Pittsburgh Benefit for the RNC8 on Sat. 5/9

Infoshop News April 28, 2009

We will be heard! RNC8 fundraiser in Pittsburgh on Saturday May 9th with music, food, and info about how this case could affect you and the projects you work on.


The Friends of RNC8 will be having a fundraiser on Saturday, May 9 from 7:00 PM until 10:00 PM at the Friends Meeting House, 4836 Ellsworth Avenue in Shadyside/Oakland. We will have an exhibit of photos and footage of the events of the RNC protests, speakers who will talk about what happened and the latest developments in the case, and live music by the Breakaway Marching Band, Pittsburgh's radical marching band. We will also have food and drink. One reason for the event is to raise funds for the RNC 8 legal defense so we are asking for whatever donation you can afford. But an equally important purpose is to publicize the events of the protests and to highlight how this case could affect us all. Because it's easier to keep them out than to get them out!


The RNC8 are the eight activists who were arrested in the days leading up to the Republican National Convention and are now being charged with conspiracy to commit riot and conspiracy to commit criminal damage to property damage . These 8 people have been targeted with these baseless charges because of their anti-authoritarian politics and their involvement RNC 2008 resistance group, the Welcoming Committee. For much more information on the case or to make a donation go to www.RNC8.org

Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act Four (AETA4) Update

Infoshop News April 28, 2009

http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20090428002117753

The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act Four (AETA4) are four individuals
arrested on February 20, 2009 and currently facing terrorism charges
for allegedly attending home demonstrations, wearing bandannas at
protests, and chalking sidewalks. They each face a maximum of ten
years in prison for their "crimes."
Donations are still needed for legal funds to fight these ridiculous
charges, as the FBI has stated that they wish to make an example out
of the defendants.

There is a support fund set up. To learn more or to donate, visit
www.aeta4.org

We also request that supporters attend court in solidarity. The next
appearance is:

Monday, June 8
9:30AM
San Jose Federal District Court
280 South 1st St.
Judge Whyte Courtroom 6 (4th Floor)
San Jose, CA 95113

Source: www.aeta4.org

THIS WEEK ONLY!- Matching Funds for POW Robert Seth Hayes!!!

REPOST!
SPREAD THE WORD!

In his words, New Afrikan Prisoner of War Robert Seth Hayes is in the
 process of reinventing his strategy for release. To these ends, he 
has procured the counsel of an excellent attorney to assist with his 
efforts toward release on parole. He is calling on movement support 
communities to provide financial assistance. (letter from Seth Hayes 
below)

Thanks to our wealthy benefactor, NYC Anarchist Black Cross (ABCF) is
 able to offer an amazing proposition. . .

THIS WEEK ONLY, funds up to $500.00 for Seth Hayes' legal defense, 
received in the NYC ABCF PO box or in person to a member of the ABC, 
between Tuesday April 28th and Tuesday May 5th 2009, will be * 
MATCHED *   by our wealthy benefactor!

That's right. Seth will get double the money that you contribute.

If NYC ABC exceeds our fundraising goal of $500.00, money above that 
will still go to Seth Hayes' legal fund. If the money coming in 
exceeds Seth Hayes' total financial needs for legal costs, excess 
money will go toward the ABCF Warchest Program for the commissary 
needs of political prisoners and prisoners of war. (http://
www.abcf.net/abcf.asp?page=warchest)

Make your check payable to "123 Community Space LLC" and in the memo 
of your check be sure to include "Robert Seth Hayes." Contributions 
received in this manner will be tax deductable!

Mail check or money order to

NYC ABCF
PO Box 110034
Brooklyn NY, 11211

between Tuesday April 28th and Sunday May 5th, 2009.

In Solidarity for Freedom,
NYC Anarchist Black Cross
(NYC chapter of the Anarchist Black Cross Federation)
---------
March 24, 2009

Open Letter To:

Anarchist Black Cross Federation, NYC
Resistance N Brooklyn
New York Task Force
Jericho NYC
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement

From Robert Seth Hayes

Re: Request for Economic Assistance in Lieu of Parole Litigation

Comrades,

 I have retained the services of Attorney Cheryl Kates to address my 
parole appeal. I believe her skills are both fundamentally sound and 
needed, and having this opportunity before me is nothing short of a 
blessing. We spoke and though it's not etched in stone, the cost 
appears to hover around $2,500.00 outside of unforeseen expenses. I 
am therefore requesting assistance from you to establish this funding
 so that the operation of appeal can begin. Anything you can offer,
in  whatever amount will be greatly appreciated.

 So that there is no doubt of my sincerity to leave any stones 
unturned, be advised that I am also pursuing Buffalo Community 
Activist as well as Canada to help secure the completion of this 
economic contract. Please feel free to pledge your commitment to me 
in whatever form, as soon as possible so that I can assess how far a 
field I may have to travel henceforth.

 Thank you for your consideration of my request and thank you for 
whatever commitment/pledge you render.

Sincerely,
Seth
Robert Seth Hayes

cc: All of the Above
—————————

 Exerpts from Seth Hayes' autobiographical piece at http://
www.abcf.net/prisoners/seth.htm

My name is Robert Seth' Hayes. I was captured and convicted in New 
York City in 1973 under a host of charges, attributed to my 
membership in the Black Liberation Army (BLA). Through my conviction,
 I received a sentence of 25 years to life. In 1994-95 I began my 
22nd-23rdyear in confinement. . .

. . .  I have no optimism that I will be released, but I will 
nevertheless struggle to become released.

If in the event I am not released, I will maintain a Revolutionary 
Commitment to Struggle til Liberation comes or life ends. So I say to
 you, one and all, the Struggle is arduous, therefore, so must your 
commitment to changing society, humanity, be arduous. HARAMBEE (Let's
 Pull Together). A Luta Continua'.

