THE DEFIANT PRISONERS IN THE GLOBAL RESISTANCE Edited by Rob los Ricos and the Anarchist Prisoners’ Legal Aid Network THE DEFIANT Prisoners in the Global Resistance Edited by Rob los Ricos and the Anarchist Prisoners’ Legal Aid Network March 2001 Cover printed by Blackberry Press Portland, OR Introduction The Anarchist Prisoners’ Legal Aid Network ‘The Anarchist Prisoners’ Legal Aid Network (APLAN) is a prisoner- guided initiative, formed to provide legal aid and outside support for impris- oned anarchists. We believe that anarchists need to support those who are ar- rested and already in jail. This isn’t always easy, yet is a challenge our move- ment needs to take on. “There are dozens of anarchists in prison, many of whom face abuses by the prison authorities. Some are even held in segregation units with violent ‘white racists. We can fight epressive action taken against anarchist prisoners, but it willtake effort from inside and outside the prisons o do thi. ‘Anarchist prisoners can contribute to struggles on the outside, but need outside contact to do this. APLAN aims to facilitate these efforts and thus strengthen anarchist practice as a whole. ‘We hope to provide sound legal advice and aid for anarchist prisoners. “This suppor for imprisoned comrades is not based upon respect for the judicial apparatus, bu is provided in the spirit of mutual aid and solidarity in struggle. The sharing of research material and resources will be an immediate goal. We welcome contact with those who have specific knowledge of legal maters. ‘We hope for broad involvement, in multiform ways, from throughout the anarchist movement. Write for information about current actvities and how 0 get involved. ONERS. QRS RS, Anarchist Prisoners’ Legal Aid Network 818 SW 3rd Ave. PMB 354/ Portland, OR 97204 / USA aplan@tao.ca Anarchists and the Prison Issue by Ali Khalid Abdullah Many, many people are incarcerated, especially here in Amerikkka. There are clos to or over two million people in prison,jails or juvenile facili- ties. Disproportionately, the vast majority of these people are people of color, ‘mainly Black and Latino. There are many professed Anarchist/ anti- authoritarians who aren't reaching inside these prisons to cither work with us Known anarchists o to establish ties with politically active/conscious prisoners 50 they can be utilized in the struggle. This is sad. A sad statement, yet one ‘which is rue and must be discussed openly if we aro to change our present day . thinking. There are Anarchistprisoners scattered all over the world who aren't geting the eal supportthey need. This says much about where we are headed | as Anarchist anti-authoritarians. \ In Spain, there are many Anarchists languishing in prisons under to- . tally inhumane conditions. These brave and dedicated prisoners are staging hunger strikes and open rebellious protests hoping to draw the attention of An- archists globally. Are you listening? In Germany, we have an anarchist comrade, Thomas Meyer Falk, who is in total isolation. Living in a éold, damp prison cell. He needs help. s the Global Anarchist Community listening? ‘ In taly, Anarchists are repressed and arrested for all manner of | trumped up charge... I the Global Anarchist Commnty listening? In Mexico, Anarchist students ar protesting the government's attempt o privatize education - arc you listening? In Poland, the Czech Republic, Aus- tria, and, and, and - Anarchists are subject to brutality, murder, beatings, incar- cerations... Ate you listening to those of s who languish in prisons and still believing in the spirit of Anarchy yet getting ltle to no support? It s vital that the Anarchist Collective World Wide begins to make the words anarchy and anti-authority mean what they say by action! But again I say, this move- ‘ment cannot and wil not be toally effective until the overall Anarchist Collec- tive includes, endorses and has more people of color deeply involved. Anar- chists must reach out o the people needing the most help and work diligently with them. ————————————— “There are many professed Anarchist/ anti- authoritarians who aren't reaching inside these prisons to either work with us known anarchists or to establish ties with politically acuvelconsclous prisoners so they can Sounds In this steel and concrete tomb, Pondering on things missed. Foremost is a loving touch, the feelings after being kissed. Sounds of night in a woodland, the sun’s warmih on a free day. The cry of a flying bird, Gleeful laughter of children at play. But what is real in these hellish places are the many sounds of anguish, m emotionally drained pain numbed faces. Sounds of the frustrated, Missing those loved. A fact stands out it seems. Freedom is a mysterious lady, We only make love in our dreams. 20 June 96 Harold Thompson THE UNDEFEATED Whitings from Will Never Get Us All! by Harold Thompson They “These two essays are written by Anarchist Prisoner Harold HL. Thomp- son. They are taken from a pamphiet of his writings called *...they il never ‘gt us lll” published by Huddersfield Anarchist Black Cross, Bradford, U.K., 1996 The Importance of Supporting Prisoners First it is important to stress that none of us is immune from arrest and prosecation for any number of alleged crimes. Bspecially once we have placed ourselves into the eye of the storm of struggle against the masters of capital, ‘Who believe their station in lfe gives them the legitimate power to enslave us in whatever form they choose, to use us up, throw us away and profit by the blood and sweat we shed in their wage slave shops, factories and mills of capi- talism. Once we step out