MIM(Prisons) is a cell of revolutionaries serving the oppressed masses inside U.$. prisons, guided by the communist ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
www.prisoncensorship.info is a media institution run by the Maoist Internationalist Ministry of Prisons. Here we collect and publicize reports of conditions behind the bars in U.$. prisons. Information about these incidents rarely makes it out of the prison, and when it does it is extremely rare that the reports are taken seriously and published. This historical record is important for documenting patterns of abuse, and also for informing people on the streets about what goes on behind the bars.
I am writing on account of a correctional officer stripping me nude,
placing me in handcuffs, slamming me, choking me unconscious for no
reason on video trying to kill me. Any help would gladly be appreciated.
See:[Case no.] in Bowie County, TX, to view this video admitted into
evidence. The correctional officer turned his back toward the camera
while choking me, but video shows me unresponsive afterwards.
Forgive me for not staying on top of letter writing to you all, because
I really miss the newsletters you send. I’m not sure if you have already
heard about this incident that occurred here in Texas at the Ramsey Unit
in Roshanon, but I will reiterate it for you and the results it brought.
In March, 2018, an email was written and sent out to unit sergeants on
the Ramsey Unit requiring them to have their officers write at least two
disciplinary cases each day for “unauthorized storage of property”
without exceptions. This email was written by Captain Reginald Gilbert
on March 10, 2018, and was responded to a couple of hours later by now
former Major Juan Jackson, who stated that the instructions on the email
“will help greatly in fighting a gig,” which is slang for a unit audit.
The quota system was abandoned a few weeks later, but an investigation
has begun into this.
Now, even though a write-up for not being able to properly store our
property into lockers or storage containers that were designed and built
for the amount of property that was allowed during the time they were
built, (over 40 years ago when the spending amount for commissary was
$60.00 a month compared to the $210.00 that is allowed now) is
considered minor, if you have already had two minor write-ups in 90-179
days, the third one would be considered a MAJOR case, which can result
in the loss of good time, time earning class, commissary, recreation,
telephone, and visitation restrictions being leveled against you. This
has been and still is going on throughout TDCJ with NO ONE to monitor
these atrocities occurring to us.
Now, as the so-called investigation of the bogus disciplinaries resulted
in 180 disciplinary cases being thrown out, an inmate’s mother wrote us
saying that her son had been set up by prison guards who had planted two
screwdrivers in his cell in connection with the quota. Another
investigation was opened, and this time, four men were FIRED and another
one resigned. (It was my understanding the Major Jackson walked before
they walked him.) That’s not all. Some of those same officers were
ARRESTED on misdemeanor charges relating to the planting of the
screwdrivers.
Once the information hit the fan about the bogus disciplinaries, 500
were found to be written because of the quota scheme. Along with the
five officials that the Ramsey Unit lost, a state jail in Atascocita had
one official removed; instead of demoting a Captain at this same state
jail, he was FIRED. At McConnell, 293 cases were dismissed along with
another 83 cases waiting to be processed, and a Major was demoted. At a
state jail in Austin, 91 cases were thrown out and an assistant Warden,
a Captain, and a Sargent were demoted and reassigned to other units.
Even though we were glad to hear all of this, it means NOTHING to those
of us who have already been scarred by the hundreds and thousands of
false & bogus cases that caused many of us to be denied parole, and
many other things just so certain officials may look as though they are
doing a job. When Disciplinary Hearing Officer (DHO) Captain Lonnie
Douglas first arrived here on the Wayne Scott Unit back in August, 2017,
she immediately initiated a quota system, threatening to write officers
up who didn’t turn in a certain number of cases. The result; officers
went to resigning by the dozens because many of them did not want to be
part of an injustice against those of us who didn’t deserve it.
The cases against me during her tenure here were so minute that it cost
the state more to address the appeals, then it did to write them.
Captain Douglas has now been promoted and reassigned, yet there are
still inmates whom she left her mark on. These so-called disciplinary
quotas are still a part of this system, and will forever be. There are
some acts of good news in the air concerning good time being given to
help us come up for parole sooner, yet it doesn’t seem as though it will
help the thousands of us in need of parole. I will let you know what
happens with it at a later date.
It is absolutely imperative to defend yourself or your fellow convicts
from harm or threats of harm while in the Department of Corruptions.
