Marius Mason is an activist serving a 22 year sentence after being found guilty of arson at a laboratory and on logging equipment.
Marius was approved for gender affirming care in 2022 when he was moved to FCI Danbury, a male prison. He was then transported to FMC Fort Worth where he was supposed to get gender affirming surgery, but he was informed that the health company contracted by the prison was unwilling to perform a hysterectomy. Marius’ doctor has informed him that there are indications of an early onset of cancer on his uterus, yet the facility is unable to provide the care he deserves.
His support team has drafted a letter that they are asking to print and post to put pressure and show support. Please, read the words below, grab a stamp and print the letter.
Let’s show solidarity to Marius and fight for his health as fearsome as he has fought for our planet.
“Please copy and paste in to your own document, print and send to:
Director Collette Peters Federal Bureau of Prisons 320 First Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20534
Dear Director Peters: Thank you for prioritizing the rehabilitative purpose and programming of the BOP in your role as Director. It was encouraging to see the Transgender Policy Manual posted again, after years of being unavailable on the FBOP site when you came into office. I appreciate the atmosphere of respect, acceptance and safety fostered at the highest level under your administration for all LGBTQIA+ people currently in the carceral system.
I am writing today to call attention to the situation of Marius Mason (née Marie Mason, #04672-061). Mason has been approved by the FBOP for gender-affirming surgery since 2022. He was transferred from FCI Danbury, a male facility, and after living there for two years, he was transported to FMC Fort Worth, where he was to undergo gender affirming surgery. This was the culmination of a 10-year process, beginning in 2013 when Mason asked to be considered for the new transgender medical policy, after a lawsuit created a pathway to medical transition.
However, Mason was informed at a meeting with Dr. Mercado (the Health Services Administrator), Mr. Strickland and Mason’s therapist, Dr. Bartholomew on 5/24/24 that despite having been approved for surgery, the health services contractor that was working for FMC Fort Worth was not willing to provide gender-affirming hysterectomy. It is our understanding that there are in fact local medical professionals who can perform this procedure, without which the other surgeries will be delayed.
Also at this same meeting, Mason was informed that test results from a prior ultrasound had revealed that there was indications of an early onset of cancer in his uterus, and a further test was being ordered to confirm this possible result. If indeed Marius requires a hysterectomy due to uterine cancer, we hope this will be carried out with all possible speed.
I am asking that you please investigate the apparent refusal of a contracted health care to provide care to a trans prisoner, and also to ensure that this denial and delay do not endanger Mason’s health and safety or delay the approved care long enough to prevent it being fulfilled. Thank you for continuing to be an ally to LGBTQIA+ prisoners in the Federal system.
Former Political Prisoner Veronza Bowers is free after 50 yrs. He requests that ppl allow him quiet time for now with his family. We are glad you made it out alive! Donate to his release fund at https://www.gofundme.com/f/welcome-home-veronza-bowers
Following nearly ten years of incarceration and numerous attempts by the State to frame, murder, and break him – anarchist prisoner Eric King has now been released and is headed to a half-way house “for several weeks,” reports supporters.
I stand by my actions. After seeing what happened in Ferguson, so close down the road, I was disgusted by the lack of mobilization in my city. Three hours away people were fighting for their lives and we weren’t even taking to the streets. We were doing nothing. My act as a very personal display of my anger and rage toward the state as well as an act of solidarity to everyone in Ferguson. We never know our own strength until we are tested and even with my ridiculous sentence I feel at least proud to have been able to stand strong and refuse to cooperate with the state.
Eric’s bravery and courage in the face of years of torture and abuse is a testament of our collective ability to resist and weather the horrors of state repression. For future updates, be sure to check out the Support Eric King page, here.
Our event is October 15th, 2pm-5pm, starting in front of Her Majesty’s Penitentiary (89 Forest Rd) in the Corrections Wellness Garden (lol) with a social to follow at Benevolent Irish Society (30 Harvey Rd). Snacks and water provided. Funds to ABCF Warchest, East Coast Prison Justice Society, and the NL branch of Prison PenPal Project.
Join us in #hamont on October 15! Running Down the Walls is an annual fundraiser – we’ll be splitting proceeds between the ABCF Warchest for Political Prisoners and Barton Prisoner Solidarity (BAPSOP). Run, walk, bike, roll or just hang out. We’ll be collecting donations at the Hamilton Anarchist Bookfair too.
Since 1999, prisoners and supporters throughout so-called North America, and recently in the UK, have participated in the annual event known as Running Down the Walls (RDTW) often running or walking simultaneously in many cities and prisons at once.
RDTW is a non-competitive 5K run/jog/walk/roll in order to raise awareness and funds for political prisoners. Over the years, we have raised thousands of dollars and lots of awareness around the struggle to free political prisoners. Many places will be hosting RDTW 2023 on Sunday, September 17th – see details on participating cities below.
