MIM(Prisons) is a cell of revolutionaries serving the oppressed masses inside U.$. prisons, guided by the communist ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
Under Lock & Key is a news service written by and for prisoners with a focus on what is going on behind bars throughout the United States. Under Lock & Key is available to U.S. prisoners for free through MIM(Prisons)'s Free Political Literature to Prisoners Program, by writing:
MIM(Prisons) PO Box 40799 San Francisco, CA 94140.
I am a universal Builder Building universally for in the
universe Be Allah’s university Adversity’s not stopping
me Domestically or commercially for you see It works for me to
come to thee Righteously Poetically In this form Universally
strong Living right not wrong Against the norm For I’ve
weathered the storm all along Builders build Adding on To
life Three dimensional existence Hear me now Bare
witness I’ve witness’d the relentless Struggle against this life
sentence of persistence My insistence To teach the masses
resistance To oppression Suppression Mental
anguish Depression I stopped stressing Paid
attention Learned to see my struggles as a learned lesson If not a
blessing For builders which build without question…
El mes pasado, octubre, un hermano recibió un reporte de mala conducta
escrito contra él por tener los Libros de Soledad Brother y From Niggas to God. La
administración dió la razón que George Jackson fue conocido como un
“Black Panther”, como si eso fuera una razón válida para un reporte de
mala conducta. Ellos dijeron que From Niggas to God estaba
prohibido en la institución correccional de Green Bay. Yo pienso que es
porque ellos no nos quieren que vayamos llamándonos a nosotros mismos
“Niggas,” actuando como niggas, a llamándonos hijos de Dios o actuando
como tal. Ellos quieren que todavía seamos los niggas de ellos y más
vale que no nos cojan tratando de educarnos o leyendo libros de
sustancia. Pero sí podemos leer libros ‘urbanos’ y novelas que
promocionan la muerte y la violencia entre nosotros mismos. Al hermano
le dieron 210 días en el hoyo.
El 2 de noviembre 2010, la cama de mi camarada fue rebuscada por el
puerco racista van Laden el cual confiscó varios libros, es decir, Soledad Brother, Noam Chomsky,
Niami Akbar, el libro de lector de Cornell West y un par más. Ellos
también confiscaron varias ediciones del periódico 4struggle
porque mencionaban el partido Black Panther. Por varios días ellos no le
dieron el reporte de conducta. Usualmente eso no se tarda más que dos
días. El fue llamado para hablar con el puerco van Laden y van Laden le
dijo que le vería en la corte, en realidad es una audiencia del reporte
de conducta.
En el 11/8/2010 el recibió el reporte de conducta. Es una persecución de
brujas. En lo cual el puerco van Laden dice que Soledad Brother menciona a los
Black Panthers, y que el periódico de 4struggle menciona las 10
puntos de la plataforma de los Black Panthers, con frases como “Puños
Cerrados” “Poder Para La Gente” “Rojo, Negro y Verde.” Este puerco dijo
que los libros eran materiales de la “Supremacía de Negros” yo todavía
estoy tratando de entender que quiere decir la Supremacía de Negros”. La
palabra supremacía significa que grupo dice que es más superior al otro.
Nada de lo que ellos confiscaron significa nada de eso porque si
significara algo de eso el hubiera especificado tal y tal página de este
libro dice que “Ellos son superiores y los blancos son inferiores.” Pero
no pueden porque nada de lo que confiscaron significa lo que él esta
alegando. El clama ser un experto de amenazas de seguridad y dice en el
reporte que los Black Panthers están en la lista como un grupo de
amenaza de seguridad. Ahora cualquier material que la menciona que está
restringida y cualquier persona que se encuentre con ese material esta
en violación por tener ese material de escritura. Lo mismo que
esclavitud.
Pero miren esto, el camarada tiene recibos de todos los libros que ellos
dicen que son amenazas a la seguridad. Ellos los dejaron entrar y
después dicen que uno no se puede tenerlos. Ellos tienen una lista de
libros restringidos y ningunos de los libros confiscados están en esa
lista. Ni Soledad
Brother porque nada es su contenido es una amenaza a la
seguridad. George no está promocionando nada de violencia ni supremacía
negra. Como yo dije antes esto es un intento de los puercos para
rompernos.
Los dos hermanos que mencioné están en el mismo dormitorio que yo,
estamos en un ambiente social, sin pelear entre nosotros mismos, más
enseñando a estos hermanos más jóvenes. Eso es la amenaza de seguridad
para ellos. Ellos no quieren que aprendamos de nuestra historia y tener
un sentido de nuestro mismo. Ellos quieren que seamos ignorantes y
corriendo por aquí siendo unos “N”es buenos. El leer es restringido a
menos que sea algo de ficción. El fue cargado con resistencia de grupo y
petición y espera ir a su audiencia.
