Under Lock and Key

ULK2000 July: What are Indigenous and Latino semi-colonies doing 
in the imperialists' prisons?

MIM argues that Amerika's prisons are part of an INjustice system. 
With 5% of the world's population, Amerika boasts 25% of the 
world's prisoners. We believe these united snakes have no 
legitimate authority to judge or imprison anyone, because this is 
a country founded on the injustices of genocide, stolen land, 
slavery, colonialism and imperialism. Under Lock & Key 2000 is our 
year-long campaign to educate all people about the wrongness of 
this country's prison system. For July, we have organized 
prisoners to help us educate on the conditions of Indigenous and 
Latino Nations in Amerika's prisons.

Latino and Indigenous prisoners are often counted as "Black," 
"White" or "Other" by the statisticians, yet we know that their 
numbers in the prisons are way out of proportion to their numbers 
in the population. MIM calls for liberation of all the internal 
semi-colonies from this and other aspects of imperialist 
domination. A Michigan prisoner points out how this is possible: 
"To not be influenced or controlled by others' thinking or acting 
for oneself [to achieve national liberation], I don't think we 
honestly know how hard that would be to actually accomplish, not 
because it can't be done, only because we've become accustomed to 
relying on someone other than ourselves. This is nothing new, look 
back through history and you'll find that gabachos have been 
playing big brother ... not because it was necessary, but only to 
keep us submissive and dependent on them.

"We are not a passive people, nor did we have to rely on 'big 
brother' to establish cities, government, religion, markets, 
commerce. Because we already established and were flourishing in 
before the arrival of the guachupines! And with the implementation 
of European ideologies into Aztec, Arawak and Taino civilizations, 
they became a colonized people."(1)

While we call for liberation of the oppressed nations, we must 
correctly answer the question Huey Newton asked: "How can we say 
that we have accomplished revolution if we redistribute the wealth 
just to the people here in North America when the ruling circle 
itself is guilty . . . they have taken away the goods of the 
people of the world, transported them to America and used them as 
their very own."(2) Liberation of the internal semi-colonies and 
reparations for genocide must be paid by imperialists, not by the 
Third World. The only way to end the system of disproportionate 
and unjust imprisonment is to do away with the imperialist system 
the prisons belong to.

Notes: 

1. A Michigan prisoner, 9 April, 2000.

2. Huey Newton, To Die for the People: The Writings of Huey Newton

(NY: Random House, 1972), p. 34.

Revolutionary Latinos segregated in Penn

Revolutionary Greetings, to all my Comrades.  I've been reading 
the MIM Notes for a  few weeks  now, and I found it very 
inspiring.  Our people have suffered long  enough in the hands of 
the oppressors.

I'm currently being held at S.C.I. Albion, where Latinos are 
labeled  as "gangs."  Whenever the C.O.'s see more than five 
Latinos together we're forced to break up into twos.

Also, my fellow Comrade was transferred to another prison because 
he was asked by a C.O. here during a cell search if he was a 
"NETA," (Once again, I remind you they label us as gang members), 
so my fellow comrade responded, "Yes, I'm a devoted revolutionary 
minded individual."  So for that response, my fellow Comrade was 
transferred to another prison.  That's one form of abuse we 
Latinos face behind the walls: "Separation & Segregation."

To us it's political education to fight the abuse these crackers 
use on us.

Therefore I would like to start receiving MIM Notes so I and my 
brothers can increase our knowledge of the Movement.  I will like 
to give my "Amor de rey" to all true Black and Gold fighting for 
the struggle behind the walls.

The struggle continues!

-- a Pennsylvania prisoner.

Education vs. Prisons

A clenched fist salute! I have just received the letter you sent. 
Due to the prison administration's censorship, which is why they 
sent the literature back, I will not be able to submit an article 
for your April events advocating anti-imperialism.

However, as a prisoner of revolutionary consciousness I understand 
that the topic, "Education vs. Prisons", is extremely important. 
This topic needs to be divulged to the masses and addressed with a 
unified effort.

