Denver Anarchist Black Cross
Prisoners at Cocoran Continue Hunger Strike, Concerns Rise Over Health Conditions
Prisoners in the Corcoran Administrative Segregation Unit (ASU) have been striking for periods of time since late December 2011. It’s likely that some number of prisoners have been striking for the last two weeks. As of February 9, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), disclosed that 30 men were still striking and a representative in the office said that prisoners had been intermittently striking for the last month. The CDCR has consistently misreported the numbers of prisoners on strike around California, and we’ve heard rumors of numbers anywhere from 50 to 200.
The Corcoran strikers are rallying around 11 demands which can be found in their December 30, 2011 statement. The demands of the Corcoran strikers are somewhat different than those of the strikes sparked in Pelican Bay State Prison’s Security Housing Unit (SHU) this past summer and fall, which at one point included 12,000 prisoners in 13 prisons across California. Administrative Segregation Units are often used as holding places for prisoners in route to SHU facilities, or who are waiting for release back into general population. Many prisoners in the various ASUs in California have been validated as gang members by CDCR and languish, sometimes for years, awaiting transfer to facilities such as Pelican Bay, where some prisoners have spent more than 20 years in solitary confinement.
Family members and others on the outside fear strikers may be experiencing serious medical issues and even death. A prisoner at Corcoran, who remains unnamed due to fear of reprisal, stated in a letter received on February 5th, “On or about February 2nd or 3rd, 2012, an inmate has passed away due to not eating that has been going on over here in Corcoran ASU. Inmates are passing out and having other medical problems and it seems that this is not being taken seriously. There will be more casualties if this isn’t addressed or brought to light.”
While this death is unconfirmed, it raises concerns that the CDCR is failing take this hunger strike or the prisoners’ demands seriously. “The prisoners are making very reasonable and legitimate demands regarding basic human rights,” says Carol Strickman, a lawyer working on behalf of some hunger strikers in California, “For those of us on the outside, the slow pace of reform is frustrating. For those people enduring barbarous conditions, the lack of meaningful improvement is unbearable.”
TONIGHT! CO Street Medics and DABC Benefit Show!
(note the venue has changed from the atzlan theater to the 27 centre)
Denver ABC and Colorado Street Medics Benefit Show
Saturday, February 11, 2012
$10 at the Door, All Ages
**NOW AT THE 27 SOCIAL CENTRE (2727 W 27th ave)**
Featuring Bearsnail, Sounds for Fathers, Shaky Molars, plus slam poetry from Brando Chemtrails
A Call for Every CA Prisoner: 150,000 Calls on the CA Legislature Supporting the Hunger Strike
From Prison Hunger Strike Solidarity
Stand with Prisoners!
Support the Hunger Strikers in Winning their Demands!
The US imprisons over 2.5 million people in jail, prisons, detention centers and juvenile halls, about 150,000 of whom are CA prisoners.
While hunger strikers recover from two rounds of the historic strike in the summer and fall of 2011, supporters outside need to send a clear message of support to the CA legislature and continue building pressure to fully implement the five core demands.
Let’s jam the CA Legislature’s communication with overwhelming support for the hunger strike! A Call or letter for every CA prisoner!
Look up your state representatives and call, write, email & fax your representative today!
Download open letter here (word document) and mail/fax it to your representatives!
Click here for a suggested Phone Script.
Click here for a suggested Email Script.
Download & print fliers: click here for double-sided flier; click here for single-sided flier
How to Support the 150,000 Calls Drive (from outside of CA too!)
Stand up for Captive Cherokee Warrior Oso Blanco
Stand up for Captive Cherokee Warrior Oso Blanco
http://sbrooklynabcf.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/stand-up-for-captive-cherokee-warrior-oso-blanco/
In October, Cherokee political prisoner Byron Shane of Chubbuck (also known as Oso Blanco and Yona Unega) was preparing for a federal transfer from USP Lewisburg to FCI Oakdale, Louisiana, Special Management Unit (SMU). Lewisburg staff were well aware of the vital tribal documents included in his property which were packed out intact by Mr. Vey on October 4, 2011.
This transfer was canceled.There was a lot of delay and confusion in getting Oso Blanco’s property returned to him. Property came back from Oakdale, Louisiana and was unpacked on January 13, 2012. Oso Blanco’s address book was torn in two. Vital documents that had been inserted inside and held with a rubber band were missing. Other items were missing. Generally the property was ransacked in a manner well beyond simple negligence or sloppiness but rather, showing clear signs deliberate destruction.