in any form of protest then the power of the state may fall upon us with unrclenting force. We are subject o arrest and impris- onment at any time, most of us, simply because we choose to be who wé are, because we want tolive the lives we choose in spite of the plans others make for us, because we dare to be different or because our eyes are open to the re- aities of ou likely future, wearing the yoke of capitalism around our necks {ike beasts of burden, not equal human beings, unless we throw off the weight on our back to stand in the sun in our rightful place. Look at the person beside you, across the way from you and then fully realize thatindividual may one Jny bo arrested and so may you because you dare to be differnt,threatening thase who seek to control us, especially if your lfeis govemed by the princi- ples of anarchism or you believe in / have undertaken dircct action agalnst your Gppressors. Getting arrested i no joke so without geting 0o paranoid, find ot what o do in such situation and also wise up about the police. 1am often blunt o the point of pain 5o 1 do apologize if my words have made anybody uncomfortable but think one sobering thought eally needs to bring a wake-up cal, fecling of discomfort with i That thought i that am hero today stting 2 secl and concrete, tomblike cage writing these words t0 you but sometime i the futare it might sctually be you behind prison walls, writing comparable bothered with of worthy any degree of outside concern or support. It amazes e how many intelligent people, including anarchists, active in political tTus” Sles, have to varying degrees bought into the disinformation put out by the &Y+ e tem. The majority of the residents of the gulags are for the most part just like other working class people on the outside, only through a twist fate they were arrested, stood trial and were imprisoned. The system provides the sensation- alist image of those behind gulag walls being a bad lot, best steered clear of because the system fears association between those inside and outside. Inside is a potential army waiting to happen, which needs education, direction and support. The system desires nothing more than to maintain a wall of ilence around the gulags isolating prisoners to break their minds and spirts. have seen many men reach out to the struggles outside with heartfelt letters, eager for information about the various movements, education about them. Prisoners secking companionship and comradeship. 1 have seen only a few of those who make contact, who are encouraged o learn, to grow, to real- ize who they are, their potential value to themselves and to the communities outside the gulag walls. I have seen far many more give up and somefimes ‘even gravitate towards the hate groups which are now in abundance within the gulags as they are out there. These eventual recruits to the ranks but those who claim to be revolutionaries outside chose to ignore their very existence. T myself have tried in vain for over a decade “inside” to make contact ‘with like-minded people embracing anarchist politics. 1 was determined to reach out and refused to give up, unlike a lot o other prisoners around me. reached out at every opportunity and continued to reach out when there was no. response, though many letters requesting politicallterature and anarchist books but above all, comradeship with other anarchists. My unanswered let- ters began in the late seventies, continued throughout the eighties and into the carly nircies. Finally an anarchist solidarity letter was handed to me by a faceless clone of a guard at a Tennessec gulag in 19921 That letter and letters since have been like a welcome breeze of fresh ai blowing through a place ‘where the air and lie stands dormant. The mere fact a fellow anarchist both- ered to write brought tears to my eyes, eyes [ was long convinced would never feeltearful moisture again. I've worked hard since that first communication o break down the walls between us, you and I, to reach out, to show those who write 'm not differcat except for my circumstances of being within the belly of the beast. .T'am here today sitting in a steel and concrete, tomb- like cage writing these words to you but sometime in the future it might actually be you behind prison walls, writ- ing comparable thoughts to the outside.” -Harold Thompson 1 am not saying the gulags do not hold their fair share of social preda- tors but many prisoners do become politiized within gulag walls often due to their own learning efforts. Through direct experience of the systemtself, ‘which generally treats prisoners with such blatant injustice that many soon feel only resentment, contempt and anger towards it. Repression breeds resistance. Tam merely trying to point out the obvious pitfall of not supporting those scek- ing the tools to become politicized. ‘Sadder stil than these social prisoners ignored by the revolutionary movements are those souls captured during direct or other politcal sctions only to discover once in captivity that they appear to have somehow not been decmed worthy of support and are hence soon forgotien by their so called “comrades”. One conceptual truth screams out in my heart to be voiced so 1 wil sate it now. Any political movement or people’s struggle, which fals to ‘provide support o fallen comrades is doomed to failure as certain as day fol- lows night. Prisoner support should be considered as a top priority within all political movements and with all activists, as we, you or I, never know when gulag gates will slam shut behind us or when those gates to the outside will open again to allow our passage