MIM Notes 166 July 15, 1998 RAIL joins religious march at Walpole prison JUNE 10, WALPOLE, MASS. RAIL sent a contingent to join a march past three Massachusetts prisons in Walpole and Norfolk. The March was organized by the Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage, which is walking the path of the slave trade in reverse. They are marching past many important symbols and places in Black history, and it was a good decision by their local organizers to pick the prison. Many participants expressed surprise to learn that they weren't welcome in Walpole, the home of Massachusetts' Supermax. To date, all other cities had welcomed them. RAIL was not surprised. Prisons are often built in less wealthy rural white communities, and these communities support the economic benefits of the prisons. And the flip side is just as bad -- prisoners disproportionately come from the distant urban areas, so relatives and friends must travel long distances to visit. At first the Walpole police threatened marchers with arrest. It's not like this was a revolutionary rally. The marches wanted to walk to each prison, and then find a place along the side to pray. Only after the American Civil Liberties Union intervened did the Walpole chief pig change his tune to "not planning on arresting people." This conflict and risk of arrest, as well as the legitimate fear that attendance at this simple act could cost someone their visiting privileges, kept members of a pacifist organization that does good anti- prisons work away from the rally. In the past, MIM has written about the alliances that can be made with religious people and organizations. Unfortunately, things didn't go so well at this event. Most significantly, the marchers denied that the march was in fact a political act. This made principled political negotiation almost impossible. RAIL was asked not to display the signs that we had brought about the injustices going on inside the prisons. Despite the fact that banners in support of American Indian Movement freedom fighter Leonard Peltier had been flown at a previous March, RAIL was told that there was a "no banner" policy by one participant. RAIL independently organized a contingent to this event, but we recognized it was not our event and told the lead organizer that we would respect her instructions. We did, however, request a legitimate reason, and they eventually said it was that families of prisoners present might not want our banners flown if it meant their visits could be jeopardized. Regardless of whether the families actually requested this, RAIL disagrees with this approach. Disallowing radical and revolutionary voices limits the potential impact. Most importantly, RAIL is not a religious organization and we have no expectation that anything besides the power of the people unleashed can change society. God will not do it for us. While many marchers were eager to sign our petition against the expansion of control units in Massachusetts, others were not interested and were reluctant to learn more about the control units. RAIL is building a movement in Massachusetts against the criminal injustice system and in defense of prisoners. Specifically, we are leading campaigns against the continued deportation of prisoners to Texas and the control units here in Massachusetts.