California
Coalition for Women Prisoners
Prisons
at Center of Damning Report on
Demonstrations
for Peace in
Bay Area Activists and the Federal Grand Jury
A LOOK INSIDE: UNITED STATES POLICIES ON HUMAN RIGHTS, TORTURE, AND OTHER SYSTEMS OF INJUSTICE
CALIFORNIA COALITION FOR WOMEN PRISONERS
Free Self-Help Litigation Manual and Advice
Released!
After
spending 826 nights in a crowded prison cell where she was held without charge
since her violent arrest by US Marines in May 2004, Haitian political prisoner
Annette Auguste aka So Anne was released last month. On her day in court,
prosecutors conceded that there was no evidence against her.
The campaign for So Anne’s release
was carried by thousands of Haitians who demonstrated in the streets despite the
presence of armed troops, and by an international effort to expose and challenge
the US/UN occupation. Everyone who phoned, faxed and e-mailed on her behalf
shares in the victory. So Anne’s unwavering support for
While Prime Minister Neptune, So Anne
and a few prominent political prisoners have been released, the fight for the
return of
While there are many challenges ahead
for
I’m
writing you from behind the prison walls of Pocettlo Women’s
I
would like to let OOT know, the women here enjoy your newsletter very much and
to let you know the women here are fighting against the same discrimination,
prejudice and sexism that women face on a federal level.
Here
in
We
are not allowed to have pictures of loved ones or our partners if they are
inmates of the Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC). We are passed over for
parole if you are a lesbian or in a lesbian relationship.
If
you have been in one or more relationships you are labeled a sexual predator and
thrown into segregation for an undisclosed amount of time which usually is until
you admitted you are not in a relationship or will not pursue one. We are
constantly under harassment, constantly fighting against sexism and homophobia.
The
one positive thing that has happened is that I met my partner of a year and
half. We have to stay 6 feet away from each other – which has been quite a
challenge for us so just a look or a 5 minute talk means everything. But we stay
together and support and love one another which isn’t easy in this environment
but has only made us stronger.
In
closing I want to support all the women who are in prison, political or
otherwise, who are fighting the same issues we are and believe in the cause and
will not rest until it is won. The women in
Robin
Brenneman
Celebrates 10 years of publishing
“The Fire Inside”
a
newsletter for women prisoners
Sunday
November 5, 2006, 2:00 – 5:00pm
Alice
Walker will read from her newest bookOther confirmed program participants are: Drum Sistah
Warriors; Maisha Quint from Poetry for the People; Theresa Cruz (formerly
incarcerated survivor)& daughter Adriana; Quilt Raffle by former Political
prisoner Linda Evans, Kuda, poet extraordinaire &
vDonation:
Sliding Scale $10 - $100 – No one turned away for lack of funds
vWheelchair
accessible
vFor
more information, contact Shawnna d. – e-mail afrikan.trade@gmail.com
vPhone
(leave a message): 415-255-7036 ext. 304
Prisons
at Center of Damning Report on
by Haider Rizvi
UNITED NATIONS - Rights advocacy groups in the
The “shadow report” comes at a time when the
Geneva-based UN Committee on Human Rights is about to complete its findings on
human rights abuses in the
The report documents various forms of human rights abuses in
the
In the report, the rights groups also explain how racism was
associated with the authorities’ failure to protect the victims of Hurricane
Katrina, many of whom are still deprived of the right to participate in the
rebuilding process and access to basic facilities. Questioning the judicial
practices and prison conditions in the
“Far from being out of the ordinary,” says McClary,
“or an aberration—which is the image painted by the Bush
administration—prison abuse and the use of torture in the
The report submitted to the UN Committee represented the views of more than 140 U.S.-based groups and 32 prominent individual activists. The groups likely to testify before the UN Committee include the American Civil Liberties Union, Global Rights, Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the International Women’s Rights Action Watch, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, Center for Reproductive Rights and Justice Now.
The
Nuclear Resister has news about the many anti-war protests happening all across
this country; who is in prison and who is out. To subscribe write to
JORGE
GARCIA, PRESENTE! It is with great
sadness that the ProLibertad Freedom Campaign (www.ProLibertadWeb.com) announces
the passing of our beloved comrade and brother Jorge Farinacci Garcia.
Jorge, a former Puerto Rican Political Prisoner, spent five years of his life in
prison for his actions with Los Macheteros in support of Puerto Rican
independence and self-determination. For the past 15 years, Jorge was one of
several spokespeople for El Frente Socialista, an organization dedicated to
building socialism in
[excerpted
from article by Robert R. Bryan, Lead counsel for Mumia Abu-Jamal]
On October
4, 2006, our Reply Brief in response to the briefs submitted by the
district attorney will be filed on behalf of Mumia Abu-Jamal in
We
continue to aggressively pursue relief for Mr. Abu-Jamal. On July 20,
Professor Judith L. Ritter, associate counsel, and I filed a lengthy
opening brief supported by voluminous exhibits. A week later the
NAACP filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief.