back out once the system has us in it's grasp. “Inside is a potential army waiting to happen, which needs education, direction and support. The system de- sires nothing more than to maintain a wall of silence around the gulags isolating prisoners to break their minds and spirits.” -Harold Thompson Thave endured many hard years, over a decade and a hal, within the gulags of this state. As I've already said I spent the first decade banging thy head and heart against a wall of silence, attempting to reach out to cars that appeared to be deaf and eyes which appeared to be blind to my existence in hell. Tnever gave up and have cared the right o point these issues out now. T have earned the right to speak out with the shedding of my blood, the pain of thi, in past beaten, tred body and my spirit of anarchism has never been bro- ken by my keepers and never will be! It has only been in recent years that I have been acknowledged by my anarchist brothers and sisers out there. From my heart I state to you that I love you all! I will close now with these final words. Take care of each other, keep each other sae in the struggles which ‘you face and never forget those in captivity because tomorrow's captive of the ‘monsters of this carth may well be you. Our common enemies are the same from country to country being only different in name and face. They represeat the same ideology, which sees this planct and it's populace as throwaway com- ‘modities. They threw away their humanity in exchange for power and profits. Stay strong and know in your heart I am with you in revolutionary spiritin every act you undertake against those who oppress us. We only want the carth, they will never get us alll 18 April 95 Where There is a Will, There is a Way Years ago in the now closed Tennessee State Prison, Nashville, an individul, or group assigned to the prison's sheet metal slave labor shop man- aged to get hold of one .38 caliber pistol cartridge and this single shell sparked atleast one creative imagination, Covertly making use of the prison’s machine shop equipment and while under direct observation of cagle cyed shop guards, .38 caliber, single shot pistol with a slencing device was made by one or more prisoners. It was discovered before it could be put o use but s existence did prove one thing, that you are only limited by your imaginations and crea- tivity. Another example, during WW2 the alies produced and dropped from planes what was known as “Woolworth .45 pistols over various portions of Nazi occupied Europe where parisan forces were very short of arms, The ‘Woolworth .45 was ‘a weapon 10 get a weapon" as it was meant for close range use only being single shot, not much more than a barrel, simple firing mecha- nism and three shells within a grip compartment. Ideally, the user had to get close enough to.a Nazi soldier t0 shoot him and steal his weapons. Then they ‘would pass on their Woolworth 45, ‘thir gun to get a gun’ to another partisan. ‘These examples and countless others should serve as sparks of inspiration as they illustrate what can be accomplished with a bit o creativity and resource- fulness when resources are scarce. Red, White and Blue Fascism by Rob los Ricos Rape in U.S. prisons is so much a part of American culture, comedi- ans and TV sitcoms refer to it s a way to score a quick laugh. This is a sad reflection of the state of our sciety. The issue of prison rape points to many related concerns about the civilrights, health and safety of prisoners and the ‘build em and fill em" mania which has the U.S. political system moving in a seriously dangerous direction, ‘The incredible growth of the punishment industry has made it an inte- ‘gral part of the economy, similar to the way the production of war materials is essential for economic growth. This continual expansion requires ever more People 1o be incarcerated, for longer periods of time. It about jobs. My intention in writing this was originally to call attention to the plight of a woman prisoner I know - Barrilee Bannister at the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. Her story is 50 typical of the conditions abused prison- ers face, though, it impossible to separate from the larger social and political issues which created and perpetuate these conditions. Though many states were already headed in the direction of tough-on- crime politics before then, George Bush brought it to the forefront of the pol cal arcna as a central part of his campaign strategy in ‘88. The alternative can- didate retorted, not by challenging Bush's alarmist thetoric, but by showing just how tough on crime he could be. Since then, attacks on women's access fo abortions, anti-flag burning legislation and tough-on-crime posturing have all been essential elements in winning election campaigns for much of the coun- try. This viification of the general public as flag-burning-abortion-having criminals has led to the ascendance of a corporate-run sate in which the masses are horrified at “violence” directed at corporate property, but indis- criminate assaults on anyone and everyone by the police are tolerated as a just aspect of imposing order, as happened during the so-called Batte of Scattie when the World Trade Organization conferred there last year. The overly shrill denunciation of therioters is but one exampl of the attitudes which have, un- surprisingly, created an atmosphere of self-repression in the gencral public. Voters unthinkingly pass new legislation into law in ther cagemess to repress. themselves: three stikes, mandatory sentencing and upward reclassification of lesser crimes are others. This has led to