Slavery is alive and well in Amerika today... by a Michigan Prisoner It is thriving under a new name, a new face, a new approach, and is widely accepted under the untrained eye of the masses. This new slavery is taking place in today's prisons across Amerikkka. Prisoners are working at slave labor for slave wages, while behind the scenes someone is profiting. How can so called "society" justify allowing prisons to operate slave labor camps where men and wimmin work in prison factories, laundries and kitchens for 50, 80 cents or if you're lucky, one dollar per day? Who ever asks the question: "Where does the money go from the various products prisoners make in these factories?" "Who gets the real money?" It should be painfully obvious that someone of political power is getting their pockets greased off the backs of prisoners, just as slaveholders and politicians of the past were getting fact pockets off of dehumanizing slavery. Here in Michigan, there are measures being implemented to try and have prisoners who use any electrical appliance to pay the state $3 per month. To charge a prisoner for electricity is to charge the prisoner for being violated, abused and kicked in the ass by the state. How in hell can anyone imagine paying their captors money for being captured, shackled and treated as less than animals? For those not incarcerated, they may say that $3 per month is no big deal. However, it is a big deal when one considers that Michigan has over 40 prisons and an estimated 38,000 prisoners. This translates into millions of dollars and none of those millions will be going to the masses. Will those millions be spent for the poor, the elderly, the unemployed, the disenfranchised, the dispossessed, the grassroots? We don't think so and neither should anyone else. There is also talk about having prisoners pay for healthcare and a move has already been made to take out education programs from the last three prisons to still have them in Michigan. What this means is that prisoners will be here as warehouse material and used for slave labor. When people call for harsher sentencing and treatment for the further dehumanization of prisoners it does not serve the interest of the community. When John Engler (Governor of Michigan) and his closed call for cuts of educational programs and denial of domestic abused, drug and anger management programs they are helping to create further dehumanized human beings of rage and anger who ultimately return to the communities worse off. Where are these politicians then? Most of them do not even live in our communities and they have a damn nerve to call on the community to deal with their filth. It has been proven statistically that prisoners who receive a college education while in prison are far less likely to return to prison... ... Our communities must demand and begin to work with those who are in these death kkkamps so that they are afforded the necessary tools, counseling and education programs so that we can prevent the pathologies lurking and destroying our neighborhoods. If you create a frankenstein then it should not be a shock when it seeks to destroy its creator while destroying itself in the process. We will continue to monitor the situation and report on what happens. Meantime we are preparing for what is surely to become an all out war! Florida privatization of prisons ITAL The following was a letter sent to Senator Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida by a Florida Prisoner END Dear Senator, I am incarcerated at the SouthBay Correctional Facility, a private prison run by the Wackenhut Corporation. According to the plans of the dormitory buildings, the cells were originally intended to house one man to each cell. Instead, two beds were built into each cell. Now, as we near the millennium a third bunk is being placed in cells with the subterfuge "just in case space is needed when inmates are released from confinement". Of course it has nothing to do with a recent contract to house sex offenders that have completed their time. So while Wackenhut rakes in the dough, prisoners are being treated with deliberates indifference and stacked like sardines. This violates the State of Florida and Federal Constitution ban against unusual punishment. Grievances are being met with "denial and cover-ups" for the actions of privatization are to take in more revenue. Most grievances that make it to Tallahassee FDOC cite "we do not control privatization. You will receive a response from the privatization commission". The responses are always "denied". Wackenhut is in business to make money, even if it means skirting the constitution. -- A Florida Prisoner, 20 September 1999. Tennessee revolutionary exposes conditions In the State of Tennessee, inmates must go through a system called Administrative Exhausting Remedies. They have two statutes: 1) Prison Litigation Reform Act of 1996 that was enacted by the Federal Government. 2) Tennessee Uniform Administrative Procedure Act By the time inmates pursue these two procedures, he has suffered so much harassment and intimidation by the guards with disciplinary action and illegal removal of legal documents. So when it comes time for court, all exhibits have been removed from the individuals that he can not prove the alleggations against the officials On the Issue of Labor... The highest paid job in the TN DOC is $21.00 a month and these positions are for Institution Snitches. 