Solidarity runs that are held in our communities are designed to illustrate, through several small collective actions, that we have not forgotten our comrades locked up behind prison walls. Runs that are held in prisons are designed to both politicize other prisoners and to illustrate that the acts of solidarity have been heard.
This annual event is also one of the primary fundraisers for the ABCF Warchest Program – a fund designed to assist political prisoners who normally receive little or no financial support with monthly stipends. A portion of funds raised also often go to support local groups of the organizers’ choosing– see event details below for specifics:
Planned Eventsin 2023
Los Angeles September 17th from 10am – 1pm Elysian Park Fields, Bishop Canyon (at the end of Park Road, near the park benches. Look for signs) Donate
Philadelphia September 17th at 11am sharp (Yoga warm-up at 10am) FDR Park + remote participation Registration deadline is September 3rd
NYC WHEN: 2:00-7:00pm, September 17th WHERE: Prospect Park– Lincoln Road/East Lake Drive, east of the Terrace Bridge COST: $10 registration, participants encouraged to get sponsors (includes vegan BBQ afterwards) Donate at paypal.me/nycabc venmo.com/nycabc or with the Cash App: $NYCABC
Lowell, Mass September 17th at 11am Boarding House Park at 40 French Street
Richmond, Virginia September 17 – registration starts @10am, 5k starts @11am sharp, potluck picnic @1pm Chimborazo Park (there will be a biking route & a running route) Bring $20 cash for 5K; the picnic is free and you don’t need to participate in the 5k to come to the picnic.
Portland, Oregon September 17 at 11am $20 for 5k (includes BBQ); $30 for BBQ only Meet under the Tilikum bridge (East side)
Fabulous prizes will be awarded to individual finishers and teams of 4! Childcare provided.
Seattle September 17th at 11am Meet at Green Lake Park @ the Arch
Chicago September 17 Rally/march at 4pm; show at 7pm Outside Cook County Jail
Party on the eve of PFA implementation! Bands & DJs TBA
On Friday, July 14, 2023, our compañero Fidencio Aldama was released from prison by the authorities of the government of Sonora, after having been held hostage for almost seven years – accused of a murder he did not commit – for opposing, along with his community of Loma de Bácum, the construction of the Sonora Gas Pipeline (Gasoducto Sonora).
When Fidencio called us in the early morning hours of July 15 to inform us that he was now free, we were pleased to hear the news, but we were also filled with a deep uncertainty not knowing how and under what conditions he had been released. We say that because we were preparing a direct appeal to be presented to the Supreme Court due to the repeated refusals of the state courts to recognize Fidencio’s innocence.
When Fidencio was notified that he was free, the warden of the prison in Ciudad Obregón held on to his release papers, without explaining why, thus increasing our doubts, which by that time were already numerous. Therefore, we decided to be prudent and not speculate on the conditions of his release in the absence of reliable information.
But the news was not long in coming out, and the next day, local and national media outlets reported his release according to the information they had at the time. Instead of doing their own journalistic and investigative work, they merely recycled the same false information. Some said that the changing of the head of State Prosecutor’s Office opened the door for his release. Others indicated that because the Prosecutor’s Office could not substantiate the allegation, a federal judge ordered his release due to lack of evidence. This was the script the media were given to be constantly recirculated, creating the lie that days later would be disproven.
One factor that was present, months before Fidencio’s release, was the pressure exerted by municipal, state, and federal authorities who visited him in prison. They tried to get him to sign a document authorizing the prison warden to request his release, on the condition that he accept responsibility for the fabricated crime of homicide. However, Fidencio refused, as since the day of his arrest he has maintained his innocence, denying the accusation against him.
Consequently, the authorities did not give up. The visits continued and with them pressure from officials from the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI), the delegate of the federal Ministry of the Interior in Sonora, Máximo Moscoso, as well as state and municipal officials. They even had the nerve to bring his family before him to increase the pressure, so that he would change lawyers and sign a document that supposedly would give him his freedom and recognize his innocence. In short, on Tuesday, July 11, these officials visited Fidencio again in prison with a new document supposedly addressed to the President of the Supreme Court. They even allowed Fidencio to make some changes to the document recognizing his innocence. They stated that once it was presented to the court, he would be granted absolute freedom. It was this document that Fidencio signed.
And so, we arrive at Friday, July 14. Fidencio was released after 9pm, believing that his freedom was absolute and that he was considered innocent. This joy was short lived, because on Thursday, July 20, Fidencio was notified of a ruling issued by the sentencing court that instead of prison he had been given the status of semi-freedom. He was instructed that he had to report to the authorities who will be in charge of supervising the conditions he has to comply with during the remainder of the sentence. It should be clarified that Fidencio did not request this change of status, which was arranged without his consent and without the consequences thereof being explained to him.
