LAWYER PREDICTS FAVORABLE COURT RULING

Dear Comrade,

Please renew my subscription to MIM Notes. The last  issue I received was 118. Though issue 117 and 118 were selectively  denied. They only let certain issues reach my cell.  The good news is that the Federal courts rule  around October on the constitutionality of this  censorship. My attorney stated it's an open and  closed case, being that the prisoncrats have no  penological reason to deny the publications. Thus I  should get all past denied issues of MIM Notes if  the court rules fairly.

There's been a lot of restrictive changes within  the last month. Once the prisoncrats finish doing  their modifications I will send a chronological  calendar of events, for MIM Notes....

In Struggle. -- An Iowa Prisoner, Aug. 28, 1996

 HARASSMENT IS THE NORM IN WISCONSIN FEDERAL PRISON

 Dear MIM,

Here in the Federal Gulag of Oxford, Wisconsin,  things remain the same: staff harassment,  discrimination, and violation of privacy (yeah, the  little we do have guaranteed by University-student  contract.) Lest I forget the prevention of  rehabilitation which ensues because of Bureau of  Prison staff actions. While my MIM Notes are not censored, and I do wish  to continue receiving them, this tolerance of  publications does not hide the clearly biased  behavior of the Department of Justice staff here at  FCI-Oxford.

Should you at MIM be interested in the details of  my case...don't hesitate to contact me. Keep up the  great work.

Sincere in the struggle,  --A Wisconsin Prisoner, Oct. 3, 1996.

 PRISONERS MUST WAIT HOURS FOR THE BATHROOM, WHILE  PIGS GO IN THE FOOD

 ...I would like to thank you for your support. I  already received two newspapers of yours. I am very  happy to receive your paper from Notas Rojas. I  want to say a few things that happen here.

In the prison that I'm in, some pigs got caught  pissing in the people's food while inmates were in  the hole. These pigs are still working in this  facility. At this moment two got fired and one is  still working....

At the moment I'm doing top lock for some major  tickets. There are some racist officers up there in  the upper peninsula of Michigan. Most of these  officers are KKK members that are constantly  harassing Blacks and Latinos. These officers write  tickets on us just for looking at them the wrong  way. They will take a piss in people's food, take  your mail and give it to an inmate whenever that  feel like it.

Thank Allah-Solah God, that I got all your papers,  late but I got them. We are having a problem here.  The deputy warden passed a new policy saying that  inmates in top lock for major misconduct will  remain in our cells and wait for 2 to 3 hours,  until they make rounds, so that we can go to the  bathroom. Sometimes I wait two hours or more just  to go to the bathroom, because if I get out of my  cell to tell them that I need to use the rest room,  they will give us a ticket for that....

--A Michigan Prisoner, Aug. 26, 1996

 POLICE BRUTALITY IN TEXAS

 I am in Bell County Jail. I was talking to one of  my cell-mates when he showed me your newspaper. He  gave me some to read. I read some of the stories  and was glad that someone was trying to help and  look after people and prisoners. That made me mad  knowing what some prisons get away with, as was  glad to see prisoners fighting back.

Like one time I got arrested in ... Texas just  because they didn't like my last name. But anyway,  they threw me on the hood of the police car. I was  talking to one of the officers asking what was I  being arrested for. One of the officers behind me  sprayed pepper spray in my eyes. At the time I  didn't know what to do, so I was trying to rub my  eyes because they were burning. As I was trying to  rub my eyes, the officers jumped on me.

One choking me and two other ones trying to throw  me to the ground. I was charged with resisting  arrest. I tried to fight it in court, but the  officers said, "We didn't use pepper spray." So I  got six months probation for resisting  arrest....Now every time I go to town a cop stops  me or my family.

I wrote you to see if I can get some of MIM Notes,  because they tell the truth and they fight back.

Thanks, --A Texas Prisoner, Aug. 22, 1996

 UNSANITARY LIVING CONDITIONS IN ILLINOIS

 ...The topic that I'm about to speak about is the  unsanitary living conditions which are purposely  imposed and ignored by the Menard Administration.  The cell house in the North segregation unit is  infested by numerous different types of vermin:  rodents, birds, bats, insects and roaches. This  creates an unhealthy living environment. We have  not seen any effort to exterminate or prevent  further infestation of our living environment. The  response to our numerous grievance issues about the  birds, mice, roaches and insects have been  basically disregarded or completely ignored.

