In Contempt #31: New Support Campaigns Rally Across the US Against Repression

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 are updates, fundraisers, and birthdays.

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

Political Prisoner News

Former Black Liberation prisoner Mutulu Shakur has now passed away, less than a year after his release. Mutulu’s friends and family have compiled a list of projects to donate to in his memory here, and several events honoring his life are planned, starting with a showing of the film “Dope is Death” in Atlanta on August 6th. More events should be added to the Mutulu Shakur linktree as they’re confirmed.

On a happier note, long-term Black Liberation prisoner Ruchell “Cinque” Magee, held in prison since 1963, has finally been granted release. You can donate to his re-entry funds here. Anarchist and antifascist prisoner Dan Baker has also now been released from prison. The Final Straw Radio recently broadcast an episode discussing Dan’s situation, along with other aspects of prisoner support.

It’s Going Down has published a report from a June 11th event in Bremerton, WA that raised funds for Puget Sound Prisoner Support, and various events will recently held for the July 25th day of solidarity with antifascist prisoners. Upcoming dates in the political prisoner support calendar include the international week of solidarity with anarchist prisoners from August 23-30th, and Running/Pushing Down the Walls events that will be taking place in several locations, including Philadelphia on September 17th and Los Angeles on October 21st. The entire month of August is commemorated as Black August by many incarcerated revolutionaries and others in the Black Liberation tradition.

The support crew for antifascist prisoner Alex Stokes have now set up an online store selling fundraising merch. Write to Alex at:

Alexander Stokes Contompasis
DIN: 22B5028
Upstate Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 2001
Malone, NY, 12953

Chicano anarchist political prisoner Xinachtli recently published a new article, titled A Nation of Sheep Begets a Government of Wolves, and is asking people to organize actions demanding his release on December 10th, which is an international human rights day. Anarchist prisoner Eric King has also recently published several new writings, “Thompson is Everywhere” on the flaws of the prison system, “One Little Square” on star-gazing in prison, “Patterns” on the current wave of transphobic hatred, and one in appreciation of his mother.

Fidencio Aldama, an indigenous Yaqui political prisoner who was being held by the Mexican state, has been granted a form of release which he describes as “semi-freedom” in a joint statement with his support committee.

Antifascist prisoner Ben Varela has been moved, and his new address is now:

Benjamin Varela #434577
Cedar Creek Corrections Center
CC18U
Post Office Box 37
Littlerock, Washington 98556-0037

Support Peppy and Krystal!: Pittsburgh Community Activists Facing Serious Federal Charges

A campaign is being organized in defense of Peppy and Krystal, two Pittsburgh activists facing federal charges over alleged participation in a demonstration against transphobia. Donate to help out with legal fees here. You can also write to Peppy at:

Butler County Prison
c/o Brian DiPippa
#42322 PO Box 9156
Seminole, FL 33775-9156

Please note that all mail sent to the Butler County Prison has to get sent to that Florida spot where it’ll get scanned and then prisoners at Butler read it on a screen. Also, please be careful what you include in your letter to Peppy. Since he’s pre-trial and all mail will be monitored please don’t ask him about the case. Discussing any aspect of the case could come back to haunt him at any stage while the case is open. But don’t be afraid to let him know about a hike you just went on or a meal you just made with friends! The details of such events will help him get away from the isolation that he faces every day!

Download PDF Poster Here

From their support site:

In the early hours of May 19th, heavily armed agents raided the home of two long-term Pittsburgh activists, Brian “Peppy” DiPippa and Krystal DiPippa. Nearly a month and a half later they were both federally indicted on charges stemming from a demonstration against a University of Pittsburgh sanctioned event promoting transphobic hate speech. On June 30th, they both surrendered to the court with Krystal being released the same day, but Peppy remains in pre-trial detention. The raid, and their arrests are a part of a larger framework of repression by federal agents, working in tandem with local law enforcement, against community resistance.

Peppy and Krystal are exceptional and caring humans. For decades they have been active participants in solidarity with oppressed and marginalized people.

Their tireless advocacy and community building has put them in the crosshairs of state repression. They will both undoubtedly face a long and arduous court process in the months, if not years, ahead and will need a variety of care, support and compassion. Today they need our support.