This also applies to the brainwashed and controlled masses throughout
the world struggling against oppression and sadism of the highest
degree. We are in an authoritarian environment where oppressive tyrants
constantly threaten our safety everyday. This includes the Department of
Corruptions, the police force, the Federal Bureau of Investigations,
Family Services, and sadly some members of the Parliament, etc. These
most vilest of parasites wish to drain any type of resistance the masses
can muster up to destroy these evil forces of hatred. I feel it is
beneficial that we examine some of these blood-sucking leeches who wish
to gain economic influence and any material objects/money they may
obtain from the prisoner/slave/proletariat.
Most prisoners are forced to work with no pay what so ever or suffer
segregation for their justified disobedience. Not only are we forced to
work, but we are given oppressive instructions of what to do and what
not to do or suffer the consequences. This means that if a prisoner is
indigent or owes big money to the state, he is given a small amount of
food to live on. It is the square cooks responsibility to make sure
“just enough” food is given to the inmates.
This is where the convict mentality comes in and realizes his fellow
prisoners could use some extra food. Put extra chicken or Salisbury
patties under everybody’s break or stock up extra pancakes on the trays.
Put extra food items in the CRD and suicide bags. You are working for
absolutely nothing, so at least gorge yourself and other prisoners. Some
may say, “well they’ll throw me in the hole if I do that.” Only so much
can happen once the convict blood pumps through the convict’s veins and
realized the pigs can only do so much. They always need workers, period.
It is only through the unity and solidarity between all prisoners to
come to a conclusion that the pigs are outnumbered. We are constantly
harassed, taunted and even assaulted by these prison officials. Who’s
official don’t amount to shit but a badge. This prison is our home for
the time being and it is our responsibility to run the show. More on
this later.
Let us now examine the police force. It is these tyrants, whose job pays
to exploit the lowly masses. Millions of kids and adults suffer brutal
assaults and murders on a daily basis and call it justice. I have come
to find a sickness in a pig who will damn near kill you with excessive
force and have the audacity to say “watch your head entering the police
vehicle.” We are forced to pay excessive fines and do jail time for the
pettiest of crimes, while the pigs smuggle any drugs or launder any
money they find on us. It is this pig who needs jail. But most
importantly destroyed.
As space permits, we will now examine the FBI, who will do anything to
destroy the peoples livelihood. I find Ruby Ridge of 1992 a sad example.
Vicki Weaver was a nationalist who carried very much love for her
children. The FBI dubbed her a racist and attempted to have family
services take her baby away from her. Miss Weaver refused to give up her
child and was shot in the head while holding her baby. Not only does the
FBI carry out secret assassinations, but they sweep their assassinations
under the rug and target any radical or extremist they deem a threat. We
are monitored through our smart phones, Facebook, chatrooms, tablets,
etc. Anybody the federal government deems a threat will not only be
placed on a terrorist list, but their every movement shall be watched as
well.
America is quickly transforming into a police state and this is where
self-defense applies. The Second Amendment clearly states, “A well
regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the
right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” This
does not mean that a bunch of rednecks may keep guns just to go hunting.
This right was given to us to overthrow a despotic government. May I add
it never mentions parolees be banned arms. It is our duty as a nation to
put terror into the government that oppresses us. This is where I find
this right beneficial to prisoners. We may not have guns, but we have
power and might to instill fear into the administration’s brain and
really show them what a “safety and security risk” is. Any violation of
our Eight Amendment right amounts as a threat to our living conditions
when our living conditions are threatened we must instill terror into
the administration in any way possible. This does not always
automatically mean to resort to violence, though violence is a very
nourishing idea when well executed.
Our defense must start with a small group of people, but rapidly rise to
the whole prison population. Do not be brainwashed with the duality of
consequences or be materialized with worldly possessions. This is only
utilized to pacify the convict who has not yet come to terms with his
slavery. In war defense is always going to be attacked with absolute
monstrosity from the defending respondent. For any people who search for
righteousness and justice must be prepared to fight for it. Living
conditions can be changed, stubbornness can be overcome. True justice
and freedom from bondage must be intravenously hammered into the
convicts brain. Love, respect, and hospitality must be shown to the
masses, as well as revolutionary education should be distributed among
everybody.
To gain trust a sense of anarchy must be issued with an orderly form of
resistance. Hierarchies must be initiated from all groups of political
opinion. Then the hierarchy must illustrate the plan of success to his
group of followers. Only then can we gain a source of order.