En 11/5/2010 fui llamado a el escritorio del comandante y me preguntó
cómo otro prisionero tuvo mi libro porque ella dijo si no se lo di ella
lo escribiera por robo. Yo le dije que el guardia regular Comandante
Zellner que trabaja aquí dijo que él, el hermano, podía leer mi libro
siempre y cuando que él se me devuelva el libro antes de la fin de la
noche. Ella me dijo pues, te voy a escribir por una transferencia de
propiedad inautorizada. Ella llamó a otro hermano a la mesa y le
devolvió su libro sin darle una multa. El título de mi libro era Huey P. Newton and the Black Panther
Party. Eso es porque ella me escribió y le devolvió al otro
hermano su libro.
Yo recibí el reporte de conducta el 11/8/2010 y resistencia de grupo y
petición estaba en mis cargos también. Este cargo es uno de los que
ellos usan para poner a uno en el hoyo o también enviarnos a la
súper-máxima de Wisconsin en Boscobel donde yo he estado por más de 4
años. El reporte dice que di mi libro a otro para leer lo cual es
violación 9.3. transfiriendo propiedad inautorizada. Aun si el guardia
te dio permiso sigue siendo una violación bajo sus semánticos de
neolengua de 1984. También dice que los Black Panthers es un grupo “no
sancionado”, y el libro está confiscado. Pero trabajé en la biblioteca
aquí anterior y vi este mismo libro en varias ocasiones. También vi a
Soledad Brother y From Niggas to God.
El arreglo esta. Yo y el camarada todavía estamos esperando ir a
nuestras audiencias. Hablamos con un camisa blanca y el director de
seguridad de esta arreglo. Así ellos tienen sabiduría de esto y pueden
ser incluidos en la demanda, porque nada de esto es una amenaza. ¡Yo
tenía este libro por más de 6 años! Estamos tratando de desplegar la
palabra de todo esto. Ellos tienen una lista de libros restringidos pero
ningún de los libros que nos quitaron están en esa lista.
También yo escribí un libro del cambio y dejé a un joven hermano leerlo.
Su cama fue rebuscada y otro puerco se lo llevo al sargento lo cual me
llamó a su escritorio y me preguntó si ese era mi libro. Le dije que sí.
Me hizo la pregunta ¿quién te dio permiso para escribir esto? Yo dije mi
mente! ¿Qué quiere decir quién me dio permiso? Dijo que llamaba a la
seguridad para ver si podría hacer esto. Pasó una hora más o menos y me
llamó al escritorio y me devolvió el libro. La cosa es “¿Quién me dio
permiso? Como si yo necesitara el permiso de alguien otro para escribir
mis pensamientos Esta mismo puerco tiene un tatuaje de la bandera de
confederación en su brazo izquierdo.
Diciéndonos que no podemos leer o ganar un sentido de nuestro mismo por
aprender de nuestra historia o que necesitamos “su” permiso para
escribir nuestros pensamientos es la misma como la esclavitud que
sufrieron nuestros antepasados. Pero la mayoría no pueden verlo así.
Sólo lo ven como estos puercos racistas tienen un trabajo. Esto no es un
trabajo, esto es una forma de la opresión,. El capitalismo es opresión.
Somos su modo de tener un trabajo por nuestra opresión. Trato de hacer
que estos hermanos menores y mayores vean esto. La esclavitud era el
capitalismo. La prisión es el capitalismo. Los blancos eran los que
corrían los campamentos. Los blancos son los que corren la prisión, es
lo mismo sino una nueva manera.
This is a response to the article “PART’s Perspective: The Missing
Ingredient” by Michael Novick in the Jan-March 2011 issue of
Turning the Tide - Journal of
the Anti-Racist Action Research & Education.
The article begins by asking the question, “What is the recipe for a
revolutionary transformation of this society?” and then goes on to cite
a litany of “evidence” for its need including melting glaciers, massive
high school drop out rates, declining housing market and other
social-economic problems.
The author then asks, speaking about these obvious problems and
oppressive realities faced by the people on a daily basis, “…if the
evidence is so clear, why is the population so docile?…what happened, in
the US, to the in-the-streets anti-war movement, or the
anti-globalization movement before it?”
The answer to these questions is clear when we do a revolutionary
analysis of class society: the so-called “working-class” in the United
$tates has been bought off by the capitalist class and become a labor
aristocracy, especially the white working class. This class has
absolutely no material interest in revolution. In fact, before they
would join the anti-imperialist movement, we’ll see them in fascist
revolution. That’s what the Tea Party and neo-confederates represent.