a dramatic increase in the number of people incarcerated in the U.S. Earler his year, the prison population here cx- eeded 2 million men, women and children. Worldwide, there are 8 million people in prison. With five percent of the world's population, the U.S. has 25 percent of it prisoners. Land of the free, my ass - Justas the U.S. holds a disproportionate number of the world's prison- ers, a disproportionate number of those prisoners are Black and Latino. Most of us are poor too - as are most of the white prisoners. With token exceptions, ‘mainstream America s ily white and worships wealth. Anyone outside the ‘mainstream is objectified as "others," as opposed to friends, neighbors, and relatives. This makes their vilification casier to accept. Youth is also a targeted segment of society. Despite the fact that juvenile crime has been in decline since the 1970s, the media and the poliicians are in hysterics about how to bet- ter control youths. Control, o the forces of order and power, means prisons. T ——————— e — “Voters unthinkingly pass new legislation into law in their eagerness to repress themselves: three strikes, man- datory sentencing and upward reclassificatior of lesser crimes are others. “Rob los Ricos D ——— L — So many people are being incarcerated these days that building and running prisons constitute two of the fastest growing industries i the U.S. economy. This awful situation is made even more 50 when one considers that this was done deliberately by the corporations and the governments —city, county, state and federal. Their cooperation has led to the development of a corporate state. Get it? Just o clrify: I am in no way implying the U.S. A. re- sembles a fascist nation/stae; I'm saying that the U.S. is in fact a real, actual fascist country. If you think I'm exaggerating to make a point, consider: 1) Aright-wing, fascist sympathizer (who would display this by honoring his fallen heroes - Hitlers SS, the Nazi-party army - this, a week after addressing a gathering of Spanish fascists, where he told them the U.S. fought on the wrong side during WWIL And he did this while in office!) was elected president, then promptly declared his victory a “revolution”. 2) His first act as president was to fire striking air traffic controllers. He later had the savings and loan industry deregulated 50 that board members could plunder them. He used the General Ac- counting Office to withhold funds for “anti-business” projects — like enforcement of O.HLS.A. and EPA regulations — and rected the money to his friends and allies in the defense industry ‘and to raise private armies to wage “secret” wars. 3) Atthe end of their first puppet regime, the corporate state is 50 entrenched in power that no politicians dare speak or run against it They only slightly disagree on how to manage it. A contro- ersy in legislatures usually involves debate about whether to give corporations all the power they demand or o give them even ‘more. 4) Laws are passed to encourage industries to shut down and relo- cate their operations. This leads to hundreds of thousands of peo- ple losing their jobs. Many of these relocations are done in re- taliation for city and state governments passing regulations favor- ing workers and protecting the eavironment. 5) o prepare for the conditions massive unemployment will cause their communites, many begin to build jils and prisons, both to house the people whose lives were devastated by the loss of the industries and to provide jobs for the select few. 6) International treaties are ratified to force nations to submit to the domination of their economies by the corporate state. Fascismis a socialstic form of rule whereby institutions are every- thing and the people are nothing — except for the rling elite. Though fascist ‘governments function most efficiently under a dictatorship, there have been instances where fascists were voted into power ~ E Salvador and Argentina come to mind. Racism s usually associated with fascists, though it certainly isn'ta definiive characteristic. Two of the most recogaizable traits of fascism are extreme nationalism and intolerance of opposition. Just because American fascists don’t opealy goose-step at mass ral- lies, they aren’t any less recognizable. It will be interesting to see how they react to an unexpected tum of events — the recent emergence of genuine 0ppo- sition to their iron-clad rule, as is being demonstrated by massive street actions in First World countrics. So long as these actions lead t0 1o real changés, they will be tolerated - even welcomed —as & newfound tool to control the masses. ‘Though this oppositional movement shows some promise, the utterly dismal failure of the IMF / World Bank protests shows how casily the opposition can be co-opted and/or silenced. We can look back o the last worldwide period of unrest - 68 72~ 10 see that much of what pacified the militants then is already happening now — the well-trained professional activists call for restraint in exchange for photo ops with and meaningless promises from politicians. ‘Those not satsfied with this amrangement wil face harsh treatment from the police — which makes the leaders of the oppositional- like organizations all the more eager to com- ‘promise with the forces of order and power. For now, however, it scems possible that this could change, should the opposition solidify its position against capitalism and keep pressure on the capitalit politcians. How wil the corporate state respond to real, determined opposition in the First World to it policies and goals? If one listens to the mouthpieces of the ruling class, the