*Missing documents include the following:
*Copy of old original blue card
(Cherokee citizenship enrollment official document)
*New original blue card
*Eagle permit
(us federal fish and wildlife recognition of a member of a federally recognized tribe allowed to possess eagle feathers for traditional spiritual purposes)
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
This latest example of vindictive abuse from the Bureau of Prisons is part of a long-term pattern of targeted harassment Oso Blanco his refusal to cooperate with political incarceration by the United States as he does not recognize the us as having any legitimate power over him as a sovereign Cherokee.
This latest round of harassment in the form of ransacked and stolen property comes as retribution for his filing on the basis of the US having no plenary powers over indigenous nations as articulated by Steven T Newcomb in his article, “No Plenary Power Over Indian Nations”.
Oso Blanco has asserted his sovereignty as a Cherokee not subject to bogus criminalization so his captors have responded by trying to erase the documentation that proves his Cherokee citizenship.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
On Monday, February 6th, starting at 9am Eastern time, call Oakdale
and demand that inmate Byron Shane Chubbuck (#07909-051)’s missing property be
recovered and returned to him intact.
Call FCI Oakdale at 318-335-4070 and ask for Warden Joseph P Young’s office.
Alternately ask for the Receiving and Discharge (R&D) Department or the Security Investigative Section (SIS) of the Special Management Unit (SMU).
Email sbrooklynabcf [at] riseup [dot] net to let us know how calls are going and/or comment on posts.
After calling or making a commitment to call yourself, forward, repaste,repost, facebook, tweet, text, talk, and/or make flyers to hand out.
Oso Blanco also asks that you take a moment to read Steve Newcomb’s “No Plenary Powers Over Indian Nations”
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ict_sbc/no-plenary-power-over-indian-nations
Read more about Oso Blanco here:
http://www.abcf.net/prisoners/chubbuck.htm
Byron Shane of Chubbuck
#07909-051
P.O. Box 1000
Lewisburg, PA 17837
USP Lewisburg
Canada: Girr Rowley sentenced to 9 months
From Guelph ABC:
Girr was sentenced today, Friday February 3rd, 2012, to 9 months, and will be serving at least 6 of those months. Following his preliminary hearing, he decided to accept a non-cooperating plea bargain. He pled to 1 count of Mischief under $5000, 1 count of Masking with Intent and 1 count of Public Nuisance. The crown was asking for 8-10 months.
Girr was originally arrested in November of 2010 for breaking a window at a Winners department store during the black bloc action that wreaked havoc on Toronto’s financial and shopping districts during the weekend of the G20 meeting in June 2010.
This is sad news, Girr’s amazing, please consider writing to Girr or setting up letter writing nights in your town.
Current Address, will be transferred soon:
Greg Noltie-Rowley
c/o Toronto Jail
550 Gerrard St E
Toronto ON
M4M 1X6 Canada
Canada: Girr Rowley sentenced to 9 months
From Guelph ABC:
Girr was sentenced today, Friday February 3rd, 2012, to 9 months, and will be serving at least 6 of those months. Following his preliminary hearing, he decided to accept a non-cooperating plea bargain. He pled to 1 count of Mischief under $5000, 1 count of Masking with Intent and 1 count of Public Nuisance. The crown was asking for 8-10 months.
Girr was originally arrested in November of 2010 for breaking a window at a Winners department store during the black bloc action that wreaked havoc on Toronto’s financial and shopping districts during the weekend of the G20 meeting in June 2010.
This is sad news, Girr’s amazing, please consider writing to Girr or setting up letter writing nights in your town.
Current Address, will be transferred soon:
Greg Noltie-Rowley
c/o Toronto Jail
550 Gerrard St E
Toronto ON
M4M 1X6 Canada
Richmond: Anarchist Jeremy Hawthorne sentenced to 12 months
From the Wingnut Anarchist Collective:
Today was Jeremy Hawthorne’s trial for charges brought against him back in September. Numerous posts on this website and others (www.richmondlegalsupport.org) detail the charges and circumstances around them. He was facing felony charges for vandalism that happened to 7 tires of VCU vehicles, including 2 cop cars in August.
Over 40 friends showed up to the court building today to show their love and support for Jeremy. It was clear that he is part of a large community that likes and appreciates him.
Unfortunately, today he was found guilty. There were many aspects of this case which were bogus, including the last minute cancellation of his lawyer, leaving him stranded with a public defender unfamiliar with the case. Jeremy was found guilty of Felony Destruction of State Property worth greater than 1000 dollars. He was sentenced to 12 months in jail, and a fine of over 1300 dollars (the alleged cost of replacing the tires).
Fortunately, Jeremy is being allowed to remain out of jail until April 6th, when the details of his sentence will be decided in court. His lawyer will also hopefully be able to begin an appeal process before that date. We hope that court on April 6th and any future appeal dates go in Jeremy’s favor.