Without a doubt or contradiction, since the election of the neo-colonial
President Obama, there has been an increase in hate crimes and
membership in neo-nazi organizations. However, these must be challenged
with counter-forces equal to or stronger than theirs. And, this can’t be
done by appeals to moralism, focoism or adventurism, but by organizing
the people on a realistic basis to confront this problem with strength,
intelligence and diligence, lest we fool ourselves: again!
The only people who truly have a material interest in revolutionizing
this society are prisoners, undocumented workers and the youth (who’ll
be called upon in later years to fight, kill and die for imperialism or
who will suffer from a fucked up environment.) These forces must unite
with the international proletariat in the Third World who face the worst
of imperialism on a daily basis. In our current situation the principal
political task is organizing of the oppressed around a solid political
line in order to build and construct our own independent institutions.
While the overall meaning behind “The Missing Ingredient” is progressive
and agitational, it seems to me that the author was trying to moralize
to the very social parasites who benefit so greatly from imperialism.
Rest assured that they recognize their privileged status in relation to
the rest of the world and are not gonna give it up without a bloody
fight.
MIM(Prisons) adds: We agree with this assessment of Michael
Novick’s article. Like the revolutionary bourgeois nationalists,
Anti-Racist Action has a similar historical assessment of U.$.
imperialism to Maoism, leading to a strong criticism of settlers, and
privileged white people. And while their recognition of the need for
self-determination of internal semi-colonies makes them worthy allies,
they too end up dreaming of a
Socialist
Republic of North America based in bridging the divide of class
unity with white workers.
This comrade’s warning should not be taken lightly. As imperialist
crisis is likely to worsen in the near future, these wavering allies
will want more and more to see a revolutionary upsurge in the richest,
most reactionary nation on the planet. Instead, we must follow the
example of the Third International in World War II, who ditched the
“social-fascists” who wavered in the face of war and crisis. Drawing
hard lines on who are our friends and who are our enemies is a question
of life and death for countless people in the future.
I’m lock’n loaded, tried, tested; now proven revolution is now
what, has ensued. In the vein of Marx, Lenin, and Mao
passed: first is where the heart is, the proletariat class! Try
as you might, superior numbers manifest, In league, with the correct
political line. followers we have. Guns too: next is political
power. With a massive, intake of breath; know it’s the
bourgeoisie’s final hour. Capitalist pigs and imperialist
scum, wiping blood off our boots as thoughts and feelings have
become numb. If this is not coming through, here it is spoken,
loud and clear: “This is a struggle and a fight!” Either
bourgeoisie or proletariat class. Yours is our life.
As I laid there on my prison issued bunk, nursing my wounds and pains, I
thought back to the very day I was sentenced to prison. Did my sentence
also include occasional excessive force? Did the judge also pronounce
contrived rule violations as part of my sentence? Were all my
constitutional rights relinquished that day? I don’t recall the judge
asserting anything to that fact. But evidently, brutality perpetuated
Under the Color of State Law is an inherited trait of prison.
The term “Under Color of State Law” means that civil rights were
violated by an individual or individuals who at the time of the
violation were employed by the local, State, or Federal government.
Since brutality under Color of State Law is so prevalent, it would be
appropriate if the sentencing Judge would state the obvious during the
sentencing phase of whatever crime a person was convicted of. The Judge
could say something to the fact, “I’m sentencing you to 10 years in
prison, plus some occasional excessive force, which will be
administrated by various rogue Correctional Officers throughout the
course of your confinement. In addition, you will also be subjected to
several contrived rule violations. The frequency of these false rule
reports will depend on the utter lack of integrity and the psychopathy
of each rogue Officer.” At least this information would give a person
facing incarceration a heads up. Time to mentally prepare themselves for
the Guantanamo Bay-style treatment that will be visited upon them.
During the course of Correctional Officer B. Johnson’s assault on me, I
felt as if I were somehow transported to a Third World country where
human rights and regulation did not exist. Apparently, my assailant felt
the same. How else could he feel so at ease with openly violating my
civil rights, right there in front of two other officers, who evidently
concurred with B. Johnson’s views on civil rights? Maybe the three
officers forgot they were in Amerika? That they were correctional
officers employed to uphold the law in a system governed by the U.S.
Constitution? Or just maybe they forgot that I am a human being? Officer
B. Johnson did call me a “Jungle Bunny.” But if that were the case,
shouldn’t animal rights have protected me that night? Here in America,
if you harm an animal, you will go to jail. Who knows what the three
officer’s were or were not thinking. Whatever it was, the shear, sadism
of it all was revealed that night.
The assault was witnessed by two prisoners. Both were housed in a cell
that gave them a direct view of the incident as it took place. One
prisoner, who initially claimed that he witnessed the assault, later
recanted his story. He became a confidential informant. He had alleged
to the investigating Officers that I conspired to falsely write up B.