Free Victor!: Support Indigenous Land Defender and Water Protector Arrested in Atlanta

A letter in solidarity with Atlanta forest defenders facing charges is being circulated, and has been endorsed by mainstream groups such as the Sierra Club and Amnesty International. One forest defender, Victor, has now been transferred to ICE custody, and a support site has been set up for him here. From the support site:

Here’s a recent statement from Victor:

After three months of incarceration in one of the most dilapidated jails in the South — a place famous for its violence and for multiple cases of human rights abuse — I wish to speak out as the carceral state that took my freedom away continues its oppression. After finally being released on bond from DeKalb County, I was immediately detained by ICE and driven to Stewart Detention Center, a jail for migrants and refugee people. Georgia has not criminally indicted me at any point, but I still sit in a cage. Although it’s a new cell I’m in, the conditions are the same. The degradation, the 23 hours of lockdown, the complete lack of freedom and agency, the constant surveillance, and in this place, the perpetual threat of deportation from my home and my family hanging over my head.

I am a sundancer, an Indigenous person, a brother, a son, a human being in community with the earth and all of the beings that call this place home. My family is here on Turtle Island; I have called this land home since I was young. I have long advocated for the earth; protecting our Mother is at the foundation of healthy tribes and communities. Civil disobedience is a part of the rich history of the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta. It was not a crime to join my voice with the voices of many asking for justice for a mother grieving her child — Tortuguita. I have done nothing wrong. I was brutalized, falsely charged, and forced to sit inside a cell for months without indictment. 

First the state labeled me a domestic terrorist. Now the state has labeled me illegal. They have decided my existence is a crime, my life and my humanity outlawed. I am facing an enormous machine, an extremely complicated system that crushes people’s lives and is designed to set people up to fail. A system most people agree you cannot navigate alone — the immigration system.

After months of captivity and possibly many more ahead, I want to say to everyone that I am still resisting this ridiculous narrative and fighting to be free once again. Fighting for the right to be back with my loved ones, to be back to the land that nurtures my spirit and supports my heart. And to not be separated from love in my life.

To my family — my relatives, old friends, new friends, comrades — to all of you that have reached out and shown support in different ways, to all of you who have sent postcard letters, messages, words of inspiration and solidarity in struggle. To all of you who have stood by my side since the beginning, through all these months: I see you, I salute you, and I am deeply grateful for your presence in my life. I embrace all of you in my heart and spirit, and I am so grateful. I take courage in knowing that in detention I am not alone. I am with the ancestors and all of you.

May these walls of concrete, steel, and hate stand down with the power of the people and the growth of forest returning. May all of us who are not Indigenous to this land acknowledge our responsibility to be accountable for our lives, intentions, and actions on occupied Indigenous lands and territories and to stand with Indigenous people protecting their water, lives, and all things sacred. Land defense is people’s defense. May all of us stand in solidarity with the most marginalized and vulnerable among us. Migrant and refugee relatives face persecution and detention in massive numbers across the land. Long live Tortuguita! Remember and stand with their warrior spirit! From Stewart Detention Center, unit B6: Freedom to exist! Freedom to move and the right to return! Free us all!

Write to Victor here:

Victor Puertas
095610252
6B 215B
P.O. Box 248
Lumpkin, GA 31815

You can also donate to Victor’s commissary and join a call-in campaign to demand that Victor be released. More info here.

Support Campaign Kicks off for Hybachi Lemar in Chicago

South Chicago ABC and Chicago IWOC are organizing support for Hybachi Lemar, an anarchist organizer who is currently held in the Cook County Jail.

From a recent statement from Hybachi:

The following are clear violations of our rights, privileges, and services according to the Cook County Department of Corrections Handbook.

Lack of access to a clean and sanitary living environment: the foundational structure of Cook County Jail is falling apart. Water floods by leaking through the cracked perimeters which connect the walls to the floors. Water comes into the cells when it rains. as well as from cell to cell, and also drips from cell vents onto the toilet beneath them on occasion due to plumbing and other maintenance issues. We’re subjected to leaking toilets, plaster and paint peeling and falling off the walls.

Black mold in the unit washroom, particular here in Division 5, a division that was condemned over five years and was reopened amidst the pandemic. Cell vents that haven’t been cleaned for months, possibly even years, and darkened by filth. Bad water that dries the skin.