Statistics show that, from 1995 to the year 1999, this government 
(U.$.) has spent billions of dollars more on prisons than 
education. In fact, the governor of New York (George Pataki) 
during 1995, instituted a crime bill where education expenses were 
dramatically cut to add more money to a budget to build quicker, 
efficient, new-maximum security prisons.

This was the government's way of reducing crime. In addition to 
building more prisons, the governor (of N.Y.) also instituted 
stiffer, longer prison terms ostensibly to keep violent offenders 
off the streets.

However, I find this ironic -- their motive to reduce crime -- 
because within these prisons there are no real rehabilitative 
programs. The majority of prison programs are for the 
institution's profit.

For one, these prisons are built in rural, economically depressed 
areas. This actually means more jobs for the distant relatives of 
the already existing prison staff.

As far as education is concerned: there is no educational 
structure. Sure they allow us the opportunity to gain a general 
equivalency diploma (G.E.D.). However a G.E.D. dose not enable one 
to support a family and pay bills. The vocational education is not 
education; it is training! We (prisoners) are permitted to be 
trained to fatten the pockets of the prisoncrats!

From a non-capitalist perspective, if the government's motive were 
to eliminate crime then the prison system would have programs that 
teach prisoners how to be responsible citizens; there would be 
programs that teach prisoners how to work with their communities; 
and there would be collage courses available for higher education. 
There would not be contradictory censorship of educational books 
and literature, advocating anti-imperialism. It's obvious we are 
denied these things because the system wants to exploit us to 
thrive in prison/slave labor.

The society we (prisoners) were extracted from is actually a 
reflection of prison, and vice versa. The difference is that in 
prison the U.$. constitution (13th amendment) makes outright 
slavery legal. In society it is covered by minimum wages. 
Capitalism in its most elevated form is indeed imperialism.

Prisons have now reached a level in this country where individual 
capitalists can now invest in and own a prison. And the main 
objective here: profit, profit, profit. Education is in 
contradiction with recidivism and prison/slave labor.

A few months ago the pig administrations here at their slave kamp 
instituted a new rule stating that if and when any inmate refuses 
or stops working they will immediately be given a misbehavior 
report and keep locked until ready to work again. This is 
equivalent to: "Stopping Prisoncrat Profit Will Not Be Tolerated!"

In summary, those who know are held responsible for those who do 
not know. Therefore, fellow comrades in this struggle, we must 
unify and educate each other. Then we can effectively devise a 
strategy to lift the boot of oppression and topple imperialism!

In struggle,

--a prisoner in New York, 11 May 2000.

P.S. I look forward to aid in distributing MN amongst the masses 
on the outside. I'll be released soon.

MIM adds: MIM initiated Under Lock & Key 2000 to further build 
opposition to Amerika's system of national oppression and social 
control, the Amerikan INjustice system. During April, the month's 
focus was on Prisons vs. Education (see MIM Notes #207 and #208). 
This prisoner provides a good example for how prisoners can work 
with us to educate and organize both prisoners and people on the 
outside about the evils of the Amerikan prison system. If you'd 
like more information on the Under Lock & Key 2000 campaign or 
would like to help expand agitation material concerning prisons, 
contact the address on page two.

In the course of the article, the prisoner mentions that rural 
areas in Amerika are economically depressed. Readers should refer 
to MIM Theory #1 and #10 which discuss in detail the economic 
position of the white settler nation in Amerika. The prisoner is 
correct to point out that prisons are built in rural areas, mostly 
rural white-populated areas. The purpose for this is to make the 
white settler nation richer from the backs of the oppressed. The 
white settler nation in Amerika as a whole is wealthy. The wealth 
is gained from superprofits extracted from the Third World. 
Individual white settlers living in rural areas where prisons are 
built as a source of employment would not lack employment 
otherwise. Settler Amerikans have mobility and the ability to 
slurp a piece of the imperialist pie specifically because of their 
national position. Their livelihood is not threatened if there 
were an absence of prison complexes in rural areas. It must be 
emphasized that their standards of living are higher because of 
such imperialist tools. In Amerika, where the majority are bought 
off by superprofits, it is essential to include this analysis 
instead of buying into the settler myth of poverty among the white 
nation.

