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.
During the summer of 2018, the California Department of Corrections
& Rehabilitation (CDCR) attempted to initiate a radical new policy
to re-integrate General Population (GP) and Sensitive Needs Yards (SNY)
prisoners throughout the state. These two populations have been
separated for decades, but are now living together in what they are
calling Non-Designated Programming Facilities (NDPFs).
SNYs were first created in the late 1990s to provide safe housing for
prisoners convicted as sex offenders and other prisoners who had fallen
out of favor with prison gangs. This population exploded during the
early 2000s, when the CDCR began to ease housing restrictions and
criteria on SNYs.
In 2015, the office of the Governor of the state of California, Jerry
Brown, authored the document “The Governor’s Plan: The Future of
California Prisons” in which they published the rising costs and
administrative difficulties related to operating SNYs. It was within
this document that the questions of how to stem the growing need for
SNY, and possibly re-integrate GP and SNY, was first asked. In 2016, a
“SNY Summit” was held by CDCR officials and so it seems that NDPFs
developed from both the Governor’s Plan and the SNY Summit.
According to a CDCR memorandum titled “Amended Non-Designated
Programming Facilities Expansion for 2018,” additional NDPFs were to be
created out of existing GP and SNY. The stated purpose for this
expansion was to “…expand positive programming to all inmates who want
it.” The NDPF expansion was scheduled to take place as early as
September 2018 at two different institutions with more to follow in the
months ahead.
The official list of NDPFs is relatively short, and only reflects NDPFs
affecting level 1, 2 and 3 prisoners at this time. However, MIM(Prisons)
has been receiving a lot of contradictory information on this issue from
prisoners, much of which can be attributed to rumors from both pigs and
prisoners. Therefore it is difficult for us to assess the situation and
sum up matters. Naturally these developments have prisoners on both
sides of the fence worked up and full of anxiety.
The forceful integration of GP and SNY prisoners poses obvious concerns
for the safety and security of everyone involved. As dialectical
materialists, the left-wing of United Struggle from Within (USW)
understands that change cannot be forced from the outside to the inside
within this particular situation. Rather, unity can only develop from
the inside to the out, which is why we are against NDPFs. Re-integration
of SNY and GP is something that can only work once prisoners themselves
settle the disputes and resolve the contradictions that led to the need
for prisoners to de-link from the rest of the prisoner population and
seek the protection of the state to begin with.
Contradictions amongst the people must be peacefully resolved amongst
the people; there’s no other way around this. Until this happens, the
new prison movement will remain divided and unable to unite along true
anti-imperialist lines. It is for this very reason that we continue to
uphold and promote the correct aspects of the Agreement to End
Hostilities (AEH), which was developed by prisoners themselves. In the
AEH we see an end to the large scale prisoner violence that racked
California prisons for decades. We also see a possibility for the
re-emergence of revolutionary nationalism amongst the oppressed nation
lumpen of Aztlán, New Afrika and the First Nations.
The AEH is a foundation for the movement, but movements are not built
on foundations alone; for this we need brick, mortar and other
materials. Likewise the building blocks to the new prison movement will
need the contributions and participation of as many of California’s
prisoners as possible if the signatories to the AEH really wanna live up
to the revolutionary ideals which they profess and which so many claim
to be instilled in the AEH, lest the AEH be but a hollow shell.
No doubt that the AEH was hystoric, progressive and even revolutionary
six years ago, but the time has come to amend the document. All language
excluding SNY prisoners from the peace process and casting SNY as
enemies should be revisited if prisoners from the Short Corridor
Collective and Representative Body are truly interested in taking the
AEH to the next level.
For more information on re-integration and NDPFs contact Julie Garry
Captain Population Management Unit (916) 323-3659.
13 May 2018 – 208 prisoners of every race, background, group,
organization, etc. said enough is enough! We came together and sat down
in a peaceful protest. During dinner (chow hall) as usual the pigs not
only violated our constitutional rights (First Amendment freedom of
speech) but they also attempted to bully us by flex’n and threatening
us. That’s when our peaceful protest turned uprising. I wish y’all could
have seen the way all the guards (C.O.s, Sergeants, Lieutenants, etc.)
ran out the kitchen and chow halls. You would have thought they ran
track! Who the cowards now?
For the first time in Missouri history we united. The pigs see the end
of their control within our unity. In a matter of seconds we gained
control of the kitchen, both dining halls, property room, canteen
storage, the factory, forklifts, weapons, keys, phones, computers, etc.
Well after a few hours the phones start to ring. Guess who’s calling?
The warden and highway patrol. For the first time they listened to our
demands. They respected us. They feared our unity. They was at our
mercy.
On our own terms we surrendered 8-9 hours later. After we got our point
across.
Note: 90% of guys in our peaceful protest turned uprising have outdates
ranging between a few weeks and 15 years. So only imagine if the outcome
was the other way around. 90% of us could have been locked to the board
(life without?).
