Events
Podcast
Columns
Library
Contact
Aug 15, 16
Filed under: Bloc Party, Editorials, Incarceration, Political Prisoners, US
Originally posted to It’s Going Down
We took a bit of a Summer vacation, traveling around the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. After some much needed rekindling of connections with our far away comrades, we feel ready to get back to the news desk. We’ve been inspired by resistance across the country and the various ways it has popped off in your communities.
In the coming months we are aspiring to return to our previous weekly format and putting a heavy emphasis on prison resistance that is brewing in the lead up to the September 9th strike. It’s Going Down has been bursting at the seams with updates of actions, rallies, graffiti and suggestions of how folks on the outside can support the organizing that is happening on the inside. This is what fucking solidarity looks like! Let’s keep that going, friends. We also want to be certain that we keep a continued spotlight on the prisoners that require our long term support and solidarity.
As the Summer heat hit hard we have also seen continued struggles against the police. In Minneapolis and Baton Rouge the battles continue even after the news crews left the streets. In both acts of solidarity and self determination people have been experimenting with new ways in which to declare ourselves free of the occupying forces of the state. Carbondale’s recent “cop free zone,” comes to mind. We see you, Carbondale and that shit is an inspiration to the rest of us out here. This tactic is not necessarily a new one, but we love that it is seeing a resurgence. At the same time that Milwaukee is rising up, perhaps this is a time for the sleepier cities and towns to look at tactics such as this. We hope that our struggles can be both a point of conflict as well as an experimentation with ways in which we can open up more space for ourselves and each other.
We have some other exciting ideas for Bloc Party in the coming months that we’re excited to share as they develop. So keep an eye out for new types of content coming from these bad kids right here.
With the embers still burning in Milwaukee, let’s get to all that news from the Bloc:
Let’s start off with some good news! Luke O’Donovan is out! We are stoked to hear of his release and look forward to updates from his support crew about how he is doing post-release. Welcome back Luke! You can also still donate to help support Luke now that he has been released here.
Kara Wild has an updated Amazon booklist. Check that out here.
There is more new art from anarchist prisoner Marius Mason. Marius’ artwork is consistently a bright spot for many of us on the outside. Send him a letter and let him know that!
Marie (Marius) Mason #04672-061
FMC Carswell
Federal Medical Center
P.O. Box 27137
Fort Worth, TX 76127
Marius writes:
In light of Sea World’s promises to end captive breeding programs and eventually, live performances, and the Baltimore Aquarium’s announcement they will allow their dolphins to go to a sanctuary–it seems like there is a significant shift in public opinion and policy toward marine animals.
This is very encouraging but there is long way between a promise and reality of freedom. I hope people will enthusiastically support these animals that cannot be directly released into the ocean because of their prior captivity. I want to thank and encourage those groups and individuals, especially the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, for daring so much to protect the whales and other marine animals from death and capture in the wild. We owe them a great debt of gratitude for what they do to protect the future.
In an incredibly cruel development, Chelsea Manning is currently facing extra prison time and indefinite solitary confinement for her fucking suicide attempt last month. Fuck these fucking bastards for real.
Russell Maroon Shoatz finally settled his suit against the DOC! As the Bay View wrote:
In exchange for Shoatz ending the lawsuit the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) has agreed that it will not place Shoatz back in solitary confinement based on his prior disciplinary record or activities; Shoatz will have a single-cell status for life, meaning he will not have to experience the extreme hardship of being forced to share a cell following decades of enforced isolation; a full mental health evaluation will be provided; and the DOC has paid a monetary settlement.
Please write to him!
Russell Shoats #AF-3855
SCI-Graterford P.O. Box 246
Route 29 Graterford, PA
19426 – 0246
Eric King is finally out of CCA Leavenworth! Fuck yeah! This is great news in and of itself, but the even better news is that he got placed in FCI Englewood, which enables his partner to visit him every week. This is a tremendous support to Eric. Send him a welcome letter and tell him a great story about the Rocky Mountains he can now see from the windows of the prison. He’d love to hear about them!
Eric King 27090045
FCI ENGLEWOOD
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
9595 WEST QUINCY AVENUE
LITTLETON, CO 80123
New writings from Connor of the Cleveland 4:
The boy stares at the artificial waterfall, the black marble reminding him of a Star Destroyer, or perhaps the court of a villainous king. He doesn’t bother reading the names engraved on the marble encircling the dark pool, but he notices there are a lot of them. They seem to go on forever, like the names at the end of a movie.
He feels like an ant in this place, and despite the summer sun he somehow feels a chill.
Suddenly he wishes his parents hadn’t brought him to this place. Reflecting a moment, he wishes he had been born a long time ago, or not for many years to come.
Sirens errupt nearby, wiping away his thoughts.
We received word that Cleveland 4 folks could all use some extra support right now. We are hearing that several are dealing with difficult mental health issues and Doug is currently in SHU and being denied his meds. Please send some love to these guys:
Joshua Stafford
#57976-060
USP Tucson
PO Box 24550
Tucson, AZ 85734
Brandon Baxter
#57972-060
FCI Terre Haute
PO Box 33
Terre Haute, IN47808
Connor Stevens
#57978-060
FCI Manchester
PO Box 4000
Manchester, KY40962
Doug Wright
#57973-060
FCI Cumberland
P.O. BOX 1000
Cumberland, MD21501
A letter to IWOC describes how prisoners in Moberly, MO are “kept safe” during a recent tornado:
The answer of the facility to safety for the inmates was to leave them in their 8-10 ft cells, where the only air flow they have is windows. Yeah!
