Yesterday
Domestic violence victims celebrate prison releases
MESSAGE TO THE HUMBLE AND DIGNIFIED PEOPLE OF
Legacy of Torture: The War Against The Black Liberation Movement
Interview
with Haitian Activist So An
Animal Rights Activist Found in Civil Contempt
Rashida Muhammad, aka Dessie Woods 61, activist, dies of cancer
GOOD NEWS GOOD NEWS
GOOD NEWS
Yesterday
To my family of
friends -- I just received notice that I am released from parole supervision!!
HOORAY -- No more travel permission or monthly reporting!! THANK YOU to all of
you who supported me during my years in prison, and since my release. Your
friendship has helped me far beyond what words could ever express. I would never
have been freed from prison without help from all of you.
My final parole hearing was August 8, and just this week I received the news
that the National Parole Commission had recommended termination of supervision
in my case, effective immediately. Love and solidarity, Linda
Evans
Susan Rosenberg
has also been released from parole supervision. Susan had received a 58 year
sentence in 1984 for possessing explosives. In 1988, Susan and 6 other political
prisoners were convicted of ‘resistance against US war crimes’. She spent 2
years in the High Security Unit in
In September, a federal judge ordered a new trial for
Judith Clark – a former member of the Weather Underground.
Domestic violence victims celebrate prison releases
In October, at a singular reunion in
In the last nine years, 26 battered women who were given
life sentences have been released from state prison, according to Free Battered
Women, a
A handful of the women were granted parole, said Andrea Bible, coordinator of Free Battered Women. Others were freed due to a law -- the only one of its kind in the nation -- that allows battered women to petition for a new trial if their original trial did not involve expert testimony on domestic abuse.
Cheryl Orange-Jones, 53, of
Jones went to prison 21 years ago, convicted of second-degree murder in the 1985
death of her husband, Frank. Jones said her husband hurt her physically and
mentally throughout their seven-year marriage, breaking her front tooth,
shattering her eardrum, locking her in the trunk of his car. She said he trained
his pit bull to guard her. "If I tried to move, the dog would attack me,''
she said. Jones said she shot her husband when he pulled a knife on her and
tried to rape her.
During her original trial, "they never raised the fact that I'd been
battered, they just said he was the victim and I was the criminal,'' she said.
"The lawyer talked me into taking a deal of pleading guilty to
second-degree murder. I was dumb and took it.'' She was sentenced to 17 years to
life. In prison, she became a surrogate mother to fellow inmates, acquiring a
nickname: Granny. After a new, three-week trial, Jones was acquitted.
The event, attended by more than 200 people, included a
silent auction. Donated artworks included scarves and garments made by Linda
Field, who was convicted in
Free Battered Women,
“Every
Vote Counts” is a dynamic public education campaign to
inform individuals with felony convictions about their right to vote. The
ACLU of Northern California, working closely with All of Us or None, an
organizing initiative started by people who were formerly incarcerated, the
League of Women Voters, probation offices, public libraries and other
community-based organizations throughout northern and central California, will
inform thousands of individuals with felony convictions that they have the right
to vote if they are off parole, on probation or have completed probation.
Nearly 350,000 individuals are on probation in
“Voting
is a precious right in a democracy. Yet, there is so much confusion and
misinformation about the voting rights of individuals who have a criminal
conviction,” said ACLU-NC Associate Director Maya Harris. “We launched this
campaign to ensure that all eligible voters can participate in the political
process and that individuals are not disenfranchised due to a lack of
information.”
Posters
and palm cards will be extensively distributed, and a voting rights hotline
(415-293-6325) and webpage have been established. All materials are being
produced in both English and Spanish.
Dorsey
Nunn, Director of All of Us or None, a project of Legal Services for Prisoners
with Children, said that members of his group felt this issue was so important
that several of them volunteered to be featured in the advertisements.
“They wanted to not only get the word out that people with felony convictions
have the right to vote, but that our votes and voices count”.
Letter from Women Political Prisoners to the People of
MESSAGE TO THE HUMBLE AND DIGNIFIED PEOPLE OF
We cannot get out
of prison to be there with you, which is where we would like to be right
now. That is why we are sending our words out instead, to tell you that our hearts
are with you; that it hurts and angers us every time a compańera or compańero
is tortured, imprisoned or killed...