We Resist,
We Resist
We Resist!
Robert Seth' Hayes
BLACK LIBERATION ARMY AFRIKAN FREEDOM FIGHTER




-- *Get Involved at the 1-2-3 Community Space!
123 Tompkins Ave btw Myrtle and Vernon, Bedstuy BK
123communityspace.org

NYC ABCF
Post Office Box 110034
Brooklyn, New York 11211

nycabc[at]riseup[dot]net
myspace.com/nycanarchistblackcross
http://www.abcf.net/

Free all Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War!
For the Abolition of State Repression and Domination!

UPDATE: Freedom For Palestine! Seventh Annual International Al-Awda Convention

FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE! Growing our Global Movement Seventh Annual International Al-Awda Convention Embassy Suites Hotel Anaheim South 11767 Harbor Boulevard Garden Grove, California 92840 May 22-24, 2009 Among the featured speakers: George Galloway, British Member of Parliament William Ramsey Clark, Former US Attorney General Ghassan Ben Jeddo, Al-Jazeera Beirut Burea Chief and Talk Show Host Yvonne Ridley, Viva Palestina UK, Respect Party, Press TV and Free Gaza Movement Khaled Dawoud, Al-Jazeera Arabic NY-based Correspondent Ron Kovic, author of Born on the 4th of July and joint leader of Viva Palestina USA Cindy Sheehan, anti-war activist Fernando Suarez del Solar, anti-war activist Dr. Jamal Nassar, Specialist in Middle East Politics and Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at CSUSB Dr. Hatim Kanaaneh, Galilee Society and Ittijah founder and author of 'A Doctor in Galilee' Strategy & tactics discussions: Activist panels will include experts in the following campaigns: Viva Palestina USA; Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions; Refugee Support; Student/Youth Activism; Al-Awda Educational Resources; Chapter building and registration among others. Youth program includes educational sessions such as Palestine 101 and learning Dabke. Film screenings to include the widely-acclaimed award-winning "Salt of This Sea" by Annemarie Jacir, starring Suheir Hammad and Saleh Bakri and "Amreeka" by Cherien Dabis, starring Nisreen Faour. Dinner Banquet with Keynote address, Fundraising, plus Dabke Contest! Convention Information Program: http://al-awda.org/convention7/program.html Speakers: http://al-awda.org/convention7/speakers.html Reservations: http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/reserve.html Venue: http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/venue.html Sponsorship: http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/sponsor.html Flyer: http://al-awda.org/convention7/2009color.pdf (color) http://al-awda.org/convention7/2009bw.pdf (b&w) Advertising: http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/ads.html Exhibitors: http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/table.html Hotel Accommodation: http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/hotel.html This year's convention is hosted by twenty seven local and national organizations. For a listing, see http://www.al-awda.org/convention7/hosts.html For other information, visit: http://al-awda.org/convention7/index.html and keep revisiting that page as it is being updated regularly JOIN US to work together to bring the days of RETURN closer! DON'T DELAY! RESERVE YOUR PLACE TODAY! Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition PO Box 131352 Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA Tel: 760-918-9441 Fax: 760-918-9442 E-mail: info@al-awda.org WWW: http://al-awda.org Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest network of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian human rights. We are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3) organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC are tax-deductible.

Forward email Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition | PO Box 131352 | Carlsbad | CA | 92013

Angela Y. Davis speaks in support of Mumia Abu-Jamal

Contributed by HansBennett on Sun, 2009-04-26 Mostly Water

On April 24, in Oakland, CA, former political prisoner Angela Y. Davis spoke in support of death-row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, at an event marking Abu-Jamal's 55th birthday and the release of his new book Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners v. The USA. Recently interviewed by The SF Bay View Newspaper, Davis wrote an introduction for Jailhouse Lawyers (read the full introduction below) and she is also the author of Are Prisons Obsolete?.

On April 6, 2009, the US Supreme Court rejected Mumia Abu-Jamal's appeal for a new guilt-phase trial. In response, Abu-Jamal will be filing a "petition for re-hearing" by the end of April. The Supreme Court has not yet decided whether to consider the Philadelphia DA's separate appeal, through which, the DA wants to execute Mumia WITHOUT a new sentencing hearing.

Please read the SF Bay View Newspaper report for more information, and be sure to sign the ONLINE PETITION.

As reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer and UPI, supporters are calling for intervention by the US Justice Department. Please contact the White House online, by phone: (202) 456-1111, and at FreeMumia.com.

Introduction to Mumia Abu-Jamal's new book: Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners v. The USA

By Angela Y. Davis

Published by City Lights Books | http://www.citylights.com

One of the most important public intellectuals of our time, Mumia Abu-Jamal has spent more than twenty-five years behind bars, the majority of that time on death row. He is supported by millions all over the planet, not only because of the egregious repression he has suffered at the hands of the state of Pennsylvania, but because he has used his abundant talents as a thinker and writer to expand our knowledge of the hidden world of jails, prisons, and death houses in which he has spent the last decades of his life. As a transformative thinker, he has always taken care to emphasize the connections between incarcerated lives and lives that unfold in the putative arenas of freedom.

As Mumia has repeatedly pointed out, those of us who live in the "free world" are not unaffected by the system of state violence that relies on imprisonment and capital punishment as pivotal strategies for ordering society. While those behind bars suffer the most direct effects of this system, its raced, gendered, and sexualized modes of violence bolster the institutions and ideologies that inform our lives on the outside. In all of his previous books, Mumia has urged us to reflect on this dialectic of freedom and unfreedom. He has asked us to think deeply about the racial and class disproportions in the application of capital punishment, rarely taking advantage of the opportunity to call upon people to save his own life, but rather using his writing to speak for the more than 3,000 people who inhabit the state and federal death rows. Over the years, I have been especially impressed by the way his ideas have helped to link critiques of the death penalty with broader challenges to the expanding prison-industrial-complex. He has been particularly helpful to those of us­activists and scholars alike­who seek to associate death penalty abolitionism with prison abolitionism.