Recreation denied in Missouri

[The program here] is another form of mind control. Prisoners are 
deprived of half of their recreation time simply because they 
refuse to conform to the informant snitch type of prisoners who 
are allowed jobs and more recreation for informing on other 
prisoners. I am being deprived of a job and recreation at night 
and on weekends because I refuse to participate in a GED class. I 
have nothing against education, but I am learning disabled. I 
cannot learn anything else on an academic level, period. Federal 
courts have held that outdoors recreation is a constitutional 
right for prisoners, not a privilege....

After the year 2001, any prisoner who does not have a GED will not 
be eligible for parole. What does that mean for me? I can read and 
write, but no more. I could attend school for the rest of my life 
and still would never get a GED. That's what learning disabled 
means. I went to special classes in grade school, but dropped out 
of high school after failing test after test.

-- a Missouri prisoner, 31 January 2000.

MIM responds:  We agree that recreation and exercise should not be 
withheld as a form of punishment. We encourage the letter writer 
and readers to seriously study the methods of education and work 
in socialist China (1949-1976). The Communist Party of China led 
the masses to achieve both higher education and physical strength 
as part of strengthening socialism. To the writer, we suggest that 
you learn as much as possible from the materials at your facility. 
Many prisoners are denied access to educational material 
altogether. And on top of that, study with MIM to build 
revolutionary knowledge. Without knowing the specifics of the 
letter writer's situation, we can say that even those with 
learning disabilities can continue to study and apply 
revolutionary theory to revolutionary practice.

Fight STG labels & build revolution

Brothers, we have to wake up and fight the struggle in here 
together in order to free ourselves from these STG Cages. We have 
to open our eyes and see what these pigs are doing with us; 
they're labeling us as gang members and we all know that we're not 
part of any type of gang. We are Nation Men looking for a better 
way of life.

My brothers, we keep letting these pigs use Mind Psychology on us, 
and we keep signing papers that state we are no longer a part of 
any gang.

We are going to keep being labeled as gang members, and as long as 
we are being labeled, we will never accomplish our goal, which is 
to free ourselves from these STG walls. But first we have to 
liberate our minds in order to break free from these STG walls and 
break the cycle the "Ammerikkkan" system has us on...

Amor De Rey -- to all my brothers!!!

-- a NJ state prisoner.

Prisoner wins censorship skirmish

For over two months I had been denied the opportunity to receive 
MIM Notes and books sent without any valid reason or justification 
for this censorship. Following the (bogus) appellate process 
available for prisoners' grievances the censoring ceased before I 
exhausted the administrative remedies -- which must be done before 
pursuing legal action in the courts.

Outside of the temporary delay (a slight inconvenience) these 
prisoncrats were unsuccessful in the attempt to block me from 
receiving your publications (notes and theories) which I find to 
be most enlightening.

-- A California prisoner.

MIM adds: We have been receiving more requests from lawyers and 
prisoners to give information on successful censorship battles. 
Please remember to tell us about the victories as well as the 
repression. And when possible, explain in an article for MIM Legal 
Notes the method taken to fight censorship. For Under Lock & Key 
2000, the focus for the month of August is "Fight Censorship", 
please continue to send submissions.

Framed up and shipped off for refusing strip search

I am a 22 year old prisoner in California Department of 
Corrections (CDC). On November 22, 1999, myself along with 57 
other Black prisoners were placed in the Ad-Seg Unit here in High 
Desert State Prison on trumped-up charges that we all either 
assaulted or attempted to assault 18 officers on "D" facility.

This is a blatant falsehood, designed to cover up (once again) 
who's really at fault. This is not the first or last time that 
this has happened at this facility.

