In Contempt #47: Trump Administration Gears Up to Attack Anti-War Movement

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!

On the Future of this Column

The US/online anarchist media space is going through a process of change at the moment, and this column is not immune from that. So far, this column has been primarily a one-person effort, but collective projects are always more stable than individual ones, and the more people that get involved, the more chance the project will have of surviving if the main contributor gets hit by a bus, feels like a break or catches a charge. If you’re involved in any kind of anti-repression or prisoner support work and there’s any aspect of it that you think people should hear about, please send reports and descriptions into this column. If you don’t have a project that you want to publicize yourself, but you have time and energy to help collect news about other people’s, that’s very welcome too.

Call for New Year’s Eve Noise Demonstrations

It’s that time of the year! The New York Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) has put out a call:

This is a call for a raucous night of strong solidarity with those imprisoned by the state on one of the noisiest nights of the year. On New Year’s Eve gather your crew, collective, community, organization, or just yourself and come together to raise a racket and remind those on the inside that they are not alone.

Internationally, noise demonstrations outside of prisons are a way to remember those who are held captive by the state and a way to show solidarity with imprisoned comrades and loved ones. We come together to break the loneliness and isolation.

Wherever you are, meet on New Year’s Eve at the prisons, jails, and detention centers, be loud in solidarity with those imprisoned and to push forward the idea of a world free from domination.

Read the full call here! If you’re in Brooklyn, NY on NYE, check out the call here.

Political Prisoner News

The support crew for long-term indigenous political prisoner Xinachtli has put out a new statement and call for donations which you can read here.

Long-term Native political prisoner Leonard Peltier has been released from hospital back into prison, but still needs ongoing medical care, and so there’s an ongoing call for people to pressure politicians and prison staff to provide Leonard with the medical care that he needs. Amnesty International also is pressuring the outgoing Biden administration to grant Peltier a pardon.

The Rattling the Cages series of talks continues, with the most recent talks including “Until All Are Free” with Eric King, Jason Hammond and Jeremy Hammond:

And “Revolutionary Women Behind Bars” with Linda Evans, Laura Whitehorn, and Nicole Kissane:

Upcoming events in early December include a Bread & Roses webinar on political prisoners with Eric King and Josh Davidson, and a talk on becoming politicized in prison with Hector “Bori” Rodriguez and Farhan Ahmed.

The 2025 Certain Days calendar is now available for order, and you can also help to get it into prisons by using the “order for prisoners” option here.

Former anarchist prisoner Eric King has put out a call for support:

Friends Rochelle and I were married by the state behind bars 8 years ago. It was behind glass, we could kiss and hug. The states robbed us of this. December 14th, at 1pm, Rochelle and I will be having our Free Wedding, a hand binding ceremony. This is our wedding on our terms. Liberation through love. Two days later we are going on our FIRST HONEYMOON! These apparently are expensive lol. I am doing a small Venmo Fundraiser to help with the Honeymoon and wedding stuff.

An event was held in Philadelphia recently to raise medical funds for Dhoruba Bin Wahad, a former Black Panther/Black Liberation Army political prisoner. Unicorn Riot has video coverage from the event, check it out here.

Ongoing Cases

Following an action against Israeli weapons company Elbit in Merrimack, New Hampshire, four people have now been given 60-day prison sentences, having managed to defeat the attempt to bring felony charges against them. You can read an interview with the defendants here, and see more quotes from them here. You can write to them at:

Calla Walsh
Paige Belanger
Bridget Shergalis
Sophie Ross

All at:

445 Willow St, Manchester,
New Hampshire
03103

Additionally, Paige and Calla have booklists up. Like many other industries, the arms industry also uses prison labor.

Ottawa police have made a number of arrests against Palestine solidarity activists, first arresting four people at a demonstration, and then arresting an organizer on charges including “counseling mischief.” See commentary from Canadian anarchist Cedar here.

Support Flyer for the Northumberland 2

Philly ABC are running a support fund for Cara and Celeste, the “Northumberland 2” facing charges for an alleged mink liberation action. The Northumberland 2 are currently out of jail, and you can email we-support-cc@proton.me if you would like to get into contact with their support crew. For more background on the case, check out this article from Unicorn Riot.

