116191077_1937942387067360336_nFAM beleives ADOC is creating a powder keg at Holman to justify their prison expansion. By removing long timers and leaders to segregation and other prisons, they foster instability and then attempt to use that instability and violence to justify locking more people down. But we know the solution to over crowding isn’t more prisons, it’s fewer prisoners. We know the solution to violence inside prisons isn’t more torture, its more respect and humane treatment. We know that the violence inside prisons starts with state violence and the megaprison plan only increases that violence. Increasing state violence will only add to the violence and the prison system IS violence, massive, institutionalized routine ultraviolence enacted upon targeted communities.

Don’t let ADOC get away with this expansion project. Don’t let their manipulative and dishonest narrative-making succeed. Stand with FAM against state terror. Read their words below.

Continue reading →

Coval Ray Snead Fundraiser

DONATE: https://www.gofundme.com/25thuc9u

CR died on joe arpaios phoenix jailhouse floor on september 9, as prisoners across the country were rising up. He collapsed after begging for medical care with no response, by one report it was some time after his last please were heard before guards found him dead.

But who can believe a criminal? The call from another prisoner to his mother, bearing witness, cant be googled – im the only one who has even spoken his name aloud as a victim of the police state…replies on fb are like: so where has this been reported?. The MSM is awaiting confirmation by “the authorities”. So no one believes. Will you help spread the word, and the fundraiser? Whether or not anyone even believes he is dead because MSM doesnt yet say its so, his family still needs to bury him…