The only response that was given, was that they  denied that these conditions exist....We have  nothing to keep them out of our cells. They eat  through the cardboard boxes in which we place our  clothes, commissary and hygiene items. The birds  fly through the cell house, leaving their feces on  the gallery floor, cell bars, our food cart, etc.  The mice make their nests in everything or where  ever they can. The roaches infested here so bad,  that they are immune to the roach spray. They live  in almost every crack, corner, crevice they can. The insects are unbearable to experience. In the  shower stalls we must constantly endure unsanitary  and inhumane conditions. They purposely deny us  proper cleaning materials for our cells. We are  issued two SOS brillo pads.

We have for years been forced during these deadlock  periods to live yet under more inhumane and  unsanitary conditions. The galleries are extremely  filthy and are never swept or mopped. There is dirt  caked on the floors....The drainage systems are  constantly clogged which make the water we use to  shower, overflow. We are forced to stand in this  foul smelling water while showering and take our  chances on catching some type of disease or  ailment....

Some of the toilets are dysfunctional, some  constantly flush and some don't flush at all. Some  of the sink water fixtures don't work at all, some  when they do, never stop flowing.... All inmates  who reside in the Menard segregation unit, request  that the health department be notified. [We want]  all our accusations to be investigated by a  unbiased individual who will expose these  conditions to the outside world. Without you we  have nobody to hear our voices or anyone who could  care enough to speak out against this  administration.

--An Illinois Prisoner, Sept. 20, 1996

 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF INJUSTICE CENSORS MIM NOTES

 To Whom it May Concern

You are hereby advised that a publication entitled,  "MIM Notes" June 1, 1996, No. 115, and "Notas  Rojas", Enero-Marzo de 1996, No. 8 has been found  unacceptable, under Federal Prison System Program  Statement 5266.6, Incoming Publications, for  delivery to inmates of this institution for the  following reason: it is determined detrimental to  the security, good order, or discipline of the  institution....

Sincerely,  --George E. Killinger, Warden, Jul. 30, 1996

Letters of protest can be sent to Warden George E  Killinger, US Department of Injustice, Federal  Prison System, Federal Correction Institution, 3150  Horton Rd, Fort Worth, TX 76119.

Regional Director, South Central Regional Office,  Federal Prison System, 4211 Cedar Springs Rd.,  Suite 300, Dallas, TX 75119.

 KANSAS CENSORS MIM NOTES

 Comrades, I received the first paper that you sent. It was  refreshing! Unfortunately the second wasn't allowed  in. They'll refuse each and every one. The reason,  part of it was written in a language other than  English. While I know this wasn't the real reason  the military penal system is far worse than the  normal [prison] and has unlimited resources.

Continue to carry forth the word to the masses and  I wish you the best in your endeavors.

--A Kansas Prisoner, Aug. 9, 1996.

Letters of protest can be sent to: Department of  the Army, 310 McPherson Ave, Fort Leavenworth, KS  66027-1363.

 PRISONER INDICTED WITHOUT EVIDENCE OR WITNESSES

 I'm writing this [about] the situation I'm in, in  the hope of getting legal help, or just to let the  world know how the system messes over inmates  (mostly of Color or without money). My problem is  this:

I'm an inmate at Tennessee Colony, Texas  Penitentiary, in ad-seg [administrative  segregation] for aggravated assault on an officer.  (Which happened in....[another prison]) A free  world charge that I got a disciplinary report on. I  was found guilty for striking an officer with a  lock, with no officer or lock at the hearing.

Then I got an indictment for that charge, but they  didn't lie about a lock being involved. As that  indictment said, it was just my fist, but I got all  these legal papers in which "lock" was the main  word...Is putting a jacket on my back and getting  me beat up on every unit.

To top it off, a female officer was hit, but not by  me. In the course of beating me, one law man hit  this female officer and blamed me. I was beat by  three officers on racial grounds. (Just having  color in my skin) and not listening to an order  after I was talked to like a slave.