Unoffensive Animal are currently selling t-shirts and art prints to help fundraise for their legal costs, and a fundraiser dance party will be held in Portland on Friday, 13th December. From Unoffensive Animal:

Last month we released a pre-order only fundraiser, selling t-shirts and art prints to raise funds for Cara and Celeste, who are facing trial accused of being involved in a mink liberation in the USA.

We have received a few orders and reached the minimum to print t-shirts, but it would be great if we could raise extra funds, so please have a look and grab yourself a print, or a collection of prints, or a t-shirt or three! If you order both a t-shirt and a print collection, we will send some free stickers designed by Praxis with your order!

Check out the swag and more info here.

The Anarchist Black Cross Federation have posted profiles of Amber Smith-Stewart and Caleb Freestone, the two prisoners who were sentenced to a month and a year respectively for pro-choice graffiti. Amber Smith-Stewart is currently due for release on November 27th.

Stop Cop City defendant John “Jack” Mazurek was briefly recalled to jail and then released after a successful call-in campaign. An update from Jack’s support committee also sadly notes:

In a desperate attempt to continue to repress the movement against cop city and it’s alleged participants, the state has thrown another charge at Jack stemming from the raid on his house in February. After 10 months, the DA has decided to charge Jack with felony drug possession for mushrooms that were allegedly found on the property during the raid. Anyone who knows Jack knows the irony of this and that he has been sober for over a decade.

Nevertheless, on November 7^th, Jack was forced to turn himself in to Fulton County Jail and spend the night in jail before being bonded out again on this new charge. We see Jack’s charges for what they are, a desperate attempt to instill fear in communities engaged in struggle. We remain committed to supporting Jack on his continued journey to fight his case and send our love to all of those on this journey with us. Please continue to talk about jack’s case, table at events, and donate to the Givebutter to help pay for Jack’s legal fees.

Anarchist prisoner Casey Goonan is diabetic and their support crew are asking people to help raise funds for food. Donations can be sent to juliepetersonG on venmo or you can purchase food directly via icaregifts.com.

Minneapolis George Floyd Uprising defendant Montez Lee has submitted a new legal appeal against his sentence. Georgia defendant Richard Hunsinger was released at the end of November, and you can support them post-release by donating here. In Portland, Uprising defendant Cyan Bass is due for release on December 1st, and a pie-eating contest is being organized to celebrate the occasion. Malik Muhammad, another Portland Uprising prisoner, recently held a hunger strike, which finished after 9 days, having won important concessions from the prison.

A defendant is due to appear in court in Portland on December 2nd on a trespassing charge related to a demo for Sonya Massey. They no longer qualify for a public defender and are urgently fundraising for legal costs, with donations to be sent to $kakincass on cashapp or cassidykakin@gmail.com on paypal or Zelle.

People in Eugene, Oregon, are organizing to support 19 people facing charges for a Palestine solidarity action from April. You can find a short zine listing all their upcoming court dates here.

A new project has started posting prisoner support zines to archive.org. The with_whatever_weapons collection currently includes zines on Cara & Celeste, the Merrimack 4, Casey Goonan, the Florida 4, and prisoners from the George Floyd Uprising.

Daniel Andreas San Diego, who has been wanted by the FBI in connection with two animal liberation actions from 2003, was arrested by counter-terrorist police in Wales, UK, in late November. According to a report from the Animal Liberation Front Press Office, former animal liberation prisoner Peter Young reported that he was offered a “deal” by the FBI to find Daniel Andreas San Diego, which Young promptly refused.

Self-Immolations at Red Onion

The Viriginia Defender has published an article on conditions at Red Onion prison in Virginia, where at least two prisoners are known to have set themselves on fire in order to be transferred out. This issue was first publicized by Kevin “Rashid” Johnson, who managed to record a message about it which you can listen to here.

A report from The Guardian wrote:

Several incarcerated people in Virginia’s high-security Red Onion state prison have intentionally burned themselves in a protest against harsh conditions at the facility.