Unfortunately the people who refuse to cooperate at any level of
excellence must be deemed as a threat and handled accordingly. Through
this endeavor should then all individuals cooperate. With our unity and
dignity shall we then initiate a plan. No matter how brutal the
consequences or how horrible the suffering, we must encourage one
another to pull through and never give in. We must instill an amount of
courage, discipline, and perseverance within our souls that refuse to be
eradicated. We must pledge that nothing the diabolical snake of inhumane
hatred and poison, injects into us, that we shall never give in. Only
the peace and strength of mind, within each individual’s hardness of
heart, can we gain solace with one another and solidarity. And this my
friends, is how we gain back our power, dignity, and respect. Solidarity
is the only way we earn our freedom, behind these crumbling walls. Power
to the People!
Arguably the hardest aspect of organizing (especially revolutionary
organizing) is building consciousness. Not specifically of the subject
matter (i.e., anti-capitalist/imperialist, socialism, equality, prisoner
struggle) but of their role in the larger picture and its influence on
their lives. Such consciousness leads to meaningful action. Due to this,
it is the most rewarding of political objectives. It is also the most
difficult to cultivate.
In pursuit of building consciousness, revolutionaries face many
obstacles. A predominant, recurring obstacle is expanding peoples’
perspective beyond their individual material concerns. A person’s
material interests constitute primary motivation for activism against
and contributing to capitalism. In the Third World we see stringent
struggles against capitalism. The opposite is equally true within
capitalist societies. Material interests/motivations are inextricably
welded to an individual’s perspective of, and instinct for,
self-preservation. This leads to a spectacular (depending on your
ideological bent) narrowing down of alternatives, options and ultimately
choices. A non-conducive situation for First World revolutionary
organizing.
Our natural inclination is to allow self-preservation to impulse our
actions once fear or a threat exceeds acceptable levels. People react as
basic as scared animals in danger. Due to social evolution, our
responses are more complex and advanced, more involved, what one can
call a “social” self-preservation instinct. Similar to the brain
shutting down because of excessive stress or trauma, emerging
consciousness among First Worlders regresses when one’s standard of
living is threatened. Breaking First World attachment to
physical/material comforts (possessions, commodities, thing-centrism) is
first imperative to any revolutionary organizing, in particular; and
wider political consciousness, in general.
A great amount of time, energy and attention must be given to shattering
these real constraints. Class suicide among First World activists is the
end result of such efforts. Through a patient, methodical process of
expansive efforts (educational of real costs of capitalism/imperialism),
diligence in those efforts and demonstrating the feasibility of
alternative means (non-capitalistic), an organizer can make a meaningful
contribution to supplanting capitalism.
People are selfish and revolutionary anti-imperialists should remind
themselves that their target is the personal element, first and
foremost. Even the perfect rally/demonstration, regardless of how
correct its politics, will have a difficult time penetrating the
calloused minds of those long accustomed to, and blinded by, capitalism.
Especially when it concerns prisoners and penal systems/institutions.
Most First Worlders simply deem it a necessary evil to preserve society.
MIM(Prisons) responds: Those First Worlders this author refers to
are right that the prison system and institutions are a necessary evil
to preserve the society as it is. That’s the main difference between our
prison work and that of many prison abolitionists – we know that we
can’t get rid of prisons in their current form unless we also get rid of
capitalism.
This article brings up real challenges in our work. In ULK, we
hope to host an ongoing conversation about ways we can be most effective
in accomplishing the tasks this author calls out as most imperative:
building consciousness, changing value systems, showing alternatives,
etc. Send in your experiences and successes so we can continue learning
from each other!
by a North Carolina prisoner February 2019 permalink
I have been fighting for better conditions in my current prison since I
got here in June 2017. Tell the prison masses they have to write en
masse to their unit managers, warden and director of prisons in their
state. It’s free!! There is no excuse.
The easiest thing to do, which I did, is to write up your declarations
and remonstrations using carbon copy paper. Make 2-3 copies for each
block/pod in every unit. Pass them out to comrades in those blocks, so
they can encourage/force/persuade the masses to take 15 minutes to
recopy and post it out. Done.
The first time I initiated these shots the warden called me to his
office for a meeting with him, the unit manager, and assistant warden.