Due to us striving so fast and hard we left administration not only
confused but also emotionally off balance. Being that this never
happened before in Missouri history they acted off impulse and violated
every constitutional right you can think of. Which led to KC Freedom
Project lawyers starting a class action lawsuit on our behalf against
Missouri DOC. The media has been on fire regarding this.
Update? We still on lockdown! We still receiving brown bags (sack
lunches). They say it was $3 million worth of damage. They making us do
1 year. We damn near 6 months in.
Administration is still up to their tricky ways. They have attempted to
divide and conquer us by destroying all the guys’ property that was in
the hole and told them we did it. Also telling all the guys in GP it’s
our fault they are locked down still. So yeah the struggle continues.
By the way, there have been two other uprisings of this kind since we
kicked it off. If we can unite here in Missouri where unity has never
existed then any state can.
Another Missouri prisoner wrote:
It has been 13 months since the prisoners bonded together, Black, White,
Native and brown (Chicano) and kicked off a riot at Crossroads
Correctional Center in Cameron, Missouri, causing over a million dollars
in damage. What did it accomplish?
Prison property got damaged that your families who are tax payers
(and you too cause you pay taxes on your canteen items) are going to
have to pay for the damages.
You injured one another with violent acts and all it accomplished is
enemies, and lockdown of the prison.
Supposedly two housing units are to be cleared out for the creation of
SHU units. They are supposed to lock up all the gang leaders and violent
soldiers.
As of now, this is all just rumor, but every time Missouri prisoners
show acts of violence via riots, the prison gets stricter. For example,
the 1985 riot in the old Missouri State Penitentiary caused them to
build a supermax housing unit.
When are we gonna learn that we are hurting ourselves more ways than one
by these acts of violence? When I was advocating peaceful protests with
demonstrations of how to shut the prison system down, nobody in Missouri
wanted to participate. But you go off on your own and committed this no
nonsense act of violence against your brother, your friends, your
families, and jeopardized everyone.
It costs $85 million a year to keep the U.S. prisons up and running. The
government is not producing this money to keep the prisons going. So
where is the money coming from? Let’s see now, in Missouri it’s coming
from Missouri Vocational Enterprise (MVE), the sign shop, the printing
shop, the license plate plant (tag plant), the furniture factory, the
chemical plant, information technology (IBM program), the braille
program, the laundry, the cooled-chill plant (cold food storage), the
shoe factory, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDot work
release) and the newly implemented paneling factory.
The above-mentioned factories are multi-million-dollar industries per
year. They are paying you pennies. So what a couple of these jobs pay
between $150 and $300 per month. If you peacefully protest by refusing
to go to work in these factories, either they are going to pay you at
least minimum wage where you will be making at least $340 a week, or
they are gonna bring in civilians to do the work, in which case the
factories are going to have to be uprooted and moved because most
civilians are not coming inside the prisons to work. So to shut down a
beast like the U.S. prison system is to shut down their economy – that
is, the very thing that’s bringing them money to keep the prisons open
is the very thing that can shut it down.
This just doesn’t begin and end with the prisoners. The prisoner has to
survive. He has to eat. So the people in the free world are going to
have to support the prisoner financially. Family, friends, advocate
organizations are all going to have to pitch in and support the prisoner
financially. That means to stop working we have to buy food to eat. To
stop using the phones and tablets, we need stamps, envelopes, paper and
pens to write letters that cost money. So the free world must understand
that for us to make these sacrifices, then society is going to have to
make sacrifices to assist us.
So Missouri prisoners, society (family, friends, organizations,
advocates, etc.), stop going about things the wrong way and do them like
they should be done in order to get results.
I go home next year on parole, but I do not leave my fight behind. There
is a bigger world out there, which means a lot more opportunities to
fight. I am going to find resources and seek out that they join me in my
quest to do away with this beast. I will need their support mentally,
physically, spiritually and above all, financially. With this, Comrades,
I hope to see you on the other side, working with me and supporting me
from the inside and outside.
In struggle–In solidarity Arm raised–clenched black fist
MIM(Prisons) responds: A lot of folks talk about how hard it is
to get people to unite behind bars. The prison controls everything from
day-to-day comfort to release dates. And that’s powerful incentive to
conform. Then they introduce drugs and other distractions to pacify the
population. They pay off snitches to keep an eye on activists. And they
lock organizers down in solitary confinement. Still, faced with all
these barriers, prisoners can and do come together to protest.
Conditions at Crossroads CC were bad enough to inspire this action. And
while the outcome wasn’t all positive, the class action lawsuit and
attention of the public has forced the Missouri DOC to admit that
prisoners are suffering significant restrictions due to short staffing.
The comrade criticizing this action for its lack of focus and random
acts of violence and destruction is right that often these sorts of
actions lead to more repression. Though peaceful protests are also often
met with increased repression. This debate over tactics in prison
protests is one that should be happening within all prisons across the
country. We hope the comrades at Crossroads will learn from this action
and move forward in greater unity towards future actions that will be
even more effective.