Our friend Kontra has written a very good article explaining in more detail the situation today in court, as well as the context which helps to better explain the overall case. Please take the time to check it out here:
http://kontradictions.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/apolitical-politics/
Jeremy Hawthorne is an asset to the Richmond community, loved by many, friend to many, and will continue to be supported by these people and community, including us. Solidarity and hugs to Jeremy.
Urgent Action Needed- Support Prisoners in Indiana SHU!
This is an URGENT ACTION ALERT asking for a solidarity call-in to demand an investigation into abuses in the Secure Housing Unit of Wabash Valley Correctional Facility and to protest the recent torture of our comrade Shaka Shakur. We are asking people to make calls, starting at 830am EDT on Monday February 6th through 430pm EDT Tuesday the 7th.
Bruce Lemmon, Commissioner IDOC: (317) 232-5711, fax (317) 233-1474, blemmon@idoc.in.gov
Richard Brown, Superintendent Wabash Valley Correctional Facility: (812) 398-5050 ext 4102., fax (812) 398-5032, rbrown@idoc.in.gov
Jack Hendrix, Director of IDOC Classifications: (317) 232-2247, fax (317) 232-5728, jdhendrix@idoc.in.gov
The SHU is Indiana’s most repressive Super Max Prison, and is modeled after the infamous Pelican Bay SHU. It holds many of Indiana’s most political prisoners in extreme isolation and sensory deprivation, many of them people of color. It is a prison within a prison, in the rural south of the state, and is imbedded with extreme racism and white supremacist organizing.
In August of 2011, prisoners there staged a multi-day protest aimed at ending the state-wide lockdown that happened in response to a white supremacist gang member being murdered. Prisoners in the SHU weren’t allowed access to recreation, showers, hygiene products (including water) for their cells, and eventually had the power and water shut off completely. The protest was successful in regaining the basic necessities of life, but now it seems the administration is out to get those with a history of no-comproise struggle against their conditions.
On Saturday the 21st of January, our comrade Shaka was forcefully removed from his windowless cell, subjected to numerous invasive and humiliating searches and eventually moved to an isolated part of the prison.
His property was thoroughly searched, x-rayed, replaced and then searched again. He was placed in a 2ft x 3ft holding cell with only a toilet, stripped down to his boxers. Guards on duty said this order came directly from the Superintendent, Richard Brown. He was given water every 4 hours and was only allowed to flush the toilet after a thorough search of its contents.
Shaka immediately began a hunger strike, refusing all food and water from this point on, until his release from this holding cell back to his isolation cell. He maintained this hunger strike, even though the conditions severely aggravated a herniated disk and kidney condition. He remained in excruciating pain, in the 2x3ft holding cell until Wednesday morning (4 days later), with no medical attention.
He was released back to his cell and started to take food and liquids again on Wednesday, but his property remains gone. Political writings, books, magazines, legal resources, family photos, even his glasses. It is all presumed to be destroyed, as the prison officials have not presented him with a confiscated property form.
He has been on the SHU for nearly a decade, with the quasi-official designation of Administrative Segregation. He’s has a clean conduct record while there, but the state has refused to transfer him to population. Now they’re trying to kill him.
We’re asking for solidarity calls and actions aimed at getting the abuses on the SHU stopped, on getting Shaka off the unit before he’s murdered by the State.
This is not the first time such a call has been made. Recently, Indiana based groups such as Decarcerate Monroe County, The City of Bloomington Human Rights Commission and The Progressive Faculty Coalition at Indiana University have called for an investigation into white supremacist organizing amongst guards in the SHU at Wabash Valley. The state has thus far dismissed such claims, and has made no effort towards explaining their complicity in such organizing.
Please call the following IDOC administrators. Please engage in solidarity actions. Please tell Shaka you stand with him!
Bruce Lemmon, Commissioner IDOC:
(317) 232-5711, fax (317) 233-1474, blemmon@idoc.in.gov
Call him to express horror at the actions of the Superintendent and Staff of Wabash Valley Correctional Facility at the treatment of Shaka and to demand adequate medical treatment and review of his continued placement in isolation. Demand an investigation into practices of torture and denial of basic human necessities in the SHU. Express your outrage at the continued complicity of IDOC administrators in the known white supremacist organizing amongst guards at Wabash Valley.
Richard Brown, Superintendent Wabash Valley Correctional Facility:
(812) 398-5050 ext 4102., fax (812) 398-5032, rbrown@idoc.in.gov
Call him to express outrage at his treatment of Shaka, his orders to hold him for days on end without medical care in a holding cell, and demand the return of all of his property undamaged.
Jack Hendrix, Director of IDOC Classifications:
(317) 232-2247, fax (317) 232-5728, jdhendrix@idoc.in.gov
Call him to demand Shaka’s immediate release from Administrative Segregation and housing on the SHU. Shaka has many years of clear conduct and yet the IDOC refuses to release him to general population. His housing on the SHU is leading to extremely dangerous health and safety conditions for him.
