Kite Lite: J11 Reflections on Marius Mason’s Journey Through Federal Prison

This June 11th, anti-prison radio and podcast show Kite Line brings us this special episode on Marius Mason, a long-term anarchist prisoner.

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This week, we speak to two long-term supporters of Marius Mason, a long-term anarchist prisoner. He is currently held in a federal women’s facility in Danbury, Connecticut, despite years of struggle inside for recognition of his identity as a transman, and his advocacy for other trans prisoners to be able to access support and medical care. He was sentenced a decade ago to 22 years in prison for his role in a campaign of eco-sabotage, in which he damaged genetic engineering facilities, logging equipment, and condo developments encroaching on wild areas.

Given the dignity with which he has faced his long sentence, Marius has become an important reference point for June 11^th, an annual day of solidarity for long-term anarchist prisoners, beginning with Jeffrey Luers, who was sentenced to two decades behind bars for another act of ecological sabotage with the Earth Liberation Front. Luers successfully fought to have his sentence reduced, leading to his release, but many other prisoners around the world suffer long sentences for their participation in environmental, anti-fascist, and anti-capitalist struggles.  June 11^th is a reminder to the rest of us that these prisoners are holding strong inside, year after year, even as the movements outside evolve and change shape. In this episode, we also share Marius’ statement for June 11^th, 2019, in which he urges us to “learn to be like water,” flowing with these movements, learning from our mistakes and continuing to “push forward towards freedom.”