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Jul 2, 22

In Contempt #18: June 11th; Political Prisoner and Uprising Defendant Updates; Prison Mail Digitalization

Welcome to In Contempt #18.

In this column, we present our monthly roundup of political prisoner, prison rebel, and repression news, happenings, announcements, action and analysis. Packed in as always is updates, calls to action, fundraisers, and birthdays.

There’s a lot happening, so let’s dive right in!

June 11th Roundup

 

June 11th, the international day of solidarity with Marius Mason and all long-term anarchist prisoners, was marked by direct action against a fake clinic in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, incendiary actions in the Chilean state, and sabotage of ATMs in Java, Indonesia. Other events that were organised to mark the day included a party for Marius Mason in Cincinnati, Ohio, a BBQ in Philadelphia, and letter-writing events in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon, Minneapolis, Minnesota, along with other events in the Basque Country/Euskal Herria, Utrecht, Netherlands, Richmond, Australia, London, UK, and Chile.

Texts marking the occasion were produced by anarchist prisoners Toby Shone, Jennifer Rose, Dan Baker, and Sean Swain, along with a new edition of anarchist prisoner zine Fire Ant and a special episode of The Final Straw.

Coming up after June 11th, the next big day in the prisoner solidarity calendar is July 25th, the international day of solidarity with antifascist prisoners, so start planning ways to mark that date now.

Political Prisoner News

Supporters of anarchist prisoner Eric King have published a new update about his situation, with a list of suggested actions. Unicorn Riot also have a new video up where Eric speaks about his recent trial. Although Eric has faced a series of mail bans in recent years, he is currently receiving some letters, you can write to him at:

Eric King #27090-045
USP Lee
P.O. Box 305
Jonesville, VA 24263

Eric is currently at USP Lee awaiting a transfer to a supermax, and has asked that people email the North Central Regional Office and national BOP asking them to hurry his transfer up and not delay, due to the danger he still faces at Lee.

At time of writing, Lucasville Uprising prisoner Greg Curry is still on a hunger strike over his mistreatment by the Ohio prison system. According to an appeal broadcast on The Final Straw:

Greg has asked folks to contact Chief Legal Counsel Stephen Gray by email ([email protected]) or by phone (614-752-1765) or Annette Chambers-Smith via email at [email protected]

Suggested script:

Hello, I am contacting you as a concerned friend of Greg Curry A213159. During Greg’s RIB hearing, Officer Sgt O’Brien, who witnessed and investigated Greg was also on the RIB committee which is against your policy RIB/5120-9-08. We are asking you to act on Greg’s appeal which has been formally submitted to the Chief Legal Counsel and return Greg to population so he can come off this hunger strike.

You can listen to a recent interview about Greg’s situation at just over an hour into this podcast (which has a mislabelled date, but was recorded recently).

Water protector Jessica Reznicek has had a setback in the courts, as Trump-appointed judges rejected her legal challenge against the terrorism enhancement that was applied to her case. You can hear more about Jessica’s case in this recent episode of The Final Straw.

Anarchist and antifascist prisoner Dan Baker continues to publish new writings regularly, and a few of his most recent writings are collected here. Speaking of Dan, he has a new book wishlist, which you can check out here. As well as publishing Dan’s writings, Mongoose Distro also publishes new work from Chicano anarchist prisoner Xinachtli.

Long-term Black liberation prisoner, and Tupac’s stepfather, Mutulu Shakur is currently facing serious health issues, which makes it all the more urgent that he be freed now. Natasha Lennard has written on the ongoing campaign for his compassionate release.

Uprising Defendants and other Ongoing Cases

As cases from the 2020 uprising continue to go through the courts, new sentences continue to be handed down. In New Jersey, Nicholas Lucia has been given a two year federal sentence and is also facing further time as a result of state charges from the same incident, and in Oregon, Malik Muhammad has been given a ten-year federal sentence. You can learn more about Malik at his support site here.

On a brighter note, Michigan uprising prisoner Chase Spencer has now been released, and supporters are encouraged to donate to his post-release fund to help him rebuild his life.

While 2020’s cases drag on, new ones are starting all the time, with more likely in the near future as a result of the mass anger at new attacks on reproductive rights. A fundraiser has been started for a Portland antifascist facing charges related to demonstrations against a police killing there, and fourteen people in Bergen, New Jersey, are also raising funds after being given a heavy fine for their role in blocking a deportation. The Canadian Tire Fire column also has details of new and ongoing cases in Canada.