95% of the prison population gets $6.00 a month. I have enclosed a commissary list showing the price of item in the Commissary. [Example of costs for items: soap $0.65, (5) face razors $2.81, Shampoo $0.86 - $3.73, Toothpaste $1.22 - $5.20, Deodorant $0.76 - $1.35] And all inmates must get whatever is needed for upkeeping through the commissary. So you see its hell. General Conditions... Inmates are placed on maximum security five to seven years at a time for threaten. Here a threaten is when inmates say "no" to stupid rules that are not a part of TN DOC rules and regulations. I have been confined to maximum security for over 10 years because of being an active inmate advocate. I have won legal actions against the TN DOC and so that makes me a threat to the institution. Numerous attempts have been made upon my life by security paying inmates to do harm to me. I always come out on top. But the lockdown system here is so bad. Cold food, cold showers. Laundry comes back wet and dirty. If inmates complain, the guards beat him up. Here it costs inmates very badly if he complains about a problem without having immediate support from the free world. I'm interested in being a part of MIM . I hate these pigs. I'm a Black man that has learned all the lessons about hating these pigs. I have a life sentence because a white man said I cheated him out of $40.00 so the court charged me with robbery. Nowhere in the world would a man get life in prison for $40.00 but Tennessee. -- A Tennessee Prisoner, 30 September 1999. Prisoners paid pennies & charge for basics At CIC, Correctional Industrial Complex, they have an Industrial Complex. It is run by Pen Products. They say "This is a working camp and the industrial complex takes priority over education." The most you can get paid is 35 cents an hour, the least is 20 cents an hour. For Health Care, sick call is $5 and to see a doctor it is another $5. I think for your eyes it is $5 and $12 for glasses, for your teeth it varies. -- an Indiana prisoner. Private Corrections Corp takes over The DOC has leased to Corrections Corp. of Amerika (CCA). Now, in response to that article and what Pam Pattison said, it took exactly 2 months to go outside, to an area no bigger than 30 by 60 feet, on asphalt, 25 inmates at a time, an hour each period, and 2 weeks after that was the next time we went out again, to basically sit down or play on the one basketball goal. There is no order nor recreation. It has been scheduled for us to go out once every two weeks, an hour each time, only if there is enough staff and it doesn't look like it will rain. I've filed grievances on the rec., the "law library," and how our laundry is handled. They wash 10 to 20 inmate's clothes together, each inmate's clothing jacketed in a mesh bag. One time an inmate had the crabs and the laundry spread it to other inmates clothing. I've also filed a grievance against the food being outdated, through some inmates working in the kitchen that got meat (turkey loaves) in the freezer a year or so outdated. Food is constantly re-cooked, re-served, and refashioned. As for education, the CCA just held a political extravaganza for the media. They made the front page handing out bogus certificates in carpentry, plumbing, and electronics. The programs provide no hands-on training and 13 days in each class will gain you a certificate. The CCA has also made the grievance procedure more difficult. They are doing nothing but warehousing DOC and county jail inmates in the same fish tank. For Justice, -- An Indiana Prisoner. Slave labor in New Jersey As for "work options" there no such thing as work options in the sense of producing goods, here in the control unit, however out in the general population the prison industry has been privatized by a company called "Depcore" cats here are making socks, mattress, and some office furniture all of which is being sold for huge profits yet kaptive's wages vary from $1.25 to $1.50 a day. Kaptive may make up to $30 to 35 dollars a month, most of which will be taken for living expenses... it follows slave labor is very much functional here. The general conditions through out u.s. gulags reflect those particular contradictions here at 'new jersey state prison.' -- a prisoner in New Jersey 15 June 1999. Prison Slavery in Texas It is well known that the Constitution still states that prisoners can be used as slave labor in the 13th amendment. As in Texas prisons labor is free to the state of Texas and it is a big industry. It is becoming a practice by the system state-wide if the inmate is not producing labor and benefiting the state than they (inmates) are being locked down for one reason or another for 23 to 24 hours per day. The prisons in Texas are being used as an economic crutch and an answer to [employ rural whites] in small towns. When inmates speak against the work abuse, retaliation measures are used to discourage and intimidate. There are very few jobs inside that would be beneficial to inmates once we are released, the only objective is to make money for the state. The country has turned towards capitalizing on people's misfortunes and turning it into profit for corporations and for the state governments. Any job that does not benefit the inmate for outside employment does not benefit society as a whole, because it sends the inmate to the world unprepared for its realities. The state of Texas does not pay its prisoners so this is the ultimate example of slavery. At least 80% of the jobs do not prepare the average inmate for jobs in the world. This environment keeps the prisons full with plenty of free labor and profit for the state. -- Texas prisoner, March 2000. Slavery and profit in prisons The prison