Write to Shaka and let him know you’re behind him:
Shaka Shakur #135647
WVCF
PO Box 1111
Carlisle, IN
47838
Secret Cafe Rescheduled!
Serbia: Appeal for solidarity with Belgrade 6
Belgrade Six case: Appeal from Serbia for international solidarity actions
– February 6th, 2012
Dear comrades,
We would like to inform you that on February 8th, 2012, there will be a renewed trial against four members of the Serbian Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative (ASI), as well as two unaffiliated Belgrade anarchists, as part of the fabricated legal case of the Belgrade Six (BG6).
The six Belgrade libertarians have been accused of inciting, assisting in and executing an attack on the Greek Embassy in Belgrade at the end of August 2009, in solidarity with a hunger-striking Greek political prisoner at the time (Thodoros Iliopoulos). Soon after the attack on the embassy, BG6 (Tadej Kurepa, Ratibor Trivunac, Ivan Savic, Ivan Vulovic, Nikola Mitrovic and Sanja Dojkic) were arrested and held in custody for the next six months charged with ‘international terrorism’.
Thanks to a mass mobilization of support, both globally and locally, they were released early before their trial date. In June 2010, they were finally fully acquitted at a High Court in Belgrade, which decided that there is no basis for a guilty verdict on any of the charges.
The prosecution filed a complaint, but the Court of Appeals failed to respond until a moment when suitable political reasons emerged. Only days after antimilitarist protests against the NATO summit that took place in Belgrade in June 2011, at which Ratibor Trivunac was arrested, the Court of Appeals granted the prosecution’s complaint and ruled on a renewed case against BG6.
Currently, there are criminal proceedings against seven members of the Belgrade local group of ASI and they are all politically motivated.
The renewal of the case against the BG6 can only be seen as the continuation of state repression against those who stand up to pillage and exploitation. Bearing in mind that Serbia is a peripheral banana-state, ruled by a layer of compradorial bourgeoisie, it has been shown that in this phase of the struggle, the greatest force against the state repressive apparatus is INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY.
Therefore, we are calling all comrades and compañeras, anarcho-syndicalists, revolutionary syndicalists and class struggle anarchists everywhere to join in an international day of solidarity with BG6, organized on February 6th globally in front of the embassies, consulates and cultural institutions of the Republic of Serbia. The protests should carry a clear demand for the ending of all legal proceedings against the Belgrade libertarians and the dropping of fabricated charges.
The freedom of our comrades depends largely on the activities of the international libertarian movement, and we are convinced that international solidarity will once again show its strength.
Freedom now to the BG6 and all prosecuted comrades!
Death to the State and capitalism!
The International Secretariat of ASI
Serbia: Appeal for solidarity with Belgrade 6
Belgrade Six case: Appeal from Serbia for international solidarity actions
– February 6th, 2012
Dear comrades,
We would like to inform you that on February 8th, 2012, there will be a renewed trial against four members of the Serbian Anarcho-Syndicalist Initiative (ASI), as well as two unaffiliated Belgrade anarchists, as part of the fabricated legal case of the Belgrade Six (BG6).
The six Belgrade libertarians have been accused of inciting, assisting in and executing an attack on the Greek Embassy in Belgrade at the end of August 2009, in solidarity with a hunger-striking Greek political prisoner at the time (Thodoros Iliopoulos). Soon after the attack on the embassy, BG6 (Tadej Kurepa, Ratibor Trivunac, Ivan Savic, Ivan Vulovic, Nikola Mitrovic and Sanja Dojkic) were arrested and held in custody for the next six months charged with ‘international terrorism’.
Thanks to a mass mobilization of support, both globally and locally, they were released early before their trial date. In June 2010, they were finally fully acquitted at a High Court in Belgrade, which decided that there is no basis for a guilty verdict on any of the charges.
The prosecution filed a complaint, but the Court of Appeals failed to respond until a moment when suitable political reasons emerged. Only days after antimilitarist protests against the NATO summit that took place in Belgrade in June 2011, at which Ratibor Trivunac was arrested, the Court of Appeals granted the prosecution’s complaint and ruled on a renewed case against BG6.
Currently, there are criminal proceedings against seven members of the Belgrade local group of ASI and they are all politically motivated.
The renewal of the case against the BG6 can only be seen as the continuation of state repression against those who stand up to pillage and exploitation. Bearing in mind that Serbia is a peripheral banana-state, ruled by a layer of compradorial bourgeoisie, it has been shown that in this phase of the struggle, the greatest force against the state repressive apparatus is INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY.