Tech companies and Mail Digitization

Following in the footsteps of other states such as Pennsylvania and North Carolina, as well as some parts of the Federal system, the Missouri prison system has now also ended physical mail. According to new Missouri DOC guidelines:

Beginning July 1, 2022, personal postal mail will no longer be accepted at Missouri Department of Corrections Division of Adult Institutions (DAI) correctional facilities. All personal mail for offenders at these facilities must be mailed and addressed as follows:

Offender Name and DOC ID#
C/O Digital Mail Center-Missouri DOC
PO Box 25678
Tampa, FL 33622-5678

The move appears to be accompanied by a switch from using JPay to a messaging service provided directly by JPay’s parent company, Securus. In keeping with the trend for tech companies to monitor anyone in contact with prisoners, the new Securus sign-up page appears to ask for more intrusive information to be gathered before an account can be created on the new system, such as asking for a name to be given “as it appears on your ID”.

For recent critical commentary on this trend and the prison tech industry, see “Why Prisons Are Banning Letters” in The Nation, “A Notorious Prison Tech Giant Is Poised to Cash In on Pell Grants for Incarcerated People” in Mother Jones, and “How Corporations Turned Prison Tablets Into A Predatory Scheme” in The Appeal.

General Prison News

In Texas, Jason Walker is facing threats and is requesting urgent support after being transferred to a prison where he’s facing more danger.

Supporters are encouraged to reach out to the following contacts to get him moved to a safer unit, a suggested script can be found at the link above:

TDCJ Ombudsman: [email protected]
TDCJ Executive Director: [email protected], (936) 437-2101
Region IV Director’s Office: [email protected], [email protected], (361) 362-6328
Connally Unit: [email protected], (830) 583-4003

Jason’s current address is Jason Walker #1532092, Connally Unit, 899 FM 632, Kenedy, TX 78119

Prior to the move, he also published a new report on a suspicious death that’s been labelled a suicide at the Hughes Unit.

Also in Texas, TX TEAMONE has formed new LGBTQ and women’s committees, and are encouraging people to reach out to Daniel Dillard at the Michael Unit. Julio “Comrade Z” Zuniga continues to organize and face retaliation in the Texas prison system, and has published updates on his recent work including “TDCJ’s Conspiracy to Assassinate Julio A. “Comrade Z” Zuniga” and “American Traditions.”

Following the failed assassination attempt on Z, he has now been transferred, and his new address is Julio A Zuniga #1961551, Scott Unit, 4 Jester Road; Richmond, TX 77406.

At Granville Correctional in North Carolina, prisoners have organized protests and hunger strikes, and are currently requesting phone calls and emails in support of their struggle.

Other recent prison and jail struggles include an uprising at a youth jail in Louisiana, where at least five inmates managed to briefly escape.

In Indiana, long-term prison organizer John “Balagoon” Cole suffered a seizure and was taken to hospital, leading to IDOC Watch organizing a phone zap to demand that the prison release medical information to his family. Another phone zap was recently organized in support of Sean “Flip” Joyner, a Virginia prison organizer who’s requesting compassionate release as he battles terminal brain cancer. In DC, the local IWOC chapter have released a statement on overheating, seizures and neglect in DC Central Cell Block, a detention facility where inmates were left without air conditioning in summer.

Other recent prison-related stories include Prakash Churaman, who’s spent years fighting to clear his name after first being arrested aged 15, finally beating the charges against him, the ACLU releasing a major new report on the exploitation of incarcerated workers, and the RCMP deciding not to prosecute a jail guard accused of medical neglect and torture, as previously covered in Canadian Tire Fire.

Actions tracked by Perilous Chronicle in June include escapes or escape attempts at Barry County Jail, Missouri, STAR Community Justice Center, Ohio, Hogan Street Regional Youth Center, Missouri, a satellite camp for FCI Memphis, Tennessee, Hillsborough County Jail, Florida, FCI Petersburg, Virginia, Anderson County Detention Facility, Tennessee, and Next Door Correctional Release Center, Tennessee, along with a hunger strike at SCI Green, Pennsylvania and a protest at Clay County Detention Center, Missouri.

Abolitionist Media Roundup

Recent stories in the San Francisco Bay View have included a reprint from political prisoner Reverend Joy Powell, an appeal to free elderly Black Panther Kenny “Zulu” Whitmore, an article from incarcerated organizer Kwame Shakur and an update from his freedom campaign, and Shaka Shakur on prison abolitionism.