A written statement from Virginia’s department of corrections acknowledged that men imprisoned there had harmed themselves, although the authorities confirmed six incidents while others reported that 12 men were injured.

“In recent months, six inmates at Red Onion state prison have burned themselves using improvised devices that were created by tampering with electrical outlets,” the director of Virginia’s department of corrections, Chad Dotson, said in a written statement.

Dotson’s announcement comes after reporting from the incarcerated journalist Kevin “Rashid” Johnson, who first drew attention to self-harm at the state facility in October through his work on Prison Radio, a non-profit activist organization.

Johnson reported that he had met an individual in September named Ekong Eshiet, who claimed to have returned from the hospital the day before after being treated for self-inflicted burns. On Prison Radio, Johnson said Eshiet had told him that “the racism and abuses, the hard and inhumane conditions at Red Onion, were so intolerable that he and others were setting themselves on fire in desperate attempts to be transferred away from the prison”.

About a week later, Prison Radio also released an audio recording from Ekong Eshiet himself, in which Eshiet talked about how he had started a hunger strike since returning from being treated for his burns. He said he was protesting “discrimination”, which he says he has to deal with every day at Red Onion.

Read the full article here.

Phone and Email Zaps

A phone and email zap is due to be organized in support of Lucasville prisoner Greg Curry, who is currently being held in restrictive housing at Toledo Correctional Institute, and has had all his property confiscated. Supporters are being asked to call the prison and to email the warden, deputy warden, and senior figures within ODRC.

Another phone and email zap has been called targeting the California prison system in response to a race-based lockdown targeting Black prisoners at Kern Valley State Prison.

As of November 12th, IDOC Watch were asking for phone calls and emails in support of Nike Haynie, a trans woman held in Wabash Valley CF, a men’s prison in Indiana.

Shut ‘Em Down 2024

Jailhouse Lawyers Speak have called for a week of actions from December 6-13 under the title Shut ‘Em Down. Actions currently confirmed include several events from Tacoma IWW and a letter-writing event organized by Portland ABC.

General Prison News and Abolitionist Media Updates

A public event in support of Lucasville Uprising prisoner Greg Curry was organized in Detroit on November 10th. You can keep up with news from Greg’s support crew at the Have You Seen Greg Curry? Instagram page. Also on November 10th, an event was held in Philadelphia for the Rebellious Hearts book, with Dwayne “BIM” Staats and Jarreau “Ruk” Ayers of the Vaughn 17 calling in, along with an appearance from ex-prisoner Shaykh Ali.

An online event, Censored by Prisons, Censored by TedX, is being organized for December 3rd, and will feature incarcerated writers Kwaneta Harris, Lyle C. May and Rayne Vylette discussing prison censorship.

Michigan Abolition and Prisoner Solidarity have released a new issue of their zine The Opening Statement.

The No Trace project have published three security proposals for the international anarchist movement.

A new digital archive has been created to highlight the work of jailhouse lawyers.

The Jericho Movement have released a statement in support of Samidoun, the Palestinian prisoner support network facing increased state repression.

Truthout has a report on the movement to abolish family policing along with a piece on Russel Shoatz new autobiography, I Am Maroon.

The House of Representatives has voted to pass HR 9495, a bill allowing the government to designate non-profits as “terrorist supporting” and take away their status. The bill is mostly opposed by Democrats now that they know it’ll be used by the incoming Trump administration, but had wide support from both parties when first introduced. The bill now heads to the Senate to be voted on there.

It’s Going Down has published a reportback from a fight weekend that was held in North Carolina as a fundraiser for anarchist prisoner Michael Kimble.

Mongoose Distro are selling shirts to fundraise for their ongoing work.

The Louisiana Senate is due to vote on a constitutional amendment designed to make it easier to send young teenagers to adult prisons.

The University of North Carolina is expanding its use of AI surveillance to crack down on Palestine solidarity protests.

Scalawag Magazine has published a report on how Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has attempted to criminalize migrant solidarity work on the Mexican border.