Therefore, we are calling all comrades and compañeras, anarcho-syndicalists, revolutionary syndicalists and class struggle anarchists everywhere to join in an international day of solidarity with BG6, organized on February 6th globally in front of the embassies, consulates and cultural institutions of the Republic of Serbia. The protests should carry a clear demand for the ending of all legal proceedings against the Belgrade libertarians and the dropping of fabricated charges.
The freedom of our comrades depends largely on the activities of the international libertarian movement, and we are convinced that international solidarity will once again show its strength.
Freedom now to the BG6 and all prosecuted comrades!
Death to the State and capitalism!
The International Secretariat of ASI
Greece: Anarchist Yannis Dimitrakis released from prison
From ABC Θεσσαλονίκης:
Anarchist Yannis Dimitrakis was arrested, heavily wounded by cop bullets, on January 16th, 2006, after the National Bank robbery on Solonos Street, in the centre of Athens.
A storm of misinformation was systematically supplied by the police and readily carried out by the mass media, as his arrest was followed by a delirious state propaganda about the alleged existence of a so-called “robbers’ in black gang”; in the days while he was still being hospitalized in the intensive care unit, the infamous “terror”-prosecutor Diotis attempted to interrogate him; his friends and relatives were targeted; and in the prosecution case against him, the anti-terrorist provision as well as charges for a number of additional robberies were included.
Dimitrakis defended the particular bank robbery in which he was arrested as his political choice, as a choice based on his opposition to the blackmail of work as well as to the role of banks. In addition, from the first moment and during the entire time of his captivity he was actively present in revolts and struggles within prisons and through his writings kept a vivid contact with developments on the outside. The prosecuting mechanisms also accused and proclaimed wanted for the case three more anarchists, Simos and Marios Seisidis and Grigoris Tsironis, actually reaching the point of placing a bounty on their heads in October 2009. Simos Seisidis has been acquitted both in the trial for the outrageous case of “robbers’ in black gang” and the trial for attempted murder (!) against the same cop who shot him in the leg. Nevertheless, Simos is still under pretrial detention in the “hospital” of Koridallos prisons, waiting to stand one last trial, while Marios Seisidis and Grigoris Tsironis are fugitives to this day.
The outcome of Dimitrakis’ trial in the first degree, in July 2007, was an exterminating sentence of 35 years. During his appeal court, in December 2010, his sentence was reduced to 12.5 years. Finally, after being incarcerated six whole years, the comrade was released from prison on parole.
NO FIGHTER A HOSTAGE IN THE HANDS OF THE POWER
AND ECONOMIC ELITES
FREEDOM NOW TO ALL IN PRISON
Greece: Anarchist Yannis Dimitrakis released from prison
From ABC Θεσσαλονίκης:
Anarchist Yannis Dimitrakis was arrested, heavily wounded by cop bullets, on January 16th, 2006, after the National Bank robbery on Solonos Street, in the centre of Athens.
A storm of misinformation was systematically supplied by the police and readily carried out by the mass media, as his arrest was followed by a delirious state propaganda about the alleged existence of a so-called “robbers’ in black gang”; in the days while he was still being hospitalized in the intensive care unit, the infamous “terror”-prosecutor Diotis attempted to interrogate him; his friends and relatives were targeted; and in the prosecution case against him, the anti-terrorist provision as well as charges for a number of additional robberies were included.
Dimitrakis defended the particular bank robbery in which he was arrested as his political choice, as a choice based on his opposition to the blackmail of work as well as to the role of banks. In addition, from the first moment and during the entire time of his captivity he was actively present in revolts and struggles within prisons and through his writings kept a vivid contact with developments on the outside. The prosecuting mechanisms also accused and proclaimed wanted for the case three more anarchists, Simos and Marios Seisidis and Grigoris Tsironis, actually reaching the point of placing a bounty on their heads in October 2009. Simos Seisidis has been acquitted both in the trial for the outrageous case of “robbers’ in black gang” and the trial for attempted murder (!) against the same cop who shot him in the leg. Nevertheless, Simos is still under pretrial detention in the “hospital” of Koridallos prisons, waiting to stand one last trial, while Marios Seisidis and Grigoris Tsironis are fugitives to this day.
The outcome of Dimitrakis’ trial in the first degree, in July 2007, was an exterminating sentence of 35 years. During his appeal court, in December 2010, his sentence was reduced to 12.5 years. Finally, after being incarcerated six whole years, the comrade was released from prison on parole.
NO FIGHTER A HOSTAGE IN THE HANDS OF THE POWER
AND ECONOMIC ELITES
FREEDOM NOW TO ALL IN PRISON
Funds need to support G20 prisoners
From Guelph ABC:
As January 2012 draws to a close, we still continue to persevere against state repression from the Toronto G20 protests in 2010. Friends are coming out of jail, but more friends are also going in, and many are awaiting sentencing. For a snapshot of the ongoing legal processes, check out http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/4318
Guelph Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) needs more money. Your money perhaps. We are fundraising to cover ongoing canteen costs for these comrades, travel expenses to visit them, collect phone calls, sending letters and reading materials, etc.