In this book, Jailhouse Lawyers: Prisoners Defending Prisoners v. the U.S.A., Mumia Abu-Jamal introduces us to the valuable but exceedingly underappreciated contributions of prisoners who have learned how to use the law in defense of human rights. Jailhouse lawyers have challenged inhumane prison conditions, and even when they themselves have been unaware of this connection, they have implicitly followed the standards of such human rights instruments as the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (1955), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), and the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984). Mumia argues that the passage of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) is a violation of the Convention Against Torture, for in ruling out psychological or mental injury as a basis through which to recover damages, such sexual coercion as that represented in the Abu Ghraib photographs, if perpetrated inside a U.S. prison, would not have constituted evidence for a lawsuit. If jailhouse lawyers are concerned with broader human rights issues, they also defend their fellow prisoners who face the wrath of the federal and state governments and the administrative apparatus of the prison. Mumia Abu-Jamal's reach in this remarkable book is broadly historical and analytical on the one hand and intimate and specific on the other.

We are fortunate to be offered this history of jailhouse lawyers and this analysis of their legacies by one who can count himself among their ranks. Mumia's words in the opening section of the book about the general conditions that create trajectories leading prisoners to jailhouse law are compelling. He writes of a "deep, abiding disenchantment with lawyers that forces some people to become their own, and also to assist others. In every penitentiary, in every state of the U.S., there are men and women who have learned, through study and experience, and trial and error, the principles of the law."

Many of the jailhouse lawyers evoked in the pages of this book­including the author himself­were well educated before they entered prison. Studying the law was more a question of focusing their intellectual skills on a different object than of familiarizing themselves and becoming comfortable with the discipline of learning. But there are also those jailhouse lawyers who literally had to teach themselves to read and write before they set about learning the law. Mumia points to what was for me a startling revelation: jailhouse lawyers comprise the group most likely to be punished by the prison administration­more so than political prisoners, black people, gang members, and gay prisoners. Whereas jailhouse lawyers are now punished by what Mumia calls "cover charges," historically they could be charged with internal violations for no other reason than that they used the law to challenge prison guards, prison regimes, and prison conditions.

The passage of the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA) ­understood by many to have saved the court from frivolous lawsuits by prisoners­was a pointed attack on the jailhouse lawyers Mumia sets out to defend in these pages. He successfully argues that many significant reforms in the prison system resulted directly from the intervention of jailhouse lawyers. Some readers may remember the scandals surrounding conditions in the Texas prison system. But they will not have known that the first decisive challenges to those conditions came from jailhouse lawyers. Mumia refers, for example, to David Ruiz, whose 1971 handwritten civil rights complaint against Texas prison conditions was initially thrown away by the prison administrator charged with having it notarized. As we learn, Ruiz rewrote the complaint and bypassed the prison administration by giving it to a lawyer, who handed it over to a federal judge. This case, Ruiz v. Estelle, was eventually merged with seven other cases originating with prisoners. They challenged double- and triple-celling and work regimes that incorporated the violence of plantation slavery.

Moreover, Texas, along with other southern prison systems, relied on what were known as "building tenders," i.e., armed prisoners acting as assistants to guards, for the governance of the institution. The largely white guards and building tenders poised against the majority Mexican- and African-American prisoners led to "abuse, corruption and officially sanctioned injustice." For those who assume that charitable legal organizations in the "free world" were always responsible for the prison lawsuits that led to significant change, Mumia reminds us that what is now known as "prison law" was pioneered by prisoners themselves. These lawyers behind bars practiced at the risk of punishment and even death. Ruiz himself was placed in the hole after filing this lawsuit against the warden. But, as Mumia points out, the state of Texas was eventually compelled to disestablish the building tender system and to curtail its overcrowding and the overt violence of its regimes. Such contemporary suits as the recent one brought in part by the Prison Law Office against the State of California, which focuses on overcrowded conditions and the lack of health care in California prisons, have been precisely enabled by the work of jailhouse lawyers­those who risked violence and even death in order to make their voices heard.

In light of the major transformations that have historically resulted from the work of jailhouse lawyers, it is not surprising that Mumia argues strenuously against the Prison Litigation Reform Act, whose proponents largely relied on the notion that litigation by prisoners needed to be curtailed because of their proclivity to submit frivolous lawsuits. One of the cases most often evoked as justification for the passage of the PLRA was mischaracterized as claiming cruel and unusual punishment because the prisoners received creamy instead of chunky peanut butter. This was not the entire story, which Mumia offers us as a powerful refutation of the underlying logic of the PLRA. Popular representations of prisoners as intrinsically litigious were linked, he points out, to representations of poor people as more eager to receive welfare payments than they were to work. Thus he connects the 1996 passage of the PRLA under the Clinton administration to the disestablishment of the welfare system, locating both of these developments within the context of rising neoliberalism.

Mumia Abu-Jamal's Jailhouse Lawyers is a persuasive refutation of the ideological underpinnings of the Prison Litigation Reform Act. The way he situates the PLRA historically­as an inheritance of the Black Codes, which were themselves descended from the slave codes­allows us to recognize the extent to which historical memories of slavery and racism are inscribed in the very structures of the prison system and have helped to produce the prison-industrial-complex. If slavery denied African and African-descended people the right to full legal personality and the practices of racialized second-tier citizenship institutionalized the inheritance of slavery, so in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, prisoners find that the curtailment of their capacity to seek redress through the legal system preserves and reaffirms that inheritance.

Mumia's profiles include both men and women, both people of color and white people, with disparate motivations and often very different ways of identifying or not identifying themselves as jailhouse lawyers. Prisoners have challenged the law on its own terms in ways that recapitulate the grassroots organizing by ordinary people in the South that led eventually to the overturning of laws authorizing racial inferiority.

As Mumia points out, if there is increasing respect for the religious rights and practices of people behind bars, then it is largely due to the work of jailhouse lawyers. In the state of Pennsylvania, where Mumia himself is imprisoned, one extremely active jailhouse lawyer profiled in the book is Richard Mayberry, who initiated many important lawsuits, including the case known as I.C.U. (Imprisoned Citizens' Union) v. Shapp, which broadly addressed health, overcrowding, and other conditions of confinement in Pennsylvania prisons.

