Political Prisoner Herman Bell Assaulted
Black Panther Party political prisoner Herman Bell was viciously assaulted by guards at Great Meadow Correctional Facility (Comstock) on September 5, 2017. While being “escorted” by a guard back to his housing unit, a guard struck Herman, age 69, in the face causing his glasses to drop to the floor. This same guard then repeatedly punched Herman about the face, head and body. Responding to a commotion, 5-6 other guards arrived and joined in the assault. One of them was able to knee Herman in the chest causing two cracked ribs. Another guard took out a bottle of mace and sprayed it all over Herman’s face, eyes and mouth.
Herman was then taken to the prison infirmary. X-rays have confirmed fractured ribs. Herman’s left eye is damaged from the mace and blows. He has bruises to his body and is suffering headaches, a sign of a possible concussion.
Herman Bell has now been charged with “assault on staff”. Defying common sense, they allege that Herman, for no apparent reason, slapped the guard escorting him. He did this, they claim, in a location out of the view of all inmates but in the presence of other guards. He is now in the Special Housing Unit (box) at Five Points Correctional Facility where he was transferred after the incident.
Herman Bell has not had a disciplinary violation in over 20 years. He was scheduled to begin a three day family visit with his wife a few days after the incident, their first such visit in over 2 1/2 years. In addition he is to appear before the parole board, for the 8th time, in February 2018.
Herman has, however, been the target of guard harassment due to his political background. Visitors report that guards processing them and in the visiting room comment that they are visiting a “cop killer” or “terrorist”. Some guards have been seen passing around the book “Badge of the Assassin” written by Herman’s prosecutor.
At this time, we are encouraging everyone to take the time to write to Herman or send him a get-well card, so that the authorities know we are paying attention and are concerned for Herman. Stay tuned for updates as we develop this campaign.
Herman Bell’s new address is:
Herman Bell #79C0262
Five Points Cor. Fac.
P.O. Box 119
Romulus, N.Y. 14541
Drop Charges Against all #J20 inauguration protestors
https://www.change.org/p/us-attorney-for-dc-drop-the-charges-against-j20-protesters-dropj20
On January 20, 2017, tens of thousands of people converged in Washington, D.C. to oppose the inauguration of Donald Trump.A wide variety of demonstrations countered the spectacle of the inauguration, making it clear to the world that many of us reject Trump’s cruel and divisive leadership.
A day of defeat became a moment of resistance, and set the stage for the travel ban protests that followed. While Trump and his army of trolls have encountered few meaningful obstacles in the halls of power, grassroots resistance has persisted.
Unfortunately, with resistance comes repression. After terrorizing protesters (including children, the elderly, and people with disabilities) with pepper spray and ‘stinger’ grenades, DC police cordoned off an entire city block and mass-arrested more than 230 people.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff (under the authority of U.S. Attorney Channing Phillips) later sought an indictment charging more than 200 people with at least eight felonies each—for rioting, inciting a riot, conspiracy to riot, and property destruction—punishable by up to 75 years in prison.
With these unprecedented, excessive charges, the state is cracking down on dissent – allowing Trump to pursue his agenda challenged only by symbolic hand-wringing. This strategy corresponds with a broader wave of repression, from arrests and grand jury investigations of Indigenous water protectors at #StandingRock, to the demonization of #BlackLivesMatter.
Just as our struggles are connected, these arrests represent a threat to all people fighting for true freedom, dignity, and autonomy.
Join the ACLU, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Partnership For Civil Justice Fund, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and other civil liberties advocates in standing with the J20 defendants.
Call on the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia to immediately drop all charges.
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Learn more at dropJ20.org
Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and share this petition with your friends and family! (and use #dropj20 !)
- US Attorney for the District of Columbia,
Channing Phillips - Chief – USADC Felony Major Crimes Section
John Gidez - Head – DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility
Robin Ashton
We have been sharing updates on our editor, anti-imperialist political prisoner Jaan Laaman, who has been held in segregation for over three months.
You can help by contacting the prison administration, and by writing to Jaan to let him know he’s in our thoughts. You can also spread the word to supporters in your community by ordering these beautiful postcards from our friends at Prison Radio:
Postcard to BOP in Support of Jaan Laaman
Solidarity Postcard to Jaan Laaman
Kevin Rashid Johnson Snatched from Texas Prison
We have received word that Kevin “Rashid” Johnson, prisoner-organizer and revolutionary has been moved from Texas! He was picked up by his Virginia DOC officials (he was on an interstate transfer). Rashid is a very good organizer and he was moved from Red Onion State Prison because of his influence and leadership. It seems now that Texas also could not handle his principled determination.
Supporters learned that he is being held at a reception center in the state of Florida. We will forward additional information as soon as we know it.
Transfers have been opportunities for prison officials to arrange for violence and abuse. Rashid was beaten and had his locks shaved when he was first brought to Texas, and lost much of his property. We are concerned about prisoners’ rights and basic human dignity and we will take action to make sure this does not happen again!
TAKE ACTION!