Focusing on the economics of prisons reveals the ridiculous scale of the
criminal injustice system. As the writer above notes, it would be a
significant financial loss to the state if they were forced to hire
non-prisoners for all the jobs prisoners are doing. And this is
financial leverage that prisoner workers can use to their advantage.
But to debate the value of this tactic we need to first be clear about
the scope of prisoner labor. The state of Missouri 2018 budget allocated
the Department of Corrections over $725 million. About the same as the
previous year, which was up $50 million from 2016.(1) The state would
have to allocate even more money if no prisoner labor could be used to
help run the prisons, or produce products that are sold to generate
revenue. But that prisoner labor is still a small part of the total cost
of running prisons.
As we showed from
data
collected from prisons across the United $tates, in general, losing
prisoner labor would add about 10% to the cost of running prisons.
Prisons are mostly subsidized by states’ budgets. The labor from
prisoners just doesn’t come close to covering that cost. So while there
is definitely economic power in those jobs, shutting down prison
industries won’t shut down prisons.
We don’t aim to just improve conditions. In the end we know the criminal
injustice system keeps taking away rights, doing what it can to make
prisons a place of suffering and complacency. But this protest showed
the people involved that they have the power to take collective action.
As the original writer notes, the prison can see their downfall in the
unity of the prisoners. This lesson of the importance and power of unity
is what will hopefully fuel ongoing organizing.
I am currently on close management (secured housing), a euphemism for
24/7 lockdown. My level was recently dropped to II, which means I now
have a cellmate. However, since there are more people in this dorm, I
have been able to spread some knowledge.
I am currently involved in a struggle against violations of prisoners’
rights in confinement. Although I don’t know much about civil law, I am
very resourceful and have found 2 non-profit law firms willing to help
Florida prisoners. I have begun, after being here since May, to draw a
lot of attention and have already been threatened with retaliation for
my grievances (in order to file lawsuits, “administrative remedies” must
be exhausted). However, I expected this, and take it as a signal that I
am doing good and hitting the right issues, such as not being allowed to
exit the cell for the specified “dayroom” time.
They are trying to keep the addicts addicted. It is easier to reach
people through face-to-face group studies or even individual studies. I
have been doing what I can to get some of the interested prisoners
involved in utilizing dialectical materialism. I have also been passing
around info on how to fight against the constant oppression. Oppression
is good for the oppressed. It is what motivates, and without it
complacency would be the norm.
I will be enclosing some more poetry for use in ULK. Also, the
issue of Under Lock & Key sent to me was rejected citing that
I already receive too many periodicals or publications. I am looking
into if there is indeed a set limit or if this is just a sorry excuse
for unwarranted censorship.
I’ve been sitting in my room and really, truly devoting myself to
studying the MIM Theory I received. I find myself aligning with
MIM on all of its issues and where they stand. I do have a question. It
is quite perplexing to me.
It seems to me that one of the biggest problems Maoists and other forms
of communism face all have a root in greed. The average human is not
inherently good and/or caring. Rather, their main objective in life is
to accumulate wealth to ensure a better life for them and hopefully
their immediate family. They do not have any feelings or true empathy
for those that do not have. So how do we solve this? I am new to this
movement, but am very intrigued by the veracity that is communism.
Expectantly awaiting.
MIM(Prisons) responds: In response to this question about greed
we ask another question: how do you know humyns are inherently greedy?
Sure, this is what we see today in the world around us. But capitalism
is built on a culture of greed and selfishness. It’s no surprise that
humyns raised in this culture, inundated with it from birth through
school, entertainment, and adult examples, will learn to be greedy and
individualist themselves. Further, capitalism rewards this individualism
with material wealth. There is little incentive or opportunity to be
selfless or generous.
But do we really have evidence that this is inherent in the humyn
species? When we look at the example of communist China during the
Cultural Revolution, so many people were engaging in tremendous acts of
selfless work while also actively fighting against reactionary culture.
We don’t have to look that far for examples of humyn selflessness. Even
under capitalism there are jobs that require greater sacrifice than they
offer reward, jobs that really help other people. Perhaps you could
argue that these are the few oddballs who didn’t get the “greed gene.”
But perhaps instead they represent what we all could be without
indoctrination in greed.
This writer argues that oppression is good for the oppressed because it
is what motivates. While we’d agree that oppression is a motivating
force, it’s still something we strive to eliminate because we believe
humyns can be motivated by striving for improvements for society without
facing constant oppression.
