Sekou Cinque T. M. Kambui on Prisoner Support

http://prisonactivist.org/pps+pows/sekou-kambui-st.html

Sekou Cinque T. M. Kambui

Rather than using this forum to address my own personal needs for support,
I would like to take this opportunity to address a crucial issue that
involves all of us - the lack of national coordination among all our
individual defense/support groups. This lack of coordination is not the
fault of the small support groups whose interest is generally one
particular prisoner or small group of prisoners; this deficiency is
created by the lack of a specific, nationally organized committee to speak
out against the growing and continued imprisonment of political prisoners
and prisoners of war. For many years now, we have awaited a concerted
effort by some of our better known national-level organizations; the
response has continued to be weak, and the coordination fragmented and
most often factional. Many of our brothers and sisters are without any
support and almost no outside contact; our responsibility is to come to
their aid as well as to the aid of our better-known prisoners. The growing
brutality as evidenced by Control Units, maximum segregation units, and
physical torture, the increased use of the death penalty - all signal the
immediate demand for coordinated support on behalf of not only political
prisoners and prisoners of war, but also the tens of thousands of our
brothers and sisters presently brutalized by this racist, oppressive
system.

The numerous independent support committees should give serious thought to
establishing support for these brothers and sisters without any outside
aid. Even letters of support for upcoming parole hearings or letters of
outrage directed to wardens and superintendents of prisons are important
for somebody to do. In this way, if and when a brother is suddenly locked
down or transferred, somebody outside knows and responds to his need. Such
immediate response may be the only thing standing between that brother and
brutalization and/or death. Prisons hate outside interference, and we all
need to insure that we provide that interference as often and as directly
as possible.

On national levels, the organizations which have over the years called
themselves "the voice of the New Afrikan or Puerto Rican or Native
American" must take the responsibility to insure that our smaller defense
committees are supported at parole hearings or in the governor's office -
or wherever might be necessary to indicate to these officials that our
wives, loved ones, and supporters are not alone in their fight. No
prisoner should be without support at a parole hearing; newspapers which
concentrate upon specific groups of political prisoners and prisoners of
war should insure that a representative is available at these meetings to
report to the people the activities taking place at these hearings. Such
activity, of course, demands that these national organizations know the
parole dates and other specific dates of each prisoner that may concern
the need for support, both physical and emotional.

Such coordinated effort is an absolute necessity in these days of even
more reactionary/oppressive government restrictions. The federal anti-
crime bill is screaming for prisoners to serve 85% of their terms before
gaining parole eligibility. States are being forced to accede to this time
frame if they hope to obtain federal funds. What is 85% of life? We can no
longer sit back, depending upon our small support groups who are
struggling to survive. We must speak out aggressively in a coordinated,
supportive effort and make ourselves hear. Time magazine has just reported
that for the first time in history, the number of prisoners (in the United
States) has gone over one million - 1,012,851 to be exact. Such incredible
numbers prove that there are also millions of potential supporters for all
of us - the families and loved ones of these one million men and women.

One of the greatest problems faced by the support groups - most often
family and loved ones of the prisoner - is isolation from other one
another and from society in general. Nobody cares about prisoners, and
nobody wants to hear abut our needs or the needs of our families. The
criminalization of our communities, which includes our families, must be
openly attacked if we are to raise a public consciousness around the whole
issue of political prisoners and prisoners of war and imprisonment of so
many New Afrikan citizens around the country. None of us have much money,
but each of us can write letters, send faxes, mail a few stamps to a
prisoner, or do some other small task that will help a fellow brother or
sister to get through just one more day.

At present my own Support Group is in the midst of a Petition
Drive/Support Letter Drive for my parole hearing in April of this year. We
actively encourage your participation and support by mail, fax, or phone
contact. Copies of all petitions and/or letters should be sent to m
support group in Birmingham as well as to the Parole Board at the address
listed below. My four-year long lawsuit against the Parole Board, citing
racial discrimination, lack of due process, and arbitrary/capricious
rulings was just dismissed a few weeks ago; the appeal is now in process.
Ultimately, however, my fate and the fate of all of us rests with the
people, not with the racist courts, parole boards, and thousands of other
government agencies/entities.

Now is the time for us to come together with one another, to organize, to
speak out and speak up on behalf of each other. There is no time to waste,
while we debate, define, and discuss; the enemy continues his genocidal
plan. We need to bear in mind the Ashanti proverb: "Two men in a burning
house must not stop to argue."

Sekou C.TM. Kambui Defense Committee
ATTN: Aysha De'Jenaba Kambui
2233 Second St. South
Birmingham, AL 35205 (205)322-1047