MIM Notes #227       February 1, 2001

Wisconsin censorship saga continues


The prison administration in Boscobel, Wisconsin has been 
censoring MIM Notes. In the January 15 MIM Notes we ran a story 
describing the campaign we are waging to fight this censorship 
with several prisoners at Boscobel. As a part of our work on the 
legal front to fight this censorship battle using the prison's own 
rules and past court rulings we sent a letter of protest to the 
Wisconsin Department of Corrections along with a copy to each of 
the prisoners who has recently had literature we sent them 
censored.

This letter was censored by the Boscobel prison with the argument 
that "publication teaches or advocates behavior which violates the 
laws of Wisconsin, the United States or the rules of the 
Department of Corrections." The letter, sent to all of the 
prisoners at Boscobel who we are working with said: "We are 
sending you all the same letter to let you know that we have filed 
this complaint with your prison and will continue to work with you 
to fight this censorship until we win. We will be printing a 
request for our readers to send in protest letters to your prison 
and we will work to apply other pressure from the outside. We 
encourage all of you to help publicize this case by writing 
articles for MIM notes keeping readers apprised of your progress 
and telling them how they can help. We could also use statements 
from you for flyers which will appeal to students to help out in 
the struggle."

In addition to the above note, we enclosed a copy of the letter of 
protest that we sent to the prison administration which argued 
that their censorship of MIM literature is illegal. MIM is baffled 
as to how this discussion of the Wisconsin prison administration's 
requirement to uphold the law is advocating behavior which 
violates the law.

We will note that Boscobel prison is somewhat unusual in that they 
send out notices informing the prisoner and the sender of all 
censorship. Many prisons just throw out letters and reading 
material without informing either the prisoner or the sender of 
the censorship. This practice by the Boscobel prison makes our 
battle a little easier because they will at least admit to what 
they are doing. But it also reflects their tremendous confidence 
in the criminal injustice system that they can get away with 
anything, regardless of their own rules and regulations or legal 
precedent.

This confidence by the prison is well justified. It is an uphill 
battle to fight censorship in prison. The same day we received the 
notice of the censorship of our letter to one prisoner we received 
a response from another prisoner (who was sent the exact same 
letter and apparently received it). He explains how difficult the 
prison administration makes it for prisoners to fight for their 
rights:

"I have received your correspondence and believe me your support 
is greatly appreciated. I have filed a complaint on the censorship 
and it was dismissed on the grounds that it was filed untimely. 
Another superficial act in their attempts (weak) to stop the flow 
of legitimate lawsuits from reaching courts and the public. In 
their fragile state of mind, they actually believe they can abort 
the laws of the u.s. and ignore the constitution. That's why they 
ban MIM. Keep prisoners from books, legal resources, religious 
materials. Anything that promotes knowledge, education and wisdom 
is self defeating to Wisconsin and Amerika." 

This prisoner goes on to explain why the most politically active 
prisoners end up in the highest security, Supermax, prisons. And 
he discusses the importance of education to prisoners and the 
reasons why prisons try to keep prisoners, particularly those who 
are politically active, from getting this education:

"Strip a group of people of education and they feel superior, with 
their inferior education, continuing to eradicate the oppressed by 
working us to death. Us prisoners at the Supermax Concentration 
Camp are supposed to be the figure heads, shot callers, most 
dangerous, but in reality it's the fact that a lot of us don't 
succumb to the whims of the task-masters. For we have felt the 
sting of oppression, and we educate ourselves and our brothers to 
unite and throw the yoke of oppression. In order for us to reach 
our lost brothers and sisters, free and incarcerated, we must be 
aware. This awareness is feared. In their eyes MIM is that 
awareness."

MIM needs the help of people on the outside in this campaign 
against censorship at Boscobel prison in Wisconsin. This prisoner 
is one of several who are helping us wage the battle on the legal 
front from within the prison. He writes:

"I have made a decision to sue for censorship so if readers and 
MIM could send newspaper articles, inflammatory statements about 
Supermax prisons, and [letters containing] their opinions which 
are shared by MIM, so that the Supermax will deny them, this will 
give me the opportunity to file numerous complaints and leave a 
vast paper train showing censorship. I also need readers to file 
appeals to the warden when they receive their notice of non-
delivery of mail, sending me a copy as well. The more people who 
do this, the more postage S.M.C.I. must pay to send out notices, 
at the same time creating a paper trail. Also, any revolutionary 
group reading MIM Notes should do the same. If there are any 
lawyers or law students who wish to get involved and help me in 
preparing for this litigation please let MIM know. This support is 
duly appreciated."

MIM makes it a practice not to print prisoner's names in the 
newspaper because this often brings down greater repression on 
them. But anyone willing to help out can send letters and 
literature to be sent to this comrade to MIM. Please also send 
money or stamps to cover the postage of mailing to the prison.

There is no legal basis for prisons to censor MIM Notes: we do not 
advocate prisoners taking up arms within the prison at this stage 
in the struggle. But MIM does represent a threat to the prison 
system overall. It is this threat that scares the prison pigs into 
making up legal reasons for censoring MIM Notes. Prisons are a 
tool of social control used by the ruling class in Amerika and MIM 
is working to build public opinion in support of revolutionary 
struggles around the world. This includes building the 
revolutionary movement within u.s. borders, a movement which will 
eventually end the tyranny of bourgeois dictatorship which needs 
the fascist prison system.

Working with the prisoners on the inside, MIM is asking our 
supporters reading this article to take a few minutes to help with 
this battle. Send a letter of protest to the prison warden at the 
following address:



Warden Gerald Berge

Supermax Correctional Institution

PO Box 1000

Boscobel, WI 53805-1000



Please also send us a copy of your protest letter. MIM is also 
distributing postcards that we are asking people to send to the 
prison to protest this censorship. If you would like to gather 
postcard signatures to help with this campaign, contact us at the 
address on page 2.