Infestations of nats and ants in our cells and in the food that we’re served. Infestations of water bugs and roaches – a dead roach was just found on it’s back on the dayroom dining table this very minute as violations were being written. Dead, dying, and living roaches and water bugs infest the shower area and units in general, including the corridors leading to the cell blocks. Lack of access to disinfectant to clean our living environment. Shower areas unable to be cleaned on a regular basis. No change of linens for weeks.

Denial of mental health assistance despite requests for detainees mentioning suicide to correctional staff. Lack of immediate and adequate medical attention. Lack of access to grievance forms for days on end.

Unknown black substances repeatedly being discharged from cell sinks, knobs and faucets. No soap accessible on the units. Food with mold, rotten are often served for breakfast. No privacy curtains for doors for the dayroom toilets, which are infected with water bugs, roaches and nats, as well as the bolder stench of nat-ridden urinals attached to the walls. Unclean tablets and telephones due to lack of disinfectant.

Spiders that hang from webs and ceiling corners of our cells we can’t reach with a broom cause none are provided except for ‘cell cleaning day’. Many prisoners in here have rashes and show each other insect bites, wondering where they came from.

We eat bread that comes from loaves in the kitchen that are eaten through by mice – instead of throwing the loaves away, the authorities in Cook County Jail kitchen ensure only the bitten bread from the violated bag is tossed out.

We’re currently being denied ALL of these basic rights, and have been for months. We haven’t received any clean blankets for months, with the exception about two days ago, following the demonstration outside of Cook County Jail, which is acknowledged as “victory blankets.”

From his support website:

Hybachi LeMar was arrested and is currently being held at Cook County Jail with no bond. We are raising emergency funds for his legal support. Hybachi is a survivor of repeated state violence and is a thriving, loving, and giving community member. We need help making sure he gets out and he stays safe! He could be sent out of state away away from his family and community work.

Please contribute any amount you can!
zelle: [email protected]
paypal: [email protected]
venmo: @ChicagoIWOC
cashapp: @ChicagoIWOC

You can also show support by buying a copy of his new book The Anarchybalion – 100% of all proceeds go to his Legal Defense Fund. Be sure to also check out Hybachi’s other writings.

For more ways to support, go here.

General Prison News and Abolitionist Media

A call has been circulated for solidarity with the Binnizá community of Puente Madera, San Blas Atempa, Oaxaca, facing state repression for the defense of their communal lands.

On the 12th of July, a number of solidarity protests were held for the Tampa 5, who are facing ongoing charges connected to a protest against DeSantis’ authoritarian agenda.

Kevin “Rashid” Johnson, a long-term imprisoned writer and organizer, continues to face repression, with prison officials throwing him into solitary confinement and interrupting his cancer treatment. The latest updates indicate that his cancer treatment has been resumed as a result of public pressure, but he continues to be held in solitary and some of his property has still not been returned, apparently as retaliation for the number of complaints about his treatment.

At least seven detainees at the North West Detention Centre have begun a hunger strike, which is at least the fifth hunger strike at the facility this year.

The Prison Lives Matter movement is organizing a joint panel discussion and webinar to Liberate Our Elders, running from August 4th-6th in Oakland, Chicago and NYC.

Imprisoned writer Jason Renard Walker has published two new articles, covering how murders in Texas prisons can be disguised as suicides and natural causes, and the failings of TDCJ’s new digital mail system. As the second article highlights, inmates at a growing number of units will only be able to receive mail if it’s sent to:

Texas Dept Of Criminal Justice
Full name/TDCJ#
Unit name
P.O. Box 660400
Dallas, TX 75266-0400

In other news from the Texas prison system, Texas anarchist prisoner Julio “Comrade Z” Zuniga has published a new poem, Noah “Kado” Coffin has been moved to a new address, and the Houston Landing has created a huge searchable database of inmates with mental illness who have died in Texas jails over the past decade.

The Williamette Week reports that more people have died in Multnomah County jails over the first seven months of 2023 than in any other year since at least 2010.