You have shown us that we as a people
have the ABILITY TO SAY NO, and can exercise that ability. You have shown us
that we as a people have the ability to say no....
You showed us how important it is for a social movement to create ITS OWN
VOICE, ITS OWN THOUGHTS, ITS OWN OPINION. You did not limit yourselves to saying
that state TV and commercial radio stations were lying, but also established
your own sentry radio station. ..
You did not leave control over WORDS in
the hands of those at the top; you took over University Radio as well as various
commercial radio stations and TV Channel 9. That was when those at the top began
to shake with fear - in
THE WOMEN OF
When you women cried, "we will take off our aprons and pick up our rifles,"
what you effectively did was to rid yourselves of the stereotype that sends you
to the kitchen; and you did not pick up your rifles, but rather something better
- control of your own future. Now, who can tell women from below in
With our hearts, eyes and ears on
Oaxaca,
Gloria Arenas Agis, Santa María Detention Center, Chiconautla Ecatepec
Mariana Selvas Gómez, Norma Jiménez Osorio, Suelen Cuevas Jaramillo, Edith
Rosales Gutiérrez, Magdalena García Durán, Maria Luisa López Morán
Patricia Romero Hernández, Santiaguito Detention Center, Almoloya de Juárez
Legacy of Torture: The War Against The Black
Liberation Movement
New 28-minute DVD! The
same people who tried to kill me in 1973 are the same people who are here today,
trying to destroy me. I mean it literally. I mean there were people from the
forces of the San Francisco Police Department who participated in harassment,
torture and my interrogation in 1973 ... none of these people have ever been
brought to trial. None of these people have ever been charged with anything.
None of these people have ever been questioned about that. -- John Bowman,
former Black Panther
Directed, produced, and edited by: Andres Alegría, Claude Marks &
The Freedom Archives. Participants: Ray Boudreaux, John Bowman, Richard
Brown, Soffiyah Elijah, Hank Jones, Harold Taylor
Available now for a donation of $15 + $2 shipping (in the
The French honored Mumia
abu Jamal in 2003 with honorary citizenship of
Support checks can be sent
to Pam Africa/ICFFMAJ,
Interview
with Haitian Activist So An
In
mid-August, 2006, a Haitian court released Annette Auguste from jail. Auguste,
prominent grassroots activist known as So An, was imprisoned without trial for
two years and three months after US Marines stormed her home in Port-au-Prince
in May, 2004.
WBAI radio, “
How did it feel last
night to sleep at home in a bed for the first time in 826 nights?
I feel so far so good, but not so good. Because, you know, there are so many prisoners in the prison who was arrested at the same time like me. They are still in the jail. They arrest them like supporter of Aristide. But now, you have so many people who have no names, who have no lawyers.
How do you plan to
pick up the pieces of your life?
I am a political woman. To start, I am going to struggle like I did before because I’m a political woman. I can read my people like that. I have to fight for them. Because they told me, they’re hungry, there’s no schools, they don’t have no hospitals, they don’t have nothing nothing nothing. So if I am a political woman, I have to struggle for them.
Many hundreds of
prisoners remain in prison. Will they be released soon?
I hope so because you know I am out now, I am going to help them, I am going to help all those people in jail, I’m going to talk for them because I need to help because there are so many men and women. We have to fight for them because they have nobody, no lawyers, nothing for them. They have no money, nothing like that.
Have you spoken to
President Aristide since your release?
A few months ago, we write letters to each other. We still friends… until we die. Because I am Aristide supporter, I am an Aristide friend. I want Aristide to come back and continue to take care of his organization…the people they want Aristide to come back. So, we wait for Aristide.
How do you see the
Preval presidency? Did he do anything to help your release?
Preval can’t help me to get out. Because of my conviction, I always said, Mr. Preval, don’t put your finger on my tail. Don’t talk about my chance. Because they arrest me, I have to go to the justice, they have to release me by my innocence.
Final
words as you face this new period of struggle in
Leave my country in peace. We want peace. I want my country
to be free. If you want to help us, help us. I say to American people, to French
people, to Canadian people help
We spoke to you in August, just after
your release. Can you tell us what you’ve been up to since then?