He stopped the early counts, the 9 p.m. count, and turning off of
phones. This sh!t works. On the second salvo he initiated recreation
seven days a week. We are still pounding.
MIM(Prisons) responds: More reasonable hours for count, more
contact with the outside world, and more recreation are all related to
our anti-imperialist struggle, even though they may seem like petty
reforms. Better sleep makes us mentally sharper, for writing,
self-control, and creativity. Interaction with the outside world can
give us motivation and positive social contact. And exercise (especially
outdoors) helps with our physical as well as mental health.
We’d love to analyze a little deeper the benefits of running a campaign
like the one described, because it’s not just good for changing
conditions. The people who are copying the letters and seeing results
are at a special place in their recruiting. They might not be ready to
initiate a campaign like this, and they might not even identify as part
of “the struggle.” But they have some interest in this work and are
putting in some (albeit relatively small) effort.
At this stage, the best thing we can do for them is help set up “easy
wins.” They probably aren’t dedicated enough to remain committed after a
big setback. So asking them to put in a ton of effort for no reward is
just not realistically going to inspire them to stay engaged. Whenever
we can devise campaigns or activities that give this positive feedback
to the people participating, with minimal effort, we should jump on
those projects. These folks might not have learned the relationship
between working hard and reward, so we can help teach that association.
“Without directly experiencing the connection between effort and reward,
animals, whether they’re rats or people, default to laziness.”(1)
Also keep in mind that all is not lost on the folks who are not
participating, and are watching the campaign from the sidelines. Like we
wrote in our response to “Sack the Sack Lunches,” this type of campaign
can help spark people’s interest, just by witnessing and experiencing
the results. Let’s not condemn these folks for not participating, and
instead let’s try harder to inspire them with our successes, and then
help them with easy wins when they are ready to participate.
In some states like Texas, where even indigent mail is restricted to 5
letters per month, it’s not free to write to these administrators
to change conditions. There are plenty of excuses (or reasons) why
people can’t engage in this type of campaign. Still, whenever possible,
we agree that we should be pushing campaigns like these. It just means
we have to get more creative in developing them.
I feel inspired by the fact that you decided to use my
Liberation
Theology article in ULK 65. I thank you for giving me the
opportunity to contribute to our movement. I will continue to submit
articles to you in the future.
The feedback you gave on the article was great. Under the MIM(Prisons)
responds section, you agreed with me that Liberation Theology can be a
useful revolutionary tool, and that it’s good to “try to approach people
where they are at.” However, you also said that “we should be careful
not to mislead them into thinking that we endorse their mysticism. The
very belief in a higher power discourages people from believing that
they can control the development of their own and all of humanity’s
future.” You also warned against neglecting materialism.
I 100% agree. While I did mention that I was an atheist in the article,
I failed to mention that materialism truly is the best world view if
you’re going for revolution. After all, materialism deals with reality
in so far as we humyns are capable of comprehending it. And proper
theory leads to proper action which leads to better theory.
But I just like how you do feedback in general. You encourage the people
to submit their views and if you ever disagree with or wish to qualify a
comrade’s ideas, you publicize eir views and then explain why you
disagree underneath it. Mao would have it no other way. This is why ey
encouraged the people and the intellectuals to think for themselves,
because ey knew that because eir method is sound, ey would be able to
refute errors on logical grounds without having to lie or undermine the
people’s freedom, which is what the U.$. power-elite does.
Also, I read the book Grit that you sent me. I learned some
valuable lessons from it. The main thing I’ve been able to utilize was
the simple chart Duckworth advocates for organizing goals. I’ve made it
a habit to review my own goal chart. My highest goal says “undermine and
liberate,” which means undermine the imperialists and liberate the
oppressed. My low level goals are different throughout the week. Writing
this letter to you, comrades, was one of these goals. Every little goal
adds up to the top one.
MIM(Prisons) responds: Comrade, you were not the only one glad we
printed your piece. Multiple USW comrades wrote us mentioning your
article as being useful. We appreciate this comrade’s feedback on our
feedback, and we’re always looking for more info from our subscribers on
how we can do our job better. It’s a topic we are always reviewing and
trying to improve, like any good organizer should! We especially
appreciate hearing feedback from people who have contributed to our
programs and campaigns.