A separate amicus curiae brief was filed for the National Lawyers
Guild. They were joined by the National Conference of Black Lawyers,
International Association of Democratic Lawyers, Charles Hamilton Houston
Institute for Race and Justice of Harvard Law School, Southern Center for Human
Rights, and the National Jury Project. These amicus briefs
greatly strengthen our quest to protect the constitutional rights of Mr. Abu-Jamal
and secure a reversal.
This
case concerns my client’s right to a fair trial, and the struggle against
the death penalty and the political repression of an outspoken journalist.
Racism and politics are threads that have run through this case since his 1981
arrest. The issues under consideration by the court are complex and of great significance
under the United States Constitution.
The
case continues to move rapidly. Once the briefing phase is
complete, we will present oral argument before a three-judge panel in the
U.S. Court of Appeals. Our purpose is to win this life-and-death
struggle, gain a new and fair trial, and see our client walk out of
jail a free person. However, Mr. Abu-Jamal remains in great danger.
If the case is lost, he will be executed. Thank you for your concern and support
in this campaign for justice.
For
more info: Mobilization to Free Mumia, 298 Valencia St. S.F. CA 94103, www.freemumia.org or International Concerned Family and Friends, 4601 Market St.
Phila. PA 19139 www.mumia.org
Demonstrations
for Peace in
On Saturday July 29, there was an
extraordinary mass march of “Women Against War” in Tel Aviv. Women
came from 17 sponsoring women’s organizations, and there were 3,000
participants (including men). It was a dramatic sight marching through the
streets dressed in black as a sign of mourning for the victims on both sides.
While the tabloids ignored us, Ha’aretz published a photo and detailed
caption, and NRG, one of
In
Bay
Area Activists and the Federal Grand Jury
Grand juries have been on the minds of activists since May
2005, when an FBI agent told a Senate subcommittee that animal-rights and
environmental extremists constituted “one of today’s most serious domestic
terrorism threats.” Last year, a federal grand jury was convened to reopen the
investigation into the 1971 killing of a
On the seventeenth floor of
Kris Hermes is one of the main organizers of the Grand Jury
Resistance Project, an ad hoc group of lawyers, law students, and self-described
“legal activists,” including the National Lawyers Guild and
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution
this month urging the passage of a Federal Shield Law and condemning the federal
government’s actions against Josh Wolf, the independent journalist and blogger
who was jailed August 1st for
refusing to turn over, to a federal grand jury, video footage of a protest that
occurred in San Francisco’s Mission District last July. The resolution charges
that the grand jury is an “attempt to circumvent the local judicial system,”
since the crime being investigated involves an alleged attack on a
Federal grand juries targeting activists are often used as ‘fishing expeditions’; tools with which federal prosecutors and investigators gather any information they can on activists, their associations and their activities. Answering even the most innocuous-sounding questions poses a grave threat to activists’ ability to speak out against injustice and oppression.
Those subpoenaed to testify before grand juries are denied legal counsel during testimony. A witness who asserts the right to remain silent can face indefinite imprisonment. People can be subpoenaed for virtually any reason, and they can be interrogated in minute detail about their private lives and beliefs. Even minor misstatements caused by faulty memory can lead to perjury charges.
It is clear that the federal government’s attacks against
political activists and our rights to free speech will only continue to escalate
if they remain unopposed. For
background, more info and updates: The Freedom Archives,
UNITED STATES POLICIES ON HUMAN RIGHTS, TORTURE, AND OTHER SYSTEMS OF INJUSTICE
November 1-3, 2006
A Look Inside is a three-day summit of people affected
by-and concerned with-the practice and politics of torture and other human
rights violations in the
The cornerstone of this summit is the belief that an informed and intelligent community can construct public policy; an informed community can work to ensure preventive measures against official misconduct and human rights violations.
Organizing Committee: Pat Benabe, patb42@sbcglobal.net, Deidre White Man, deewhite@ku.edu, Lucia Orth, Julia Good Fox
Advisory Committee: Dr. Sharon O’Brien, Ph.D., University of Kansas, Dr. Daniel Wildcat, Ph.D., Haskell Indian Nations University, Dr. Michael J. Yellow Bird, Ph.D., University of Kansa
Organizational History.