The Real News recently broadcast an interview on a new Maryland prison policy that’s preventing prisoners from accessing education, although this ruling has apparently now been overturned.

Recent episodes of The Final Straw Radio have included a discussion of Jessica Reznicek’s case and a June 11 anarchist prisoner special that also featured an interview about the Uprising Support project. Kite Line Radio has recently broadcast an interview on immigration and e-carceration, an interview between two former Indiana prisoners, an episode on resistance to the Northwest Detention Center featuring a message from detainees there, and part one of an interview with Jarrod Shanahan about his new book on Rikers’ Island.

Mongoose Distro continues to publish texts by prisoners on a regular basis, including new writings by Harlequin in Pennsylvania and Comrade Candle in Oregon, as well as the writings by Dan Baker, Comrade Z, Jason Walker and Xinachtli mentioned above.

Lastly, former antifascist prisoner David Campbell has interviewed Jarrod Shanahan, another formerly incarcerated writer, about his new book on Riker’s Island.

International

ABC Belarus is in urgent need of donations, after a fundraiser they ran failed to hit its target. You can donate via paypal here, or see this thread for other ways to donate. They continue to publish regular monthly reports on repression in Belarus, and have new profiles up of Pavel Bialanau, who’s facing prosecution for having a “Fuck Lukashenko” tattoo, and of Ryta Zotava, Mikita Khilkevich and Vadzim Dzenisenka, who have all been convicted for putting up anarchist stickers that the prosecution claimed were degrading or humiliating to riot police.

Moscow Anarchist Black Cross has also published updates on anti-war prisoners in Russia, including an Orthodox priest facing prosecution for preaching that peacemakers go to heaven and aggressors go to hell, and a fundraiser for the support of a defendant accused of possessing molotov cocktails.

The Anarkismo network has published a report on Mahmut Demir, a Turkish anarchist prosecuted for “Public humiliation of the Turkish nation, the Republic of Turkey, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, the government of the Republic of Turkey and the judicial organs of the state” without being given any chance to defend himself.

The German state has launched a series of raids on Turkish revolutionaries, leading to the journalist Özgül Emre starting a hunger strike to protest her conditions of captivity.

An urgent international alert was issued at the end of June after the Israeli state arrested Palestinian activist Sami Huraini, but he was later released and has vowed to continue resistance.

A new statement by Greek anarchist prisoner Dimitris Chatzivasileiadis has been published, and an international day of solidarity with Greek anarchist prisoner and hunger striker Giannis Michailidis was held on June 24th.

In the Chilean state, four Mapuche political prisoners have begun an indefinite hunger strike.

An call has been published for international solidarity with three Mexican feminists being held as political prisoners.

In the UK, two defendants accused of direct action against Israeli arms company Elbit have been freed after a month in pre-trial detention. The Bristol ABC group has a new website, where they’ve published a June 11 statement from Kevan Thakrar, along with a call for action to stop a racist officer abusing him, and an updated list of prisoners including the Kill the Bill case defendants.

Closing this section out, the International Antifascist Defence Fund have published their 2021/22 annual report, after a year when they provided aid to 63 antifascists across 11 different countries.

Uprising Defendants

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. See Uprising Support for more info, and check out the Antirepression PDX site for updates from Portland cases. The status of pre-trial defendants changes frequently, but to the best of our knowledge they currently include:

Kelly Jackson 50288-086
FCI Sheridan Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 5000
Sheridan, OR 97378

Tyre Means 49981-086
USP Beaumont
PO Box 26030
Beaumont, TX 77720

Margaret Channon 49955-086
FCI Aliceville
PO Box 4000
Aliceville, AL 35442

Malik Muhammad #23935744
Oregon State Penitentiary
2605 State Street
Salem, OR 97310

Jacob Michael Gaines #81973-065
FCI Sheridan
P.O. Box 5000
Sheridan, OR  97378

Jacob asks that people include an email address associated with their corrlinks account so he can return an email instead of a letter.