We all need to be able to learn from constructive criticism, and this
ongoing discussion is an example of the criticism/self-criticism process
in action. Only by learning from our mistakes (and those of others) will
the revolutionaries and the movement continue to grow and move forward.
People, and organizations, that dogmatically insist they are always
right will quickly stagnate and offer no real hope for the oppressed.
And as you can see in the pages of ULK this is a two-way street.
It’s not just about MIM(Prisons) telling writers where we think they are
wrong. It’s also about us learning from readers of and writers for
ULK. The self-criticism printed in this issue regarding our
George Jackson article in ULK 65 is a small example of this.
In the interest of transparency, we want to underline that MIM(Prisons)
is the editor of this newspaper. So we choose what letters we respond
to, and we often cut parts out of those. We aim to give a platform to
the articles that contribute to the ongoing conversations in ULK,
and that contribute to anti-imperialist organizing in general. So
ULK is not a reflection of what everyone is writing to us about,
but it is a reflection of the anti-imperialist organizing going on
behind bars.
Editorial power is one reason why we advocate for single-nation
organizations to lead their own nations, including having their own
ideological platforms such as newspapers. Newspaper editors inherently
filter what they think is most important to include and discuss, and our
judgement on what is important to all nations could be wrong.
[The following was written about the same time as we were writing
Intersecting
Strands of Oppression for ULK 65. This author echoes our own
discussion of the Brett Kavanaugh hearing while heavily citing MIM
Theory 2/3, as we did in our piece. This question of how gender and
nation interact, and how revolutionaries should approach these topics in
order to push things in the right direction continue to be of utmost
importance. - MIM(Prisons)]
On 27 September 2018, in the United States Senate’s Judiciary Committee,
the nation heard riveting testimony of an attempted sexual assault, and
the denial of that assault. A Crime that had occurred 37-years ago with
no corroborating witnesses.
In a he-say, she-say trial, who gets the benefit of the doubt? The
accused, or the accuser? In this era of #MeToo, is it guilty until you
can prove yourself innocent, or innocent until proven guilty? Could due
process be sacrificed at the altar of gender politics and why does it
matter?
In reviewing my in-cell library on feminist theory, these matters and
debates are not new, and the answers to these questions have long been
addressed. The first question that has to be asked, “Who speaks for the
feminist?” “Who has her girlfriend’s back?” The demarcation in the
feminist lines can best be exemplified by the research compiled by one
feminist researcher, Ealasaid Munro:
“The emergence of ‘privilege-checking,’ however, reflects the reality
that mainstream feminism remains dominated by straight white
middle-classes. Parvan Amara interviewed self-identified working class
feminists for a piece published on the internet magazine The F Word and
noted that many of the women she spoke to found themselves excluded from
mainstream feminism both on the internet and ‘in real life.’ Amara notes
that many women tend to encounter feminism at university. Women who do
not go on to further education face a barrier when attempting to engage
with those academic debates that drive feminism.”(1)
So if academia is where the debates that are driving feminist theory are
occurring, what does that academic debate look like if she is not white?
“Ignoring the difference of race between women and the implications of
those differences presents the most serious threat to the mobilization
of women’s joint power. Refusing to recognize difference makes it
impossible to see the different problems and pitfalls facing us as
women. Some problems we share as women, some we do not. You fear your
children will grow up to join the patriarchy and testify against you, we
fear our children will be dragged from a car and shot down on the
street, and you will turn your backs upon the reasons they are
dying.”(2)
Another theorist surmised, “Black women’s own views on rape can’t help
being shaped by the actions of their white sisters. That is to say, that
Black people cannot use a white supremacist justice system without
perpetuating white supremacy.”(3)
These other theorists have long been critical of weaponizing process.
This was recently on display in California. There, a recall movement was
taking place to remove a judge for imposing a light sentence on a
Stanford University student for sexual assault. The most vocal opponents
to the recall were Black women. The most visible, former California
Supreme Court justice, Janice M. Brown.(4) She argued, that punishing a
judge for exercising discretion will only harm defendants of color.
Statistics bear this out. Per 100,000 of the Black and Brown population
in 2010, 6,000 were imprisoned; while per 100,000 of the white
population in 2010, 640 were imprisoned.(5) Black and Brown persons of
color are in front of Criminal Court judges far more than whites.