prospects are not encouraging. Elected officials have basi- cally exonerated the out-of-control Seattle Police Department fo is savage attack on everyone in the sircets of downtown and the Capitol Hill neighbor- SR S— hood, yethave denounced the people who attacked and damaged corporate ‘property. The loyal opposition has joined them, too, leaving an isolated minor- ity vulnerable to reprisals from th forces of order and power. Notice my deliberate us of the phrase "order and power” rather than the cliché *law and order." Much of the actions by the SPD during their all-out assault on the poople in and out of Seatle were illegal in many respects - viola. tions of the U.S. and Washington constiutions; human rights treaties city, state and federal laws. At issue is notthe respect for law, but who has power - People in the community, or corporations and their hired mercenaries? 1t is the orporations who have the economic power to control the actions of the gov- emment and police, and with the exception of the stret vandals during the Bat. e of Seatte, fow people have yet o challenge that power. I'm going o briefly mention corporate crime. Despite massive and blatant distegard for health, safety and environmental laws and regulations, T see no politicians or government officials calling for long jal sentences for these crimes, nor for the plunderers of the savings and loan indusiry, which has costthe taxpayers over a trilion dollars so far. Under a ascist government, the ruling lit is beyond the reach of the law, Given the current "ant-crime" hysteria in the politcal scene these days, the future for political dissenters Iooks quite grim. One group who has recognized this gocs by the name of Future Political Prisoners of America. ‘When is Rape Legal? My friend Barrilee is involved in a scenario worthy of the most twisted imaginings of Franz Kafka. ‘This young, working class single mother (there's three strikes against her already) lost her temper. In fit o rage, she beat up another woman. She is ‘currently serving a 12-year sentence for her crime, under the supervision of the Oregon Department of Corrections. Unprepared for the drastic increase in prisoners due to mandatory sen- tencing laws, the 0.D.0.C. decided to send a number of prisoners out of state. 78 women ended up at the Corrections Corporations of America's Central 2ona Deteation Center in Florenc. This facility was not set up to accommo- date women prisoners. The all-male staff was quick to take advantage of their position of power over these women to force them into performing erotic acts for them, when they weren't actually raping the prisoners. Women who tried 1o callthis o the attention of the warden were subjected to partcalarly harsh retaliation. This was not a matter of a few bad apples abusing their authority. Somewhere between 27 (according to CCA staff) and 50 (according to the pris- ‘oners) guards joined in. ‘This s not a lone example of sexual abuse of women in prison. ‘Women in Washington D.C.'s Department of Corrections reported they were forced to dance naked for the guards. This after the D.C. D.O.C. had settled a lawsuit for $8 million over scxual harassment of women prisoners. As s typical in such incidents, the women's complaints were not re- ported to law enforcement agencies or to the proper courts. Instcad, the women _ B were identified to the staff s “loud mouths” and subjected to disciplinary ac- ion, like being put into scgregation units — the hole — good time taken away and somefimes the women were fined, in addition t0 a continuation of even an escalation of their abuse. 'How far will governments and prison officials g0 to protect thir rap- st guards? Rather than punishment for their crimes, guards have sometimes been promoted after being accused. The state legislature of Michigan even passed a law to prevent a lawsit from being filed against the Michigan D.0.C. by victims of sexual abuse by M.D.O.C. staff. "All this has not gone unnoticed, even if the American public s, for the most past, unconcerned. Human Rights Watch has begun documenting these ‘abuses and has a report on the M.D.O.C. titled "Nowhere to Hide: Retaliation ‘Against Women in Michigan State Prisons.” ‘When Barrilee and other women finally decided to take drastc action against C.C.A. to put an end to thir torture and humiliation, thir story created ‘ media sensation, first in local Oregon newspapers, then on TV, until it ex- ploded nationally. Eventually, the women were returned to Oregon and the C. C.A. fired or suspended three dozen staff members. If this were a Hollywood story, Barrlee would have been released due sympathetic court system. In the real world, the supervision of people whose jobs and ca- reers she has pu standing up for her rights. She was repeatedly {old to keep quict by the prisoncrats at the Oregon Women's Correctional Cen- e, If there are three words that can describe Barilee, though, they are “fight fight, fight* Uttcly unintimidated, she continues to speak her mind and stand her ground. - This is where I entér the picture. ‘Asa lifelong activist, when mutual friends introduced us through the mail, T became not only outraged over her abuse but also jmpressed by her Srong spirit. Her story became known to me ove several months’ correspon- ence 1 10ld her I would try to get some outside support for her, which I did. ‘A an anarchist organizer, acivist and writer, T have numbe of contacts in the anarchist community. One man in particular stands out n ths part of the Story - Anthony Rayson, one of the strongest supporters of sarchist and oher prisoners n the U.S. He is Midwest Coordinator