I’m involved in the same things I used to do: working with people, working with my chorale, and everything. Helping people, that’s what I do every day. I am not free, because they have so many people in the jails, the same way I used to be in jail. Because there are so many people, so many rats [slang for poor political activists], so many Aristide people go to prison, so I am not free.
I don’t know what to say to the president, you know, to get the prisoners out of the jail. They didn’t do anything. They just call them one word: association des malfaiteur [associating with trouble-makers] or things like that. They call them rats or anything they want to. I am struggling for all of those people to get out of the jail. Get them out now, that’s my duty: to help those people get out of jail.
How do you see the present political
situation in
President Préval is in power, but it is not power for the Haitian people. We put President Préval in power, but President Préval doesn’t do anything for the people who sent him to that job. All the people that fought for him are hungry, they don’t have jobs, they have nothing. All those people who are working now [in the government] are the same people who used to shoot, who used to kill those people [the popular masses], to beat them in Belair, Cité Soleil, La Saline and everywhere. The same people who used to be with Latortue, the same people, those people are still there in power.
That’s [thanks to us] President Préval is there. For me, he is working against all those people because President Préval doesn’t do anything for the Lavalas thing that put him in power. I talked to him about that. He said "Ok, So An, blah blah blah." But nothing happened.
Could you imagine what Cité Soleil was two days ago? The MINUSTAH [U.N.
Mission to Stabilize
You have a very close rapport with the
population of Cité Soleil. What are they telling you about the situation?
They said the MINUSTAH came to Cité Soleil, broke every house that they found… they kill so many people. They fire guns, fire guns, fire, fire, fire, fire: eleven people were killed that day.
Is Préval a puppet of the US/UN
occupation that he cannot do anything?
I don’t know because they [the international community] say that they are
going to give them [the Haitian government] money. I don’t see any money...
The American people, the
I have hungry people with me every day. I have people who can’t find work, people who can’t go to school. I cannot see my people hungry and to have only one plate of food once a day. That’s the way the country is working now: nobody can eat, nobody can go to work. Only the people of Latortue are in power now with Préval. Lavalas has nothing. It has no directors, no ministers, nothing.
I am not talking to Republicans. I’m talking to the American people. I want you to make a marathon for the Haitian people. Do anything you can in your power, American people.
After your release from jail, you put
together a choir made up of women you call "Koral la." Can you tell us
about it?
The chorale is made up of many people who used to be in an organization with me. They know nothing about singing but, you know, I prepared them. I have to help those people to get something. Because they can’t work, they don’t do anything, they have children to go to school.
We ask you to give some final words, So
An.
There is one thing I would like to say. I love you people. I love American
people. But your establishment is no good. They did so many bad things in so
many countries. Talk to them. Tell them to leave
Copies of So An’s CD release, “What
Else Can They Do To Me? Traditional Folk Songs of
Listen to the entire WBAI interview
with So An at http://archive.wbai.org/
Oct 21, 4PM.
Animal
Rights Activist Found in Civil Contempt
The current grand jury, to which at least two activists have been subpoenaed, is
the second grand jury within two years investigating the same matter: the
“possible concealment” of a suspect being sought in connection with two
actions from 2003 aimed at local pharmaceutical companies with ties to
Huntingdon Life Sciences, an animal-testing lab that is the target of an
international animal rights campaign. In the first
grand jury in 2005, eleven activists, including Winstead, were subpoenaed. At
the time, Winstead and others refused to testify.