It gets better…one inmate got electrical shock from his tv because the water from the tornado blowing in was flooding their cells, muck all over wind shaking the walls
Earlier this month prisoners at the Nebraska State Penitentiary got rowdy once again. Apparently the administrators of the prison are worried about full blown insurrection:
“I’m terrified there’s going to be more problems,” Mike Marvin, of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, said. “That more and more people are going to die. More things are going to happen. Things just seem to be on the cusp of exploding.”
This sounds like the perfect time to send some Nebraska prisoners a few letters. The recent challenge to spread the strike to every jail, juvie and prison has great ideas. Get some friends together and write some letters, even if it’s just to let folks know that people on the outside see them and support them.
Anarchist comrade and Holman Prison Rebel, Michael Kimble has written about being placed in segregation after participating in another rebellion within the walls of Holman. Michael is still in segregation last we’ve heard, so be sure to send some letters of support his way. He can also receive embossed/pre-stamped envelopes like the ones you purchase from the post office, so toss a few of those his way if you’d like to hear back.
Michael Kimble
#138017
3700 Holman Unit
Atmore, AL 36503
In Indiana there have been two revolts earlier this month. From Where the River Frowns:
The first riot occurred on August 1st in Vanderburgh County Jail in Evansville where, according to the mainstream media, inmates refused to be handcuffed, flooded their jail cell, put soap on the floor to trip the guards when they entered and used bed bunks and mattresses as barricades and shields.
The second occurred in Henry County Jail on August 3rd and 4th where inmates set fire to mattresses and jail uniforms on two subsequent nights. The first fire was set by male inmates and the second, the next night, by female inmates. According to their captors, prisoners were attempting to deactivate the locks on their jail cell.
Want to write some of these folks throwing down in Indiana’s jails?
Nine prisoners have been charged with various crimes in association with the riot at Vanderburgh County Jail. Please consider taking a moment to drop a line on these folks to show your support. All are still being held at the Vanderburgh County Jail and can be reached by sending a letter or card to: Inmate name and Number, 3500 N. Harlan Ave, Evansville, IN 47711
John Wallace 3293
Kyndrick Hancock 214025
Kededrique Boyd 250147
Javon Burton 68659
Brendan Cooper 169196
Robert Henderson 121129
Stanley Morgan 101653
Cory Pierce 54101
Seth Wrinkles 137561
The monthly political prisoner birthday poster is up for August! Make sure to print some and put them around, and don’t forget to wish those folks a happy birthday!
If you haven’t already heard, there are currently a bunch of prisoners on hunger strike in Wisconsin. Please give these folks a holler and let them know you hate prisons too!
Currently on strike and have been since 6/7. Being force fed regularly:
LaRon McKinley 42642
Cesar DeLeon 322800
Waupun CI P.O Box 351 Waupun WI 53963-0351
Was on strike starting in June, came off due to force feeding:
Joshua Scolman 422508
Waupun CI P.O Box 351 Waupun WI 53963-0351
Uhuru Mutawakkil
(state name N. Green) 228971
Columbia CI P. O. Box 900 Portage WI 53901-0909
Unclear whether on strike or not at this time:
Shirrell Watkins 359661
Columbia CI P. O. Box 900 Portage WI 53901-0909
Lamar Larry 293906
Green Bay CI P. O. Box 19033 Green Bay WI 54307-9033
Both were on the strike in Waupun, but lost contact when they transferred out.
Joshua Berrios 577319
Jordan Cosby 501015
Waupun CI P.O Box 351 Waupun WI 53963-0351
July 13 mental health unit hunger strike at GBCI
More info see this post.
Currently on hunger strike:
Devon Armour 5998093
Howard Brown IV 568093
Came off in first days after retaliation:
Leonte Porter 597623
Kyle Young 563594
Green Bay CI P. O. Box 19033 Green Bay WI 54307-9033
There are possibly dozens more in Columbia!
Robert Ward 515599
Columbia CI P. O. Box 900 Portage WI 53901-0909
From support folk:
Ward sent a letter describing conditions in Columbia Correctional and stating that dozens of prisoners are on hunger strike there. A nurse said there were so many being force fed that they were unable to treat other patients. We don’t have any other names at this time, or knowledge of their demands, if they’re different from the Dying to Live demands.
A Dying to Live Hunger Striker, Cesar DeLeon, had this to say about being in prison, refusing food, and being force-fed:
…Well the past few days have been hard. Apart from the pain, humiliation, and sick process I have to go through 3 times per day in this force-feeding, I am okay. The weather though make it hard. It makes you dizzy and sick. Plus it makes you hungry as well. I try not to think of food or else you break. Guards and nurses want to see this end. They claim to be short on staff and we are jamming them up even though is only two of us.
From a recent open letter to incarcerated folks in Alabama:
For the remainder of 2016, M.A.F. will be coordinating and conducting a Freedom Tour 2016 to canvas all of the prisons in the State of Alabama to garner support from more mothers and family members for our Movement to end Mass Incarceration in Alabama and throughout the Nation.
Be sure to check out the new IGDCAST, with our first release being an interview on the unfolding uprising in Milwaukee. It’s Going Down is also looking to build our capacity in the coming months and will be fundraising in earnest to get these projects rolling to their fullest! Donate here.
Until next week, when we hope to report that the fires of Milwaukee have spread from sea to shining sea.
– bad kids, cradle to grave.