of the Political Prisoners of Var Coalition and also participates in the Anarchist Black Cross ~ another sup- ‘port group that sends literature to prisoners. “Anthony sent Barriles lettes of solidarity and reading material. Alarmed that she was getting the attention of politica actvists outside, the ad- ‘ministrtion quickly moved against Barrilee. She was assigned to Security Threat Group (anarchist) status - adesignation used to keep gang members - der closer supervision than general population prisoners. Since this was & e o mention fictitious - developmeat, Barrlee was put i the hol. had 12 days of accumulated good ime einstated to her sentence and was ined. Sihe s also fired from her job. When another packet of lierature rom An- \hony arived, the O.W.C.C.rejected it as a security threat. Then they threw : R . Barrilee - who had just been released from the hole - back into disciplinary segregation. She has been warned not to contact Anthony or me. She has also ‘been instructed to stop referring to O.W.C.C. staff as “gestapos” in her leters. Human Rights Watch's report - All too Familiar: Sexual Abuse of ‘Women in the U.S. State Prisons" - along with dozens of individual and class action lawsuits, suggests that sexual abuse of women prisoners is not only evi- dent, but rampant in U.S. prisons. Estimates run as high as 70 to 80 percent of ‘women prisoners experience sexual abuse. The apathy of the general public to this horror has pushed some women prisoners to suicide, particularly in the states of Florida and Connecticut. “If this were a Hollywood story, Barrilee would have been released due to massive public outrage and a sympathetic court system. In the real world, [she] is still in prison, under the supervision of people whose jobs and careers she has put in jeopardy by standing up for her rights” -Rob los Ricos ‘This lack of empathy from the outside is only a single symptom of a greater lack of concern about abuses of power by those supposedly in charge of ‘upholding the law. The public has apparently failed to realize that increased penalties for a greater variety of crimes, along with the constant addition of new lavs o the books, will do nothing to make their society safer and instead turn their “democratic™ corporate state into a totalitarian police state. Since the focus of spending for prisons has shifted to construction, prisons have cut back on programs intended to prepare the incarcerated for their return o society. Thus, the purpose of internment has changed from reha- bilitation to punishment. This partially explains why the public is disinterested inthe abuse - sexual or otherwise - of prisoners. That, plus a willful stupidity. I it hasn't occurred to the voters of Oregon that sexual and physical abuse are learned cycles of behavior, theyll be figuring it out soon enough, a the first wave of Measure 11 offenders - victims of long, mandatory sentences (and abuse) - are released. Since so many (65%) victims of Measure 11 are young, first-time offenders, this portends a social catastrophe. What percentage of these first-time offenders will repeat the behavior they leamed in prison upon theirrelease? And what if efforts to head off this impending social disaster through educational and activist campaigns are successful? If probation is again an option to judges, juries and prosecutors, along with shorter sentences, there will be even less incentive to rehabilitate prisoners. The state will need repeat offenders to keep their prisons full. Before dismissing this notion as cynical paranoa, let me remind the reader that when a small Florida commu- nty learned the local industry would soon close, leaving 1,700 people without work, their solution to this problem was to build a 1,200 bed jal. Crime is a ‘g00d business investment.If the government and politcians want (0 invest in prison and jail construction, you can bet they'llsee t0 it that their money is well spent. According to Texas prisoner I've been corresponding with, "...they're putting people in and they're not letting them out." Several state, including ‘Texas and Oregon, now require prisoners due for release to take a psychologi- cal evaluation. Without explanation, a hearing or a chance to respond to the ‘psychologist face-to-face, the prison officials can extend the prisoner’s "stay” for two years, even if the prisoner has no history of disciplinary infractions or has not been found guilty of new crimes. This isillegal. The courts have in- structed the 0.D.0.C. they have no authority to o this. They continue to do it anyway. o, the prison staff abuses prisoners, rapes women prisones, and the. administration covers it up, condones or in extreme cases rewards the abuse by its staff — then takes disciplinary action against or extnds the seatence of pis- oners in retalation if they take legal action to correct these abuses. A recent federal inquiry into the abuse by police and prison staff (the Clinton Administration’s report to the U.N. Comumitiee Against Torture — 10/15/99) proudly announced that, though there are instances of abuse, they are aberrations and there are no signs of widespread human rights violations by the forces of order and power. Unlike the gullble citizens of the U.S.,the rest of the world is't buying Clinton's story. A Canadian judge recently refused to ting inhumane conditions - the tolerance the U.S. prisons as his reason. My courageous friend Barrilee's situation is a microcosm of every- thing wrong with this society. Sentenced for an incredibly hafsh prison term for a relatively minor offease, she was shipped to a distant sate where shé was sexually