Recent episodes of the Final Straw Radio have covered women’s prisons in North Carolina and resistance to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. Kite Line Radio recently broadcast “Addicted to Losing”, a presentation first given at the Philadelphia Anti-Repression Convergence.

“How to Defend Yourself During A Police Interrogation”, a book originally published in French and German, has just been translated into English, and the authors are looking for publishers to produce physical copies of the English version.

NBC News also has a new article on what to expect from Trump’s forces under the new administration:

Judging from what has been pushed thus far, there are several legal measures most likely to be used once Trump returns to Washington. One would be deporting foreign college students in the U.S. on a visa after they’re found to have openly advocated for Hamas or another U.S.-designated terror group, or after they participated in an unauthorized campus protest and were suspended, expelled or jailed.

Another measure would be to pursue federal prosecutions of demonstrators who block synagogue entrances or disrupt Jewish speakers at events. A third approach is to charge protest leaders and nonprofits that aid in fundraising for protest groups with failing to register with the U.S. Justice Department as an “agent of a foreign principal.” And a fourth avenue is to open investigations into protest leaders who are in direct contact with U.S.-designated terror groups while advocating on their behalf.

…America First Legal has in the past year filed four lawsuits that provide a glimpse into how the Trump administration could differ from its predecessor. America First Legal alleges in the suits that the State Department, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education have protected pro-Hamas extremists.

In court papers and in letters to several federal oversight officials, America First Legal has also said it believes the Justice Department should have forced several leaders of pro-Palestinian groups to report themselves under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, known as FARA, which requires individuals acting as “an agent of a foreign principal” to register themselves with the Justice Department.

Read the full article here.

International

The UK state has launched a new wave of arrests, using anti-terror laws to target people alleged to be connected to actions against the arms industry. Two members of the “Thales 5”, another group of Palestine solidarity prisoners, have failed to overturn their convictions but have had their sentences reduced to 10 months. British police have also recently launched a crackdown on the Kurdish movement in the UK, arresting six people at a Kurdish community centre.

Also in the UK, anarchist prisoner Toby Shone is finally free. Shortly before his release, he was able to publish “Unsurprising Fact”, an article about state surveillance of anyone in contact with him, and was then hit with new restrictions for publishing the article.

A French court has ordered the release of Lebanese revolutionary prisoner Georges Ibrahim Abdallah, who is now due for release on December 6.

The Spanish state has started to crack down on the Samidoun network, following the examples of Germany, the US and Canada. Palestinian solidarity activists in Denmark put out a call for global demonstrations outside Danish embassies on November 26th, after the Danish state launched raids against seven houses. One person has been remanded to prison without access to letters or visits.

Palestinian political prisoner Mohammed Abu Warda has started his 23rd year inside the Israeli prison system, while doctor Adnan Al-Bursh is reported to have been tortured to death in an Israeli prison.

Spanish anarchist prisoner Toni Chavero Mejías has begun a hunger strike in solidarity with Chilean prisoner Marcelo Villarroel.

Solidarity actions are being organized for Nikos Romanos, a well-known Greek anarchist arrested after an explosion in an Athens flat. The Greek police also recently arrested a 17-year-old anarchist in Messolonghi. Marianna, another Greek anarchist who was seriously injured in the explosion, has been transferred to Korydallos, a prison which does not have a hospital.

Palestine Solidarity Prisoners

Calla Walsh
Paige Belanger
Bridget Shergalis
Sophie Ross

All at:

445 Willow St, Manchester,
New Hampshire
03103

Uprising Defendants

See Uprising Support for more info, and check out the Antirepression PDX site for updates from Portland cases. You can also check With Whatever Weapons for regularly-updated zines listing current prisoners. To the best of our knowledge they currently include:

Tyre Means 49981-086
USP Victorville
US Penitentiary
P.O. Box 3900
Adelanto, CA 92301

Margaret Channon 49955-086
FCI Tallahassee
P.O. Box 5000
Tallahassee, FL 32314

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

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

Matthew White #21434-041
USP Terre Haute
PO Box 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808

Matthew Rupert #55013-424
USP Big Sandy
US Penitentiary
P.O. Box 2068
Inez, KY 41224

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

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

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

Khalif Miller #70042-066
USP Big Sandy
U.S. Penitentiary
P.O. Box 2068
Inez, KY 41224

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

John Wade #1003510744
PO Box 3877
Jackson, GA 30233

Diego Vargas 55070-424
FCI Schuylkill
PO Box 759
Minersville, PA 17954

Aline Espinosa-Villegas #22814-509
FMC Carswell
P.O. Box 27137
Fort Worth, Texas 76127

Address letter to Angel, address envelope to Aline A Espinosa-Villegas.