I go to court in October. I don't know much about  law and I have an "Inmate Service Lawyer" who was  trying to get me to plea guilty. Now how can I let  my life be in his hands?...

--A Texas Prisoner, Aug. 14, 1996

 A 10TH GRADE AZANIAN YOUTH FACES THE DEATH PENALTY  IN MISSISSIPPI

 A Madison County, Mississippi District Attorney  named John Kitchens wants to play God by seeking  the lynching of ..[X]..., a17 year old South  African, in his self-serving promotion to advance a  political career in this well publicized case. The  Johannesburg native who has become D.A. Kitchens  victim was born and raised in the former Apartheid  black township of Soweto, where [X] lived through  the turbulent years of racial tensions. Two years  ago, he moved with his parents to Jackson,  Mississippi, after his mother had won a scholarship  to Jackson State University...

All through [X]'s stay in America, he has done  exceptionally well in his classes while attending  ...high school, with no difficulty adjusting  academically even though like many children in  Soweto, had missed numerous days of formal  instruction on account of school boycotts in  protest of Apartheid. In 1995, wanting to be  accepted by his peers, who basically rejected him  due to his foreign accent and mannerisms, he chose  to befriend a group of older youth who spent little  time in class but were very street-wise.

Eventually [X]'s parents became concerned because  of the new crowd he was hanging out with. So in  desperation they decided to scrape together the  funds to send him to .... a well respected boarding  school for black youth outside of Jackson. [X] was  set begin this new school when tragedy struck.  According to police reports, he was riding in a  car...with a man [Z]..with a past criminal  background in January 1995.

While cruising around..[Z], ...followed a woman [Y]  until she pulled into her apartment building's  parking lot. [Z] got out of his car with a gun and  forced [Y] to move to the passenger side of her car  and ordered [X] into the backseat....[Z] then drove  to the woods,... instructed [Y] to come with him  and [X] to stay in the car. ....[Z] shot and killed  [Y].....

...Prosecutors are vigorously seeking the Death  penalty in a county notorious for its biased  juries. Most of the area is populated with white  middle-class families who find ninety percent of  minorities guilty within its criminal courts, and  serve out harsher penalties against these groups  then their own white counterparts.

In fact Mississippi Supreme Court documented in  1971, clear instances in which Madison County  officials had systematically excluded Blacks from  jury rolls especially during capital trials, which  this practice is still being routinely carried out  to this very day. Not surprising is [X]'s right to  receive a fair trial in this racially biased  community is unlikely.

Even worse, the prosecutor John Kitchens bragged to  a local paper how he was a force behind getting  [X]'s trial moved to Madison County from a  predominately black ... county to increase the  chances of getting a death penalty sentence. He  stated, "The death penalty is the only deterrent we  have in this country to stop these senseless  murders going on, and I'll defend it to my death."

How ironic being that Kitchens dropped the capital  murder charges against [Z] without a second  thought. This shows Kitchen's intentions and how  justice has gone terrible wrong for [X].If he does  receive the death penalty and the sentence is  carried out, he will become one of the many  children in the United States put to death every  year. Since 1990, only five nations in the world  are known to have executed persons for crimes they  supposedly committed while under 18 years of age.  These countries are: Iran, Pakistan, Yemen, Saudi  Arabia and the United States..

Of these 5 the U.S. has executed the most, with 66  percent of those persons sentenced to die, people  of color. Even more perturbed is this nation  continues to violate widely accepted international  human rights standards which expressly forbids  imposing the death penalty on people for crimes  committed as children. Steven Hawkins, Executive  Director of the National Coalition to Abolish the  Death Penalty in Washington said, "It is terribly  iron that a child like [X] could survive some of  the most turbulent years of apartheid, only then  face the death penalty in Mississippi." That we  should be critically drawn into his situation  because it simply not right to be sentencing  children to death.

The capitalist system with its corruption and  incompetence, discrimination and poverty is about  to commit a horrendous crime with complete  premeditated vengeance against a human being. "All  in the name of Justice", and all [X]'s family can  do is watch the state of Mississippi slowly kill  their son, mentally then eventually physically.

Currently [X] is being housed in ....jail, and  denied bail.....