This incident occurred after COs deliberately disregarded CCR 
Title 15 section 3287: Cell, Property, and Body Inspections. This 
states that inmates are subject to unclothed body searches when 
"there is a substantial reason to believe the inmate may have 
unauthorized or dangerous items concealed on his or her person, or 
that he or she may have been involved in an altercation of any 
kind."

Neither of these conditions existed when the police attempted to 
make the entire yard submit to unclothed body searches in 40 
temperatures. Some complied and this apparently led the police to 
believe everyone would, because they actually seemed shocked to 
hear that I wouldn't strip on the yard, though I would return to 
my cell.

To make a long story short, some of the brothers were sent to 
Pelican Bay [one of California's control units]. Some of us will 
be sent to Corcoran SHU [another control unit], and the others 
will serve a couple of more months back here and will be sent back 
to the line. Divide and conquer.

-- A California Prisoner.

Denied soap, toothpaste, recreation

In MIM Notes no. 201 I was feeling what the Indiana prisoners 
write about. 'Cause here we are also on lockdown 23 hours a day 
lack down, but really it's more like 24/7 lock down. We might get 
rec. 2 hours out of the week. They always seem to have an excuse 
on why rec. was canceled. We get showers on Mon, Wed, and Fri. If 
you are on SD level you get an extra shower on Sat.

On the recreation thing about all that we can do is write 
grievances but it always comes back in the police's favor. If we 
kick on the door or stay in the shower to try and get our 
recreation they gas and then roll on us. They suit up which means 
they put on these protective vests on, helmets, elbow and knee 
pads, shields, and come in and beat us down then they put you in 
the chair with your hands cuffed with shackles on your feet in a 
four point restraint...

Some times we may go two weeks with no rec. at all. Also they 
supply us on SMU with cosmetics but we could go weeks with no 
tissue or soap or toothpaste. Like now some of us haven't had soap 
and toothpaste in over a week. There are so many conditions that 
we are subject to that are inhumane that I could write a book 
about in this slave state of South Karolina.

-- A South Carolina prisoner.

Oregon prisoners wage hunger strike

Here at the Oregon Snake Dungeon (OSP) some inmates got together 
in a non-violent show of unity to remember the ones that have been 
killed for their cause and freedom. The super-pretendant, in fear 
of losing her control of the inmate population, took the ones she 
assumed were the leaders and had them locked down in the 
disciplinary segregation unit where they cut them off from 
communication with anyone that can make a difference or help. 
They're not giving them their liars address', stopping all mail to 
the media, and trying to charge them thousands of dollars in un-
logged overtime hours for unauthorized organization (gang).

The group I'm writing about was approved by the powers that be and 
they're being oppressed because they decided not to eat for a day 
in remembrance of those that died in the civil rights movement. 
What's up there!!!

But the saddest part is not just the oppression being handed down 
by the pigs! It's the inmates that are conforming to the bullshit 
and letting the oppression of their brothers continue, let alone 
happen. None of their brothers are banding together and stepping 
up to take the same stance, like the comrades at U.N.A.M (MIM 
Notes #205), that was being taken in the first place or helping to 
get their fellow brothers out of the lockdown they are placed in.

For this to ever be stopped all have to band together no matter 
the consequences and continue to fight the oppressor till they 
change their ways. We can not conform to their ways and cause 
dissention among one another and continually allow the oppressor 
to control and run over us. Band together and fight for the 
freedom of yourself and your brothers here in these plantations 
and on the streets.

Your comrade in the struggle,

-- a prisoner in Oregon.

MIM adds:  Working together to expose and end oppression also 
includes fighting oppression based upon correct political 
ideology. We encourage this and every MIM Notes reader to unite 
with MIM on the practical points you see in this newspaper, but 
also to take the struggle further and study Maoism. MIM runs a 
Serve the People Free Books for Prisoners Program. Through this, 
we send various types of educational material with an emphasis on 
Maoist history and science. Those on the outside are needed to 
support and build such programs and those on the inside should 
study and work with MIM to build a deeper level of revolutionary 
unity.