The I.C.U. case ended in a settlement, which required an agreement by all parties. Mayberry served as class representative and signed on behalf of thousands of state prisoners, and a court-agreed settlement went into force, creating new rules that covered the entire state system. The I.C.U. provisions became the foundation for every subsequent regulation that governed the entire state, and they lasted for decades, until the passage of the Prison Litigation Reform Act. (82)

Mumia not only offers accounts of cases and profiles of prison litigators who have had a lasting impact on the prison system in the United States, he also reveals the extent to which jailhouse lawyers provide legal assistance to their peers, both with respect to their cases and with respect to institution violations. In relation to the latter, outside lawyers are often actually prohibited from representing prisoners, whereas jailhouse lawyers are permitted to assist prisoners in their defense of institutional charges.

Whether the lawsuits generated by jailhouse lawyers are expansive in their reach, potentially affecting the lives of large numbers of prisoners, or whether they are specifically focused on the case of a single individual, they have indeed made an enormous difference. Mumia Abu-Jamal has once more enlightened us, he has once more offered us new ways of thinking about law, democracy, and power. He allows us to reflect upon the fact that transformational possibilities often emerge where we least expect them.

Free Mumia!

ANGELA YVONNE DAVIS is Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness at the University of California and author of eight books. In recent years a persistent theme of her work has been the range of social problems associated with incarceration and the generalized criminalization of those communities that are most affected by poverty and racial discrimination. She draws upon her own experiences in the early 1970s as a person who spent eighteen months in jail and on trial, after being placed on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted List." She has also conducted extensive research on numerous issues related to race, gender and imprisonment.

She is a member of the executive board of the Women of Color Resource Center, a San Francisco Bay Area organization that emphasizes popular education of and about women who live in conditions of poverty. Having helped to popularize the notion of a "prison industrial complex," she now urges her audiences to think seriously about the future possibility of a world without prisons and to help forge a twenty-first century abolitionist movement. Her most recent books are Abolition Democracy and Are Prisons Obsolete?, both published in the Open Media Series. Her forthcoming books, The Meaning of Freedom and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself A New Critical Edition will also be in the Open Media Series, published by City Lights Books.

Vandalism Arrests Amid IMF and World Bank Meetings

Protesters March, Clash With Police; Larger Rally Planned for Sunday

By Aaron C. Davis, Hamil R. Harris and Michael Alison Chandler
Washington Post Staff Writers April 25, 2009

Six people were arrested this morning for smashing the windows
of bank branches and spray painting cars near Logan Circle, vandalism
thought to be connected to protests against the International Monetary
Fund and World Bank's annual meetings in Washington, D.C. police said.

"We believe that they are linked; it's a logical conclusion,"
said Cmdr. James Crane, head of the department's Special Operations
Division. "Some of the individuals were from out of town."

The arrests came before a rally this morning near the World
Bank headquarters in which about 150 protesters tried to surge through
a police line, Crane said. Police had beefed up patrols in advance of
the protests, and after the arrests this morning they stationed
additional officers around the protesters.

An off-duty D.C. police officer working security at a drug
store this morning spotted the six breaking windows of a Wachovia Bank
branch and a PNC bank branch in the 1400 block of P St NW, Crane said.
The officer arrested two of the suspects. Other officers arrested the
remaining four as they fled the area, Crane said.

The group had also spray painted cars parked near the Whole Foods across the street, Crane said.

They were charged with felony counts of destruction of property
and rioting, a charge that police said they brought because the group
was larger than five people.

Crane said the vandalism appeared to be an isolated incident.
There was no similar damage reported anywhere else in the District
overnight, he said.

The D.C.-based group Global Justice Action sponsored peaceful
demonstrations Friday with about 75 people participating in a "speak
out" at Edward R. Murrow park. Speakers accused the IMF, the private
organization that oversees global finance, of contributing to the
worldwide economic downturn and creating policies that are harmful to
people in impoverished countries.

The weekend of protests included a scheduled "confrontational street protest" as well as a larger rally tomorrow.

Organizers said the protests were planned to coincide with the
IMF and World Bank meetings and as a reaction to the G-20 economic
leaders' decision this month to earmark $1.1 trillion for a combined
IMF-World Bank rescue fund. Some participants also were rallying
against insufficient aid to Africa and the closing of the Franklin
homeless shelter in Northwest Washington.

Near Logan Circle, the banks are cordoned off with police tape.
More than a dozen windows were smashed; glass was scattered on the
sidewalk.

"There is no connection between the local banks and the IMF,"
said Jeff Walpole, who was having breakfast at an outdoor table at the
restaurant the Commissary. "But these are angry people who don't
understand that."

One person was taken to the hospital for an injured leg and
dozens more were treated for burns from pepper spray, including one
police officer, when police clashed with protesters near the site of
the IMF World Bank.

A 22-year-old, accused of kicking a member of law enforcement, has been arrested and charged with assault on a police officer.

After marching for nearly two hours through District streets,
about 200 people carrying signs that said "Capitalism--Do Not
Resuscitate" and shouting "Feed the Poor! Eat the Rich!" were stopped
by police as they tried to make a U- turn at the corner of Pennsylvania
and 20th around 9:45 a.m.

Jeffrey Herold, a Metropolitan Police Department captain said
the police were put in danger when they were surrounded as the crowd
turned around so they ordered protesters to move to the sidewalk. They
resisted. Some pounded their hands on the hood of a police car.

The police formed a line and began pushing the group back with
batons. The demonstrators organized through a coalition known as Global
Justice Action, did not have permits to march in the street.

In the tussle, some protesters fell to the ground. One officer
from a federal agency used pepper spray to disperse the crowd. Police
said at least one protester also used pepper spray on police. One
officer who was sprayed in the eye was treated at the scene.

The protesters had intended to block delegates from entering
the meetings this morning, but they arrived late. They have another
march planned tomorrow.