abused, ignored by the administration of the for-profit institution ‘when she reported the abuse, and then shipped back to Oregon where she was threatened with retaliation and finally dumped into the hole for continuing to speak up for herself. And so far, the administration and bureaucrats re able to get away with this because the citizens of Oregon don't care; many of them actually approve of the huiliation, beating and rape of prisoners. —_—m “So, the prison staff abuses prisoners, rapes women pris- oners, and the administration covers it up, condones or in extreme cases rewards the abuse by its staff — then takes disciplinary action against or extends the sentence of prisoners in retaliation if they take legal action to correct these abuses.” -Rob los Ricos ‘Under red, white and blue fascism, the American people have been conditioned to love the powerful and hate themselves - objectified as "others." If the corporate state closes the local factories, and moves them to abroad, the media plays “America the Beautful",the corporate leaders wave the flag and the poliiians build prisons for the newly created underclass. - Much of the information for ths article was obtained from: Prison Legal News Stop Prison Rape 2400 NW 80° st. #148 6632 Lexington Ave Stite 48 Seattle, WA 98117 Los Angeles, CA 90038 ‘Human Rights Watch Barrilee Bannister #11309597 350 Fifth Ave. 34th floor Eastem Oregon Corr.Inst. New York, NY 10118 2500 W (212) 2909700 Pendieton, OR 97801 Fax: 736-1300 Email: hrwayc @hrw.org hutpi/www.hrw.org “Nowhere to Hide...” htp:/www.hrw.org/reports98/women Warning to potential correspondents of Barrilee: any use of the word anarchy or anarchist, or the circle A symbol, could cause further problems for Barrilee, ‘who s not an anarchist - so be cooll — e Writings from The Anarchist Rain By Shaka N'Zinga (...) PART II: relief found through nature's rain drops It has been raining all day today. All have been hearing this day is how nasty and bad the rainy weather i - 1am, of course,in disagreement with such shallow views of nature's beauty. An untamed beauty that can be found in a carefree and soft drizzle or a savage and heavy down pout - this natural and necessary process i loved, enjoyed and cherished by me. ‘Considerately, today, to show my marrow deep reverence for nature - i spite of being in an unnatural and dehumanizing situation such as prison - in practice, I went out to have a walk i the rain during the yard period. The rain was coming down ever so tenderly, with droplets which felt very much like a sensuous and warm kiss of the long desired Sugar of a lover' sweet and soft lips, with their life giving and reinvigorating powers of transformation, which are just like spring showers. ‘The state hired guns don't like seeing we captives, the slaves, having any sortof self-determination or self-management - njoying a thing which is determined by my will and not dependent on theirs. So, they, the pigs (correctional officers), of course, paid me a little more attention than custom- ary. For them, much to their disgruntlement, [ looked as if I was cajoying an entity thatthey had been conditioned to view as bad, an enity which they had 10 control over - tha entity coming from nature 50 beautifully named rain. ‘Those of us captives in chains aren't supposed to be able t0 have any sort of enjoyment outside of the control of our overseers. ‘This consideration brought a smile to my rain soothed face; just the thought of finding in such a simple human practice a way to rebel against their sadism, made my walk in that gentle rain that much more pleasant... During this walk, I drifted of into some sort of revolutionary daydream of how things should be. I wasn't completely conscious of this shift in my psychological state. The thoughts that I, the so-called slave whose not capable of such achievements, was formulating in my mind moved along these lnes of reflec- e deliberation - I was talking to myself in a tone just sbove a whisper: ‘The revolution, the rebellion against all that harms societies humanity, ‘must be fought daily through our interactions and interrlationships with our own fist and foremost. T cannot sce us being any sort of example of what ought to be if we havent, through action and reflection, developed those revo- lutionary and liberated relations amongst ourselves that reflects the alternative of our Anarchist Ideals." Atthis point of my internal discourse, I almost ran head long into a pig, whose look of hatred only added strength to my courage and resalve..plus my internal smile and glow grew that much wider. 1apologized, excused my- self and proceeded 10 walk and 0 conine my Anarchet dsconre o o i with myself and Alexander Berkman, who from ou of thin air appears to e mmmfl‘w‘b‘lmmlflcmmwfl: ive character and function of all governmental authority and law - in these words: “What is the thing we call government? Is it anything but organized violence? The law orders you to obey, it will compel by force - all govenment, alllaw and authority finally rest on force and violence, on punishment or foar ofpunishment..