Johnson for assault. He was originally placed in the hole for a cell
fight, whereupon he threw hot boiling water on his cellmate. His
cellmate received 3rd degree burns on his face and chest area. At that
time he was facing a segregated program (SHU term) for assault on a
prisoner with a weapon (hot water), causing serious injury. Also a
possible DA referral. But all that disappeared after he provided false
confidential information concerning B. Johnson’s role in the assault.
This prisoner was released from the hole and placed on Corcoran’s SNY
yard, which is a protective custody yard, equivalent to Disneyland.
Officer B. Jonson, has a history of assaulting prisoners in handcuffs.
Now I have a permanent shoulder injury. I will need surgery at some
point. I have received physical therapy treatment.
MIM(Prisons) responds: We agree with this comrade’s assessment
that prison sentences in Amerika come with implicit brutality and both
physical and mental abuse. These go well beyond the legal punishments
supposedly a part of criminal “justice” in this country. As this abuse
is standard in Amerikan prisons, we disagree that the perpetrators are
“rogue officers.” We need to expose this systematic brutality and
organize towards a level of unity that will make it very difficult for
individuals to turn against their fellow prisoners, and where the guards
know that we have the numbers to fight back and prevent this violence.
This article is aimed particularly at the young reader born into the
current culture of mass communication. The concepts aren’t new. We just
want to highlight the implications of state surveillance, which is a
reality for anyone seeking social change in a state whose primary
concern is maintaining the oppressive social order under imperialism.
One of the important tasks of intelligence is to develop a map of the
networks of those being surveilled. This simple fact is too often
ignored in our culture today, where technology has electronically and
permanently connected us. What used to at least require a warrant sent
to your phone company is now public information for most people in the
United $tates today who regularly use social networking through the
internet and their cell phones.
To an extent, the omnipresence of these technologies in Amerikan lives
have made people more conscious of this vulnerability. Yet, very few
involved in voicing opinions in favor of a world without oppression
actually incorporate this knowledge into their practice. Largely this is
a class issue where the petty bourgeoisie feels safe living in a
bourgeois democracy. In much more remote parts of the world, there is a
greater understanding of the need for encryption and shielding one’s
identity because the consequences are life and death.
MIM(Prisons) doesn’t engage in baseless alarmism to mobilize people, but
this is a case where you should be considering worst case scenarios,
like how a fascist government might carry out a witch-hunt for
“communists” and “terrorists” using public information on the internet.
When struggling with allies about security, we regularly get the
response, “I’m already on all their lists.” It’s often a point of pride
to say this. But the oppressed know that getting on a list has
real
consequences. In addition, anyone who has studied COINTELPRO knows
that the government is interested in more than just your name, but our
sense of comfort here in the belly of the beast leads to lazy practices
and nihilistic attitudes towards security.
Like we said, this isn’t about persecuting people for thought crimes,
though that has happened countless times to U.$. citizens as a result of
information posted on the internet. COINTELPRO was about disrupting
movements. It is far too easy for a fat pig sitting at his desk to know
who young activists are in touch with, and what they are doing when and
where. Using this information the imperialist state can be very
strategic in how it uses its various tools of repression. With the
current state of security culture, technology has given the oppressor
the advantage, but this does not have to be the case.
After All the Tweeting, Now What?
As we work on finishing the first draft of this article, the U.$. media
is talking about popular demonstrations against governments in Tunisia
and Egypt and their use of Twitter and Facebook. Tweeting is a good way
to mobilize a flash mob; it is not a good way to build people’s power.
It is about as effective as banging a pot in the street. While we don’t
mean to dismiss these recent movements in particular, there is plenty of
history to show that spontaneous demonstrations do not save lives or
improve conditions – capitalism continues on.
We’ve already addressed some of the class issues surrounding the
dependence on technology like Twitter
elsewhere.
Twitter is also an example of corporations defining cultural trends. It
almost seems there was a law passed last year that every corporate media
entity had to mention Twitter once every 20 minutes on their
programming. This free advertising should raise questions around a
company that has already openly worked with the U.$. government to
overthrow foreign regimes and repress resistance within this country.
Despite arrests for such activities, people continue to use Twitter to
report from protests in the U.$. without any attempt to cloak the
identities of themselves or others involved. Meanwhile, Twitter remains
mainly a tool to promote capitalist consumption through advertising.(1)
Speculation aside, it is not the intents of the corporations that we
should fear (or rely on); it is the nature of the technology that makes
us vulnerable. An independent, nonprofit, open-source social network
does not address the main problem here, which is internet-based, public
social networking itself.