Who to call
Mr. Terry Glenn, Interstate Compact Supervisor
Virginia Department of Corrections
P.O. Box 26963
Richmond, VA 23261-6963
Phone: (804) 887-7866
Fax: (804) 674-3595
Call Script
I am calling on behalf of Kevin Johnson, Virginia inmate number 1007485. I am a friend of Mr. Johnson’s, and am highly concerned for his well-being and safety. I understand that he was recently taken by Virginia Department of Corrections from Clements Unit in Amarillo, TX.
Where in Florida is he being taken? Is he being returned to Virginia where his family would be able to visit him?
I demand that Mr. Johnson be moved to Virginia, that ALL of his property, including ALL his legal materials and his typewriter, be given to him upon his new location, and that his transport be safe and humane.
Please let us know immediately if you find out any information on Rashid.
Additional Resources
Rashid’s Website
Facebook Event to Call for Rashid
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Take action now! Political prisoner Jaan Laaman still in segregation, threatened with transfer to CMU
Write to Jaan and let him know he’s in our hearts and on our minds.Background Information
Jaan is imprisoned at United States Penitentiary (USP) Tucson in Arizona, and is one of the last two remaining Ohio-7 political prisoners still locked up. The Ohio-7 were convicted in 1986 of direct actions to protest U.S. support for the white-supremacist apartheid regime in South Africa, illegal U.S. attacks on Nicaragua, and repression against advocates for Puerto Rican self-determination.
Jaan was placed into solitary confinement because of two short messages: one in support of the “Day Without a Woman Strike” (International Women’s Day, March 8, 2017) which was printed in the NYC Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) update, and his “Farewell Thoughts to My Friend, Lynne Stewart” which was broadcast on Prison Radio. Lynne Stewart, revolutionary peoples’ lawyer passed away on March 8, 2017. When the NYC ABC magazine arrived by mail to the prison, Jaan was promptly placed in solitary confinement. Prison officials charged Jaan with “threatening the security of the prison” because of these First Amendment protected statements.
No one should be punished for exercising their First Amendment Rights. The United States District Court in Pennsylvania recently ruled in a case involving efforts to censure Mumia Abu-Jamal: “A past criminal offense does not extinguish a person’s constitutional right to free expression. The First Amendment does not disappear at the prison gate.”
Pattern of Increasing Repression
Being placed in segregation is the latest act of repression by the prison administration, following increasing actions against Jaan. Over a year ago, the prison shut down Jaan’s access to email, and they have been censoring him in various ways since then, including withholding his mail and limiting access to his lawyer.
Jaan was placed in segregation on his birthday and has been there ever since. There is a growing consensus as to the psychological harm caused by solitary confinement. In 2011 the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture concluded that solitary confinement for more than 15 days constitutes torture and can cause irreversible harmful psychological effects.
Jaan previously wrote about the increasing censorship he has been facing, here. Jaan has been writing reflections about global events since he was first captured in 1984, so this level of censorship is certainly something new and different.
This update was written by friends of Jaan Laaman.
Facebook: Free Jaan Laaman
Twitter: @4StruggleMag
Friday, June 9th, 2017, Austin, Texas
THE COMMITTEE TO FREE
ALVARO “XINACHTLI” LUNA HERNANDEZ,
is calling for a Public Demonstration,
Rally & Vigil to Liberate “Xinachtli”
We will gather on the 20th Year Anniversary of Texas Political Prisoner Alvaro “Xinachtli” Luna Hernandez’ wrongful conviction, to make public contact and protest statement for his excessive punishment of a 50-Year Sentence & Felony Conviction for Aggravated Assault, for disarming a sheriff in 1997, who had threateningly drawn his revolver after Xinachtli challenged his authority to arrest him without a warrant on suspicion of Aggravated Robbery, a bogus charge, at his home.
“Xinachtli, is an Aztecan ‘Nahuatl’ name meaning, if literally translated into English, is “Germinating Seed, “ and is how he prefers to be called. He is an Anti-Imperialist, Chicano-Mexicano, Human Rights Activist, and former Union Organizer and Civil Rights Advocate for his Community, and is in our opinion, and many of his support base around the world, a victim of an abusively cruel & overused Solitary Confinement form of isolation as ‘rehab’ or security, on the pretext of maintaining an orderly smooth-functioning prison facility.
As opined in a 1978-79 Prisoner Class Action, Ruiz v. Estelle, 550 2d 238, legendary Texas Jurist, U.S. District Judge William Wayne Justice, for the Eastern District of Texas stated. . .”the conditions of imprisonment within the TDC (now TDCJ) Prison System constituted Cruel and Unusual Punishment in violation of the United States Constitution.” “Xinachtli” has endured twice the maximum limit of this (20) year period that Wayne Justice figured as a cutoff point before the degrading conditions of ‘solitary’ would manifest into dis-ease and loss of sanity. This August, it will be (15) consecutive years of being subjected to this form of Texas Torture and sensory-deprivation they call “Administrative Segregation.”
