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Jan 1, 21

Prison Break: New Year, Same Struggle for Abolition

With The Marshall Project reporting that 1 in 5 prisoners in the U.S. have had COVID-19, we are beginning the new year with an intense struggle ahead. In the last few weeks it was announced that political prisoners Russell Maroon Shoatz, Mutulu Shakur, Eric King, Rattler, Jaan Laaman, and Joe Dibee have tested positive for COVID-19. Since April, other political prisoners including Marius Mason, Sundiata Acoli, Reality Winner, Jeremy Hammond, and Jalil Muntaqim have also contracted the virus. Elder political prisoners Imam Jamil Al-Amin, Ed Poindexter, David Gilbert, Chip Fitzgerald, Leonard Peltier and numerous others face acute risks due to their continued confinement.

 

 

Looking back at 2020, we welcomed home several political prisoners, including Chuck and Delbert Africa (the last of the MOVE 9 still imprisoned), Ramsey Orta, Chelsea Manning, Red Fawn Fallis, David Campbell, Jay Chase, Jeremy Hammond, and Jalil Muntaqim. We mourn the passing of Delbert Africa in June, though we are glad he was able to do so from outside the prison walls. Since the police killing of George Floyd in May, we have witnessed a rise in people willing to directly confront the system, many of whom are currently facing lengthy prison sentences if convicted. Providing support and solidarity to these groups and individuals will be paramount in the year ahead.

via Charm City ABC

The new 2021 Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners calendar is selling out quickly. Both the artwork and the essay for the month are by political prisoner and Certain Days collective member Xinachtli. All funds go to prison abolitionist organizations and political prisoners in need. You can also use the calendar to raise funds for your own organization or group.

Political Prisoner Birthdays

With four political prisoner birthdays in January, the new year is a great time to throw an online prisoner letter-writing party! The personal touch of a birthday card means so much to those inside, so write a letter, have people sign a card, and show your solidarity with those locked behind bars. Remember that prisoners at Federal prisons (USPs and FCIs) cannot receive cards, colored paper, or colored ink.

January 9th

Warren Ballantine, #19-1878
Citrus County Detention Facility
2604 W. Woodland Ridge Dr.
Lecanto, FL 34461
*Address card/letter to Abdul Aziz

January 14th

Clark Squire*, #39794-066
FCI Cumberland
PO Box 1000
Cumberland, MD 21501
*Address letter to Sundiata Acoli

January 15th

Joseph Bowen*, #AM4272
Smart Communications / PA DOC
SCI Fayette
PO Box 33028
St. Petersburg, FL 33733
*Address card/letter to Joe-Joe

January 26

Marius Mason, #04672-061
FCI Danbury
Route 37
Danbury, CT 06811

Releases

On December 22, Abdulrahman Odeh was released from prison after 15 years, as one of five Palestinians imprisoned in the U.S. as the Holy Land Foundation 5 (HLF5). Of the HLF5, Odeh received the shortest sentence, with the remaining defendants still fighting for their freedom.

Ongoing Cases and Appeals

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has dismissed a petition to remove the DA’s Office from handling the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. What this means for Mumia’s case is yet unknown.

In early December the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against compassionate release for NSA whistleblower Reality Winner. Winner tested positive for COVID-19 in July and has several health issues that are not being addressed. She is eligible for release in November 2021 and is still fighting for clemency.

In December, Rebekah Jones, a former Department of Health data scientist, had her home raided by police in an ongoing whistleblower investigation of COVID-related data. In late December, 22 people were arrested in Minnesota as they protested the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline in solidarity with Indigenous struggles. In St. Paul, Mike Forcia, charged with destruction of a Christopher Columbus statue in the capitol in June, received no conviction in a unique example of restorative justice.

The Kings Bay Plowshares 7—aging Catholic peace activists who symbolically sabotaged nuclear weapons on the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.—are reporting to prison as concerns continue to rise about COVID-19 for those incarcerated. Defendants Carmen Trotta, of the St. Joseph House Catholic Worker in NYC, and Martha Hennessy (Dorothy Day’s granddaughter) reported to prison in mid-December. Clare Grady and Patrick O’Neill report to prison in the coming weeks, while Mark Colville’s sentencing has been delayed until February. Fr. Steve Kelly is already in prison and being transferred, while Elizabeth McAlister (widow of Plowshares co-founder Philip Berrigan) was released after time served. You can read more here, here, and here, with addresses below.

Carmen Trotta, #22561-021
FCI Otisville Satellite Camp
PO Box 1000
Otisville, NY 10963

Martha Hennessy, #22560-021
FCI Danbury
Route 37
Danbury, CT 06811

Transfers

* If you correspond with Doug Wright, note that he has been moved.

Doug Wright, #57973-060
USP Florence – High
PO Box 7000
Florence, CO 81226

In Case You Missed It

  • Members of the Certain Days collective have done several recent interviews/podcasts (here, here, and here) to promo the new 2021 calendar. Listen now and grab a calendar while they’re still available!
  • Starting later this month, former political prisoner and Jericho Movement founder Jalil Muntaqim will be hosting the We Are Our Own Liberators webinar, a six-part series.
  • Eddie Benton-Banai, co-founder of the American Indian Movement and former political prisoner, died late last year.
  • Karen Smith, abolitionist and longtime organizer, also passed away in a fatal car accident at the end of last year.
  • Ruchell Cinque Magee, one of America’s longest held political prisoners, recently released a message speaking of his continued confinement.

  • The Xinachtli Defense Committee and the Central Texas ABC Collective have produced a Tribute to Ricardo Flores Magon, Mexican revolutionary and former political prisoner.
  • “40 Years a Prisoner” is a new documentary exploring the MOVE 9, political prisoners connected to Philadelphia’s back-to-nature organization, which has faced police brutality and state repression since its inception.
  • Victoria Law has written a new piece exploring how the prison system is ill-suited for the health care needs of a quickly aging populace.
  • Check out ProPublica’s recent piece on the current rush of Federal executions, an unprecedented and horrifying move by a departing Trump Justice Department.

Follow Certain Days on Social Media

Facebook: facebook.com/certaindays

Twitter: @certaindays

Instagram: @certaindayscalendar

Certain Days to Keep in Mind

As you’ll notice in your brand new 2021 Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners calendar, January is full of radical and commemorative dates. From Shays’ Rebellion to the Zapatista uprising, Bloody Sunday to Trans Prisoner Day of Justice you’ll be reminded daily of historical and ongoing struggles for justice. Get one now and you won’t be disappointed!

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A yearly calendar featuring writing and artwork of political prisoners. Sales of the calendar go to benefit various radical and political prisoner projects.

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