The ProLibertad Freedom Campaign
www.ProLibertadweb.com
ProLibertad Hotline: 718-601-4751
The ProLibertad Freedom Campaign is asking all of our supporters to support these
two wonderful upcoming events in NYC. Sekou Odinga is a long time friend to all
national liberation struggles and an unjustly incarcerated Political prisoner. The
film COINTELPRO 101 is an amazing film about how the U.S. government worked to
destabilize and destroy leftist movements in the U.S. starting with the PUERT RICAN
NATIONAL LIBERATION STRUGGLE.
Also, join us Sunday Sept. 18th for this amazing new documentary on Don Pedro Albizu
Campos, our greatest revolutionary nationalist teacher/hero/leader/former political
prisoner, who was cruelly assassinated by the U.S. government.
Panelists: Former Political Prisoners Shaba Om, Laura Whitehorn, Francisco Torres
On the panel: Shaba Om is one of the Panther 21; Cisco Torres is the remaining defendant in the San Francisco 8 case. So you'll hear a lot more than the history of government repression. I'd love to see you there. - laura
COINTELPRO 101
Film and Discussion
Saturday, June 18, 2011
The Brecht Forum, 451 West Street (between Bank & Bethune Streets, Manhattan)
4 to 6 pm
We have tight time constraints, so we WILL be starting sharply on time!
Panelists: Former Political Prisoners Shaba Om, Laura Whitehorn, Francisco Torres
Beginning in the 1950s with a focus on the Puerto Rican independence movement and continuing through the 1960s and into the 1970s when much of its focus had shifted to the Black Liberation, Chicano Liberation and American Indian Movements, COINTELPRO racked up a number of assassinations, false imprisonments and ruined lives. No government official was ever punished for actions taken under the program's auspices. The film by Freedom Archives details this history through the artful use of still photos and moving images of the period covered. Films of police attacks and protests; still photos of revolutionary leaders and police murders graphically remind the viewer of Washington's willingness to do whatever it takes to maintain its control. Organizers who began their political activity during the time of Cointelpro discuss the effect the program had on them and the organizations and individuals they worked with. Indeed, several of the interviewees were themselves targets and spent years in prison (some under false accusations, as in the case of Geronimo ji-Jaga Pratt) or on the run.
Former Black Panther member Kathleen Cleaver states toward the end of the film that Cointelpro represented the efforts of a political police force making the decision as to what is allowed politically and what is not. Anything outside the parameters set by this force was fair game. Nothing that was done by government officials or private groups and individuals acting on the government's behalf was perceived as wrong or illegal. As Attorney Bob Boyle makes clear in his final statement in the film, Cointelpro is alive and well. The only difference now is that most of what was illegal for the government to do during Cointelpro's official existence is now legal. The PATRIOT Act and other laws associated with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security have insured this.
Cointelpro 101 is a well made and appealing primer on the history of the US police state. Produced, written and directed by individuals who have themselves been the target of tactics documented in the film, it has an authenticity and immediacy that pulls the viewer in. Although too short to cover the history in as full detail as some may desire, the film's intelligence and conscientious presentation of the historical narrative makes it a film that the student, the citizen and the activist can all appreciate.
Light Refreshments will be Served!
To download a flyer, click here!
Sponsored by: NYC Jericho Movement, Malcolm X Commemoration Ctte, NYC Leonard Peltier Defense-Offense Ctte, ProLibertad, NYC Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition
Saturday, June 18, 2011 The Brecht Forum, 451 West Street (between Bank & Bethune Streets, Manhattan)
4 to 6 pm
Panelists: Former Political Prisoners Shaba Om, Laura Whitehorn, Francisco Torres
Beginning in the 1950s with a focus on the Puerto Rican independence movement and continuing through the 1960s and into the 1970s when much of its focus had shifted to the Black Liberation, Chicano Liberation and American Indian Movements, COINTELPRO racked up a number of assassinations, false imprisonments and ruined lives. No government official was ever punished for actions taken under the program's auspices.
The film by Freedom Archives details this history through the artful use of still photos and moving images of the period covered. Films of police attacks and protests; still photos of revolutionary leaders and police murders graphically remind the viewer of Washington's willingness to do whatever it takes to maintain its control.
Organizers who began their political activity during the time of Cointelpro discuss the effect the program had on them and the organizations and individuals they worked with. Indeed, several of the interviewees were themselves targets and spent years in prison (some under false accusations, as in the case of Geronimo ji-Jaga Pratt) or on the run.
Former Black Panther member Kathleen Cleaver states toward the end of the film that Cointelpro represented the efforts of a political police force making the decision as to what is allowed politically and what is not. Anything outside the parameters set by this force was fair game. Nothing that was done by government officials or private groups and individuals acting on the government's behalf was perceived as wrong or illegal. As Attorney Bob Boyle makes clear in his final statement in the film, Cointelpro is alive and well. The only difference now is that most of what was illegal for the government to do during Cointelpro's official existence is now legal. The PATRIOT Act and other laws associated with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security have insured this.