In total, our fundraising goal for 2012 is $3200.
We send big thank yous to everybody who has helped us raise funds so far. With friends going to jail, we are transitioning from fundraising for legal fees to covering jail support. With your help, we are doing everything we can to make the time spent on the inside that much more bearable.
Here’s how to donate to the Guelph ABC G20 Support Fund:
1. paypal: guelphabc(at)http://riseup.net or click the button on our website: http://guelphabc.noblogs.org/
2. Deposit cash to the following TD bank account (In Canada): Transit # 00182, Institution # 004, Account # 00185228263.
3. Write a cheque or money order to Guelph ABC with G20 in the memo line. Mail to the PO box below.
Guelph ABC
PO Box 183
Guelph, ON
N1H 6J6
You can visit http://guelphabc.noblogs.org/ for updates, letter writing addresses, and more info.
Email guelphabc@riseup.net with any questions.
Solidarity in Struggle Against Prisons,
Guelph ABC
Funds need to support G20 prisoners
From Guelph ABC:
As January 2012 draws to a close, we still continue to persevere against state repression from the Toronto G20 protests in 2010. Friends are coming out of jail, but more friends are also going in, and many are awaiting sentencing. For a snapshot of the ongoing legal processes, check out http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/4318
Guelph Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) needs more money. Your money perhaps. We are fundraising to cover ongoing canteen costs for these comrades, travel expenses to visit them, collect phone calls, sending letters and reading materials, etc.
In total, our fundraising goal for 2012 is $3200.
We send big thank yous to everybody who has helped us raise funds so far. With friends going to jail, we are transitioning from fundraising for legal fees to covering jail support. With your help, we are doing everything we can to make the time spent on the inside that much more bearable.
Here’s how to donate to the Guelph ABC G20 Support Fund:
1. paypal: guelphabc(at)http://riseup.net or click the button on our website: http://guelphabc.noblogs.org/
2. Deposit cash to the following TD bank account (In Canada): Transit # 00182, Institution # 004, Account # 00185228263.
3. Write a cheque or money order to Guelph ABC with G20 in the memo line. Mail to the PO box below.
Guelph ABC
PO Box 183
Guelph, ON
N1H 6J6
You can visit http://guelphabc.noblogs.org/ for updates, letter writing addresses, and more info.
Email guelphabc@riseup.net with any questions.
Solidarity in Struggle Against Prisons,
Guelph ABC
Occupy Oakland prisoners attacked inside Santa Rita Jail
From yael@sfbg.com:
In the aftermath of the mass arrests of Occupy Oakland protesters– and whoever else happened to be on the wrong street at the wrong time– on Jan. 28 in Oakland, there have been loads of reports and rumors about brutality inflicted on those arrested. Most of those arrested were held in Santa Rita jail.
My observations:
I spent 20 hours in jail, and I saw some cruel treatment. I saw people suffering after being denied medication. I saw people with allergies to the food that was provided refused any substitute and unable to eat, sometimes for more than 24 hours. I saw people crammed into holding cells meant for groups a third their size, so that some people had to remain standing, sometimes for more than 24 hours. As many arrestees were wearing clothing coated in tear gas and pepper spray, those chemicals continued to waft through cells and affect all present.
Reports:
I have reports directly from sources of arrested occupiers being beat up in jail with police batons. At least 20 people were zip tied, meaning their hands were cuffed behind their backs– and more often than not, if they happen to be cuffed too tightly and their hands go numb and even blue, police won’t loosen them– for more than eight hours. I know that some people who were denied access to a restroom ended up sitting in their own vomit and urine for at least four hours in some cases.
UPDATE Another report from someone who was released Monday night:
“I was held for 53 hours for a misdemeanor charge which every single person here, and there, knows will never be brought, and indeed which will be met with a class action suit for wrongful arrest that the city of Oakland will be compelled to settle. I have a perforated peptic ulcer. Early on in the stay I requested non—prescription care — liquid antacid, which the jail keeps on hand — when I began to have an ulcer attack, which is to say, when I began to bleed internally. I was not given such care until an attorney was able to intervene by phone many hours later. I received one capful, which was mildly effective for about three hours. Further requests were ignored. As many will know, a bleeding ulcer attack is both painful and potentially fatal….Food was often not provided for periods of up to 14 hours. For a long period I shared a cell with 27 other people; it was about ten by ten feet. For a period I was in a cell labeled “Maximum Occupancy: Two.” There were ten of us, three very sick. We stood. One of the people slumped over on the toilet, that being the alternative to standing.”