Another theorist called this type of feminism Carceral Feminism, and
rails against the federal passage of the 1999 Violence Against Women Act
(VAWA). “Many of the feminists who had lobbied for the passage of VAWA
remained silent about countless other women whose 911 calls resulted in
more violence. Often white, well-heeled feminists, their legislative
accomplishment did little to stem violence against less affluent, more
marginalized women.”(6) And a further theorist noted, “If women do not
share ‘common oppression,’ what then can serve as a basis for our coming
together?”(7)
These other feminist theorist, the marginalized, had observed that the
debate was about rational-feminism versus emotional-feminism. This
feminist theorist argues that rational-feminism must prevail over
emotional feminism.
“The sisterhood line as currently practiced (but not in the 1960s and
early 1970s) is white, bourgeois, sexist propaganda. Women just turn
around from seeking approval from men that they never got; to demanding
unconditional approval from women. They put each other on a pedestal and
imagine each other to be flawless goddesses.”(8)
This same theorist argues, the root of emotional feminism is nothing
more than a chauvinist plot to keep women marginalized and caught up in
their emotions, rather than applying her faculties of reasoning.
“The root of this is the patriarchal socialization of women to restrict
themselves to the sphere of feelings, while letting men develop the
rational faculties necessary to wield power. Women are taught to read
romantic novels, major in English, or maybe psychology, if the women
seem like they are getting too many scientific ideas.”(9)
Is the rallying cry, “I BELIEVE HER”, the death nails to due process? Is
process going to be sacrificed at the alter of gender politics? Is the
new standard for America’s fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons
“GUILTY, UNTIL YOU CAN PROVE YOURSELF INNOCENT”?
One theorist’s 1992 writings used the 1986 rape convictions of white
women by the race of their rapist. 68% of their rapists were white; 22%
of their rapists were Black; 5% were Other; and 2% of their rapists were
Mixed. The theorist begs feminists to take a serious look at the 22% of
white women raped in 1986 who were raped by Black men.
The theorist goes on to state a general proposition that all feminists
can generally agree upon, “Three-quarters of all rapes are by
acquaintances, and the figures on rape should reflect that women are
raped by the type of people they date.”
In 1986, 12% of the men available to white women were Black. However, no
where near 12% of the sex white women were having were with Black men.
Thus the 22% of white women’s rapist being Black is disproportionately
high. Furthermore, the population of white women was more than six-times
the population of Black men. For every [1% of] white women who had a
sexual acquaintance with a Black man, it takes [6% of] Black men to be
those acquaintances. Out of those acquaintances charged with rape, the
22% figure means a very high proportion of Black men generally are
convicted of rape of white women compared to white men.
The theorist takes note, up to this point, the figures have been
examined from the perspective of the rape victim. But taken from the
Black man’s perspective, white women are a large group of the American
population, while Black men are a relatively small one. For Black men,
63.3% of their rape accusers were white women. If Black men had 63.3% of
their sexual interactions with white women, then the accusations might
be fair, but this was far from the case.
The theorist surmised we could get an idea of how skewed the accusations
were looking at “interracial dating.” The theorist could not give a
figure for what percentage of the dates people went on were interracial.
Instead, the theorist surmised we could guess that it was similar to the
figures for the percentage of people in interracial marriages. Black men
married to white women accounted for 0.3% of total marriages in the
United States as of 1989. In 1989, less than 4% of Black married men
were married to white women, so we estimate that less than 4% of Black
men’s dating were with white women. Hence, less than 4% of accusations
faced by Black men should come from white women. Instead, the figure was
63.3%.(10)
The history of that story is the other side of sexual politics here in
America. An America where the LAPD and Oakland-PD have had 100s of
convictions overturned, due to incredibly, credible, false testimony of
police officers. A land where 15% of the Black population in Tulia,
Texas, were incarcerated by the incredibly, credible, testimony of a
single racist officer.(11) According to the San Quentin News, 139
prisoners nationwide were exonerated in 2017.(12)
Credible demeanor in testimony has never been foolproof. The National
Academy of Sciences, along with the FBI, have noted eyewitness testimony
is the most unreliable testimony.(13) While this would obviously be in
reference to witnesses testifying against strangers, but the juries
which wrongly convinced these defendants were doing so from witnesses
who were credible and convincing in their testimony. In 2013, 153 of the
268 exonerations by the Innocence Project were for rape.(14) 72% of all
DNA exonerations are people of color. Of the 72%, 61% are African
Americans.(15)
Theorists can clearly see, “I BELIEVE HER,” with its lock-in-step
demands of sisterhood, is classic emotional-feminist theory. What is the
emotional-feminist rationale to do away with “INNOCENT, UNTIL PROVEN
GUILTY”? Nor could emotional-theorists surmise they are not doing away
with this unitedly, American, idea. […] “I BELIEVE HER” is a
presumption-of-guilt, rather than the presumption-of-innocence that the
rational feminist are standing for, and for years have been arguing
against the emotional-feminist assault on process. While
emotional-feminism, with its well-heeled, racial, social, and economic
status is having the loudest voice, their marginalized sisters, whose
rational-feminist approach, is the only voice of hope for fathers,
brothers, husbands, and sons; a hope the other side doesn’t win the
debate.