I-69 Resister Arrested in Southern Indiana-jail support needed!

Friday, April 24 2009 infoshop news

Another attack to those in resistance to I-69 has been perpetrated by
the hands of the Indiana State Police. Tiga, a long time Indiana
resident, was arrested earlier today as she appeared in Gibson county
court on charges stemming from anti-I-69 actions this past summer.
The arrest was made by the Indiana State Police, including Officer
Brad Chandler, a particularly slimy scumbag whose full time job it is
to harass environmental activists. Tiga is being held on $10,000 cash
bond by the state police on five charge: 2 counts of intimidation, 2
counts of conversion (all misdemeanors) and 1 count of corrupt
business influence (a class D felony). She is currently being held in
the Pike county jail (812) 354-6024), though it possible she’ll be
moved around. Folks in Indiana are actively fundraising to get Tiga
out of the hands of her fascist captors, but we need help…please
email unrebelde@riseup.net for information on how to support our
efforts at raising bail money.

This arrest is an obvious continuance and escalation of the
harassment of anti-I-69 activities in southern Indiana. People in
both Evansville and Bloomington have been systematically targeted and
repressed by myriad law enforcement agencies from throughout the
state as well as by federal agencies. Nearly 20 folks are still held
captive by the court system, facing both criminal and civil legal
pressures stemming from last summer.

The Indiana State Police and its cohorts must know that this affront
and escalation will not go un-noticed. We must respond fiercely,
showing them the meaning of the phrase “repression breeds
resistance”. Help us free Tiga… email unrebelde@riseup.net to donate
bail money.

4/30: Father Barrios/PRican PP Vigil

The ProLibertad Freedom Campaign

For more information on The ProLibertad Freedom Campaign, contact us at ProLibertad@Hotmail.com or at the ProLibertad Hotline718-601-4751. Visit our website: www.ProLibertadWeb.com

A Special April Freedom Month Picket

Vigil in Solidarity with Rev. Luis Barrios, the SOAW 6, and the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners! Close the School of the Americas!

Join the ProLibertad Freedom Campaign and La Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas/UCC as we protest the incarceration of Prisoner of Conscious Rev. Luis Barrios, the SOA 6 and the 29th anniversary of the arrest of the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners!

The U.S. government is responsible for the creation of the School of the Americas, an institute that has trained genocidal despots throughout the world, for the invasion of Puerto Rico in 1898, and the incarceration of peace activists and revolutionaries like the SOA 6 and the Puerto Rican Political prisoners. Same struggle, Same Fight!

Thursday April 30, 2009 at 5pm

Metropolitan Correctional Center

150 Park Row Take the 4, 5 J, M, Z Train to City Hall

The SOA 6: The "SOA 6," ranging in age from 21 to 68, were found "guilty" of carrying the protest against the School of the Americas (SOA/WHINSEC) onto the Fort Benning military base. The six were among the thousands who gathered on November 22 and 23, 2008 outside the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia to demand a change in U.S. policy towards Latin America and the closure of the SOA/WHINSEC. The "SOA 6" spoke out clearly and powerful in court. They made a compelling case for the closure of the school and creation of a culture of justice and peace, where there is no place for the SOA mindset that promotes military "solutions" to social and economic problems. The six stood up for all of us working for a more just world.

The Puerto Rican Political Prisoners: The Puerto Rican Political Prisoners are freedom fighters who found Puerto Rico’s colonial reality unacceptable. They joined the Puerto Rican Independence movement and confronted the United States government directly. When they rose up and fought against colonialism they were branded as terrorists and placed in some of the worst prisons in the U.S. Their only “crime” is their love for Puerto Rico!! The majority of the Political Prisone rs have spent nearly 27 years in federal prisons for their political activities.

Open Letter to Political Prisoners Around the World

April 16, 2009

Comrades:
From the CEA-LA (centro de estudios abolicionistas por la liberación
 animal) (center of abolitionist studies for animal liberation) and 
the “Red Libertaria Popular Mateo Kramer” (Libertarian people’s 
network Mateo Kramer) receive a warm salute full of affection and 
rebelliousness.

Tomorrow, April 17 we will celebrate the international day of 
political prisoners, with the aim to generate and ambient of 
solidarity with all the fighters and revolutionaries around the 
globe, unveiling all the injustices and estate’s crimes, that in the 
frame of the actual socio-economic system we all have witnessed.

Today there’s thousands of our comrades retain in the walls of 
prisons, locked up for defending social justice, others for their 
militancy on behalf of the Earth and some others for their fight 
against slavery of non-human animals.

In Colombia there’s more than 7000 woman and men imprisoned for 
political reasons, maintained in precarious physical and 
psychological conditions and exposed to bad treatments. With the 
objective of terrify all who defend Human Rights, the Colombian 
government in the head of president Uribe criminalized all people who
 decide to give their life for the oppressed.

At the same time we are in solidarity, with all political prisoners 
who have give their lives in defense of the Earth and the liberation 
of non-human animals. For us there’s no difference in the different 
movements, we believe that total liberation in ONE build it from our 
differences.

That’s why we have to unite all our efforts and support all 
resistance around the globe… so each and every heart burns and light 
up the hopes and dreams shared for FREEDOM

In the name of CEA-LA (center of abolitionist studies for animal 
liberation) and the “Libertarian people’s network Mateo Kramer” we 
are in solidarity with all political prisoners around the globe, and 
we invite you to participate and get active in all initiatives for 
the International Day of Political Prisoners.

FREEDOM FOR ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS AROUND THE GLOBE NOW!!!

In Solidarity:

CEA-LA
RED LIBERTARIA POPULAR MATEO KRAMER

http://redlibertariapopularmk.entodaspartes.net/

Updated Mumia Appeal; Honk 4/24 on his birthday!

From: International Action Center

Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2009

Attention: On Friday, April 24, Mumia's 55th birthday, International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal are calling for worldwide "Honk for Mumia" celebrations of resistance. Pick as many sites as you can in your local area at 12 noon or after work with signs and banners at intersections saying "Honk for Mumia"!

