From Prison Books
Hello Friends and Comrades,
1) Here is the political prisoner birthday poster for June. As always, please post this poster publicly and/or use it to start a card writing night of your own.
2) Seven prisoners at Polk CI in Butner, NC have started a hunger strike to protest their conditions. According to prisoners in the facility, additional men have been joining the strike since that first day. The strike was initiated in part by prisoners who were transferred out of Central Prison, following a class action lawsuit against the facility for abuse by guards in various “blind spots” around Unit One. That lawsuit has already forced the administration’s hand in videotaping any cell extractions by guards. You can read their demands here.
Please support these men by sending mail and making phone calls to:
Frank Perry, Secretary of the Division of Prisons4201 Mail Service CenterRaleigh, NC 27699or Call at(919) 838-40003) June 11th is the international day of solidarity with Eric McDavid, Marie Mason, and all long-term anarchist prisoners. There’s still time to organize something in your town. You can find more info on organizing an event and what has happened in previous years here.
4) You’ve undoubtedly heard about West Virginia’s water spill back in January but there’s probably some stories you haven’t heard. Inmates at the South Central Regional Jail were forced to drink contaminated water, given only between 1-3 8oz bottles of clean water per day, served food cooked in contaminated water, threatened with medical isolation if they went to the infirmary and punished with isolation when they demanded clean water by doing a sit in.
At Stories From South Central West Virginia you can read the stories of how the south central regional jail poisoned their inmates, dehydrated them, threw them in solitary, punished them for seeking medical help, denied their medical needs and have continued their oppression of these inmates since the water spill in January in a multitude of ways. The inmates are seeking long-term medical help and legal representation but most imminently they want their stories heard. Please read the stories of these inmates, friends and family members. Please spread this website and get their stories out.
5) Sekou Kambui’s’s long-delayed parole hearing has finally been scheduled for the 18th of June! We are making one last push for letters of support, petition signatures, and funds to get supporters down to Alabama for the hearing. In the state of Alabama, parole hearings are held outside of the prison, and prisoners cannot attend. Supporters, however, can pack these hearings, and it would be of great help to Sekou to have vocal support there.
Here is the link to an EverRibbon page set up by a fellow Sekou supporter in Colorado.
And again, please continue to send in letters of support for Sekou’s release, addressed to:Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles301 South Ripley Street
PO Box 302405
Montgomery, Al 36130-2405
Chairman Clifford Walker
Associate Members Robert P. Longshore and William W. Wynne Jr.Please send copies (and/or originals) of all letters to:Aaron Schaefer
C/O DABCP.O. Box 11236
Denver, CO 80211There is also an online petition for Sekou’s release, found here.More info and a letter template can be found here.
6) We want to call your attention to an exciting new project that is in the works by Political Prisoner Tom Manning. Tom, with the help of outside supporters, is creating a book of his paintings. If you have not seen his art, we highly recommend you check it out and show solidarity by helping Tom finish and publish this work. The years of work to produce this beautiful book and important document are nearing their end and your help is needed to fund the last phase of production!
All proceeds, after production costs, will be donated to the Rosenberg Fund for Children. More info on the project and how to donate here.
7) New “Prisons Are For Burning” T shirts are still Available. The shirts come in red with black writing. They’re printed on Tultex brand shirts that are 100% sweatshop free. They are $20 , but sign up to become a Prison Books Sustainer and get one for free. To order the shirts donate twenty dollars or more OR sign up to be a sustainer, then email us at prisonbooks (at) gmail dot com with your size and the address where you would like the shirt sent to.
Every single dollar received goes to mailing packages of books to prisoners. We rely solely on donations for our operating expenses, which primarily include the cost of postage for mailing packages. We are currently spending over $200 a week on postage alone, and are in desperate need of support.
8) Be sure to check out the latest Political Prisoner/Prisoner Of War every-other week update by the NYC-Anarchist Black Cross. There are lots of important updates on many political prisoners.
Until Every Cage Is Empty,