Hemos estado tratando de establecer un programa efectivo de Liberación
En La Vida, aquí en MIM(Prisons) por muchos años. Hemos extendido el
apoyo de pre-liberación que ofrecemos a nuestros camaradas activos que
están detrás de las rejas. Y hemos sentado algunas estructuras para un
mejor contacto y apoyo en las calles. Pero, lo que podemos ofrecer es
todavía muy poco frente a la realidad muy dura de una vida en las calles
después de una estadía en prisión. Estamos trabajando en extender lo que
podemos ofrecer. Eso se implica dinero. Pero eso también requiere de
ideas y gente en las calles que trabajen en esto. Nosotros sabemos que
lo que estamos haciendo ahora es inadecuado. Pero, estamos tratando de
construir.
Por varios años publicamos el boletín, “Liberación en la Vida” (Release
on Life newsletter (ROL)), el cuál fue enviado a nuestros camaradas en
las calles y aquellos con una fecha de libertad en su futuro cercano.
Pero no hubo mucho interés alrededor de este boletín. Nosotros sabemos
que Bajo Candado y Llave (ULK) inspira a las personas por que recibimos
muchas cartas sobre eso y envían artículos para el mismo. Liberación en
la Vida (ROL) no inspiró muchas respuestas o artículos. Así que, vamos a
descontinuar ese esfuerzo. En su lugar, nos enfocaremos en apoyo
practico y logístico para nuestros liberados. Y seguiremos imprimiendo
artículos sobre la liberación en Bajo Candado y Llave (ULK).
Pónganse en contacto con nosotros si tiene una fecha o espera ser puesto
en libertad en los siguientes años. Empiece a trabajar con nosotros
ahora para poder ayudarlo a que tenga éxito cuando salga a las calles.
A continuación hay una entrevista con uno de nuestros camaradas, quien
recientemente fue puesto en libertad, subrayando los desafíos con la
vida en las calles y la importancia de prepararse y educarse mientras
todavía se está preso.
Saludos Revolucionarios!!! Yo fui puesto en libertad de la Penitenciaria
el 9 de Julio del 2018. He estado fuera poco más de un mes. El Gobierno
Estatal y Federal no nos están ayudando ni mierda. Esta en nosotros el
trabajar duro para proveernos a nosotros mismos. Aprende todo lo que
puedas mientras que estas en prisión, porque al salir a estas calles es
pura acción sin parar. Para ustedes sin fecha de salida, mucho amor y
respeto. Cada uno enseña a uno.
Pregunta: Has encontrado algún apoyo para encontrar vivienda? Y si
no, que has hecho y que recomiendas a otros que hagan sino no tienen
todavía arreglado el ir a vivir con otras personas?
No, no he recibido vivienda. Yo no he recibido ni mierda del gobierno
Estatal o Federal. Si tu no tienes amigos o familiares que te den un
techo sobre tu cabeza, entonces sí vas a lucharla de verdad aquí fuera.
Yo tengo familia y amigos que me han bendecido con apoyo.
Pregunta: Has podido inscribirte para cualquier programa de apoyo del
gobierno (Estampillas para comida; Seguro Social; Asistencia Pública,
etc)?
Sí, me inscribí para beneficios y mierdas de ese tipo, pero, tanto el
gobierno Estatal como el Federal me negaron.
Pregunta: Que hiciste para encontrar trabajo después de haber sido
puesto en libertad?
Yo aplique en agencias de empleo, mierdas como esa, pero cuando
investigaban mi nombre, nunca me llamaban. Todavía no tengo trabajo. He
estado afuera ya dos meses. Se puede decir que trabajo por mi propia
cuenta.
Pregunta: Tú dices que las personas deberían aprender todo lo que
puedan mientras que están presos. En qué tipo de programas y estudios
les recomiendas a los presos que se enfoquen en prisión, para prepararse
para cuando salgan a las calles?
Yo digo, que las personas deberían aprender todo lo que puedan en
prisión, como leer libros. Yo cumplí mi sentencia en encierro solitario
(Ad-Seg) porque soy un miembro activo de STG. Yo mismo me eduqué. Usa tu
tiempo sabiamente porque una vez que salgas a calles, es todo otro
mundo.
In an effort to make work reports more useful within the Council, the
below was passed unanimously, with the majority voting to keep the old
method of reporting work hours in addition to the below. We are printing
this in ULK to solicit work reports from USW leaders who are not
yet Council members. By submitting short monthly reports to the Council,
we will better be able to sum up the efforts of USW as a whole, while
vetting emerging cells for Council membership.
All USW cells with an active Council representative must submit monthly
work reports to remain in the Council. All USW cells are encouraged
to submit monthly work reports to the Council. Work reports should be
one to two paragraphs. They should address the following points as
needed to update the Council on your work in the last month:
What types of activities did your cell participate in that contributed
to USWs mission?
What campaigns did your cell participate in or promote in the last
month?
What Serve the People programs did your cell operate?
What were the responses from the masses and USW recruits to this work?
What questions came up? How did you answer them? Or do you need help
answering them?
What lessons did you learn in the last month?
What are the most pressing issues that are of concern to the masses in
your location? Are there any new or developing issues of concern to the
masses there?