Cyan Waters Bass #23905849
Santiam CI
4005 Aumsville Hwy SE
Salem, OR 97317

Montez Lee 22429-041
FCI Ray Brook
Federal Correctional Institution
PO Box 900
Ray Brook, NY 12977

Matthew White #21434-041
USP McCreary
P.O. Box 3000
Pine Knot, KY 42635

Matthew Rupert #55013-424
USP McCreary
P.O. Box 3000
Pine Knot, KY 42635

José Felan
Sherburne County Jail
13880 Business Center Dr.
NW Suite 200 Elk River, MN 55330-1692

Branden Wolf #22425-041
FCI Oxford
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. BOX 1000
Oxford, WI  53952

Dylan Robinson 45802-013
USP Leavenworth
P.O. Box 1000
Leavenworth, KS  66048

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

Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal 70002-066
FDC Philadelphia
PO BOX 562
Philadelphia, PA 19105

Andrew Augustyniak-Duncan
2016-0021433
100 W. Cherry Ave.
Washington, PA 15301

Christopher West 04670-509
USP Canaan
U.S. Penitentiary
P.O. Box 300
Waymart, PA 18472

You can also buy fundraiser clothing for Christopher “Brother Hush” West here.

Ellie Brett 14822509
Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility
PO Box 730
Lovejoy, GA 30250

John Wade 14762509
Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility
PO Box 730
Lovejoy, GA 30250

Alvin Joseph
Updated address coming soon

Shamar Betts 22080-043
FCI Hazelton Federal Correction Inst.
P.O. Box 5000
Bruceton Mills, WV 26525

Diego Vargas 55070-424
FCI Allenwood Medium
PO Box 2000
White Deer, PA 17887

Adam Walton 55322-424
FCI Forrest City Medium
PO Box 3000
Forest City, AR 72336

Andrew Garcia-Smith 02324-509
FCI Williamsburg
PO Box 340
Salters, SC 29590

Kyree Robertson #597000
Parnall Correctional Facility
1780 E. Parnall Rd.
Jackson, MI 49201

Howard Eugene Nall #586907
Kent County Correctional Facility
703 Ball Avenue NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Antonio Wooden 17569-028 (Tony Cushe)
FCI McDowell
PO Box 1009
Welch, WV 24801

Upcoming Birthdays

Gage Halupowski

Gage was arrested at a counter-demonstration against a far-Right rally in Portland, Oregon on June 29th, 2019 and had been locked up at the local county jail since that day with a high bail. Gage accepted a non-cooperation plea deal, plead guilty to an assault charge, and was sentenced to nearly 6 years in prison.

If you’re looking for different ways to engage with Gage when sitting down to write that first letter, here are a few things to keep in mind – not only is he an anti fascist but he also is a radical environmentalist and an anarchist. So, discussing history,  politics or the ideologies of those movements as well could be a good place to start. He is also a fan of the fantasy novel series, The Wheel of Time and looks forward to reading all 12 books in the series while he’s in, so if you’ve read those or would like to he’d love to discuss them with you.

Oregon uses Corrlinks, a system where a prisoner must send a request to connect to someone on the outside before they can exchange emails, so if you’re not already connected to Gage then you’re best off just sending him a card or a letter.

Birthday: July 1

Address:

Gage Halupowski #21894460
South Fork Forest Camp
48300 Wilson River Highway
Tillamook, OR 97141-9799

Evgeny Rubashko

An anarchist from Belarus who was sentenced to 5 years in prison on charges of organization of actions that disrupted public order during post-election protests in Belarus. The criminal case was opened under the Article 342.1 (gross violation of public order) for participation in protests and the Article 361-1.1 (participation in an extremist organization). He reported tortures (plastic bag on the head, beatings, etc.) You can read his speech to the court here.

Belarusian prisons will usually only accept letters in Belarusian or Russian, so if you don’t speak one of those languages your best bet is to email your message to belarus_abc(AT)riseup.net or use this online form and they should be able to translate your greetings and pass them on.

Birthday: July 9

Address:

(Belarusian or Russian letters only – use this form for English messages)

Evgeny Aleksandrovich Rubashko
Ul. Krypskoi 99A. Prison No. 4.
212011 Mogilev
Belarus

Vladislav Zenevich

Vladislav Zenevich, an antifascist from Minsk, was detained on November 30 under Art. 342 part 1 (gross violation of public order). Earlier Vlad was detained on the march on November 1, severely beaten, the next day he was fined. A search was also conducted in his apartment. On February 23, 2021, sentenced to 3 years of custodial restraint. On June 3, he was transferred to an open-type correctional facility.

Belarusian prisons will usually only accept letters in Belarusian or Russian, so if you don’t speak one of those languages your best bet is to email your message to belarus_abc(AT)riseup.net or use this online form and they should be able to translate your greetings and pass them on.