UPDATE
“Three people I know were denied medication for HIV infections while being held for multiple days, which is a life-threatening choice made by the county”
“two women were denied anti-depressants that they had with them when they went to jail”
Unconfirmed reports:
Daily Kos quotes an anonymous source who reports that “prisoners from the Oakland Commune were being denied medications (some had seizures) while the guards said they didn’t care if they died. Some people were brutally beaten. The put tear gas in the vents of my cell twice.” According to Occupy Oakland media spokesperson Omar Yassin, a report that someone was tear gassed in the jail’s hallway is likely credible.
Then there’s the people who were injured during the protests Jan. 28. Also according to Yassin:
At least a dozen people had welts on their faces or bodies from being beaten by clubs or shot with rubber bullets. One woman was shot in both arms with rubber bullet; one man was shot in the face with rubber bullets while holding a video camera to document the events. Several protesters were shoved to the ground and received wounds on their faces while being arrested. Police raised their rubber-bullet rifles to the faces of protesters throughout the day, threatening attacks– a rubber bullet to the face can cause brain damage and blindness.
A spokesperson for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department refused to comment, although she did say that they’ve “been bombarded with calls about this all day.” Shocker.
UPDATE According to Alameda County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Sergeant JD Nelson, no complaints of mistreatment at Santa Rita have been filed.
Nelson said that peanut butter was made available to vegans those allergic to meat, in direct contrast to what I witnessed in jail.
In response to reports that some detainees were held on buses in the Santa Rita parking lot for up to eight hours, during which time they were refused bathroom access and in some cases made to sit in their own urine and vomit, Nelson said that “Generally when they come to the jail the buses are unloaded fairly quickly. Obviously some people are going to go first, some last.”
He told me that detainees were denied medication because “We do we allow them to take their medication in jail. People will try to smuggle stuff in.”
When asked about reported beating in jail, Nelson replied, “I haven’t gotten any reports of any skirmishes between officers and those arrested. We would report it if there was any use of force,”
According to Nelson, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office has video footage of all of the areas in the jail where arrestees were held, and, unless there was a lawsuit preventing its release, he would make the footage available to me soon. For now he said, “I don’t even know if they’ve been developed.” (Is this 1984? Not in the Orwellian sense. In the technology sense.)
More on this soon. Send me information that you have, yael@sfbg.com
Occupy Oakland prisoners attacked inside Santa Rita Jail
From yael@sfbg.com:
In the aftermath of the mass arrests of Occupy Oakland protesters– and whoever else happened to be on the wrong street at the wrong time– on Jan. 28 in Oakland, there have been loads of reports and rumors about brutality inflicted on those arrested. Most of those arrested were held in Santa Rita jail.
My observations:
I spent 20 hours in jail, and I saw some cruel treatment. I saw people suffering after being denied medication. I saw people with allergies to the food that was provided refused any substitute and unable to eat, sometimes for more than 24 hours. I saw people crammed into holding cells meant for groups a third their size, so that some people had to remain standing, sometimes for more than 24 hours. As many arrestees were wearing clothing coated in tear gas and pepper spray, those chemicals continued to waft through cells and affect all present.
Reports:
I have reports directly from sources of arrested occupiers being beat up in jail with police batons. At least 20 people were zip tied, meaning their hands were cuffed behind their backs– and more often than not, if they happen to be cuffed too tightly and their hands go numb and even blue, police won’t loosen them– for more than eight hours. I know that some people who were denied access to a restroom ended up sitting in their own vomit and urine for at least four hours in some cases.
UPDATE Another report from someone who was released Monday night:
“I was held for 53 hours for a misdemeanor charge which every single person here, and there, knows will never be brought, and indeed which will be met with a class action suit for wrongful arrest that the city of Oakland will be compelled to settle. I have a perforated peptic ulcer. Early on in the stay I requested non—prescription care — liquid antacid, which the jail keeps on hand — when I began to have an ulcer attack, which is to say, when I began to bleed internally. I was not given such care until an attorney was able to intervene by phone many hours later. I received one capful, which was mildly effective for about three hours. Further requests were ignored. As many will know, a bleeding ulcer attack is both painful and potentially fatal….Food was often not provided for periods of up to 14 hours. For a long period I shared a cell with 27 other people; it was about ten by ten feet. For a period I was in a cell labeled “Maximum Occupancy: Two.” There were ten of us, three very sick. We stood. One of the people slumped over on the toilet, that being the alternative to standing.”