What organizations/services have you recently found useful in your work
(include contact info)?
What successes have you achieved in the last month?
MIM(Prisons) will not share revealing information with the Council.
Please keep in mind that your outgoing mail is being read and report on
your work accordingly.
Everything is political. While originally developed around a subculture
with ideas of “free speech”, reddit.com is an Amerikkkan corporation
controlling major segments of online traffic and information. It’s
policy of public anonymity made it a platform that MIM(Prisons) had
actively participated on for the last 5 years. We say public anonymity,
as over time the site has done more and more to track the identities and
patterns of its users privately. But it is unlike Facebook where you
must publicly identify yourself in order to participate.
MIM(Prisons) official Reddit account, /u/mimprisons, has been
suspended by Reddit for “suspicious activity” and is seemingly
unrecoverable. [UPDATE: After some more work on this
issue Reddit has since recovered the /u/mimprisons account. We still
don’t know what the cause was of this temporary suspension. But it has
been resolved.] This came one month after the account began actively
promoting tactics for secure online organizing in the
/r/mao_internationalist subreddit. This comrade will now be posting as
/u/mimonline. We will see how long that is allowed.
When we originally set up our official Reddit account it was partially
an insurance policy in case we became inaccessible via email, as
happened when the FBI shut down our
email
provider, lavabit.com. While Reddit and Facebook are centralized
communication platforms controlled by one entity, email is a federated
system with many central email servers inter-operating with each other.
However, setting up and maintaining an email server is not easy, so the
options are still limited and anonymous email has been challenging at
times.
Decentralized systems of communication are the only model that is truly
censorship resistant. This is why tools like Tox are important and
something our movement is beginning to use and promote more. Tox
provides censorship resistance, encryption and verifiable identities. It
is also available for all major platforms.
Totalitarianism in the United $tates masquerades as freedom by allowing
you to pick your toys in the color of your choice, or even by making
statements that are nominally outside the mainstream as long as they
reinforce systems of oppression (i.e. pornographic denigration of
wimmin). Meanwhile it successfully paints the image of socialist
countries as grey, drab and unsexy in contrast. The internet embodies
this contradiction, by offering an endless stream of content, with
almost all of it controlled by the corporate gatekeepers of Google,
Facebook,
Reddit,
Cloudflare
and others.
MIM has always promoted a free internet, whether under the dictatorship
of the bourgeoisie or the proletariat. This can only be ensured with the
proper technological infrastructure, which is currently being built by
volunteers and fringe organizations. Under socialism these technologies
will receive state sponsorship to ensure the integrity of mass
communication in the digital age. Currently, the vast majority of the
Third World are stuck in closed corporate ecosystems like Facebook and
QZone. We have strategic confidence that the vast majority of the world
has an interest in building communism, and unfettering their
communications will contribute to that project.
All my life I felt nothing but pain I see no blood, and I see
no stains I lost all that I gained Where do I go Where do I
run Running in circles Til my feet are numb
All my life I cry, I lie. I became ashamed, so I denied
What I seen, and where I been I promise you won’t understand a
thing See it’s a lie When they say all champions Wear a
ring
All my life It’s been a struggle Some people only understand
the trouble Doesn’t know how it feel to be poor And has to
hustle
It doesn’t matter how you read it, or how it look Never judge a
cover without reading the book Struggle comes with mistakes We
all understand positive But live our life with hate
With struggles, life isn’t fair Even with struggles, someone
cares With all the hurt and pain We learn to move on When
struggles tear us apart We now pick up the pieces To try and
understand We leave the past behind Because with all the
errors And still facing errors We can’t turn back the
time
Life is a struggle For some to comprehend Life is a struggle
To make us become better men With tears that fall down our eyes
That actually means We now realize
We are caught in a system of competitiveness, manipulation, one against
the other, brother against brother, family against family, people
against people, gangs against gangs, ethnic groups against ethnic
groups, color against color, class against class, instead of minority or
lower class against the ruling class.
We focus too much on meaningless self-imposed politics that were
manipulated into our minds growing up. Like ditch school, destroy your
own neighborhoods, sell drugs to your own people, we gang bang, we fight
our own over colors and sides only. The only way you can make it is by
rapping about killing your own people or selling drugs to your own. As a
Chicano I grew up not only hearing this from my peers but that’s also
what the music I was told to like and listen to said. The television
also told me my people are only on TV as gang bangers, drug dealers,
etc.
As I grew older I started to realize something is wrong here, where did
I go wrong? What have I done for myself? For my family? For my people?
Nothing but self-imposed distraction. I am soaking in my own blood and
that of my people. I got a hunger for knowledge. Why is it things are
the way they are?
The more I studied, the more I realized this is not new but a very old
cycle set up by a system to manipulate my mind. A system that went after
Martin L. King, a peaceful man, a pastor on his quest for civil rights.
The government unlawfully wired his phones, tried to break up his
family, tried to unlawfully disrupt his movement by all means to an end.