---

UPDATED!

PLEASE POST WIDELY!

International Campaign for
Justice for Mumia Abu-Jamal

Write to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding that he immediately initiate a civil rights investigation addressing a 27-year history of prosecutorial and judicial violations of Mumia Abu-Jamal’s constitutional and international rights. If the Justice Department can guarantee justice for Senator Ted Stevens, it should do the same for noted journalist and multiple-award recipient, and international honoree Mumia Abu-Jamal. Demand that your elected officials endorse this campaign!

Initiated by the Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC)
SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION AT http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition

On April 6, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Mumia’s appeal for a new trial based on evidence of racist jury selection on the part of the prosecutor during the original 1982 trial in Philadelphia. This appeal was based on the 1986 U.S. Supreme Court “Batson decision”, a legal decision that says that prospective jurors cannot be selected based on their race.

This issue was considered the strongest basis for overturning Mumia’s conviction, though certainly not the only one. According to Amnesty International’s detailed review of the case, Mumia was denied at his trial in 1982 the right to a fair judge and unbiased jury, the right to represent himself and the right to adequate resources to prepare his defense. In addition, the prosecution withheld critical evidence from the defense, judge and jury; suborned the perjury of its chief witness; and intimidated at least one other witness to perjure herself. Since the AI report, more evidence has emerged of an ongoing conspiracy by the prosecution and members of the judiciary to keep out of the legal record evidence that points to Mumia’s innocence. At the very least, this evidence indicates serious misconduct on the part of the prosecution and judiciary. It was precisely this kind of misconduct that led to the overturning, just two weeks ago, of the conviction of Senator Ted Stevens.

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals’ rejection of Mumia’s appeal on the basis of the “Batson decision” shocked many legal observers, as the court set new and higher standards of appeal in complete violation of its own precedents. One of the members of the three-judge panel that arrived at this decision wrote a scathing 41-page dissent pointing to how Mumia was not granted the same rights that previous appellants were given by this very same court.

Please take a few minutes to read, sign and circulate widely the important letter below to Attorney General Eric Holder. Send copies to other officials demanding that they, too, demand a civil rights investigation. Only a powerful, international campaign can win long-overdue freedom for this outspoken, award-winning journalist and stop a 27-year-old conspiracy to silence him with legal lynching or life in prison without parole. Both options are outrageous violations of Mumia’s human and constitutional rights, and we will not allow them to stand. Mumia needs our movement and our movement needs Mumia.

SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION AT http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition

The petition text follows:

To: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Department of Justice

cc: President Obama, Vice President Biden, Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano, Secretary of State Clinton, the Senate and House Judiciary Committees, Congressional Leaders, the Congressional Black Caucus, U.N. Secy Gen Ban, and members of the media

I write to you with a sense of grave concern and outrage about the U.S. Supreme Court's denial of a hearing to Mumia Abu-Jamal on the issue of racial bias in jury selection, that is, the "Batson issue". Inasmuch as there is no other court to which Abu-Jamal can appeal for justice, I turn to you for remedy of a 27-year history of gross violations of U.S. constitutional law and international standards of justice as documented by Amnesty International and many other legal groups around the world.

I call on you and the Justice Department to immediately commence a civil rights investigation to examine the many examples of egregious and racist prosecutorial and judicial misconduct dating back to the original trial in 1982 and continuing through to the current inaction of the U.S. Supreme Court. The statute of limitations should not be a factor in this case as there is very strong evidence of an ongoing conspiracy to deny Abu-Jamal his constitutional rights.

I am aware of the many differences that exist between the case of former Senator Ted Stevens and Mumia Abu-Jamal. Still, I note with great interest the actions you have taken with regard to Senator Stevens' conviction to assure that he not be denied his constitutional rights. You were specifically outraged by the fact that the prosecution withheld information critical to the defense's argument for acquittal, a violation clearly committed by the prosecution in Abu-Jamal's case. Mumia Abu-Jamal, though not a U.S. senator of great wealth and power, is a Black man revered around the world for his courage, clarity, and commitment and deserves no less than Senator Stevens.

Cordially,
(Your signature will be appended here based on the contact information you enter in the online form)

SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION AT http://www.iacenter.org/mumiapetition

International Campaign for Justice for Mumia Abu-Jamal

Sponsored by:

Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition (NYC)
P.O. Box 16, College Station
New York, N.Y. 10030
(212) 330-8029
www.freemumia.com

International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Philadelphia, PA
www.freemumia.com
(215) 476-8812

Millions for Mumia
www.millions4mumia.org

International Action Center
www.iacenter.org
c/o Solidarity Center
55 West 17th St 5C
New York, NY 10011
For further information call: (212) 633-6646

Two animal rights activists jailed in America

Urgent ELP! Bulletin (18th April 2009)

Dear friends

ELP has just learnt that two American animal rights activists have been remanded accused of stalking. At the moment information is very sketchy, but more info will follow. In the mean time please send letters of support to:

Linda Greene, #1300927
Century Regional Detention Facility
11705 S.
Alameda Street
Lynwood, CA 90262
USA

Kevin Olliff, #1300931
Terminal Annex
P.O.
Box 86164
Los Angeles, CA 90086-0164
USA

+++++++

Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
BM Box 2407
London
WC1N 3XX
England
www.spiritoffreedom.org.uk

Mumia Supporters Arrested! -- Please Contact 6 ABC for fairness

From: Hans Bennett

Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 7:27 AM

Subject: Mumia Supporters Arrested! -- Please Contact 6 ABC for fairness

On Saturday, April 11th at 7:20 pm MOVE/Mumia supporters Kevin Price and Maiga Milbourne were arrested at 10th and South St. (Philadelphia) for putting up posters advertising the release of Mumia’s new book, “Jailhouse Lawyers”, with scotch tape.
-------------------------------

http://www.phillyimc.org/en/update-arrested-mumia-supporters-please-contact-channel-6abc-fairness

-------------------------------

Please call/write to 6abc demanding equal time re: last Sunday's "Inside Story" program, which promoted the lies of the FOP with no one there to refute them!