--An Iowa Prisoner, Oct. 1, 1996

 PRISONER UNITY IN MICHIGAN QUESTIONED

 Greetings Comrades! ...I received info about your Maoist International  Movement through another prisoner. I read a letter  that you had communicated to him that caught my  interest enough for me to inquire and consider. You  presented some real questions in your letter to  this prisoner. I have no idea if he answered your  questions or not, and answered them honestly.  Therefor I would like to take this opportunity to  answer a few of your questions.

You asked are the other prisoner with whom he can  start up a study group to discuss MIM Notes and  other revolutionary literature. The honest answer  to this question is: There are no prisoners with  any Maximum Michigan Facility that are serious  enough and committed enough to come together in a  Unified manner to discuss or do anything else in a  sophisticated political revolutionary beneficial  constructive aspect for self and others alike self.

There is no such thing as a Unified Political  organized revolutionary struggle in the Michigan  Maximum Prison system. In an attempt to eliminate  the corruption deeply embedded into the criminal  justice system and the Michigan Prison system. If  there is such a struggle, the struggle is only  demonstrated on a solo-individual basis....And if  there is such a ...word as unity, it is the unity  of ignorance, stupidity and  foolishness......demonstrated against each other in  the most destructive and demanding of ways.

And if a prisoner jumps up to make a stand in an  attempt to bring all the other prisoners out of the  stages of their ignorance, stupidity and folly  against each other, in an attempt to unify everyone  in making a meaningful stand against the corruption  and atrocities of the system; these prisoner will  actually turn on and turn against (you) in their  attempt to destroy you.

The very person whose trying to bring them together  to fight against their real enemies who seeks to  keep them incarcerated, oppressed and deprived by  any means necessary....I have been threatened,  slandered.. and plotted against by other prisoners,  simply because of the radical revolutionary stand I  made against the system. The sad thing is that I  didn't just make a stand for myself, I made it for  all oppressed prisoners, and they turned against me  to side with the system in deviating, blocking and  frustrating my efforts. The very system that  doesn't care a damn about any of them. I haven't  met a prisoner, not one single prisoner who stood  with me seriously committed in making a stand  against the system. But I can name more than two  hand fulls who stood against me.

So I have become solo in my struggle. Because no- one's really sincerely seriously committed to the  struggle. This doesn't mean that I stopped caring  about the oppressed ones who are daily oppressed,  afflicted, denigrated, assaulted and even sometimes  murdered. I still care. But I realized that there  is nothing I can do for the cause and upliftment of  others if they don't want to demonstrate the cause  to uplift themselves. Therefore my struggle is in  vain and is defeated as long as I'm stuck in here  behind these walls oppressed with the oppressed.

I'm interested in a people and a movement that is  serious about making some changes. But I have been  subjected to so many phony people and informants  and smoke screen organizations that were only in  disguise to undermine my efforts and anyone else's  efforts who stood against the system. So how am I  to know if your movement is real or if its just  another smoke screen organization that seeks to  keep me oppressed and in prison?

I say this because I have an experience of  injustice I would like to share with you and that  you can make my experience made known to the public  about the evil and wickedness of this system called  the Department of Corrections. The wickedness and  evil that I personally had to endure.

Am I alone in my struggle, or are there really any  real organized movement groups out there seriously  committed to the same cause?

PS. Please let me know if you received this  response. Because of the contents they may  intercept it.

In the struggle,  -- A Michigan Prisoner, Aug. 27, 1996

MIM responds:

You are not alone comrade. Our legitimacy as the  vanguard of the oppressed should be clear from our  practice. While your direct observation of our  practice is limited by the terms of your  confinement, much can be gathered from the text of  this newspaper and the fact that month after month,  we write the stories and raise the funds to send it  to you.

The letters pages of MIM Notes and MIM Theory also  make it clear that we are not dogmatists who fear  criticism. Rather, we thrive in it as without the  criticism and participation of the masses, we will  not be able to advance.

It is unfortunate that you have not found other  revolutionary prisoners to work with and feel that  there in no political unity in Michigan Maximum  prisons. Readers, what do you think? MIM hears from  lots of politically motivated individuals. There  are some fairly organized and unified  revolutionaries in prisons all over the United  Snakes. Please respond to this letter and tell of  your experiences with political unity.