CCWP was founded in May of 1995 after women prisoners filed a
lawsuit, Shumate v. Wilson, regarding the horrible medical care that
women prisoners in
Organizing & Political Education. CCWP sees leadership development and political education as central to our ability to build strong community and prison-based organizing efforts to stop the abuse and targeting of women by prison institutions and the larger criminal justice system. CCWP’s organizing model relies on member leaders inside and outside of prisons working in close concert to build and run our organizing campaigns.
Compañeras. Compañeras is a program working
with
Newsletter. The Fire Inside is a quarterly
publication with a circulation of over 2,500 that is dedicated to providing a
space for women prisoners and their supporters to communicate with each other
and the broader public about the issues and experiences women prisoners face
through articles, art and poetry.
Prison Visits. CCWP regularly visits women at Central
California Women’s Facility and Valley State Prison for Women in
For more information: CCWP,
Free Self-Help Litigation Manual and Advice
by K. Friedman, a prisoner in
Are you a Lesbian and/or Feminist imprisoned in a state or federal correctional facility? Do you want or need guidance and instruction on how to protect your human rights and constitutional freedoms?
The “system” is not merely steel bars and razor wire, nor is it truly internal policies and regulations. It exists, solely under the shadow of state and federal laws all of which exist under the authority and limitations of the U.S. Constitution.
What you are experiencing, as a prisoner, is more often than not, a set of living conditions and conditions of confinement that are below (often far below) minimal standards in terms of education, health care, rehabilitation, religious and spiritual opportunities, even basic housing and environmental standards.
Many of you need to know lawsuits do not provide a speedy or often effective means to address or resolve these problems, especially where the prisoners are few in number or they are subject to disruptive transfers and separation. They do have their place but before you think about suing, you can and should learn the methodology of filing a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (state or federal) addressing your “conditions of confinement”, knowing the proper Constitutional grounds to apply in your petition (depending on the subjects at issue), how to seek and be granted appointment of counsel to your case.
The major stumbling blocks for Lesbian and Feminist
prisoners are poverty and ignorance. For more information and education, send
inquiries to: K. Friedman, Ste.8,
Every month OOC receives many new letters asking to be included and talking about the extra difficulties of being a lesbian in prison. All prisoners feel isolated from the world outside. Lesbians face another level of discrimination that makes it even harder to make and keep connections. Once again I apologize for editing the heartfelt words that were sent to us. I wish we could publish entire letters. Please write directly to the women listed below and use their complete addresses.
Lonely and would love to get a letter. Full blooded
Apache. Age is nothing, just need a
friend. Candy P. Johnson W#58267, VSPW/D-2-5-2L,
I’m 27, white and looking for a special friend and
hopefully, maybe, more. Olivia Bradbury #338093, PO Box 1000,
Outgoing, fun loving, down to earth. Age or race is
unimportant, I’m seeking friendship first.
I enjoy a lot of things, I don’t like wasting time;
make use of every minute because it might be your last. Ann Marie
Barrineau #324544, 5B 203B,
Intellectual lesbian seeks companionship with same, am
honest, kind and genuine. Carol Kelly #503934, Trusty Camp,
26 year old lesbian looking for fun loving female for
friendship and more. Bambi L. Boyer W#81204, VSPW/B2-2-3L, PO Box 92,
Chowchilla CA 93610
30 year old lesbian, passionate, intelligent, down to
earth, yet lonely. Sheena Eastburn #87826, CCC/HU-5B-20A, 1500 W. 3rd,
Looking for a woman seeking a real friendship, then
hopefully more. Tina Bura W#67931, VSPW/A4-SHU-213,
25, honest, loving, caring white woman looking for
someone to be a friend. Jamie Green #05g0154,
Fun, honest, smart looking for a long relationship with a
woman. Cynthia Mondragon #694730, Lane Murray Unit, 1916 N. Hwy. 36
Bypass,
39, kind, soft-spoken, loving, Black, laid back Fem
looking for someone to take time out for me.
“Playtoy”, honest faithful and loveable. Beta
Sanchez
26 year old fem laidback fun loving smart and direct.
Looking for someone to capture my heart. Keisha Carr #920364, PO Box 535,
Jessup MD 20794
25, out-spoken, Mexican/American/Indian who values
loyalty and honesty, looking for a real upright and true friend. Caressa
Scott-Ross #343506, PO Box 1000,
Carefree, fun-loving 32 years young looking for
friendship possibly long term relationship. Cynthia Staton #343667, FCCW
I’m a 33 year old butch. Good looking and looking for a
sincere lady. Nancy Ochoa #908431, Lane Murray Unit, 1916 N. Hwy. 36
Bypass,
40, femme, secure, laidback, funny paroling 1/07 in