If you want to send an email to 6abc to make a complaint, click on the following url:

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/feature?section=resources/inside_station/station_info&id=5770722

If you call, please ask to be transferred to the newsroom. WPVI-TV/DT
4100 City Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19131
[P] (215) 878 -9700
[F} (215) 581-4530

Ona MOVE!

Kevin and I were arraigned in court today. The prosecutor had to explain the charges to judge. He said, “they were hanging posters,” which we weren’t charged with. We represented ourselves and plead not guilty, and were given a trial date of Friday, May 29 at 8:30 am, at 1401 Arch St., second floor. Again, outsiders are not allowed in the courtroom but we welcome anyone who wants to flyer outside. During the arraignment MOVE members flyered outside the courtroom and used the time to do outreach.

We do find it ironic that in publicizing Mumia’s most recent book, “Jailhouse Lawyer’s,” a history of self-representation and self-defense, we were arrested and are now in a position to represent ourselves! It is an opportunity to hone our skills and further expose the court’s injustice.

We do want to reiterate that it’s important that Mumia supporters be very vigilant and aware right now. There is no coincidence that prison guards told Janet Africa that Mumia was dead, activists were arrested, and Channel 6 ran a hit piece on Mumia. This government is very jumpy right now. We need to keep pushing forward with an eye on one another’s backs! Thank you all so much for the support! We also just want to briefly shout out Orie Ross. We were never given a phone call, and if he hadn’t been so vigilant in making calls on our behalf we could have found ourselves in a much uglier situation. We’re truly grateful for our brother’s work. This movement is strong, full of love, and powerful! There is nowhere I’d rather be, and no people I’d rather march alongside.

Ona MOVE!
Maiga

Background:
On Saturday, April 11^th at 7:20 pm MOVE/Mumia supporters Kevin Price and Maiga Milbourne were arrested at 10^th and South St. ( Philadelphia ) for putting up posters advertising the release ofMumia’s new book, “Jailhouse Lawyers”, with scotch tape. While in the act of taping a poster to a metal pole three police officers came from behind without warning and forced their arms behind their backs. They were tightly handcuffed and led to the South St. mini-station very nearby. Upon entering the building another officer asked why they were arrested. One of the arresting officers replied “they had Mumia signs.” From there they were taken to the 3^rd district (11^th and Federal) at 7:55 . The y stood facing a wall for 15 minutes and then were processed and released.

Their hearing is this Monday, 4/13 at 8:30 am . The charges are “improper distribution of handbills” (CO 10-723) and “Nails and other hard substances attached to utility poles” (CO 6905). These charges would be ridiculous enough if they were true but tape (no t hard substances) was used and the flyers were not being passed out.

At this point we are just writing to make folks aware. We will let you know if any action of support is requested. It is clear that after Mondays’(4/6) Supreme Court denial that the atmosphere surrounding Mumia’s case is very tense.

***For the record:

The arresting officers were Gress and Cole and the transporting officers were Polini and Jones (they were transported in squad car 38).***
----------------------------------



Featured speakers at the April 24 event in Philadelphia will include:
-- Paul Wright, editor of Prison Legal News
-- Amin, formerly "Harold Wilson," the 122nd person freed from death row in the US.
-- Ramona Africa, Minister of Communication for the MOVE Organization.
--Steven Hawkins, Executive Vice President of the NAACP, formerly with the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
--Linn Washington Jr., Philadelphia Tribune Columnist, Temple University Professor of Journalism, author of Black Judges on Justice: Perspectives from the Bench
--I Abdul Jon, longtime supporter of MOVE and Mumia, featured in "Prison Lawyers."
--Sonia Sanchez, poet and poltiical activist.
--Fred Hampton Jr,, Chairman of the Prisoners of Conscience Committee, and son of assassinated Chicago Black Panther leader Fred Hampton Sr.
The week surrounding the big April 24 event for Mumia will feature many other events relating to issues of police brutality and political prisoners.

The 2 flyers can also be downloaded here:

http://abu-jamal-news.com/docs/a24philaflyer.jpg
http://abu-jamal-news.com/docs/fw2009.pdf

Revolutionary Week: We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Wait—We Educate!

Saturday 4/18, Uhuru Earthday Celebration

Where: Clark Park, 43rd at Baltimore Ave, West Philadelphia, PA 19104

When: 9-5, Come and visit the ICFFMAJ table, help us flyer, and hear one of the keynote speakers: Pam Africa

Contact: Uhuru Solidarity Movement, philly@uhurusolidarity.org, 215-387-0919

Sunday 4/19, Black and Blue Film Showing and Q & A

Where: The A-Space Anarchist Community Space
4722 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19143

When: 5:30 pm

Contact: 215-727-0882 leave msg
a-space@defenestrator.org
www.the-aspace.org

Monday 4/20, Retro on the Black Panther Party with members of the original

Philadelphia BPP

Where: Treehouse Books, 1430 Susquehanna Ave.

When: 6-8 pm

Tuesday 4/21, “We Will Return in the Whirlwind: Black Radical Organizations from

1960-1975” by Muhammad Ahmad (Maxwell Stanford Jr.) book release party.

Where: Black & Noble Bookstore, 2^nd Floor

1436 Erie Ave.

When: 6-8 pm

Wednesday 4/22, Robert Hillary King of the Angola 3 speaks

Where: University of Pennsylvania (exact location TBA)

When: 7 pm

Contact: 770-845-6179 / g.grigoriev036@gmail.com

Thursday 4/23, Diane Block presents, “On the Spirit: A Woman’s Journey

Underground and Back”

Where: Wooden Shoe Bookstore, 508 S. 5th Street

When: Time TBA

Contact: sabot@woodenshoebooks.com • (215) 413-0999

Friday 4/24, MORE THAN A BOOK RELEASE! A CELEBRATION OF JAILHOUSE

LAWYERS! Featuring all the authors from throughout the week as well as

Paul Wright, editor of Prison Legal News, Amin, formerly "Harold Wilson," - freed from death row in the US, Ramona Africa of the MOVE Organization, Steven Hawkins, Executive Vice President of the NAACP, Linn Washington Jr., Philadelphia Tribune Columnist, Temple U Professor of Journalism, I Abdul Jon, longtime supporter of MOVE and Mumia, featured in "Prison Lawyers," Sonia Sanchez, renowned poet and activist, Goldi, daughter of Wadiya and Mumia, Seeds of Wisdom, MOVE’s Revolutionary hip hop group, and many more!

