BK/NY – Tuesday, May 14th – Letter Writing Dinner for Russell Maroon Shoatz
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, May 14th, 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
We are one month away form Running Down the Walls 2019! The event is great socially–we see comrades we might not have seen for months, and it allows us to organize with those locked up to build inside-outside relationships. It is also the single biggest fund-raising event of the year for the Anarchist Black Cross Federation‘s warchest program, which sends funds directly to prisoners and has, to date, mailed out over $100,000. Locally, NYC ABC has set a goal of $4,000 and as ambitious as that is, we are asking you to help us get there. Organize a run in your community; get family, friends, and comrades to sponsor you as you run, bike, walk, or roll the 5k; or directly donate at paypal.me/nycabc (make sure to note who, if anyone, you are sponsoring). Beyond the warchest program, NYC ABC is consistently active in our every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing dinners and that doesn’t stop due to Running Down the Walls preparation (or anything else, if we are being honest). This week we are writing to the truly implacable Russell Maroon Shoatz.
Russell Maroon Shoatz is a dedicated community activist, founding member of the Black Unity Council, former member of the Black Panther Party and soldier in the Black Liberation Army.
In 1970, along with 5 others, Maroon was accused of attacking a police station, which resulted in a cop being killed. This attack was said to have been carried out in response to the rampant police brutality in the Black community. For 18 months Maroon functioned underground as a soldier in the Black Liberation Army. In 1972 he was captured. Twice he escaped—once in 1977 and again in 1980, but both times he was recaptured and today he is held in Pennsylvania where he is serving multiple life sentences.
We expect to see you on Tuesday. If you can’t make it, please take the time to write a letter to Maroon:
Smart Communications/PA DOC
Russell Maroon Shoatz #AF3855
SCI Dallas
Post Office Box 33028
St Petersburg, Florida 33733
BK/NY – Tuesday, April 30th – Letter Writing Dinner for Ramsey Orta
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, April 30th, 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
For well over a decade, NYC ABC has organized around the idea of keeping anarchists involved in political prisoner organizing and political prisoner support communities working with anarchists. This weekend, we are co-sponsoring a talk by Lenny Foster about Leonard Peltier, while also supporting fund raisers for Books Through Bars and Ramsey Orta. We are one part of a movement to free our folks and see the end of prisons. Until those days come, we provide every other week support via political prisoner letter-writing dinners. This week, we focus on Ramsey Orta.
Ramsey Orta filmed the killing of Eric Garner by NYPD cops. The video traveled far, but it wouldn’t get justice for Ramsey’s dead friend. Instead, the NYPD has exacted their revenge through targeted harassment and eventually imprisonment — Orta’s punishment for daring to show the world police brutality.
We expect to see you on Tuesday. If you can’t make it, please take the time to write a letter to Ramsey:
Ramsey Orta 16-A-4200
Groveland correctional facility
Post Office box 50
Sonyea, New York 14556
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