Mujera Benjamin Lunga’ho #08572-509
FCI Forrest City Medium
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 3000
Forrest City, AR 72336

Christopher Tindal 04392-509
FCI Cumberland
PO Box 1000
Cumberland, MD 21501

Upcoming Birthdays

Kevin “Rashid” Johnson

Rashid has been an outspoken revolutionary prisoner for years and is highly active with the New Afrikan Black Panther Party and the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee, facing harsh repression for his organizing and position as one of the public faces of the prison strike movement. He is currently fighting for adequate medical treatment after being diagnosed with cancer, and as noted above he may be facing an interstate transfer.

Virginia uses Jpay, so you can send him a message by going to jpay.com, clicking “inmate search,” then selecting “State: Virginia, Inmate ID: 1007485,” although Rashid’s access to mail including JPays may well be censored.

Birthday: December 3

Address:

Kevin “Rashid” Johnson #1007485
Red Onion State Prison
10800 H. Jack Rose Hwy.
Pound, VA 24279

Fred “Muhammad” Burton

Fred Burton is one of the Philly 5, a group of men accused of an alleged attack on a police station that left one officer killed. He was sentenced to a life term for murder. Burton has maintained his innocence since his arrest. His preferred name is Muhammad, but envelopes should be addressed to Fred Burton.

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 “AF3896”.

Birthday: December 15

Address:

Smart Communications/PA DOC
Fred Burton
AF3896
SCI Somerset
Post Office Box 33028
St Petersburg, Florida
33733

Alejandro Rodriguez-Ortiz

A former Vaughn 17 defendant. While the state has now dropped its attempts to criminalize Alejandro in relation to the uprising, all Vaughn-related prisoners continue to be targets for retaliation. Years later, these prisoners are still being abused for staying in solidarity with one another against the state.

Birthday: December 17

Address:

Alejandro Rodriguez-Ortiz, SBI 515700
Delaware DOC – 1101
PO Box 96777
Las Vegas, NV 89193

Julio A. Zuniga

Julio “Comrade Z” Zuniga is an anarchist prisoner, writer, artist, and IWW/IWOC member held in Texas. You can see some of his work at his instagram page, and check Mongoose Distro for some of his writings.

Birthday: December 23

Address:

Note: Texas prisons banned all greeting cards and postcards, although this policy may have changed as a result of the move to a fully digital mail system. Texas now 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: Texas, Inmate ID: 1961551”. Or to send him a letter on standard white paper that complies with Texas restrictions, write to:

TDCJ
Julio A. Zuniga #1961551
PO Box 660400
Dallas, TX 75266-0400

Casey Brezik

Anarchist prisoner serving time in Missouri.

Missouri uses Securus, so you should be able to send him a message by going to securustech.online, clicking “inmate search”, then selecting “State: Missouri, Inmate ID: 1154765.”

Birthday: December 30

Address:

Casey Brezik #1154765
South Central Correctional Center
255 West Highway 32
Licking, MO 65542

Jonathan Rodriguez

A former Vaughn 17 defendant. While the state has now dropped its attempts to criminalize Jonathan in relation to the uprising, all Vaughn-related prisoners continue to be targets for retaliation. Years later, these prisoners are still being abused for staying in solidarity with one another against the state.

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 “NU0434.”

Birthday: December 31

Address:

Smart Communications / PA DOC
Jonathan Rodriguez – NU0434
SCI Rockview
PO Box 33028
St. Petersburg, FL, 33733

Photo: pies for event benefiting political prisoners via @evdas