Where: Church of the Advocate, 1801 W. Diamond St.

When: 6 pm

Saturday 4/25, Philadelphia: Adolfo Matos, keynote speaker of the National Boricua

Human Rights Network

Where: 6^th & Diamond Sts

When: TBA

NYC, More Than a Book Party: A Tribute to Jailhouse Lawyers

Where: Riverside Church, 120^th St. & Claremont Ave.

Room 411, MLK Wing

When: 4 pm

Contact: 212 330 8029 or www.freemumia.com

Sunday, 4/26, NYC, CEMOTAP 5^th Great Debate on “The Death Penalty and Mumia

Abu Jamal”

Where: Salem United Methodist Church, 129^th and Adam Clayton Powell

Jr. Blvd.

When: 3 pm

VERY IMPORTANT EVENT COMING UP:

Saturday, 5/16, Philadelphia: RALLY TO FREE THE MOVE 9!

Where: 11^th & Market St.

When: 12-3

Contact: onamovellja@aol.com, 215 387 4107

Thai police charge 14 leaders in violent protests

By TINI TRAN, Associated Press Writer Tini Tran, Associated Press April 14, 2009

BANGKOK – Police issued arrest warrants Tuesday for 14 leaders of an anti-government movement, including ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as protesters abruptly ended violent demonstrations in Thailand's capital.

A day after red-shirted protesters burned buses and seized intersections in clashes with police and soldiers that left two people dead and 123 injured, their leaders called it quits, urging a group of 2,000 die-hard demonstrators to go home.

The swift and unexpected resolution headed off the possibility of a confrontation with heavily armed troops massing around the demonstrators' encampment near the seat of government. Dispirited protesters quietly boarded government buses watched over by soldiers.

But few expected it was the end of a rural-based movement that has shown the ability to mobilize 100,000 protesters and cause the cancellation of a regional summit in its campaign seeking to force out a government dominated by urban elements and hold new elections.

Charnvit Kasetsiri, one of Thailand's most prominent historians, said the "political convulsion" may be over for now, but the underlying tensions between the rural poor and urban elite highlighted during the demonstrations remain.

"The government has underestimated the wrath of rural and marginalized people and that is partly why they have not made enough effort to reach out to heal the rift. Without addressing that, this is not going to be the last riot," he said.

The demonstrations were a mirror of mass protests by urban groups last year that snarled Bangkok until the courts removed a government led by Thaksin's allies who were elected on the strength of rural voters.

The appointment of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva further angered many rural people, who were already upset by a 2006 coup that ousted Thaksin, and their disenchantment blew up into their own protest movement.

Three of the 14 protest leaders were in police custody, metropolitan police spokesman Suporn Pansua said, and the Bangkok Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for 11 others, including Thaksin, who went into self-imposed exile last year before a court convicted him of violating a conflict of interest law.

The warrants accuse the protest leaders of creating a public disturbance and engaging in illegal assembly, which carry prison terms of up to seven and three years, respectively.

"This is not a victory or a loss of any particular group," Abhisit said in a televised address. "If it is victory, it is victory of society that peace and order has returned."

But he warned that the threat from the red-clad protesters was not over.

"The operation under the state of emergency is not completed. There are still things to do," he said. "There are still protesters in some areas. The only difference is they aren't wearing red anymore."

The government announced it was adding two more days to the three-day Thai New Year holiday, which began Monday, to ensure safety and allow time for repairing damage from the violence.

Some protesters threatened to regroup after the arrest warrants were issued. About 200 protesters took off their red shirts but gathered in a field near Government House late Tuesday. They were closely monitored by soldiers patrolling the area but no clash was reported.

Jakrapob Penkair, a protest leader who had not turned himself in, said the movement "will continue fighting." He did not specify what action they would take next.

Thaksin, considered by most protesters to be their leader, had addressed the demonstrators via video nearly every evening.

Siri Kadmai, a 45-year-old protester who was wearing buttons and a T-shirt expressing love for the former prime minister, insisted the movement had not lost the fight but was making a strategic withdrawal in the face of the power of security forces.

"We were only in a disadvantageous position," Siri said as she waited to board a bus. "We only have hearts. We don't have weapons."

Still, many protesters looked broken, almost in shock that their dreams of revolution unraveled so quickly. Their leaders called off the demonstrations Tuesday morning following warnings that the army was ready to move against them.

Most of the demonstrators, anxious about their safety, packed their bags and began leaving. Crowds lined up for soldiers, showed their identification cards and were led to buses waiting to take them home. There were no confrontations with the troops nor any visible anger. The buses were gone by 2 p.m.

The protests were only the latest in a long-simmering conflict — set off by Thaksin's removal from power in a 2006 coup — that has split many Thais into two groups.

The "red shirts" are mostly Thaksin supporters drawn largely from the impoverished countryside where he is popular for his populist policies.

On the other side are the "yellow shirts," who brought the country to a halt last year by occupying Government House and Bangkok's airports. Those demonstrations, led by a mix of royalists, academics, professionals and retired military who think the poor aren't educated enough to vote, only broke up after court rulings removed Thaksin's allies from power.

The pro-Thaksin protesters have made their voices heard and their presence felt, said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a research fellow at the Institute for Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.

"Now, no one would ever underestimate the power of the red-shirt protesters," he said. "They may say, 'We give up,' but we don't know when they will regroup and strike again."