industrial complex is all about slavery and profit. That's right, slavery is alive and well, its just legal now. The prisoner slave trade is made possible by two u.s. constitutional amendments that are the roots of all evil and will allow the prisoner slave trade to grow and grow until they are checked by the people. See the 13th amendment to the u.s. constitution, section one, which authorizes involuntary servitude as punishment for commission of a crime and the 14th amendment to the u.s. constitution, section two, which authorizes states to deny those convicted of a crime the right to vote. Did you think amerikkka would give up their plantations that easy? The slave masters are back and they got themselves new business plans, some of their long range strategies are already coming to light. Check this out, Jim Bob gets his kkkapital together (probably some money his dad made off the Black slave trade back in the days) and builds a couple new prison plantations. Uncle Sam fills them to the brim overnight cause it saves him some ca$h. Anyways so Jim Bob calls up cousin Billy Bob who's got the big cotton farm down the road and puts all the slaves to work for 15 cents and hour, which the dumb slaves don't mind cause it beats sitting around playing cards or watching Days of our Lives all day. Well days go by, Jim Bob and Billy Bob are making money hand over fist and start opening up more and more plantations, and one day they get the bright idea, let's hire us some of those government "lobbists" to get some "get tough on crime" laws passed so we can keep our joints filled to the brim, job security you know. Well this plan gets to working so good even the stock holders join in and start screaming "get tough on crime" by writing their united snake leaders who are also stock holders. Next thing you know all these (75) year mandatory minimum laws are getting passed along with all this zero tolerance nonsense and its illegal to walk outside your house cause the whole damn kkkountry is under martial law, gestapo everywhere. [MIM adds: It is the white settler nation that is at war against oppressed nations, Amerika has not implemented martial law tactics against the white settler majority.] Next thing you know some of Jim Bob and Billy Bob's prison slave master goons start screaming these damn prison slaves got too many stupid rights, so the big Bob's holler at their lobbyists and news krew stock holders and they start claiming inmates are all filing lawsuits about not getting ice cream at chow. Then overnight, a prison litigation reform act is passed and the supreme court says us prisoners don't need to be turning pages in law books cause we might accidentally get set free or worse yet win some ends off the big Bob's after their guards beat us during a "training" video. All of a sudden half the prisoners can't file lawsuits cause they got "three strikes" and the other half aren't gonna give up their $2.00 a week Billy Bob salary to uncle sam. Next thing you know inmates ain't got any rights cause the Big Bob's and Uncle Sam's are totally immune from prosecution. Meanwhile Billy Bob, Jim Bob, all their side kicks and share holders are making millions. We use their telephones which are charging our families outrageous rates. We buy all our personal need items like toothpaste, deodorant, chips, soups, etc. at two to three times what it costs in a store at their special stores. We're even being charged for our medical and dental care. They're even charging us room and board in some great motels. They'll be charging us for toilet paper and to wash our clothes next. Anyhow, it don't take no rocket scientists to see what's behind the fact the united snakes has only 5% of the world population but it has 25% of the world's prisoners. See Billy Bob, Jim Bob, and Uncle Sam all know that as long as they can keep the slaves voiceless, by denying as many as they can the right to vote, the people will never be able to repeal all these get tough on crime, zero tolerance, three strike, minimum mandatory laws and they can keep on making money hand over fist. The roots are deep! Do you think for one second a politician could get elected on a get tough on crime platform if every convicted person had the right to vote? They'd be campaigning for our better living conditions or to abolish the whole damn prison industrial complex set up. Just think about how many people are involved in this big prison slave labor scam, judges, lawyers, clerks, bondsmen, police, guards, builders, suppliers, etc. The list goes on and on! Hell Billy Bob, Jim Bob and Uncle Sam's enterprise done so good they had to branch out and start them a korrection korporation of Amerika, Tran Kor, and even unikor. To make matters worse uncle sam wants the whole world to follow its lead, and if they don't follow in his footsteps like good little puppies he'll impose sanctions on them, like cutting off their off their food or medical supplies. Admire and respect those countries who have stood up to the Big Bully and its puppies or should I say puppets. I clench my fist and raise it high to salute you. Attack the roots! In struggle and Solidarity, -- A prisoner in Florida, 24 Jarnuary 2000. Thanks for the coverage; Repression of MIPRS continues Revolutionary Greetings MIM Comrades, My Comrades and I thank MIM for alerting the world to the suppression of the Melanic Islamic Palace of the Rising Sun and STG designation. MIM's front page coverage in its MN202 February 15 edition exposes the Michigan Department of Correction (MDOC) in its true fascist form. Since the