BK/NY – Tuesday, March 29th – Letter Writing Dinner for Seth Hayes and Jalil Muntaqim
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, March 29th, 2016
WHERE: The Base – 1302 Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11221 (directions below)
NOTE: The Base is on the ground floor, is wheelchair accessible, and has a gender neutral toilet.
COST: Free
How shocked can we really be that the New York State legal system will recommend house arrest for a few months and probation to a cop who murdered Akai Gurley for simply living in the projects while in the same week denying Herman Bell freedom once again by refusing him parole? The State has yet to shy away from their blatant hypocrisies. It is an unneeded reminder of why they have long outstayed their welcome.
Just because the parole system has continued its hubris by effectively re-sentencing our freedom fighting comrades year after year, it does not mean we should cease exhausting every possible option to bring them home to their families and community. Robert “Seth” Hayes and Jalil Muntaquim are both up for parole in the coming months. The parole process takes a lot of effort on both sides of the walls and Seth and Jalil can use all the support they can get.
Jalil Muntaqim is a former Black Panther and Black Liberation Army member who, in 1971, was arrested in California and ultimately convicted for the killing of two New York City cops. In 1974, Muntaqim was convicted and received a prison term of twenty-five years to life. Jalil is a writer, a poet, a scholar, and an educator. He has taken the same persistence and dedication he had on the outside engaging in the Black Liberation struggle to the inside, dedicating his time there to improving the lives of those who have found themselves behind the same bars.
To find out more about Jalil’s parole campaign: http://www.freejalil.com/2016parole.html
Seth Hayes joined the Black Panthers following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. He was drawn to the struggle of Black Liberation that was swelling at the time and put his body to work in the Panther’s medical clinics and free breakfast programs. When the FBI started infiltrating and cracking down on the Party and its supporters, Seth, like many others, decided to take the struggle underground and joined the Black Liberation Army. In 1973, following a shootout with police, Seth was arrested and convicted of the murder of a New York City police officer. Since his incarceration, Seth has continued the struggle by doing what he can to improve the lives of others on the inside by mentoring and educating them. Seth also has faced several life threatening health problems recently due to the medical neglect he faces while in the State’s custody.
For more about Seth’s parole campaign: http://www.jerichony.org/sethparole2016.html
Fundraiser for Seth’s fight for life and freedom: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/810a58
If are unable to join us on Tuesday, you can still write to Seth and Jalil:
The deal, as always, is that you come bringing only yourself (and your friends and comrades), and we provide you with a delicious vegan meal, information about the prisoners as well as all of the letter-writing materials and prisoner-letter-writing info you could ever want to use in one evening. In return, you write a thoughtful letter to a political prisoner or prisoner of war of your choosing or, better yet, keep up a long-term correspondence. We’ll also provide some brief updates and pass around birthday cards for the PP/POWs whose birthdays fall in the next two weeks thanks to the PP/POW Birthday Calendar.
Illustrated Guide Version 11.2 Now Uploaded!
We’ve finished the latest version of the NYC ABC “Illustrated Guide to Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War” and it’s available for viewing (and download) by clicking on the tab at the top of this page. This update includes updated mini-bios, photos, and address changes for several prisoners as well as removes Albert Woodfox (released!) and Mondo we Langa (deceased, rest in power).
BK/NY – Tuesday, March 15th – Letter Writing Dinner for Brian Vaillancourt
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, March 15th, 2016
WHERE: The Base – 1302 Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11221 (directions below)
NOTE: The Base is on the ground floor, is wheelchair accessible, and has a gender neutral toilet.
COST: Free
This has been quite the weekend if you are engaged in political prisoner support in NYC. In Manhattan, there was the premiere of the first installment of “Inside the Activist Studio” featuring their first guest, released political prisoner Sekou Odinga. Just a few blocks away was the first film shown in a series in support of political prisoner Leonard Peltier. In Brooklyn, there was a fundraiser in solidarity with transgender prisoners which raised funds for Black & Pink. Not too far from there will be a fundraiser for recently released political prisoner Albert Woodfox.
Now that we know you have the ability and energy to be in at least three places at once, we know you will have no problem joining NYC ABC this Tuesday as we write Brian Vaillancourt. Brian was arrested in early 2013 for allegedly attempting “to burn down a slaughterhouse known as McDonalds.” He was sentenced to 9 years in prison. In a letter published by the EarthFirst! Newswire, Brian made this statement: “It is not enough to be compassionate. We must act! Action out of compassion–when something needs to be done in the world to rectify the wrongs, if one is really concerned with helping our voiceless & planet, one needs to be engaged, involved.”