More recently, the trend is to be able to Tweet, Facebook and Google on
your phone. Mobile phones are generally attached to our identity and
track your location at all times, while allowing remote monitoring of
voice, video (which is generally ubiquitous on phones these days) and of
course any worldwide web traffic. While this information would nominally
require a warrant, in recent years AT&T has complained that the
National Security Agencies requests for these wiretaps have become
overly burdensome on the monopolizing telecommunications company,
indicating that such wiretapping is far from rare.
Other than building networks, spies like to build profiles of
individuals. Today’s mobile phones and computers are walking profiles on
many Amerikans. Even if you don’t use a “smart” phone, if you don’t
separate your work from your persynal life you are exposing yourself.
Every time you do a Google search while logged into Gmail, or access
information through Facebook, your activity is connected to your
identity. And of course, any internet activity from home is connected to
your IP address.
Stop Worshipping Bourgeois Culture
There is a tendency that jumps on every trend, saying “if only we could
get an ad that looks like that, if only we could get a Facebook group,
if only we could produce hot music” then the masses would listen. A real
revolutionary culture needs to be setting the trends and not just
copying bourgeois forms and relying on bourgeois institutions. Without
independent institutions of the oppressed we have no power over the
message we put out and the work that gets done in the name of social
progress.
Again, for those who were born into this culture of social networking
through the internet, you need to rethink your relationship to the
bourgeois institutions that shape your life.
We are not arguing against using the internet or other technology. We
are only pushing people to understand the potential and likely
consequences before they use it. MIM made great inroads by being a
trendsetter in online publishing. Today’s technology makes it easier and
safer to use the internet, if you study how to do it correctly.
If you don’t have the patience to learn internet security or don’t
believe in it because “Big Brother knows all,” then don’t go online.
There should be Maoist work that is not known to the internet. We must
combat the thinking that “it can be Googled, therefore it exists.” The
internet should be a place to study, to find answers, to debate and to
agitate in the realm of ideas. It should not provide a quick and easy
snapshot of who we are, what we’re doing, when, where or how many we
are.
Wannabe Documentarians
While cell phone cameras were celebrated in the exposure of the
assassination of
Oscar
Grant by BART police in Oakland, California, they are also helping
the police do their job every day. It is hard to go to any sort of
political event without being surveilled by dozens of unidentified
people. This means that 1) the pigs can sit on their asses looking at
Indymedia websites and watching amateur videos on YouTube to see who is
frequenting what events, and 2) undercover (or not) pigs can be very
open in their efforts to record people at these events.
Closed meetings should not even allow cell phones in the proximity of
the meeting. That may be difficult for events open to the public, but
people should not be able to come in and record without any
accountability. And if you want to record your own events for later use,
don’t record people that have not given their permission. People
recording the audience should be treated with suspicion and should be
stopped.
All of this is connected to who are our friends and who are our enemies.
Anti-imperialist comrades should weigh the costs and benefits of doing
outreach at events that are swamped with strong Amerikanism. The
cell
strategy should be studied and applied in a way that one only
organizes with those one knows. And one should learn to swim in the sea
of people they find themselves amongst. The sea we have to swim in in
North America is a sea of white nationalism, so blending in isn’t always
appealing, but it is that much more important. Relying on the masses
means looking to the world’s majority who have an interest in
overthrowing imperialism. Being part of the struggles of the real masses
cannot happen through Tweets and Facebook groups. Building a strong
movement requires keeping a distance from these institutions of the
oppressor and building our own infrastructure.
On 19 January 2011 High Desert State Prison (HDSP) was visited by
administrators from the headquarters of the California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) in Sacramento, as well as the
inspector general. These administrators finally listened to the many
complaints from prisoners and outside advocacy groups and started an
investigation into the corrupt policies and actions in place here at
HDSP. In this struggle, MIM(Prisons) was instrumental in sending us
petitions to submit regarding the appeals process.
This investigation had two parts. It was carried out by several
administrators and started in the morning and continued into the early
evening. Several prisoners were interviewed, some once, while others
twice. I was one of those who was interviewed twice, first by a
Correctional Counselor II from headquarters. We discussed the appeals
process here at HDSP. During this interview we mostly talked about how
our appeals are continuously screened out, denied, lost or simply
ignored. The interviewer asked meaningful and intelligent questions and
took detailed notes, and he appeared surprised by the lack of meaningful
access to the appeals process. This interview only lasted between 10 and
15 minutes.