Cointelpro 101 is a well made and appealing primer on the history of the US police state. Produced, written and directed by individuals who have themselves been the target of tactics documented in the film, it has an authenticity and immediacy that pulls the viewer in. Although too short to cover the history in as full detail as some may desire, the film's intelligence and conscientious presentation of the historical narrative makes it a film that the student, the citizen and the activist can all appreciate.
Light Refreshments will be Served!
Sponsored by: NYC Jericho Movement, Malcolm X Commemoration Ctte, NYC Leonard Peltier Defense-Offense Ctte, ProLibertad, NYC Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition
For more information: http://www.jerichony.org/ nycjericho@gmail.com tel:718-325-4407>718-325-4407
The Center for the Study of Race, Politics & Culture at the University of Chicago
presents a special screening of the documentary film
COINTELPRO 101
"COINTELPRO is the FBI acronym for a series of covert action programs directed against domestic groups. In these programs, the Bureau went beyond the collection of intelligence to secret action defined to 'disrupt' and 'neutralize' target groups and individuals." Church Committee Report, 1976
Panel discussion after the screening featuring former political prisoners Ricardo Jimenez, National Boricua Human Rights Network Dr. Ahmad Rahman, Associate Prof. of History, University of Michigan-Dearborn
Monday, April 18, 2011 6:00 p.m. 5710 S. Woodlawn- Community Lounge Free Admission & Refreshments
Co-Sponsored by: Black Panther Party Illinois Chapter History Project, N.F.P.; The Jericho Movement/Chicago Chapter an affiliate of IYPAD Chicago; National Boricua Human Rights Network Chicago Chapter; Organization of Black Students at U of C; and Puerto Rican Students Association at U of C
Attend a screening – March 18 and 22 in Berkeley, March 30 and April 2 in San Francisco
by Minister of Information JR
In “COINTELPRO 101,” you’ll hear Fred Hampton’s rallying cry in his own voice: “You can jail a revolutionary, but you can’t jail a revolution!”
“COINTELPRO 101” is a recently released documentary that takes a long hard look at the deeds of the U.S. government under the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program. We are featuring this interview because it was the government’s program to crush resistance that led to the deportation of Marcus Garvey, the assassinations of Malcolm X, George Jackson, Fred Hampton, Martin Luther King Jr., Bunchy Carter, Filiberto Rios and others, the incarceration on trumped up charges of Mumia Abu Jamal, Imam Jamil Al-Amin, the Angola 3, the MOVE 9, the Omaha 2, Veronza Bowers, Mutulu Shakur, Oscar Romero, Leonard Peltier and others who are still languishing in this country’s concentration camps.
Our people are not taught this history in colonial elementary schools or high schools, although acts by the government under this program have greatly affected the quality of life of people who are oppressed in Amerikkka by killing, falsely imprisoning and harassing our grassroots leaders in our resistance movements.
So we took it up ourselves, at the Block Report and the SF Bay View, to give you a little education on the subject. Read the exclusive interview with Claude Marks, the filmmaker of “COINTELPRO 101” …
M.O.I. JR: Before we get into the movie, what is the Counter Intelligence Program aka COINTELPRO?
Claude: COINTELPRO may not be a well-understood acronym, but its meaning and continuing impact are absolutely central to understanding the government’s wars and repression against progressive movements. COINTELPRO represents the state’s strategy to prevent movements and communities from overturning white supremacy and creating racial justice.
COINTELPRO is both a formal program of the FBI and a term frequently used to describe a conspiracy among government agencies – local, state and federal – to destroy movements for self-determination and liberation for Black, Brown, Asian and Indigenous struggles, as well as mount an institutionalized attack against allies of these movements and other progressive organizations.
M.O.I. JR: What inspired you to do a movie on this topic?
Claude: After making “Legacy of Torture,” which focuses on the Black Panther Party and the SF 8 case, it made sense to expose COINTELPRO in greater detail and look at the broad and seeping nature of government repression. So in “COINTELPRO 101” we look at examples of how the government’s attacks are consistent with the history of genocide and settler colonialism.
M.O.I. JR: What have your personal run-ins been like with COINTELPRO?
Claude: I was a participant in a conspiracy to break a Puerto Rican political prisoner out of Leavenworth. The plan was infiltrated by the FBI and was unsuccessful. This resulted in a multi-year pursuit by the FBI and ultimately with imprisonment.
M.O.I. JR: What is the documentary about? Who does it feature?
Claude: The story of COINTELPRO is mainly told by activists who experienced it.
Interviews in the video include:
Muhammad Ahmad (Max Stanford), founder of Revolutionary Action Movement and professor at Temple University.
Bob Boyle, attorney representing many activists and political prisoners targeted by COINTELPRO.
Kathleen Cleaver, former leader of the Black Panther Party, now professor of law at Emory and Yale Universities and an expert on COINTELPRO.