What does all this mean? It means that Fidencio was deceived, that the supposed freedom he was granted is not absolute, that it is controlled, that he was not recognized as innocent of the fabricated crime of homicide. Semi-freedom means that Fidencio must report to prison every night at 8pm, where he will be held until 8am the next morning. That he must go to work, then to school, and then return to prison, for the next seven years and three months, the time he has left in his 14-year sentence. In other words, everything is designed so that, in the case of non-compliance, the judge can revoke Fidencio’s freedom, issue a new arrest warrant, and imprison him again. Instead of semi-freedom, we consider this to be a continuation of his imprisonment. So long as Fidencio has to set foot in a prison, he is not free and remains a political prisoner and a hostage of the state.
Why so much eagerness to free Fidencio? The urgency to free our compañero on Friday, July 14, arose from the need of those in charge of implementing the Yaqui Justice Plan in Sonora for his freedom to coincide with the visit of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on July 15 and 16 to supervise works related to the Seri Justice Plan, Irrigation District 1, and the Yaqui Justice Plan, where one of the central demands of the traditional authorities of Loma de Bácum was the freedom of Fidencio Aldama. Everything is clear, they never had the intention of recognizing Fidencio’s innocence. Both the government of Claudia Pavlovich, who fabricated the accusation, and the MORENA government of Alfonso Durazo, have used and continue to use political imprisonment as punishment for those who oppose their political and economic interests, and use freedom as a bargaining chip to continue advancing the megaprojects of foreign companies, the exploitation of natural resources, and the plundering of the water and lands of the Yaqui Tribe.
Finally, we believe that the semi-freedom granted to Fidencio is the safest way for the government of the Fourth Transformation to control dissent and ensure that its works and projects of death are completed. Today, as yesterday, Fidencio continues to be held hostage by the three levels of government.
We hold President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sonora governor Alfonso Durazo, INPI head Adelfo Regino, Sempra Energy CEO Jeffrey W. Martin, and Sempra Infraestructura’s Presidenta de Grupo, Energías Limpias e Infraestructura Energética, Tania Ortiz Mena responsible for Fidencio’s continued imprisonment and for any threats, harassment, or damage committed against Fidencio or his family.
Fidencio stands firm and we stand firmly beside him. The struggle continues for his immediate release. We ask that you join us in demanding and fighting for it.
Freedom for Fidencio Aldama! Freedom for all prisoners! Solidarity with Miguel Peralta!
Fidencio Aldama Support Group Los Otros Abogadoz Collective Fidencio Aldama
Philadelphia Anarchist Black Cross and MXGM Philly invite you to our sixth annual Running Down The Walls (RDTW)! Join us for another revolutionary 5K run/walk/roll and day of solidarity amplifying the voices of our comrades behind bars, lifting them up in their struggles, and maintaining material support. We will ship official shirts nationwide to people who register to participate remotely, pay online and leave their shipping address in the comment box! If you’re joining us in person and would like to participate in light yoga and warm-up stretches before, please arrive by 10am and bring a mat if you can.
Running is not required! You can also walk, roll, or cheer. 5K is two loops around the park and at a walking pace will take about 45-60 minutes. Light refreshments and socializing will take place in the park afterward.
This year’s event will benefit the ABCF Warchest and Weelaunee forest defenders facing repression from the ongoing efforts to #StopCopCity. Join us as we once again raise energy and funds for the freedom of political prisoners and the struggles they are caged for.
Cop City Will Never Be Built!
Vive vive Tortuguita!
#StopCopCity#DefendWeelaunee#JusticeForTort
If you cannot make it to the event or would like to make an additional contribution, please sponsor a participant either outside prison, inside prison, or one of each. Contact us for more information on sponsoring!
Proceeds will be split between the ABCF Warchest Program and legal aid to support arrestees from the movement to Stop Cop City. This program sends monthly stipends to political prisoners and prisoners of war who have insufficient, little, or no financial support. Since inception, the program has gathered almost $235,000, and this year’s event is sure to bump that over $250,000! Due to the abominable conditions that political prisoners and freedom fighters are subjected to, and the prevalence of health issues from medical neglect, they need our support now more than ever. Join us as we celebrate our successes this last year and build momentum for the struggles ahead! We will both celebrate Dr. Mutulu Shakur’s release from prison since our last event and recommit ourselves to the struggles he dedicated his life to <3.
Pushing Down the Walls 2023 is coming Saturday, October 21st to The Bad Dogg Compound.
Join The Anarchist Black Cross Federation, “Orange County” chapter for burpees, live music and DJs, food, vendors, and a day of solidarity with our incarcerated comrades! All proceeds go to supporting political prisoners, prisoners of war, and local abolitionist causes.