Later that same day, at around 5:45 p.m., I was again taken from my cell
for an interview. This time it was with a captain from headquarters
(Sacramento) and the inspector general. During this interview I was told
that they, Sacramento CDCR Headquarters, were doing these interviews due
to the pressure and complaints coming into Sacramento from prisoners,
advocacy groups, and prisoners’ families. They said they were simply
conducting fact-finding interviews. This interview was more in-depth
than the morning interview. We discussed a wide range of topics during
the interview from the mass validations of the northern Hispanics on 4
August 2009, the poor conditions here in Z-unit (administrative
segregation), to the many violations of our constitutional rights. Again
the interviewers asked many valid questions and took notes, giving the
appearance of taking things seriously. I did not buy into the act.
During this meeting they showed me copies of petitions I had mailed out
which included the MIM(Prisons) grievance petition. I don’t know if this
is going to make any difference because I think (and hopefully I’m
wrong) this was only a smoke and mirror show to attempt to pacify those
of us who are fighting against these corrupt and unjust policies. But
only time will tell how big a victory this truly was, because it was a
victory!
I seriously doubt anything comes of this so-called investigation that is
a significant improvement to the quality of life for us here in the zoo
(Z-Unit). The reason I think this is the day after the Sacramento
officials left HDSP, staff on Z-Unit started their retaliation. They cut
our food portions almost in half, and the law library was denied to
those of us who are Priority Library Users and have court deadlines. So
I expect things will go back to normal in a week or two. Its the same
every time anyone visits up here. One of the Sgts did say that they are
totally redesigning the entire appeals process and we did get beanies
(to protect us from the cold on the yard).
However this is not enough, we cannot afford to be satisfied with this
token gesture of a beanie and some promises. No, we must continue to
fight and put the pressure on HDSP until we are given all of our rights
as well as everything we are entitled to by law and common human
decency.
MIM(Prisons) adds: Contact us for more information about the
campaign to
end the Z-Unit Zoo, and the
grievance
campaign which is active in multiple states. If there are problems
with the grievance system where you’re at, spread it to yours!
I am just checking in with current cowardly acts perpetrated by cowardly
Kkklinton (Clinton Correctional Facility in New York). (see
ULK 17)
The murder of Mr. Leonard Strickland(see
1,2)
last October 3rd 2010 in upper F Block has now been termed “death by
natural causes” by channel 5 news media in Vermont.
More recently, corrupt klansmen under disguise of law abiding civil
servants jumped on a 5’6” 147lbs man. And get this, one of the cowards,
CO Barnaby, is also one of the murderers of Mr. Strickland. The others
involved in this particular incident of brutal assault are COs L. Bezio
whose family members are numerous here in Kkklinton and CO B. LeClair
whose family members are also employees of facilities here in northern
New York, including Kkklinton.
The behavior of these corrupt officials is very onerous, especially when
their superior acting Deputy Superintendent, Captain of Security Facteau
makes statements such as “this is a dictatorship, not a democracy,” a
statement that is relayed amongst all employees giving them the green
light to violate even the prisoners’ minimum standards.
Maybe one of these days the lumpen will unite as one and focus on our
real enemies?
Como ya lo sabemos, unidades de control son cámaras de tortura donde
prisioneros pasan de 22 a 24 horas al día encerrados en una celda
pequeña por largos periodos del tiempo con una luz cegadora quemando
todo el día, sin programas ni educativos ni de otras formas, y sin la
debida atención médica y de la salud mental. Estamos forzados en vivir
adentro con marranos que nos oprimen cada día. Estas condiciones son
intentados en quebrar el espíritu y estado mental de los prisioneros.
Son herramientas de opresión. Aquí he visto prisioneros darse por
vencido y perder toda la esperanza, perdiendo sus estados mentales,
dañándose y aun suicidarse. No hay duda que estos lugares horríficos
afectan al estado mental de un prisionero, es decir la mayoría de ellos.
Sin embargo, podemos y debemos cambiar estos cámaras de tortura en
nuestros universidades, por el mejoramiento de nosotros y por nuestros
camaradas oprimidos.
La primera vez que fui colocado en una unidad de control (aquí en
Florida son llamados unidades manejados muy de cerca [se refiere como CM
en el resto de este artículo]) hice dos años encerrado en una celda
pequeña 24 horas al día. En mis primeros meses estaba desperdiciando mi
tiempo, peleando y leyendo libros de ficción que matan la mente. Estaba
ciego a la lucha - nuestra lucha, el oprimido contra el opresor. Luego,
un día, un camarada me pasó un libro llamado El último hombre de pie por
Gerónimo Pratt, un miembro alto del Partido Negro Pantera. Ese libro dio
chispa al revolucionario dentro de mí y desde luego no he mirado atrás.
Luego conocí a George Jackson, a Mao, a Lenin y a Che entre otros. Eso
fue cuando empecé a formar y organizar mis ideales. Cuando mi familia me
preguntaba si necesitaba dinero para cantina, les decía que no. En lugar
de eso, les pedía que me mandaran libros sobre o escritos por los
camaradas sobre mencionados y empecé a estudiar todo el tiempo.
