In an message to the New York City Jericho Movement, made public on September 4th, Robert Seth Hayes, a long-term political prisoner incarcerated for his role in the 1970s black liberation struggle, confirmed that he still has not received the potentially life-saving monitor he needs for his insulin pump.
Repression for the September 2016 Prisoner Strike continues to this day. One example is Florida prisoner Julius Smith currently at Hamilton CI.
If there is one thing those doing prison advocacy learn quickly, it’s that the official statements from prison officials never provide a full account of negative conditions and abuses. Looking into the impact of Hurricane Harvey, this is especially true; but looking out for how the aftermath will be handled, this is even more daunting for those who have no voice. Though prisoners endured Hurricane Harvey with the rest of us, aid and concern for their well-being has been slow to follow, leaving basic human needs up to the discretion of prison administrators.
From Kado:
An article from Bennu Hannibal of the Free Alabama Movement about their strategy for 2018.
The weekend of August 19 2017, amid the second nationwide inside/outside mass protest against prison slavery in as many years, Jacobin Magazine published an article against prison abolition entitled How to End Mass Incarceration by Roger Lancaster. Jacobin caught a lot of deserved flack from abolitionists on social media for it. Numerous scholars, organizers and journalists decried Lancaster's article, creating such an online storm that Jacobin decided to publish a response article entitledWhat Abolitionists Dopenned by Dan Berger, Mariame Kaba and David Stein. Unfortunately, this response fails to fully critique Lancaster's arguments and instead sells other abolitionists out.
Fans of the band Insane Clown Posse (ICP), referred to as Juggalos, have been targets of state repression since being designated a “hybrid gang” by the FBI in 2011. The band’s logo, frequently called a “hatchetman,” has been deemed a gang symbol. This has resulted in harassment by local and federal police for having an ICP sticker or tattoo.
August 19th was the international day of solidarity for prisoners’ rights. Throughout the country, prison abolition groups planned events and worked in solidarity with the main march on Washington D.C.
Denver joined dozens of other cities for a Millions for Prisoners call for an end to prison slavery. Protesters marched on the Denver Women's Correctional Facility and GEO Detention Centre. On the inside, nearly 100 women at the Denver Women's Correctional Facility refused chow in honor of the day.
On Saturday, August 19, 50-100 people gathered in Kanas City to participate in the national "Millions for Prisoners' Human Rights" rally against prison slavery and suffering, called by Jailhouse Lawyers Speaks and the IamWE Prison Advocacy Network. Alison, of the KC Greens, writes:
