NYC – Sunday, April 28 – Lenny Foster: Native American issues and Leonard Peltier
WHAT: Discussion and Presentation
WHEN: 2:00pm, Sunday, April 28th
WHERE: The People’s Forum–320 West 37th Street New York, New York 10018
COST: FREE
Lenny Foster of the Diné Nation is the former Director of the Navajo Nation Corrections Project and the Spiritual Advisor for more than 2,000 Native American inmates in ninety-six state and federal prisons in the Western U.S. He has co-authored legislation in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado allowing Native American spiritual and religious practice in prison and resulting in significant reductions in prison returns.
He is a board member of the International Indian Treaty Council, a sun dancer and member of the Native American Church. He has been with the American Indian Movement since 1969 and has participated in actions including Alcatraz, Black Mesa, the Trail of Broken Treaties, Wounded Knee 1973, the Menominee Monastery Occupation, Shiprock Fairchild Occupation, the Longest Walk and the Big Mountain land struggle. Lenny Foster has received many accolades and honors for his groundbreaking work with Indigenous prisoners’ human rights and has testified many times at the United Nations on both Indigenous issues and Political Prisoner Leonard Peltier.
Sponsors: NYC Free Peltier, NYC Jericho, ProLibertad, NYC ABC
BK/NY – Tuesday, April 16th – Letter Writing Dinner for Joshua Williams
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, April 16th, 2019
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
While it comes as no surprise, the fact is that in modern times Black people are not only regularly gunned down by the State, but also kidnapped and caged for standing up for and defending their communities. 23 year old Joshua Williams is a victim of the latter and will be the focus of NYC ABC‘s every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing dinner.
Josh became a vocal regular participant in the anti-police demonstrations following the murder of 18 year old Mike Brown in 2014. Later that year, Joshua was arrested for the arson of a convenience store that was located across the street from the fatal police shooting of Antonio Martin just days prior. In December 2015 Joshua pleaded guilty to arson and burglary and has been sentenced to 8 years in state prison. There is currently a petition campaign to get parole for Josh or have his sentence commuted. You can sign it by clicking here.
Josh’s age and high profile status as a Ferguson protester have made him a consistent target for right wing media and blogging blowhards. They have been giggling to their empty selves at the idea of a young man who has been outspoken for peace being locked up for arson. They lack the understanding that peace sometimes comes at a cost. They lack the context of a world in which a young Black person enduring any violence by the State or other white supremacists will likely go unchecked and probably publicly applauded. The damage to an empty building is not equivalent.
We expect to see you on Tuesday. If you can’t make it, please take the time to write a letter to Josh:
Joshua Williams #1292002
Missouri Eastern Correctional Center
18701 Old Highway 66
Pacific, Missouri 63069
BK/NY – Sunday, June 9th, 2019 – Running Down the Walls
WHAT: Running Down the Walls – 5k Run/Walk/Jog/Bike
WHEN: 2:00-7:00pm, Sunday, June 9th, 2019
WHERE: Prospect Park– Lincoln Road/East Lake Drive, east of the Terrace Bridge (see the below map for exact location)
COST: $10 registration (includes food and drinks afterwards)
Every year, prisoners and supporters of political prisoners organize solidarity events with Running Down the Walls. In the last few years, we’ve had runs in Albuquerque (NM), Arcata (CA), Ashland (OR), Bellefonte (PA), Boston (MA), Buffalo (NY), Chico (CA), Denver (CO), Elmore (AL), Inez (KY), Los Angeles (CA), Marion (IL), Minneapolis (MN) New York (NY), USP Navosta (TX), Pelican Bay (CA), Phoenix (AZ), Tucson (AZ), Seattle (WA), and Toronto, Ontario. This year we hope to expand the amount of runs in prisons and other cities, as well as increase the amount of funds raised for community projects. NYC ABC‘s goal with this year’s run is $4,000. You can donate online by going to paypal.me/nycabc
This year’s run will take place on Sunday, June 9th, 2019 at 2:00 pm in solidarity and conjunction with runs that will take place in cities and prison yards across the country at the same time.
REGISTER AS, OR SPONSOR, A PARTICIPANT
To raise our goal of $4,000, we need your support.
* Promote – print and distribute flyers to friends and local businesses, your doctor’s office, laundromat, food co-op, wealthy benefactor, et cetera.
* Run/walk/bike/roll in the 5k – We need participants who can run/walk/bike/roll the 5k and are able to collect financial pledges to offer as donations to the run. Download the brochure, complete with registration and sponsor form right here.
* Volunteer for the run – We need folks who are willing to staff a registration/literature table, hand out water, bike the route as street medics, and help chalk the route beforehand.
* Donate online at paypal.me
* Donate to the run/sponsor a participant – If you are not able to attend, but want to support this fundraising effort, please mail donations to:
NYC ABC
Post Office Box 110034
Brooklyn, New York 11211
Your donation of $10 or more entitles you to the celebratory picnic after the event.
Each year, we split proceeds between the Anarchist Black Cross Federation’s Warchest Program and a local organization. This year, local funds are going to New York state political prisoners released within the last year.
The Warchest Program:
The Anarchist Black Cross Federation (ABCF) has initiated a program designed to send monthly checks to those Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War who have been receiving insufficient, little, or no financial support during their imprisonment. The Warchest program was initiated in November 1994. Its purpose is to collect monthly funds from groups and individual supporters, and send that money to Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War (PP/POW) via monthly checks. Over the last twenty five years, the ABCF warchest has dispensed over $100,000 to political prisoners in the United States. Currently, there are 13 imprisoned comrades who receive a monthly stipend as part of the program; they are Eric King, Hanif Bey, Jaan Laaman, Jalil Muntaqim, Joseph Bowen, Malik Smith, Mutulu Shakur, Oso Blanco, Ruchell Magee, Sundiata Acoli, Tom Manning, Veronza Bowers, and Xinachtli (FKA Alvaro Luna Hernandez).
For more information, visit: abcf.net/warchest-program
We will be starting here:
From the Q train, get off at the Prospect Park stop. Walk to Lincoln Road and turn right into the park. We’ll be about 700 feet away.
The event will be one lap around what is known as the Main Loop, and will total five kilometers. For the curious, here’s what it looks like:
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at nycabc at riseup dot net.
See you there!
Illustrated Guide Version 14.2 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. Unfortunately, we are adding two prisoners to the guide this month–anti-racist Eric Hancock and grand jury resister Chelsea Manning. We are thankful to remove water protector Dion Ortiz (halfway house!).
BK/NY – Tuesday, April 2nd – Letter-Writing Dinner for Chelsea Manning
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, April 2nd, 2019
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
Hey, everybody, jump in the car–we’re going on a road trip. Really? No. However, we are doing something fun and while we might not be heading cross country, the letters we write and mail at this weeks’ political prisoner letter-writing dinner are going all the way to…VIRGINIA. That’s because this week, NYC ABC is focusing our every-other-week event on Chelsea Manning, being jailed, in solitary confinement, for being principled in her resistance to a secretive federal grand jury.
Chelsea Manning, an anti-secrecy activist and former U.S. Army intelligence analyst whose release of classified information to WikiLeaks in 2010 sparked worldwide controversy over transparency in the military and whistleblower protections, was taken into custody at a federal court after a federal judge found her in contempt of court for refusing to answer questions before a secret grand jury. She can be imprisoned for the duration of the grand jury proceedings, up to 18 months. More information: https://xychelsea.is
If for whatever reason you cannot join us, we hope you will still write to Chelsea:
Chelsea Elizabeth Manning #AO181426
William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center
2001 Mill Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
BK/NY – Tuesday, March 19th – International Women’s Day Political Prisoner Card Writing Dinner
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, March 19th, 2019
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 having just passed, it is important to acknowledge the often forgotten radical history of the day itself, steeped in the 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, NYC ABC will be writing cards to six political prisoners at this Tuesday’s letter writing dinner.
Please join us to hear about and write to Janet Africa (MOVE), Janine Africa (MOVE), Red Fawn Fallis (Standing Rock water protector), Nina Droz Franco (Puerto Rico liberationist), Chelsea Manning (Grand Jury resister), Rev. Joy Powell (anti-police violence organizer), and Reality Winner (whistleblower).
If for whatever reason you cannot join us, we hope you will still write to them:
Smart Communications/PA DOC
Janet Holloway Africa #OO6308
SCI Cambridge Springs
Post Office Box 33028
St Petersburg, Florida 33733
Smart Communications/PA DOC
Janine Phillips Africa #OO6309
SCI Cambridge Springs
Post Office Box 33028
St Petersburg, Florida 33733
Red Fawn Fallis #16358-059
FMC Carswell
Post Office Box 27137
Fort Worth, Texas 76127
Nina Droz Franco #50427-069
FCI Tallahassee
501 Capital Circle, NE
Tallahassee, Florida 32301
Chelsea Elizabeth Manning #AO181426
William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center
2001 Mill Road
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Reverend Joy Powell #07-G-0632
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 1000
Bedford Hills, New York 10507-2499
Reality Winner #22056-021
FMC Carswell
Post Office Box 27137
Fort Worth, Texas 76127
BK/NY – Tuesday, March 5th – Letter-Writing Dinner For Eric Hancock
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, March 5th, 2019
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
Hey, is anyone worried that things in the world might be going TOO GOOD? You know, like maybe humanity isn’t on the brink of simultaneous global economic and ecological collapse? No? Just us? Okay, we’ll just brew another pot of valerian root tea, tamp down the unwavering existential dread, and get on with what we do–support political prisoners and prisoners of war. This week NYC ABC is focusing our every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing dinner on an anti-racist named Eric Hancock, recently railroaded into a non-cooperating plea agreement after defending himself from knife-wielding white supremacists. In 2018. Where’d that valerian go, again?
In late April 2019, Eric Hancock accepted a sentence of one year imprisonment on a single charge of unlawful wounding, a class 6 felony in Virginia, in a non-cooperating plea agreement. The decision to accept this plea came after a year awaiting trial. Initially charged with both malicious wounding and aggravated malicious wounding, Eric faced a mandatory 25 years in a state that does not offer parole.
The charges stemmed from an incident that occurred on January 19th, 2018, which began with a fascist-affiliated band—The Sentinels, playing a show in downtown Richmond. This show eventually lead to a confrontation in which several white supremacists pulled out knives. Eric was stabbed outright and defended himself, which led to his being charged with the injuries sustained by two of his attackers. Between medical and legal expenses resulting form this attack, Eric is facing not only imprisonment, but also debt.
Eric’s support team is working to cover a bevy of medical and legal costs, and have set a goal of $15,000. Eric turned himself into custody February 28th with the full support and appreciation of comrades in Richmond and across Virginia. He has endured injury, injustice, and self-sacrifice with integrity, and his friends, family and supporters appreciate his commitment and bravery. For now, the best means of donating to Eric’s support is via Venmo: @SupportEric
If for some unforeseeable reason you are unable to make it Tuesday, please take the time to write to Eric on your own time:
Eric Hancock #161270
Richmond City Justice Center
1701 Fairfield Way
Richmond, Virginia 23223