Al pasar del tiempo un camarada me dio una copia de Bajo Cerradura y
Clave y me encanto. Eso me subió en la lucha de la prisión. Empecé a
corresponder con MIM(prisiones) y después de un tiempo empecé a escribir
artículos para ellos. Los camaradas en MIM(prisiones) me aprovisionaron
con materiales buenos y muy necesarios para estudiar y seguí trabajando
fuerte de parte de la lucha-nuestra lucha. He aprendido a disciplinarme
y organizarme en una manera que nunca imaginaba posible. Mientras que
crecía mentalmente y aumentaba mi conocimiento de la lucha, lo compartía
con otros y ayudé a despertar a sus conscientes.
No tenía acceso a nada salvo lo que MIM(prisiones) me mandaba y mis
únicos oportunidades de salir de mi celda era cuando tenía que ver el
personal médico o de salud mental y cuando teníamos el recreo en un
pequeño jaula de perro y duchas 3 veces a la semana. Sin embargo, Me
negué todo esto. Yo pensé - y todavía pienso- que por ir a estos estaba
malgastando el tiempo que pudiera usar para estudiar y hacer trabajo por
la causa. Yo hacía ejercicios y tomaba baños de pájaro en la celda. Yo
aun estudiaba cuando se apagaban las luces. Usaba una poquita de luz que
entraba por la ventana de atrás desde un poste de luz de pie afuera del
edificio.
Los marranos estaban acostumbrados al ir y hacer sus revisiones y ver a
los prisioneros acurrucados en sus camas no haciendo nada o solo mirando
al vacio mientras se hablaban a sí mismos. De hecho, les gustaba a ver
esto porque sabían que estaban venciendo las mentes y espíritus
combatientes de los prisioneros. Pero lo odiaban cuando caminaban por mi
celda y me veían sentado en el piso con todo tipo de libros,
diccionarios, papeles y plumas alrededor de mi. No me podrían agrietar -
mucho menos destrozarme - y eso les comía adentro. No les daba la cansa.
Estaba - y todavía estoy - peleándolos hasta el último final. Si no
puedo pelearles físicamente, les pelearé ellos con papel y pluma por
correr la voz de la lucha y ayudar a otras personas oprimidos
despertarse sus conscientes.
Cuando yo estaba a punto de ser
soltado a la población abierta me dije a mí mismo que si empezaba
descarrilarme y perder mi disciplina que regresare a la CM adrede para
empezar disciplinarme de nuevo. Cuando finalmente fui soltado en al fin
de 2009, la gente que me conocía antes no me asociaban mucho conmigo
porque no podían relacionarse a mi nuevo estado de mente.
Afortunadamente, yo pude despertar algunos y unírselos las fuerzas en la
lucha.
En mi primer prisión, después de salir de la CM, pronto formé un grupo
de estudios con 9 camaradas y de lo cual el camarada que me introdujo a
MIM(Prisiones) era una parte. De cualquier manera, la prisión en la que
estábamos era extremamente racista y opresiva y los marranos empezaron a
centrársenos. Por ser portavoz del grupo me consideraban el líder y
solamente por eso saqueaban y destruían mi propiedad personal cada vez
que tenían la oportunidad, me amenazaban, y luego me encerraban en
solitario con cargos falsos. Finalmente me trasladaron a otra prisión.
En la siguiente prisión los marranos ya sabían de mi, entonces en cuanto
a llegué las búsquedas y la destrucción de propiedad personal
continuaban. Pero eso ni me quitó las ganas ni sacudió mi confianza. En
unas cuantas semanas tenía otro grupo de estudio corriendo. Pero luego,
ni un año después de mi salida de la CM tuve un pleito con otro
prisionero quien era un soplón para los marranos y regresé a la CM donde
me encuentro presentemente.
He llegado a la conclusión que la populación abierta no es para mí. Me
quita demasiado de mi tiempo del estudio. Tiempo para estudiar que
necesito cuando sea soltado a la sociedad. Además, en CM no tengo
marranos en mi cara todo el día. En la población abierto hay una gran
posibilidad que yo le dañe a uno de ellos gravemente y agarre más tiempo
en prisión. Entonces he decidido en hacer mis 14 años que me faltan en
una celda solitario. Esto pueda ser útil para mí, pero no es para todo
porque todo ni lo entiende ni aprecian tal como yo.
Si no tiene ninguna opción sino que estar en una unidad de control, no
desperdiga su tiempo. No deje que estos malditos marranos te quiebren.