Last year statements appeared in another newsletter from a USW leader
who spoke in the voice of a subcommittee of the United Struggle from
Within Countrywide Council (USW CC). These statements were not first run
by, nor approved by the Countrywide Council.
The previous year, the USW CC, established policies for official
correspondence with other organizations. We published an article in
ULK 58 describing these efforts and giving
guidance
to all USW members. USW is a mass organization, meaning that people
with differing beliefs can be members and might write or state things as
USW members that contradict. In the cited article we instructed USW
members to pass on communications with other organizations to the USW CC
once you are unable to handle the discussion on your own. Meanwhile the
USW CC established official policy that any statements from the CC would
come through official MIM(Prisons) communication channels:
our P.O. Box in San Francisco
our website www.prisoncensorship.info
our official email with GPG signature (mimprisons@posteo.net)
The statements in question, printed in Turning the Tide, did not
go through this process. We cannot expect other publications to know and
enforce this. Rather it is the USW leader who broke protocol, and wrote
a
self-criticism
to that effect. But this does go to show that comrades should not take
as gospel anything in print that claims to be from USW or even the USW
CC. If it appears in Under Lock & Key, then you can be
assured that it went through the proper channels of approval.
This incident triggered us to address the question of how to verify
communications from MIM(Prisons) and the USW CC in general.
Unfortunately the only sure fire way to verify an isolated communication
is cryptographically. This makes it hard to verify things in print,
coming through the mail, etc.
Every regular reader of our website who has a computer should copy and
save our public gpg key from our
contact page.
Even if you don’t know what to do with this key, you could figure it out
in the future when needed. The sooner you save the key, perhaps the more
sure you can be that the key is legitimately from the original
MIM(Prisons). If someone seized control of our website, and slowly
started changing the political line on that site, and you waited to copy
the key then it might have already have been changed.
While GPG is our primary public way of verifying statements, another
tool our comrades have been promoting is a chat tool called Tox, which
is available for all common operating systems, including smart phones
like android. If you are someone who works with us already and have a
device that you can install Tox on, we can exchange Tox IDs to establish
encrypted and verifiable communications moving forward. Tox is a chat
tool (like texting), and can be easier to set up than email with GPG.
Email without GPG signing, or letters through the mail are easy to fake
as one-off communications. So repeated communications back-and-forth
should be used to confirm any questionable messages. Our website and
Under Lock & Key should be considered more reliable, and
harder to fake by our enemies.
Most of our communications with most of our readers are at the level of
line and strategy. Therefore, our allies and supporters can and must use
a political lens to verify communications. You should study our work and
our line so that you can tell when something unusual pops up. And then
you should communicate with us about it in the most verifiable and
secure line of communication that you have at your disposal. Overall, as
a movement, politics in command is the best way for us to defend against
falsified, or unofficial communications leading us astray.
by a Pennsylvania prisoner February 2019 permalink
Following a fifteen-day lockdown of all Pennsylvania state prisons, new
policies were erected for receiving mail. Publications were halted, and
hundreds of book packages from free prison book programs were returned
to sender. This occurred because several staff members at various
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA DOC) prisons claimed to
become deathly ill after handling prisoner mail.
DOC officials assumed it was synthetic marijuana, or K-2, being sent in
through the mail. However Dr. Lewis Nelson, Chair of Emergency Medicine
at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and other prominent medical staff
called the DOC on their lies and excuses about the lockdown and new
policies and procedures dealing with prisoner mail. Dr. Nelson blew the
whistle, so to speak, when he pointed out that one must ingest or inhale
synthetic marijuana to have any type of effect on individuals.(1) One
cannot be affected by merely touching it, or paper soaked in K-2.