We’ve learned how the CIA was helping Pablo Escobar flood our streets
with drugs. How they dismantled and unlawfully disrupted the Brown
Berets and Black Panthers because they were trying to teach and uplift
the people; telling them there is a system in place to oppress you, know
and understand your rights, bear arms to protect your neighborhoods from
pig brutality. After both Brown Berets and Panthers fell our children
were open to assault by this system, poor schools, no jobs, drugs. Then
record labels signed groups who furthered the system’s wishes singing
and rapping, “kill your own,” “sell drugs,” “it’s cool to go to prison.”
Regardless of tribe, set, race, if you are classified as Security Threat
Group (STG) you are on the same boat as me. STG is a Homeland Security
term for a domestic terrorist. First rule in war, identify your enemy.
We have been identified and classified as enemies of the state. What
else is there to be said? Are we to continue letting our self-imposed
politics disrupt reality? Such insignificant things and views like
colors and sides or race hinder our lives? They can stop one arrow not a
hundred. There’s nothing wrong with being part of groups, families, etc.
But it is wrong when those groups lose focus of the message and cause.
It is not okay to soak in the blood of your own people, period.
Learn from our oppressor, they are some cold operators, they understand
the power of knowledge and education. The ruling class in the United
States is composed of men and their families who use ivy league
universities and elite law schools as private schools for their
offspring and as training grounds for their corporate livelihoods. They
rule us with iron precision through the military, the CIA, the FBI,
private foundations and financial institutions. Their control of all the
media of education and communication comprises an extremely effective
system of thought control.
We must learn from someone who defeated this system. Ho Chi Minh
understood the power of education. His mandated policy for his warriors
and cadres was spot on. Fighting and violence is easy. You must have
balance. You must be able to read and write, be able to teach others and
most importantly fully understand and be educated in your political
paradigm and why you are fighting.
Chicanos in Colorado are currently in a struggle for our true history.
We hunger for knowledge because that knowledge has ended all violence
between tribes, shown us our common interests, not the blind mentality
of colors and sides. We are currently under assault by Colorado
Department of Corrections, not allowing us to receive our real
education, stopping all education or history on the concept of Aztlán,
Chicano unity, Mexica movement, claiming it’s STG. Since when is history
and education a crime? Well for us, always.
If there is to be a movement, then there must be leaders. Those leaders
must be judged by their ability to give not take. Leadership must convey
confidence, not egotism, one who sacrifices, not one who is an
opportunist. Leadership is the act of using power to free people, not to
control them. It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor
the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
MIM(Prisons) responds: The destruction of the Black Panther
Party, the flooding of cities with drugs, and the rejection of
literature on Chican@ history in prison are all manifestations of the
same system. This system seeks to peacefully control oppressed nations
by keeping them from learning about the history of this oppression and
the many examples of resistance. And when that fails it locks up the
oppressed, or even targets activists for death.
What can we do about this system with so much more power and resources
than we have as activists and anti-imperialists? The truth is our side
has more power; we have 80% of the world’s population, which is
exploited and oppressed by imperialism, on our side. The imperialists
are paper tigers, that appear fearsome, but in reality are propped up on
a fairly fragile structure of power.
That said, dismantling that structure will take a lot of organization,
trial and error. As this comrade points out, we need to focus on
education and fight to get true history into the hands of the oppressed.
And then we need leaders to step up and organize and educate others.
There is no special qualification for this leadership. Anyone who sees
the problems in the world around them can take up organizing others to
fight back. United Struggle from Within is an organization for these
leaders, and MIM(Prisons) supports USW organizers with literature and
resources. Get in touch today to get started with a local study group or
campaign against repression in your prison or elsewhere in the world.
Ministerio Internacionalista Maoísta de Prisiones (MIM(Prisiones)) ha
establecido la ambiciosa meta de hacer de Bajo Llave y Candado (Under
Lock & Key - ULK) una publicación mensual para el 2022.
ULK satisface una necesidad en la prisión, dando un reporte
revolucionario anti-imperialista acerca el subproletariado tras las
rejas. Este es un proyecto revolucionario relativamente pequeño centrado
en el sistema de injusticia criminal. Pero las prisiones son sólo una
parte de la gran maquina imperialista y tomará un movimiento
revolucionario mucho más amplio que sólo en las prisiones el derribar el
capitalismo. Somos una parte de este movimiento y es nuestro trabajo
hacer lo que podamos para empujar hacia adelante este desarrollo.
En esta etapa de la lucha, hay celdas revolucionarias organizadas en
varios segmentos dentro del vientre de la bestia. Estamos construyendo
un Frente Unido por la Paz en las prisiones para reunir al movimiento
detrás de las barras. Y además de eso, queremos un frente unido en
contra del imperialismo que incluya tanto a organizaciones
penitenciarias como no penitenciarias. Este extenso movimiento necesita
una publicación unificada, un periódico que pueda ser usado tanto para
difundir información y organizar a las personas.