Independent journalist Josh Wolf remains in jail as a result of a civil contempt
ruling after he refused to provide unpublished video footage of a July 2005
anti-G8 protest to a federal grand jury in
supposedly occurred during the protests. Wolf could be imprisoned until July
2007. He would really appreciate letters. Write him at Joshua Selassie Wolf
#98005-111, FDC Unit J2, 5675 8th Street, Dublin CA 94568
Information compiled by the Grand Jury Resistance Project (GJRP), a coalition
that provides education on politically motivated attacks by government and
support to people targeted by these attacks, shows that grand juries are
currently being used against environmental and animal rights activists, as well
as groups that have historically struggled for self-determination. The GJRP
believes that the grand juries are part of
the same broad and unconstitutional federal investigation into various political
movements that oppose
For more information: www.FBIWitchHunt.com
or www.joshwolf.net/grandjury
Rashida Muhammad,
aka Dessie Woods 61, activist, dies of cancer
Excerpted from Cecily Burt, Inside Bay Area
What many people may or may not have known is that back in 1976 Muhammad, then
Dessie X. Woods, was sentenced to 22 years in prison for killing a white man
who allegedly tried to rape her and a friend in Georgia. People around the world
took up her cause, and she was eventually freed after serving five years. Alice
Walker immortalized Muhammad's story in her collection of essays, "Living
by the Word."
"We cleaned up the street over here," said her husband, Shomari
Mustafa. "The drug dealers didn't like it but they respected her too
because she helped a lot of people. She helped them get jobs, get rehab to get
off drugs, and she would tell them about ... programs to get their records
expunged to help them out, not just lock them up."
Mustafa said his wife had started a book about her life and ordeal in
Last summer the 1970’s activist group,
The opening was planned for September 15. Around Sept. 1,
the
On Sept. 15 the Art Show took to the streets with 3 of
Tom’s large paintings being held by supporters in the march.
The press published pictures of the paintings and interviewed his
supporters. The march began with about 50 people and by the time it got
downtown, there were over 200. An
art gallery, on
For more info, www.geocities.com/tom-manning and for the art show, www.cantjailthespirit.org
These events, like the Cultural Art Show for the Puerto Rican Political Prisoners, Oscar Lopez Rivera and Carlos Alberto Torres, recently at the San Francisco Mission Cultural Center; and for Mumia Abu Jamal a few years ago, are very important to place the time and climate of events in the 1960s and 70s that led to incarcerations of activists.
Every month OOC receives new letters talking about the
extra difficulties of being a lesbian in prison. “Thank
you for doing ads for the lonely lesbians in Prison. Keep up the good work in
trying to help us in here, it’s truly a sad, unhappy, hateful place”,
woman in
Free-spirited, strong
minded fem wanting an intelligent fun loving person to correspond with. Dianna
Marin #938804,
25, fun, loving,
looking for friendship, not to hustle anyone. I’m a fem, age and race do not
matter. Janelle Weston #345763, FCCW,
Have a degree in
Graphic Arts, enjoy home life and a great inner world of dreams and images.
I’m Hispanic, 39 years old. Esther
Moreida #902827, 1916 N. Hwy. 36 Bypass,
Getting closer to
going home, I yearn for lesbian companionship/friends, to give me some insights
on readjusting to society. Ria
Schumacher #K-01243,
I am Butch,
intelligent, compassionate, enjoy a variety of pastimes, indoors and out.
Looking for a femme with same qualities. Susan Levy #1368489, Gatesville Unit-Trustee Camp,
Not concerned with
race, age or size, I’ll write all who are interested in making one day here a
little brighter. Nicola de la Renta-Freeman
#42768,
Loving, outgoing,
butch woman looking for a good friend to be real in my life. Lisa
W. Stevens #737909, 1916 N. Hwy. 36 Bypass,
Been behind the fence
for 20 years and looking for someone to introduce me to the changing world. Patti
James #161336, Main Unit Infirmary W-2,
Looking for a good
woman, down to earth, authentic and serious about building a friendship. I
am a 27 year old butch with dark skin. Holla at me. Latausha Purvis W#88998,
VSPW/A-1-234-L,
28 yrs. white, love
to laugh and tell jokes, romantic and not shy. I max my time 5/07. Lisa
Marie Fleming #1301513, Lane Murray Unit, 1916 N. Hwy. 36 Bypass,
38, fem, seeks
security, stability and sincerity. Darlene
Casias #605732, 1916 N. Hwy. 36 Bypass,
Fun loving, sincere
and open minded, want to find that one female that I’m always looking for.
Karen Dean #152158, HCI/Dorm 2203-L,
34, Spanish-French
mixed, looking for positive friends. I’m lonely and want to hear from other
lonely lesbians. Alissa Kamholz
#W82746, D-516-8-2L,