In Amerika's dismal crypts, Religious organization banned as a 
gang

In this month that MIM has designated to oppose the political 
repression of Amerikan prisons as part of the Under Lock & Key 
2000 campaign, we must acknowledge a deepening of the trend of 
stigmatizing prisoners for their political and organizational 
affiliations. In the 1990s, prison authorities throughout the 
united snakes initiated what they call "Security Threat Group" 
policies, by which a sweeping array of physical or language 
characteristics can be used to label prisoners as "STG" or gang 
members. To begin the year 2000 the Michigan Department of 
Corrections (MDOC) has added the Melanic Islamic Palace of the 
Rising Sun (MIPRS), a prisoner religious organization, to its list 
of STGs.

Much as the psychiatric industry makes a living off of 
generalizing individual behaviors into a broad theory of so-called 
normal humyn mentality, the STG policies take the approach of 
stigmatizing the languages and clothing styles of the oppressed 
nations as symbols of gang affiliation. MIM Notes has written in 
the past that the STG policies are therefore a means of stifling 
the independent culture of the oppressed nations. Two magazines of 
Black culture -- VIBE and Blaze -- have been censored for 
including "gang signs." This begs the question of whether the MDOC 
sees all manner of Black expression as a gang expression and the 
answer seems to be yes.

A prisoner in Michigan writes on January 18: "The entire 
membership of the Melanic Islamic Palace of the Rising Sun were 
summoned to the control center this morning by the ADW [Assistant 
Deputy Warden] of Programs, ADW of Security and the Chaplain. We 
were told effective immediately that our religious organization 
has been deemed and classified as a Security Threat Group (STG) 
and as of today is no longer a recognized religious organization. 
[Prisoner religious organizations must be recognized by the DOC 
for their members to set up services, and meet together for 
purposes of observing their religion.] We were ordered to turn 
over all of our religious paraphernalia. We were told that any 
attempt to practice our religion would result in a security 
placement in level five. We were told that our executive 
leadership was already on lockdown in segregation across the state 
and that this directive comes from Director Martin himself.

"It is my opinion that the MIPRS has contributed much to the 
raising of culture and political consciousness inside these 
dungeons and pits. The reward for effectiveness within the belly 
of the beast is censure and banishment. They came at us for 
various reasons. I believe the main reason is the sophisticated 
level of organization. Any level of organization inside these 
dismal crypts is viewed as a threat by those charged with keeping 
us disorganized. Any group that is politically conscious, and 
actively working to spread that political consciousness is a 
threat to the new centurions and their masters."

MIM agrees. We call all prisoners in this country political 
prisoners because the prisons in this country have demonstrated 
their purpose as warehousing the oppressed nations as a means of 
preventing their political activity. Those who by their conditions 
have least invested in fitting themselves into the scheme of this 
society, and those who are most likely to rebel against Amerika 
are locked up. Naturally their attempts to organize from within 
prisons are also greatly restrained.

For this reason MIM places emphasis on organizing absolute 
opposition to the u.s. criminal injustice system. We work to 
support revolutionary reforms -- those reforms that make our work 
possible -- like combating censorship so that we may pursue 
relations with those behind the walls. But we do not pretend that 
this system can ever be made into something that will serve the 
needs of the oppressed by "making the streets safe" or by "getting 
the criminals behind bars." The criminals are those who funnel the 
oppressed to prisons instead of schools. As Maoists we work for a 
system in which all people will have the basic rights to housing, 
education, work, health care and political activity. The 
imperialists' criminal activities include denial of these basic 
needs and repression for those striving for them.

Another Michigan prisoner supports this view. In a January 17 
letter he quotes Jose Maria Sison, Founding Chairman of the 
Communist Party of the Philippines (as printed in MIM Theory no. 
13, p. 138): "'The Marxist-Leninist-Maoist parties can extend 
their reach through broad anti-imperialist gatherings. The 
Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideological position required the use of 
political struggle and the international united front to arouse, 
organize and mobilize the broad masses of the people.'

"I agree with this comrade 100%. Communists have been stereotyped 
pretty bad over here in the U$A. Thanks to some parties' actions 
and the mass imperialist media it is more than hard to reach a 
person stressing communistic views. So the next best method would 
be to identify the evils of capitalism, which has grown up to 
become imperialism. This is not a hard task if a little effort is 
given every day at a particular time, this can be done." MIM does 
not seek to hide our Maoist leadership of the united front 
organization United Struggle from within, but as this prisoner 
says we put it forward as a clear choice for those who are not 
ready to accept work in a Communist organization.

The comrade continues: "the state took away religious services 
from the Melanic Islamic Palace of the Rising Sun. You would think 
that they would encourage such devices for some guys to better 
themselves, but it seems to me that they do not want or need these 
guys to better themselves. I look for some form of reaction any 
day now. I will keep you all posted on it. Until next time, Power 
to the People!"

MIM invites all comrades behind the walls to send us your updates 
on this situation as well as similarities throughout Amerika. It 
has also been our experience that comrades have come to the MIPRS 
apolitical and wind up doing work with MIM in opposition to 
imperialism. We look to sum up the lessons of different methods of 
organizing and the party's press is the place to do that. The 
pages of MIM Notes will be open to you this month and every month 
to expose the political repression of prisoners in these united 
snakes.