Convierta tu cámara de tortura en la cual te encuentras en tu
universidad. Lea, estudie, edúcate a ti mismo. Suscríbete a Bajo
Cerradura y Llave y otros materiales de MIM(Prisiones). Si no tienes
muchos materiales que estudiar, estudia lo que tienes una y otra vez.
Estarás sorprendido con cuanto podrás aprender con leer la misma cosa
una y otra vez. Todavía tengo el primer Bajo Cerradura y Llave que leí,
que me fue dado por ese buen camarada 3 años antes, y todavía lo leo de
vez en cuando. Y cada vez que lo leo, aprendo algo nuevo.
Pues camaradas, despiértense y pónganse a estudiar. Enséñenles a los
marranos que no permitan que se les quebranten y que están dispuesto a
pelear, a aprender y luchar…y a convertir sus cámaras de tortura en su
universidad. No la conviertas en tu cementerio mental y físico.
For our own sanity, and for freedom, we must recognize that there are no
rights, only power struggles. As the articles in this issue of ULK
demonstrate, so-called “rights” on a piece of paper are only a point of
reference for debate. Their enforcement will depend on the actions of
the different forces, groups, classes involved.
We hope that after reading this issue you are inspired to know that we
are all struggling against the same oppressor in very similar ways. Some
may use these stories to justify not rocking the boat, but they would be
wrong. These are stories of people who are merely trying to educate
themselves, or obtain basic respect, and they are attacked. These
stories were hand-picked to demonstrate the political motivations of
state employees, and to disprove the theory that repression is only used
when necessary to prevent crime and control “trouble makers.”
While we haven’t received any reports directly from the comrades
involved, a couple of organized collective struggles have created
headlines over the last month in U.$. prisons. The Georgia strike was an
historical event that involved thousands of prisoners from four
different facilities who were responding to the lack of pay for labor,
visiting rights and other abuses. One participant reported:
“On December 9, Georgia state prisoners stuck together and learned what
their togetherness could do. They learned that they could get more
accomplished being unified than they ever could being separated. For
this day, Black, White, Brown, Red and Yellow came together. This day
saw the coming together of Muslim and Christian, Protestant and
Catholic, Crip and Blood, Gangster Disciple and Vice Lord, Nationalist
and Socialist. All came together. All were together. The only
antagonistic forces were the Oppressors and the Oppressed.”(1)
These peaceful protesters faced lockdown, followed by brutal
beatings for many, and dozens remain disappeared to unknown
locations.(2) It is struggles like this during the 1960s that led to the
rise of the
Black
Panther Party within the Black nation, and other revolutionary
organizations. Prisoners are well organized internally, and working with
many on the outside, so they are clear that this battle is not over.
Meanwhile, in the Ohio State Penitentiary Supermax, four comrades
protested years of torture by engaging in a hunger strike. These
comrades continue to be persecuted for their participation in the famous
Lucasville uprising in 1993. As we go to print, we’ve heard reports that
after a two week strike, their demands for semi-contact visits, real
rec, access to legal materials, and commissary were granted. In a
statement from one of the participants, the message of this issue of
Under Lock & Key is echoed:
“If justice as a concept is real, then I could with some justification
say, ‘Justice delayed is justice denied.’ But this has never been about
justice, and I finally, finally, finally understand that. For the past
16 years, I (we) have been nothing more than a scapegoat for the state,
and convenient excuse that they can point to whenever they need to raise
the specter of fear among the public or justify the expenditure of
inordinate amounts of money for more locks and chains.
“And not only that, but the main reason behind the double penalty that
we have been undergoing is so that we can serve as an example of what
happens to those who challenge the power and authority of the state. And
like good little pawns, we’re supposed to sit here and wait until they
take us to their death chamber, strap us down to a gurney, and pump
poison through our veins. Fuck that! I refuse to go out like that:
used as a tool by the state to put fear into the hearts of others while
legitimizing a system that is bogus and sold to those with money. That’s
not my destiny.”(3)
Finally, over 150 prisoners , imprisoned for alleged involvement in
the Maoist movement, from a number of prisons in India went on hunger
strike this week in response to the killing of unarmed villagers.(4)
While the imperialists want to demonize the alleged violence of those
struggling for basic rights in U.$. prisons, they engage in mass murder
across the Third World to ensure the flow of profits to this country.
Today, many oppressed nation men in the United $tates find themselves in
situations where even possessing books or affiliating with each other is
against the law. This isn’t just in prisons, but in oppressed nation
communities on the outside as our comrade in Texas
describes
(see page XXX). As another example, within the struggle for justice for
Oscar Grant, gang injunctions were used against young Blacks to declare
it illegal to affiliate in any way with the Black Riders Liberation
Party. Faced with such obstacles, we continue to learn what struggle is,
and what is really necessary to obtain the conditions that all humyn
beings deserve.