UPDATE
“Three people I know were denied medication for HIV infections while being held for multiple days, which is a life-threatening choice made by the county”
“two women were denied anti-depressants that they had with them when they went to jail”
Unconfirmed reports:
Daily Kos quotes an anonymous source who reports that “prisoners from the Oakland Commune were being denied medications (some had seizures) while the guards said they didn’t care if they died. Some people were brutally beaten. The put tear gas in the vents of my cell twice.” According to Occupy Oakland media spokesperson Omar Yassin, a report that someone was tear gassed in the jail’s hallway is likely credible.
Then there’s the people who were injured during the protests Jan. 28. Also according to Yassin:
At least a dozen people had welts on their faces or bodies from being beaten by clubs or shot with rubber bullets. One woman was shot in both arms with rubber bullet; one man was shot in the face with rubber bullets while holding a video camera to document the events. Several protesters were shoved to the ground and received wounds on their faces while being arrested. Police raised their rubber-bullet rifles to the faces of protesters throughout the day, threatening attacks– a rubber bullet to the face can cause brain damage and blindness.
A spokesperson for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department refused to comment, although she did say that they’ve “been bombarded with calls about this all day.” Shocker.
UPDATE According to Alameda County Sheriff’s Department Public Information Officer Sergeant JD Nelson, no complaints of mistreatment at Santa Rita have been filed.
Nelson said that peanut butter was made available to vegans those allergic to meat, in direct contrast to what I witnessed in jail.
In response to reports that some detainees were held on buses in the Santa Rita parking lot for up to eight hours, during which time they were refused bathroom access and in some cases made to sit in their own urine and vomit, Nelson said that “Generally when they come to the jail the buses are unloaded fairly quickly. Obviously some people are going to go first, some last.”
He told me that detainees were denied medication because “We do we allow them to take their medication in jail. People will try to smuggle stuff in.”
When asked about reported beating in jail, Nelson replied, “I haven’t gotten any reports of any skirmishes between officers and those arrested. We would report it if there was any use of force,”
According to Nelson, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office has video footage of all of the areas in the jail where arrestees were held, and, unless there was a lawsuit preventing its release, he would make the footage available to me soon. For now he said, “I don’t even know if they’ve been developed.” (Is this 1984? Not in the Orwellian sense. In the technology sense.)
More on this soon. Send me information that you have, yael@sfbg.com
Portugal’s Supreme Court rejects 2nd US appeal to extradite fugitive George Wright
A court ruling provided to The Associated Press on Wednesday showed judges confirmed a decision last month to deny a U.S. appeal for extradition. They issued their ruling Tuesday without providing details.
The U.S. can lodge a final appeal at the Constitutional Court in Lisbon.
Portuguese police captured the 68-year-old Wright near the capital Lisbon last September, ending his four decades on the lam after escaping from a New Jersey prison.
How Many Prisoners Are in Solitary Confinement in the United States?
The number of inmates held in solitary confinement in the United States has been notoriously difficult to determine. Most states do not publish the relevant data, and many do not even collect it. Attempts to come up with a figure have been denounced as imperfect, based on state-by-state variances and shortcomings in data-gathering and in conceptions of what constitutes solitary confinement.
A widely accepted 2005 study found that some 25,000 prisoners were being held in supermax prisons around the country. And in the last year, that figure seems to dominate in the mainstream press. The Washington Post, in a recent front-page article on solitary confinement in Virginia, noted that “44 states…use solitary confinement,” and cited an “estimated 25,000 people in solitary in the nation’s state and federal prisons.” The problem here is that the 25,000 figure (as well as the 44) applies to supermax prisons only. It does not claim to account for the tens of thousands of additional prisoners held in the Secure Housing Units, Restricted Housing Units, Special Management Units and other isolation cells in prisons and jails around the country. Yet it is being cited as a total for the nation’s overall use of solitary confinement.
Two Great Upcoming Benefit Events!!!!!
The 27 Social Centre Secret Cafe Brunch
When? Saturday, February 4th, 11:30am-2:30pm
Where? 27 Social Centre (2727 W. 27th avenue, Unit D)
Food? $5-$12 a plate. The brunch-tatstic menu includes: Egg and Veggie Quiche, Biscuits and Gravy, Waffles, Oatmeal with Topping Bar, and Banana Breakfast Sundaes. Gluten Free and Vegan options available, yummy drinks will be provided for additional donations!
The 27 Social Centre is radical cultural space that houses great people like The Denver Zine Library, Sent(a)mental Studios, P&L Printing, The Denver Community Health Collective, Build Up Books, Bread & Roses, Denver ABC, and the Colorado Street Medics.
Denver ABC and Colorado Street Medics Benefit Show
Saturday, February 11, 2012
$10 at the Door, All Ages
Aztlan Theatre (974 Santa Fe Drive, Denver)
Featuring Bearsnail, Sounds for Fathers, Shaky Molars, plus slam poetry from Brando Chemtrails