Lenin escribió: ¿Qué hay que hacer? Acerca de la importancia de una
publicación regular de un periódico que organice la revolución en Rusia.
Y en las primeras etapas de la organización, antes de que el movimiento
gane popularidad y mayores miembros, el líder Bolchevique argumentó la
necesidad de los revolucionarios de soñar con una extensa distribución
de una publicación regular. El escribió que, con suficientes grupos
locales y con un circulo de estudio trabajando activamente:
“Podríamos, en un futuro no tan distante, establecer un periódico
semanal para su distribución regular en decenas de miles de copias a lo
largo de Rusia. Este periódico se podría convertir en parte de un par
enorme del fuelle de Smith que avivarían la chispa de la lucha de clases
y la indignación popular dentro del conflicto general. Alrededor de lo
que, en sí mismo todavía permanece como un esfuerzo muy inofensivo y muy
pequeño, pero regular y común, en el total sentido de la palabra, se
reuniría y entrenaría sistemáticamente a un ejército regular de
luchadores experimentados. Las escaleras y el andamio de esta estructura
organizacional general […] [los revolucionarios] despertarían a todo el
pueblo para saldar cuentas con la pena y la maldición de Rusia. ¡Esto es
lo que deberíamos soñar!”
¿Por qué imprimir un periódico cuando tenemos internet?
Lenin estaba escribiendo en un tiempo donde no había otra forma de
comunicarse entre localidades. Ahora tenemos internet, y algunos
debatirán que la agitación en línea es todo lo que necesitamos. Nos
podemos comunicar con otras personas alrededor del mundo en pocos
segundos por medio de internet. Y esto es, en efecto, una herramienta
poderosa de organización. Entonces ¿Por qué publicar un periódico más
allá de las prisiones, uno de los pocos lugares en los países de primer
mundo sin acceso al internet? La respuesta a esta pregunta es acceso y
organización.
La mayoría de las personas no llegan accidentalmente al sitio web de
Maoísta mientras navegan en línea, y con el inminente fin de la
neutralidad de la red esto tendría a ser cada vez más cierto. No vamos a
obtener publicidad en medios de comunicación de tendencia y no queremos
alentar la mala seguridad invitando a las personas a publicar en
Facebook o Twitter y exponerlos a la policía. Les podemos dar salida a
los periódicos en las cafeterías, librerías, tiendas de libros, refugios
para personas de la calle, centros comunitarios, lavanderías y otros
lugares donde las personas puedan cruzarse con una perspectiva que no se
ve en otra parte. Esto expande el acceso a noticias revolucionarias y la
educación.
Podemos usar el internet para compartir rápidamente información sobre
las campañas, y reunir personas de muchos lugares para acciones rápidas.
Y podemos publicar el contenido en un periódico en línea, expandiendo
ampliamente su alcance más allá de los medios impresos. Pero si bien el
internet es una herramienta poderosa, no lo podemos usar afuera en las
calles organizando personas, hablando con ellos, y construyendo grupos
de estudio y organizando comités.
Con una publicación impresa, los organizadores pueden acercarse e
involucrar a las personas en una forma que no podemos hacer online. Los
periódicos dan a los organizadores herramientas para usar en la
organización cara a cara. Hablar con las personas acerca de sus
condiciones, y haciendo las conexiones al sistema imperialista. Pedir a
alguien leer un artículo y hablar con ellos al respecto. Responder a un
discurso en una movilización con un artículo periodístico sobre este
tema como un punto de inicio para conversaciones con la gente que ya
simpatice con la causa.
Metas políticas en la expansión del periódico.
Recibe actualizaciones de la organización de camaradas en prisión con
mayor frecuencia, construyendo la unidad entre el movimiento Maoísta
dentro de la frontera de los Estados Unidos.
Distribución más amplia de la información anti-imperialista.
Coordinación más estrecha del trabajo entre varias organizaciones dentro
el frente unido en contra del imperialismo. Herramientas de organización
para la gente en la calle y detrás de las rejas.
Se necesita expandir ULK
Distribuidores: Sólo podremos lograr nuestro objetivo si podemos
expandir rápidamente nuestra red de distribuidores. Aquí es donde tú,
nuestros lectores y seguidores intervienen. Queremos enviarles un
pequeño paquete de ULK a $50 por un año. Para nuestros compañeros
del programa lanzamiento de vida queremos enviarles gratis hasta que
puedan pagar. Enviarlos por $1 la pieza es una manera de obtener los
fondos para su suscripción. O si tienes el dinero puedes tomar la ruta
fácil de entregar unas pocas copias en tiendas locales y espacios
públicos que tengan espacio para que las personas recojan publicaciones
gratis. Para nuestros lectores en prisión, comuníquense con cualquier
individuo o institución del exterior que creas podrían ser capaces de
tomar un envió regular de ULK.