If you will not be joining us for a warm vegan meal, please write to Brian:
fffa
Brian Vaillancourt
M42889
Robinson Correctional Center
13423 East 1150th Avenue
Robinson, Illinois 62454
BK/NY – Saturday, March 5th – Hardcore Benefit for NYC ABC
WHAT: Concert
WHEN: 8pm sharp, Saturday, March 5th, 2016
WHERE: AVIV – 496 Morgan Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11222 (directions below)
COST: $8-12, sliding scale
We’re not writing this to get all misty eyed, but there are a couple of things that make us genuinely appreciative– the support of amazing bands and the knowledge that in a world that seems to be in an infinite downward spiral there is still a subculture bound to resistance. On March 5th, come to AVIV, have some fun, and support NYC Anarchist Black Cross & The Base. All funds raised will fund the support of U.S. held political prisoners and the only public anarchist social space in Brooklyn.
The bands playing are:
Mad Diesel (Beatdown Powerviolence, NYHC)
CLAW (Maryland Queer/Vegan/Feminist D-beat)
Lucid Terror (Brooklyn Thrash/Death/Grind)
Miscegenator (Brooklyn Crust Punk)
Folklore (NYC Punk)
BK/NY – Tuesday, March 1st – International Women’s Day Political Prisoner Card Writing Dinner
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, March 1st, 2016
WHERE: The Base – 1302 Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11221 (directions below)
NOTE: The Base is on the ground floor, is wheelchair accessible, and has a gender neutral toilet.
COST: Free
With International Women’s Day approaching is it important to acknowledge the often forgotten radical history of the day itself, which is steeped in political action and uprisings from anticapitalist women in the early 1900’s. The histories of the day itself, the participation of women in all revolutionary and radical struggles, and how the State incarcerates women are constantly being whitewashed. With fighting that tendency in mind, we will be writing cards to six women political prisoners at this Tuesday’s letter writing dinner.
Please join us to hear about and write to Debbie Africa (MOVE), Janet Africa (MOVE), Janine Africa (MOVE), Chelsea Manning (military whistleblower), Rev. Joy Powell (anti-police violence organizer), and Rebecca Rubin (ELF/ALF).
If for whatever reason you cannot join us, we hope you will still write to them:
Debbie Sims Africa #OO6307
SCI Cambridge Springs
451 Fullerton Avenue
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania 16403
Janet Holloway Africa #OO6308
SCI Cambridge Springs
451 Fullerton Avenue
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania 16403
Janine Phillips Africa #OO6309
SCI Cambridge Springs
451 Fullerton Avenue
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania 16403
Chelsea E. Manning 89289
1300 North Warehouse Road
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027-2304
Reverend Joy Powell #07-G-0632
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 1000
Bedford Hills, New York 10507-2499
Rebecca Rubin #98290-011
FCI Dublin
5701 8th Street – Camp Parks
Dublin, California 94568
We would also like to remind people that anarchist political prisoner, Eric King was recently denied the request for new counsel and has been placed in the hole after his unit was on lockdown this week. There is a call out to send him postcards and letters to help him during this tumultuous time. We will have postcards available on Tuesday to send to him, but if you will not be joining us we encourage you to send some supporting words his way at:
BK/NY – Saturday, February 27th – The Spaces Between
WHAT: The Spaces Between
WHEN: 7:00pm, Saturday, February 27th, 2016
WHERE: The Base – 1302 Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11221 (directions below)
NOTE: The Base is on the ground floor, is wheelchair accessible, and has a gender neutral toilet.
COST: Free
All too often anarchists in the United States look to places like Oakland or New York for cues of how to get it done, though most of us don’t live in those cities.
This tour features friends from Denver, Colorado and Richmond, Virginia coming to talk about what it looks like for anarchists outside cities with longstanding institutional left bases. We think there is a lot to learn from the less glamorous towns and small cities where anarchists continue fighting in spite of it all. Sharing our experiences of building, failing, rebuilding, fucking it up and sometimes winning, we hope to strike up conversations with friends. Let’s talk community defense work, anti-police struggles, combating gentrification warfare, how not to let the liberals get us down and more.
Illustrated Guide Version 11.1 Now Uploaded!
We’ve finished the latest version of the NYC ABC “Illustrated Guide to Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War” and it’s available for viewing (and download) by clicking on the tab at the top of this page. This update includes updated mini-bios, photos, and address changes for several prisoner.