IDOC Watch has published new writings from incarcerated organizers Shaka Shakur and Khalfani Malik Khaldun. Anarchist prisoner Sean Swain is being profiled by a new youtube channel, and Rebellious Hearts, a new collective founded by Dwayne “BIM” Staats and Jarreau “Ruk” Ayers from the Vaughn uprising, now has an instagram page.

Kwame “Beans” Shakur has now been released from solitary confinement after seven years, and has published a new article on the Prison Lives Matter site about the Liberate Our Elders campaign.

Virginia prisoner David Annarelli now has a wordpress blog. Mongoose Distro recently published a new prison diary by Colorado prisoner David Strunk, and The Final Straw Radio has just broadcast a new interview with Mwalimu Shakur, one of the organizers of the 2013 California hunger strikes.

International

In Italy, anarchists Alfredo Cospito and Anna Beniamino have now had their sentences reviewed and been sentenced to 23 years and 17 years and 9 months respectively. The prosecution had been asking for a life sentence for Alfredo and 27 years for Anna, and so this can be seen as a partial victory, linked to Alfredo’s courageous hunger strike earlier this year. Another trial against Italian anarchists in Genoa has now ended with one defendant acquitted and the other sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison on explosives charges.

Spanish anarchist prisoner Gabriel Pombo da Silva has now been released.

In Chile, anarchists Monica Caballero and Francisco Solar are now on trial. Dark Nights has published a big compilation of news around their case here. Posters in support of them and other Chilean anarchists can be downloaded here. You can read their own comments at the start of the trial here.

In Greece, four anarchists have now been convicted and given sentences of between 5 and 8 years for an attack on the Piraeus police. Greek anarchist prisoner D. Chatzivasiliadis has released a new message in solidarity with the uprising in France, and Greek anarchist prisoners Pola Roupa and Nikos Maziotis have released a joint statement thanking everyone who’s shown them solidarity and helped fundraise to support their families.

In the UK, Palestine Action organized a day of protests on July 22nd in support of the seven people currently held in British prisons for taking action against the production of Israeli weapons, with 100 more defendants facing possible prison time. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Movement has released a statement in solidarity with the UK Palestine Action prisoners. Bristol ABC are now supporting Niamh, who has been imprisoned at the age of 19 after defending herself against police violence in Swansea.

In Indonesia, graffiti and posters were put up at a number of locations to mark the June 11th day of solidarity with anarchist prisoners.

In Russia, Solidarity Zone are raising funds for a lawyer for Alexey Rozhkov, an anarchist accused of arson against a military enlistment office, and anti-war prisoner Ivan Kudrayshov has launched a hunger strike. You can send messages to Alexey by emailing [email protected]. An international solidarity festival is being organized from August 15-September 15 for the six antifascists facing charges in the Tyumen case. Vladimir Zolotarev has just been sentenced to 18 years for an arson attack against a National Guard building.

Uprising Defendants

See Uprising Support for more info, and check out the Antirepression PDX site for updates from Portland cases. To the best of our knowledge they currently include:

Tyre Means 49981-086
USP Atwater
P.O. Box 019001
Atwater, CA 95301

Kelly Jackson 50288-086
FCI Phoenix
Federal Correctional Institution
37910 N. 45th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85086

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

Gavaughn Streeter #19203494
Oregon State Penitentiary
2605 State Street
Salem, Oregon 97310

You can donate to Gavaughn’s post-release fundraiser here.

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

Cyan Waters Bass #23905849
Oregon State Correctional Institution
3405 Deer Park Drive SE
Salem, Oregon 97310

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

Matthew White #21434-041
FCI Terre Haute
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. BOX 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808

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

José Felan #54146-380
FCI Terre Haute
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 33
Terre Haute, IN  47808

Dylan Robinson 45802-013
USP Thomson
U.S. Penitentiary
PO Box 1002
Thomson, IL  61285

David Elmakayes 77782-066
FCI McKean
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 8000
Bradford, PA 16701

Carlos Matchett 73583-050
FCI Schuylkill
Federal Correctional Institution
PO Box 759
Minersville, PA 17954

Andrew Augustyniak-Duncan
Smart Communications/PA DOC
Andrew Duncan-Augustyniak / QN9211
SCI Rockview
PO Box 33028
St Petersburg, Florida 33733

Ellie Brett 14822509
FCI Petersburg Medium
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 1000
Petersburg, VA 23804