By quarantining political dissidents like “Xinachtli,” they’ve labelled and denigrated as “trouble-makers,” and the 125 or so other recognized PP’s across this country in a similar manner, and in his case, all due to a damaging false accusation of an informant that said “Xinachtli” was responsible for a prison gang ‘hit,’ someone he didn’t even know; Texas’ ‘Control Units’ have become a sad reflection of a society that’s bottomed-up, by allowing these tax-payer-funded “Houses of Horror” to continue to maim and destroy human lives. LIBERATE “XINACHTLI” –GIVE HIM A NEW DATE IN COURT & ABOLISH SOLITARY CONFINEMENT NOW FOREVER!!
♦ At 12-Noon – to – 1 PM ♦
At the Texas Capitol ‘South Steps’ Entrance – at the “T” & 11th & Congress Avenue
John S. Dolley, Coordinator: Committee to Free Alvaro “Xinachtli” Luna Hernandez ♦ We will be free to speak with media at this time – Contact: twitchon@gmail.com ♦ http://www.freealvaro.net
Jaan K. Laaman, long-time anti-imperialist political prisoner, is currently in segregation (minimum of 23 hours locked down in a 6×9’ cell). Jaan has been in segregation since his birthday on March 21, 2017, over two months now, simply for issuing two statements, a clear violation of free speech and human rights. He is being threatened with transfer to a Communication Management Unit or Special Management Unit; punishments that are not appropriate for a prisoner of Jaan’s age and would be a violation for practicing free speech.
Jaan was placed into solitary confinement because of two short messages he released: one in support of the “Day Without a Woman Strike” (International Women’s Day, March 8, 2017) which was printed in the NYC Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) update, and his “Farewell Thoughts to My Friend, Lynne Stewart” which was broadcast on Prison Radio. When the NYCABC update arrived by mail to the prison, Jaan was promptly placed in solitary confinement. Prison officials charged Jaan with “threatening the security of the prison” because of these First Amendment protected statements.
How you can support Jaan:
Write/call/email the Bureau of Prisons and ask them to end the repression against Jaan!
Please write and call the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) officials below and ask that Jaan:
1- Be released from segregation & placed back into general population immediately.
2- That he not be moved to a Communication Management Unit or punished further for exercising free speech.
3- Have his phone and email privileges be restored immediately.
Please remind them that Jaan is an elder prisoner, and you are concerned about his health in segregation and you would be concerned about his safety if he is moved to a Communication Management Unit.
Mary M. Mitchell, Regional Director
BOP Regional Office
7338 Shoreline Dr
Stockton, CA 95219
Regional email: wxro/execassistant@bop.gov
Warden
United States Penitentiary – Tucson
9300 South Wilmot Road
Tucson, AZ 85756
Email: TCP/ExecAssistant@bop.gov
Phone: 520-663-5000
Fax: 520-663-5024
Send a message through the Bureau of Prison (BOP) website here: https://www.bop.gov/inmates/concerns.jsp
– Select ‘USP Tucson’
– Send a message that includes his name and number: ‘Jaan Laaman #10372-016’
Please be polite but firm in your letters and send the responses you get to jaanlaaman@gmail.com.
Write to Jaan and let him know he’s in our hearts and on our minds.
Jaan has no access to news and access to phone calls. It’s important we send him some letters right now. Send him articles, so that he gets some world news and messages of solidarity and support. Let the jailers see that Jaan has support from the community and cannot just be left in segregation or silenced.
Jaan Karl Laaman #10372-016
USP Tucson
P.O. Box 24550
Tucson, AZ 85734
Background Information
Jaan is imprisoned at United States Penitentiary (USP) Tucson in Arizona, and is one of the last two remaining Ohio-7 political prisoners still locked up, (the other is Tom Manning). The Ohio-7 were convicted in 1986 of direct actions to oppose U.S. support for the white-supremacist apartheid regime in South Africa, illegal U.S. attacks on Nicaragua, and repression against Puerto Rican freedom fighters.
Jaan was placed into solitary confinement because of two messages: “Day Without a Woman Strike,” and “Farewell Thoughts to My Friend, Lynne Stewart.” Lynne Stewart, revolutionary peoples’ lawyer passed away on March 8, 2017.
No one should be punished for exercising their First Amendment Rights. The United States District Court in Pennsylvania recently ruled in a case involving efforts to censure Mumia Abu-Jamal: “A past criminal offense does not extinguish a person’s constitutional right to free expression. The First Amendment does not disappear at the prison gate.”
Pattern of Increasing Repression
This is the latest act of repression by the prison administration, following increasing actions against Jaan. Over a year ago, the prison shut down Jaan’s access to email, and they have been censoring him in various ways since then, including withholding his mail and limiting access to his lawyer.
Jaan previously wrote about the increasing censorship he has been facing, here. Jaan has been writing reflections about global events since he was first captured in 1984, so this level of censorship is new and different.
This update was written by friends of Jaan Laaman.
jaanlaaman@gmail.com.
Facebook: Free Jaan Laaman
Twitter: @4StruggleMag