date of the suppression of MIPRS on January 17 of this year, we have been subjected to an increased level of harassment at this particular Kamp. February 22nd, early in the morning, the emergency siren for institutional lock down was blown. Before any prisoner could get out of bed and go to the toilet the housing unit was rushed by the so-called "special squad unit" all dressed in black jumpsuits. They barked orders for us to evacuate the unit and once against herded us down to the gym. Some guys were still wearing pajamas and shower shoes, others without winter coats or hats. We were all strip-searched and made to bend over and spread our asscheeks until the guards searching could see the opening of our anus. The routine was very humiliating and after searching nearly four hundred men, turned up no contraband! After the skin and rectum search we sat on the gym floor three hours before being led back to our cells. Upon our return many prisoners discovered that their meager personal property has been intentionally damaged, destroyed or confiscated. I'm talking about typewriters and headphones. Books, magazines, newspapers and personal correspondence. Most cells were in shambles. The lockdown didn't end until the evening hours. The disturbing thing for this writer to witness was the docility and trampled spirit of the kaptives. Very few complained loudly about their mistreatment by the goons. Since that major lockdown the "yardcrew goonsquad" has stepped up its harassment and can be seen dragging kaptives in cuffs across the yard to the hole. In the hole they strip the prisoners, find nothing and send them back to their cells. They have a new routine of coming in the dining hall and randomly selecting several kaptives as they eat, and herding them to the control center to take urine drops and skin searches. The tension is simmering. However, the kaptives only take it out on each other. I have a small study group of comrades. We have been attempting to use the repressive tactics of the state agents as a reason for fellow kaptives to behave in a more disciplined manner. We encourage them to study so they can put the mdoc's actions in perspective. We use MIM materials as well as the political writings of past revolutionaries to assist them in developing a political consciousness. Many kaptives seem to believe the mdoc is omnipotent and unaccountable for any of its actions against prisoners. We attempt to educate them that their people, their family and friends have an untapped power, that if harnessed collectively, can be used to make mdoc come to heel. We encourage them to encourage their people to tell their neighbors, etc. about the ongoing struggle within these fences gulags for better educational programs, etc. and the mdoc's resistance to such program upgrades. It is a slow process but we rise each day with the thought of raising some one's political consciousness just a notch. The struggle continues. Thanks again for your support. -- a Michigan prisoner, 2 March, 2000. MIM responds: We commend you comrades on the strength and focus of your organizing, and stand with you in your resolve to advance the level of political discipline in response to the MDOC's repression. You are correct that the prisoncrats' only accountability comes from the people, and that an accounting for their treatment of prisoners must be demanded, not awaited. We second your righteous call for prisoners' loved ones on the outside to share the news of your treatment with their neighbors. There is no justice in the Michigan prisons' repression of a Black religious organization as a gang, and there is shame only in those on the outside remaining silent in the face of this clear injustice. MIM has recently put out a call to prisoners to help us expand distribution of MIM Notes outside of prisons, through calling on friends, family and supporters for help. If one of every four prisoners MIM works with recruited one family member or other supporter to distribute 25 copies of each issue of MIM Notes, we would expand our distribution by 45%. Prisoners: you can write to or show your supporters your copies of MIM Notes. Tell them what you like about the paper and why you subscribe, and explain that they can distribute 25 papers in less than ten minutes and in this way can help us to build distribution of the newspaper that is reporting on your oppression within the prisons. Write to us if you want more details on how you can get friends and family involved. People on the outside: you can support our coverage of prisoners' struggles with or without distributing MIM Notes. Write for a subscription if you want to learn more about this publication (see p. 2), or get in touch to become a distributor. MIM has said that "there are no rights, only power struggles" and we observe this by building the resources to publish our own newspaper rather than asking the bourgeois press for the right to publish articles about political repression within united snakes borders. We work to build independent institutions of the oppressed, like MIM Notes, so that we will be prepared to offer the support these comrades in Michigan need. MIM Notes is funded by independent donations, and produced without regard for how the articles in our paper will look on some reporter's resume. Because we are independent we have the power -- vested in us by the people -- to report on the genuine struggles against oppression that are ongoing within the walls of the Michigan gulags and throughout the united snakes, and everyplace imperialism stretches its tentacles overseas.