John Wade 14762509
FCI Beckley
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 350
General & Legal Mail
Beaver, WV 25813

Alvin Joseph 1002016959
Hays State Prison
PO Box 668
Trion, GA 30753

Richard Hunsinger 16066-509
FCI Forrest City Low
P.O. Box 9000
Forrest City, AR 72335

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

Howard Eugene Nall #586907
Newberry Correctional Facility
13747 E. County Road 428
Newberry, MI 49868

T’Andre Buchanan 67637-060
Milan FCI
PO Box 1000
Milan, MI 48160

Upcoming Birthdays

Daniel Hale

Daniel Hale was sentenced to 45 months in prison for a violation of the Espionage Act, after leaking documents about the military’s use of drones to carry out assassinations. He is serving his time in the Communications Management Unit at USP Marion, an incredibly repressive environment known as “Little Guantanamo,” where Green Scare prisoner Daniel McGowan was previously held.

Birthday: August 1

Address:

Daniel Hale #26069-075
USP Marion – CMU
P.O. Box 1000
Marion, IL 62959

Eric King

Anarchist prisoner serving a ten-year sentence for attempting to set fire to a government official’s office in solidarity with the Ferguson uprising. Eric has been a consistent target of harassment throughout his sentence for his bold and defiant stance. You can donate to help meet Eric’s needs here.

Birthday: August 2

Address:

Eric King #27090-045
USP Florence ADMAX
Post Office Box 8500
Florence, Colorado 81226

Bill Dunne

Long-term anarchist prisoner held since 1979 for attempting to free another comrade from imprisonment. Through the years Bill has also taught GED classes at almost every prison he has found himself at, helping many prisoners get their GED. Bill is generous, principled, full of integrity and has never wavered from his politics or convictions. Bill continues to stay active politically, helping edit and write 4Struggle Magazine, organizing the yearly Running Down the Walls 5K for political prisoners, and serves on the ABCF Prisoner Committee. You can read some of his writings here.

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 Bill then you’re best off just sending him a card or a letter.

Birthday: August 3

Address:

Bill Dunne #10916-086
FCI Victorville Medium I
PO Box 3725
Adelanto, California 92301

Lawrence Michaels

A former Vaughn 17 defendant, and contributor to the Vaughn zines, “Live from the Trenches” and “United We Stood.” While the state has now dropped its attempts to criminalize Lawrence in relation to the uprising, he, like all of the Vaughn 17, deserves respect and support for making it through the entire process while staying in solidarity with his co-defendants and refusing to co-operate with the prosecution.

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 “NW2894”.

Birthday: August 14

Address:

Smart Communications / PA DOC
Lawrence Michaels – NW2894
SCI Frackville
P.O. Box 33028
St. Petersburg, FL 33733

Hanif Shabazz Bey (Beaumont Gereau)

One of the Virgin Island 3, serving 8 consecutive life sentences after being tortured into a false confession then wrongly imprisoned since 2001 when his sentence was vacated.

Hanif is in an institution run by CoreCivic, and it appears that you can email him here.

Birthday: August 16

Address:

Beaumont Gereau #19-1952
Citrus County Detention Facility
2604 W. Woodland Ridge Dr.
Lecanto, FL 34461
United States

Christopher L Young

Queer anarchist prisoner/jailhouse lawyer in Kentucky wishing to start an anarchist book club and get more involved in organizing.

Kentucky uses Securus, so you can send him a message by creating an account at securustech.online, clicking “emessaging – launch account”, then searching his name while selecting “State: Kentucky, Inmate ID: 136515”.

Birthday: August 17

Address:

Christopher L Young #136515
Lee Adjustment Center
168 Lee Adjustment Center Drive
Beattyville, KY 41311

Ronald Reed

Black Liberation prisoner, convicted in 1995 for allegedly shooting a police officer in 1970.

Minnesota uses Jpay, so you can send him a message by going to jpay.com, clicking “inmate search”, then selecting “State: Minnesota, Inmate ID: 219531”.

Birthday: August 31

Address:

Ronald Reed #219531
Minnesota Correctional Facility-Lino Lakes
7525 Fourth Avenue
Lino Lakes, Minnesota 55014