Dinero: Costará más dinero imprimir más periódicos y también más
gastos de envío a nuestros distribuidores. Estamos pidiendo a nuestros
distribuidores cubrir el costo de envío de lo que enviaremos. También
necesitamos personas que intensifiquen y ayuden a financiar la impresión
y los costos de envió a los presos.
Contenido: Nuestra meta inmediata es incrementar la frecuencia de
ULK, para que nuestros compañeros dentro reciban más
actualizaciones regulares de la organización. Puesto que esto también
expandirá el contenido, esperamos incrementar el alcance de los temas
que ULK aborda actualmente, exponiendo diferentes sectores del
movimiento al trabajo de cada uno. Estamos trabajando en conjunto con
organizaciones fraternales para ayudar a crear contenido para este
periódico. También llamamos a individuos a incrementar sus esfuerzos
para producir contenido de calidad y discutir las necesidades de los
oprimidos desde una perspectiva del proletariado. ¿Quién debería ser
parte de esta expansión?
Organizaciones revolucionarias anti-imperialistas que vean el Maoísmo
como la visión a futuro del comunismo hasta la fecha. Este es
explícitamente un proyecto revolucionario y no estamos atenuando el
Maoísmo como nuestro eje político guía, pero seguiremos publicando
artículos de individuos que compartan nuestra agenda anti-imperialista,
aunque quizás no sean Maoístas.
Necesitamos expandir nuestra distribución al exterior más allá de los
antiguos prisioneros. Expandiendo el contenido en nuestro periódico
ayudaremos a atraer más simpatizantes. Pero también necesitamos más
partidarios para expandirnos. Así que nuestro reto principal para
nuestros compañeros en la calle justo ahora, es el dar un paso adelante
y convertirse en un distribuidor regular de ULK. Sin una red de
distribución más amplia, no alcanzaremos nuestra meta de duplicar la
frecuencia.
Lista de tareas a elaborar para enero de 2022
Comience por distribuir localmente ULK. Regístrate con nosotros
enviando $50 a nuestro apartado postal con una dirección para enviar
publicaciones de ULK para empezar a explorar formas de distribuir
la publicación regularmente. (No cheques a Ministerio Internacionalista
Maoísta de Prisiones, haznos saber si quieres enviarnos un cheque).
Comprometerse con una contribución financiera para esta expansión.
Idealmente, un monto mensual con el que podamos contar. Puede empezar
donando ahora para ayudarnos a construir el fondo necesario para este
proyecto.
Ofrécete como voluntario para escribir artículos, pide una copia de
nuestra guía para escribir actualizada.
Las organizaciones revolucionarias interesadas en involucrarse en este
proyecto, pueden contactarnos para comenzar a ver cómo podemos trabajar
juntos.
Within the Bureau of Propaganda here in New York State (NYS) Department
of Corruptions I am reaching out to all political prisoners and true
difference makers who are deeply rooted in solidarity, liberation, and
unity. Reach for your victory.
My goal and aim is to unify NYS prisoners and prisoners nationally while
building upon the vehicles necessary to combat the many forms of
injustice that each of us are subjected to per a truly controlled
environment. The time is now!
On 6 January 2018, Voice of the People Daily News, circulated an article
titled “Gov’s gotta correct corrections.” In this article many valid
points were brought to light as to officers stealing from packages,
prisoners being afraid to grieve for fear of retaliation, and no respect
for our visitors who are our families and loved ones, and the list goes
on! This is our reality!
It is my belief that as men and women of a corrupted system built and
established for the purpose of breaking the oppressed, we the people of
the Incarcerated Nation should be reaching out and communicating to
those who stand in solidarity with our struggle. Do not let them win!
In this news article it was stated: “The outside world has no idea about
the horrible mind games and abuse that some prisoners are forced to
endure.” These corruptional officers are very methodical and meticulous
when it comes to seeing a male or female disciplined and/or labeled as a
security threat.
I have been reaching out for quite some time to bring light to what has
been hidden and enraptured in darkness for so long. I have no doubt that
many other comrades are reaching out and doing the same as is necessary
to defeat the many forms of injustice enacted upon us.
To look into the eyes of a brainwashed pig and see how deeply ensnared
in corruption he or she is, is to see the real and actual truth of the
war that has silently been waged against our people. We the people must
release our voices. The first step is to open your mouth as to the
injustices you have been through while animalized and dehumanized within
a cage built to break you. Free your mind.
I am also in request of each comrade who lives in, builds up, and opens
the doors to solidarity to reach out to MIM(Prisons) and provide a 5
stamp donation so that we can further our national systems of support
and releasing knowledge. There are many doors available, you are the key
to these doors being opened. To give is to receive!
If you see a weak link in our chain, reach out and truly set your pride
and ego aside to strengthen this weak link. This will in time strengthen
your support if you only knew.
For United Separation Ministry, know that a comrade is setting aside his
pride and ego to reach out to you.