Birthday: July 10

Address:

(Belarusian or Russian letters only – use this form for English messages)

230025, Grodno, ul. Lidskaya 29b, k. 32, Belarus
Zenevich Vladislav Vladimirovich

Siyanda Mngaza

Siyanda is a young Black woman serving a four-and-a-half year sentence for defending herself from a racist attack.

UK prisoners can be emailed using emailaprisoner.com

Birthday: July 16

Address:

Siyanda Mngaza
HMP Eastwood Park
Falfield
Wotton-under-Edge
Gloucestershire
GL12 8DB
United Kingdom

Dakota Moss

Ferguson-related prisoner sentenced to 20 years for stealing guns for people to use during the non-indictment riots in November 2014.

The Federal system uses Corrlinks, a system where a prisoner must send a request to connect to someone on the outside before they can exchange emails, so if you’re not already connected to Dakota then you’re best off just sending him a card or a letter.

Birthday: July 17

Address:

Dakota Moss #11400-025
USP Victorville
P.O. Box 3900
Adelanto, CA 92301

Kevin Berry

A former Vaughn 17 defendant. While the court found Kevin Berry not guilty on all charges in relation to the uprising, the Vaughn 17 have faced continued retaliation. Years after the uprising, these prisoners are still being abused for staying in solidarity with one another against the state.

Kevin Berry is a contributor to the Vaughn 17 “Live From the Trenches” zine, as well as the newer “United We Stood” zine, and also wrote a June 11th statement for the 2019 day of solidarity with long-term anarchist prisoners.

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 “NT0583.”

Birthday: July 17

Address:

Smart Communications/PADOC
Kevin Berry, NT0583
SCI Phoenix
PO Box 33028
St Petersburg, FL 33733

Derek Cannon

Derek Cannon is serving life without parole after being wrongly convicted of murder during the 1993 Lucasville Uprising, based on the testimony of jailhouse witnesses who have since confessed to lying about the case. For more about Derek’s case, see “Let Lucasville Uprising Prisoners Tell Their Own Stories!” in the NLG Review. Due to his connection to the uprising, he is still a frequent target for staff harassment, even decades later.

Ohio uses Jpay, so you can send him a message by going to jpay.com, clicking “inmate search”, then selecting “State: Ohio, Inmate ID: 221663”.

Birthday: July 21

Address:

Derek Cannon
#221-663
Lebanon CI
PO Box 56
Lebanon, OH 45036

Jessica Reznicek

Jessica is a land and water defender who has worked with and lived in the Des Moines Catholic Worker community for 10 years. In 2016, Jessica took a stand against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. In 2017, Jessica and another person took direct action and disabled construction machinery in order to protect the land. No one was injured by their actions, and the land was protected from the flow of oil for an additional six months.

On February 6, 2021, Jessica pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to damage an energy facility and on June 30, 2021, was sentenced to 8 years in prison. She received the ‘federal crime of terrorism’ enhancement and was ordered to pay over 3 million dollars in restitution and three years of supervised release. She reported to federal prison on August 11, 2021. Jessica has a deep love for nature, camping, swimming, hiking, theology, music, gardening, laughter and eco-sustainability, as well as a commitment to self-discovery through deep relationships cultivated in intentional faith-based community living.

The Federal system uses Corrlinks, a system where a prisoner must send a request to connect to someone on the outside before they can exchange emails, so if you’re not already connected to Jessica then you’re best off just sending her a card or a letter.

Birthday: July 25

Address:

Jessica Reznicek #19293-030
FCI Waseca
Post Office Box 1731
Waseca, Minnesota 56093

Dzmitry Dubovski

Dzmitry Dubovski is a Belarusian anarchist, sentenced to 18 years in prison after he was arrested late last year and charged with several arson attacks on government buildings. He previously spent 10 years on the run after being accused of some direct actions that took place in 2009-2010.

Belarusian prisons will usually only accept letters in Belarusian or Russian, so if you don’t speak one of those languages your best bet is to email your message to belarus_abc(AT)riseup.net or use this online form and they should be able to translate your greetings and pass them on.

Birthday: July 29

Address:

(Belarusian or Russian letters only – use this form for English messages)

Correctional colony No. 3, Vitebsk region, Vitebsk district, Vitba village, 211300
Dmitry Nikolaevich Dubovski

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A monthly report on prison rebels, State repression, and news from an abolitionist perspective.

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