Furthermore, he stated that synthetic marijuana simply does not have the
type of effects that the individuals were having.
So, one might ask, what the real agenda the DOC had in the change in
procedure. The DOC has wanted to control what prisoners read and what
type of mail they received for quite some time. It goes to show just how
much prisons seek to control others. Needless to say, the DOC is
currently under investigation due to its frivolous claims. Mail must be
sent to a company in Florida, where it is scanned. It is then forwarded
to each respective prisoner at whatever prison he/she is confined.
Pennsylvania prisoners receive copies of photos, letters and greeting
cards, and the originals are eventually destroyed. Even our legal mail
is opened in the presence of each prisoner, handled in a biohazard
container, then photocopied. The copies are given to the prisoner, and
the originals placed in an “evidence” bag, and eventually destroyed, or
so the DOC claims.
We are permitted to receive books, magazines and other publications
now, as of very recently. They still must be sent to a secure processing
center, where they are searched and then forwarded to each respective
prisoner.
This is a reminder that we are all being controlled. Unless we get
together and do something about it. How long will we allow prison
officials to violate our rights and take away freedoms that are promised
to us in the U.$. constitution and its amendments? This is a call to
arms, and the need to fight the system instead of tearing down one
another. I refuse to allow the U.$. prison system to continue violating
my rights, and what few freedoms are afforded to me. I will continue to
struggle against the wretched machine that seeks to break me. This is a
call for comrades to do the same.
MIM(Prisons) responds: We wrote about this Pennsylvania mail
policy in ULK 65 and since that time, a new policy to send books
and magazines to yet another separate address was implemented.(2) In
response to outcry by prisoners and family, the PA DOC did back down on
their policy that books could only be ordered through the PA DOC, from
their approved vendors. That is no small victory.
We have instances of letters sent to the Florida processing center being
returned to us just stamped “return to sender” after being opened and
then taped shut. No reason is given. We think it’s safe to assume it’s
the contents of the letter that inspires this censorship, because not
all our mail is being returned, and it is being opened at the processing
center. In at least one case, our Guide to Fighting Censorship was the
item returned to us.
This is an important censorship battle and we join this comrade’s call
for everyone in Pennsylvania to take up the fight. This is an easy
excuse to selectively censor revolutionary material, or selectively
censor prisoners who are politically active. We anticipate an increase
in denials of our mail. When you are notified of censorship, appeal it,
and also let us know what was censored. If you haven’t received mail
from us in a while, check in and let us know. We always keep up
subscriptions for 6 months after your last letter to us. Also follow
this comrade’s example and keep us informed about changes to the rules
and updates on the fight against them. For our part, we will also be
appealing when we have evidence of censorship and working with you to
fight from the outside.
I wanna thank you and everyone that have supported offenders in their
struggle from within. The Texas Pack has helped me more than anything I
could find in the law library. It’s still a struggle in here when you
file grievance on the staff of this Unit. I have been harassed and
retaliated against because I chose to stand up for my rights and fight
by filing grievances and helping others to do the same.
I don’t like how staff punish offenders or harass us because we choose
to write grievances on their misconduct, but it’s okay for them to do
this to us. Here are some of the things they do to me here at Dalhart
Unit. I recently was placed in medium custody because I was defending
myself from being assaulted. I put in for law library and every day I
asked if they are doing extra time and every time it’s a “no.” One day I
decided to look at the log sheet where we sign in and out. I noticed in
the log sheet that the officer had written “no offender requested extra
time.” I have asked for extra time every day and this officer is stating
no offender has requested extra time.
The most recent one is the Warden. Warden Jeter was harassing me for
having my legs crossed while sitting. When I said that I feel like I’m
being harassed, he got mad and locked me up in AdSeg, in the shower,
then told his officer I was engaging in a sexual act. No disciplinary
was written, but I did write a grievance on his harassment and
retaliation.
This is a struggle for me and I pray God to give me the strength to
continue to fight for what’s right. I have two 1983 on the Warden and
his ranking officers.
Before I forget, would you so please send me TDCJ Offender Grievance
Operation Manual and the Federal Petition (or anything that will help me
with my fight.) Thank You! I know I can’t stop I just need help.