Rebel Prisoner Birthdays for January

Inspired by the spirit of the Political Prisoners Birthday crew, here’s a short listing of some rebel prisoners who have upcoming birthdays in January. For an an introduction on how to write to prisoners and some things to do and not to do, go here. If you have the time, please also check IWOC’s listing of prisoners facing retaliation for prison strike-related organizing. Also, happy birthday to Herman Bell, who will be celebrating his birthdays in freedom this year for the first time in decades!

Fran Thompson

Serving life plus 10 years for killing a man who broke into her home in self-defense. Before her imprisonment, Fran was an eco, animal and anti-nuke campaigner and it is believed this biased the court against her.

Birthday: January 4

Address:
Fran Thompson #1090915
CCC
3151 Litton Drive
Chillicothe, MO 64601
USA

Siddique Abdullah Hasan (Carlos Sanders)

Long-time prison rebel on Death Row for his role in the Lucasville Uprising of 1993. Facing heavy retaliation, including attempts to smear him as a terrorist, for his ongoing support of prison strikes.

Birthday: January 4

Address:
Siddique Abdullah Hasan (Address envelope to Carlos A. Sanders)
#R130559
Ohio State Penitentiary
PO Box 1436
Youngstown, Ohio 44505

Jeremy Hammond
Anarchist hacker serving a decade in prison for leaking information about corporate spying and espionage.

Birthday: January 8

Address:
Jeremy is currently in the middle of a punitive transfer at the time of writing but will hopefully have a more stable address soon, check his page for confirmation before sending anything.

Abdul Azeez (Warren Ballentine)

Abdul is 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. He was 23 at the time of his arrest in 1972. Now in his 60s, he has several chronic health issues that are difficult to treat inside prison.

Birthday: January 9

Address:
Warren Ballentine #16-047
Tallahatchie Correctional Facility​
415 US Highway 49N
Tutwiler, MS 38963
United States

Sundiata Acoli (Clark Squire)

Former Black Panther/Black Liberation Army prisoner, codefendant of Assata Shakur, serving life plus 30 years for a shootout between the BLA and New Jersey state troopers. In 2016, he was again denied parole and given a 15-year hit so he will not be eligible again until 2032 when he is 94 years old.

Birthday: January 14

Address:
Sundiata Acoli #39794-066 (address envelope to Clark Squire)
FCI Cumberland
Federal Correctional Institution
P.O. BOX 1000
Cumberland, MD 21501
USA

Joseph “Joe-Joe” Bowen

Black Liberation Army (BLA) Prisoner of War, serving two life sentences for the assassination of a prison warden and deputy warden, as well as an attempted prison break which resulted in a five-day standoff.

Birthday: January 15

Address:
In 2018, the PA Dept of Corrections instituted a restrictive mail policy where all mail to prisoners must be sent through a mail processing facility in Florida where all correspondence is scanned, copied and then the copy is mailed to the prisoner. There is an active campaign to get Gov. Wolf to repeal the restrictive policy so that friends and family members can send mail such as greeting cards again.
Smart Communications/PADOC – Joseph Bowen #AM-4272
SCI Coal Township
P.O. Box 33028
St. Petersburg, FL 33733
United States

Jacob Montgomery

Ferguson uprising prisoner, serving a 13-year sentence which is partly for looting during the Ferguson riots of November 2014, along with unrelated robbery and burglary charges.

Birthday: January 17

Address:
Jacob Montgomery #1287870
South Central Correctional Center
255 West Highway 32
Licking, MO 65542
USA

Marius Mason

Marius Mason is an anarchist, environmental and animal rights activist currently serving nearly 22 years in federal prison for acts of property damage carried out in defense of the planet.

Birthday: January 26

Address:
Marie (Marius) Mason
04672-061
FMC Carswell
PO Box 27137
Fort Worth, TX 76127

Roman Shankaras

One of the Vaughn 17 prisoners currently facing charges for alleged participation in an uprising in early 2017.

Birthday: January 31

Address:
Roman Shankaras
SBI# 00376142
Sussex Correctional Institution
P.O. Box 500
Georgetown DE 19947
USA