Ward Churchill, just-removed professor at the University of Colorado who has written extensively about COINTELPRO.
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, long-time Native American activist and educator.
Priscilla Falcon, long-time Mexicana activist and professor whose husband was assassinated for his leadership in the Chicano struggle.
Geronimo Ji-Jaga Pratt, former leader of the Black Panther Party who was falsely imprisoned for 27 years in a COINTELPRO case.
Jose Lopez, director of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago and long-time advocate of Puerto Rican independence.
Francisco “Kiko” Martinez, long-time Chicano/Mexicano activist and attorney.
Lucy Rodriguez, Puerto Rican Independentista and former political prisoner.
Ricardo Romero, long-time Chicano/Mexicano activist and Grand Jury resister.
Akinyele Umoja, African American history scholar at Georgia State University.
Laura Whitehorn, radical activist and former political prisoner who was targeted by the federal government.
M.O.I. JR: What has the response been like?
Claude: As we take the film on the road, it is especially rewarding to see the response from young students. They are amazed that none of this history is taught in their schools. So the impact is powerful by pushing people to think more openly today about the ways that governments and police agencies act with impunity in our communities; how “terrorism” is defined to suit their needs and criminalize conscious resistance; how Islamophobia and anti-immigrant campaigns function to support racism; how public education is targeted for demise while prisons are bursting at the seams.
M.O.I. JR: Why do people need to know about COINTELPRO specifically?
Claude: The conflicts we face with a powerful government that does not serve the people, rather represents the elite and corporate interests, has historic roots. By understanding this history, we can learn from the mistakes of the past but, more importantly, take inspiration from the legacies of resistance. It is up to us to fight for a more just and humane world – one where we can insure that everyone has basic human rights, that our communities are embracing future generations rather than locking them up.
M.O.I. JR: After people educate themselves, what do you recommend they do to fight it?
Claude: There are many different ways to address what goals we have. Self-determination varies from community to community, but we can’t expect that those in power will reach a moral epiphany and restore justice, end discrimination and suddenly commit their resources to ending wars. That is up to us to organize and win.
M.O.I. JR: When can people see the movie again in the Bay?
Friday, March 18, 5:30 p.m., at the UC Berkeley Student Union
Tuesday, March 22, 7 p.m., at Fellowship Hall, 1924 Cedar St., Berkeley
Wednesday, March 30, 7 p.m., at CIIS, 1453 Mission St., San Francisco
Saturday, April 2, 4 p.m., USF Human Rights Film Festival, San Francisco
We also have a page of suggested resources for people interested in more in-depth materials as well as ideas for how to teach and take the film into schools and communities. The suggestions can grow with input from the community.
Thursday, February 17 at 2:00pm - February 19 at 2:00pm
Location 2011 Pan African Film Festival @ Culver Plaza Theater 9919 Washington Blvd., across from Sony Studios Culver City, CA
COINTELPRO 101 will premiere at this year's Pan African Film Festival at the Culver Plaza Theater in two showings: Thursday, Feb. 17 @ 2:15 pm, and Saturday Feb. 19 @ 1:45 PM.
This new documentary from the Freedom Archives exposes illegal surveillance, disruption, and outright murder committed by the FBI and other police agencies.
Through interviews with activists who experienced these abuses first-hand and rare historical footage, the film provides an educational introduction to a period of intense repression and draws relevant lessons for the present and future.
Culver Plaza Theater 9919 Washington Blvd. Culver City, CA
Tickets are $11
PAFF Community Collaborators: Jericho Amnesty Coalition, Black August Los Angeles
First New Mexico Showing of COINTELPRO-101 February 4th, 2011 6-10 P.M.
An educational film that will open the door to understanding the history of the 60’ &70’s. COINTELPRO is both a formal program of the FBI and a term frequently used to describe a conspiracy among government agencies—local, state, and federal—to destroy movements for self-determination and liberation for Black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous struggles, as well as mount an institutionalized attack against allies of these movements and other progressive organizations. Albuquereque Center for Peace & Justice 202 Harvard SE . $5.00 suggested donation
Discussion following film with producer Claude Marks & special guests from the film by: Albq Jericho, Albq-Peltier Chapter & Irish Freedom Committe For information Call 646-271-4677
is a news and discussion forum for supporters of political prisoners, prisoners of war, politicized social prisoners, and victims of police and state intimidation.
This blog is organized and updated autonomously of the disbanded Break the Chains Prisoner Support Network formerly based in Eugene, Oregon. While this online project shares several of the same concerns as the old Break the Chains collective, no formal organization exists behind the current web presence.
"I will never surrender my pride and dignity nor allow the system to 'cut my tongue' and I will always, without fear, speak out against these war crimes and crimes against humanity, no matter if I spend the rest of my life in a prison cage, and draw my last breath of air laying down in this steel bed surrounded by razor-wire fences and cages, and its prison policies that are designed to destroy one's humanity…."
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