+ When he completd sharinghi thoughts with me, h sid so0d day ‘however, before he turned to leave, 1 quickly asked him to tell Emma that I love her and that she is and will always be alive, wild and free in the iberated 20meof my heart, i and sou, Wit that comeade Alexandt o, ek s1ep or two, and was gono a uickly ashe hd appeseed,back to i (i aonomous, communa, and dirctly democraic anaehist sociry by thecey.. And with sl Tcontinued where T et of s, daloguing with geclt - o templating th beauty ofanrchism and the courage nd wonder oy o humanity: “Thatall governmentshave b instituted t prfithe neretof the few, therlin casss, uhistricalfactand presen ottty s o ey be stressed enough. The whole idea of government is rooted in the repression of the human/he individual's righ to be truly fre. The laws of the government are the restrictive laws handed down by the ruling capitalist class; restrictive laws tha serves prevent th individual from ever dicoverinthis moma poteias 1 be more than just a wel fod save 1 te il achne o World dominaton.” ‘The subjective reality of the individual human experiences and crea- tive potentilsaro constanly negated by the sstem tht pochthis poist s absout dea of complet objctvity, must b aze rom he mindsof thoe of us who are attempting to commune and build with the people - agitate, educate ‘and organize with and through the people 10bulld the revolationary anarcist come mune...ad ulimatly a anarchis ocity. ‘As anarhists we do not believe in compel- ling anyone to think or view the world as W do, 3 cin and never will e st tion where wo il be diecing poope’s jves, againt their own will minos e being inelecualy, socially, vocatonally awar of whas taking lace, We will ot cmploythe ppresive nd repess RRY meies o th cnmy - government and s PARRARN i e nivicur iy o AT mous self-management of socal and cco- nomic life are some of the highest virtues of the anarchist. Bakunin asserted that, "The State... s the most flagrant, the most cynical, and the most complete. negation of humanity," a standpoint held to be the State's “supreme duty and its greatest virtue...” It i a social revolution that we aspire to actualized via our ‘anarchist ideals and humanistic outlooks in practice, protracted struggle - a stateless, classless, voluntary, cooperative federation of decentralized com- ‘munes will be the ideals given birth once we raze the State and its capitalstic masters, the ruling classes... This s our alternative to the death and destruction that s the product of the present unjust organization of society. “The states’ hired guns don’t like seeing we captives, the slaves, having any sort of self-determination or self- management — enjoying a thing which is determined by my will and not dependent on their’s.” -Shaka N'Zinga At least I am thinking clear and revolutionary s an Anarchist. A man of Afikan descent. A New Afrikan born in the slave nation of Amerikkka - the 1and of the slave controlled, owned and operated by the ruling class.” PART III: Revolutionaries cannot remain sane inside the de - humanized design called prison! Aad Tknow that I must be free of this insanity called corrections... Ob, dama, I had spoken too fast and enjoyed too much - I had almost forgotten that the enem still had control - the cow bell was ringing which signaled the end of the yard period - thus like cows, my brothers,in single file line, allowed themselves to be herded back into the prison/pen by our warders, I of course made them o their sadistic job, they had to call me to come to get the routine ‘pat downs or the humiliating prospect of receiving a bodylstrip search. And thus, once again, I had my peace shattered and the insanity of being in a situa- tion of captivity shoved down my alrcady stripped and lynched libertarian con- sciousness...for my freedom I am willing to depart from this insanity... but T just gotta hold on...death on this side of the bars, walls, and razor wire would e another wasted consciousness of revolutionary import... ot like George Jackson, my spiritual father, will I dic a premature death... The revolution can- not be fought and won from this side. Yet, in complete rebellion, but for a moment, I was free in spite of the bars, walls, and razor wire. I rebelled, as I walked in a circle around the prison's court yard, in & mental state of loving euphoria and complete bliss. ‘This moment of sanity was enough contact with my humanity to strengthen me with the power to resist the insufferable pain of being a captive in a so-called free land... just a il bit longer. This i the price of resistance we must pay for our contined psychological, emotional and intellectual existence. As Comrade George Jackson wrote in his second and final book "Blood in My Bye", over twenty six years ago, about this price of respite 10 be paid by we slaves: Asa slave, the social phenomenon that engages my whole conscious- ness is, o course, revolution. ‘The slave - and revolution. Born 0 a premature death, a menial, subsistence-wage worker, odd- job man, the cleaner, the caught, the man under hatches, without bail - that's me, the colonial victim. Anyone who can pass the civil service examination today can kil me tomorrow. Anyone who passed the civil service examination ‘yesterday can kill me today with complete immunity. T've lived with repression every moment of my life, a repression so formidable that any movement on my pat can only bring relief, the espite of a small victory or release of death. In every sense of the term, in every sense thats real, I'm a slave to, and of, prop- enty. Before being shoved back inside the door that will take me back into the bowels of the beast defined as prison (an inanimate object tha feeds off the souls of the oppressed and dehumanized, souls made insane by its inhumanity), Tlooked up and from behind the lovely dark rain filled clouds appeared a silver lining - looking very much like freedom's motif to me - and in ths silver lining that lined the clouds appeared the revolutionary and love inspiring image of a true Anarchist, the beautiful spectacled face of Emma Goldman spoke thesc: ‘words, word likened unto a warm breeze of a splendid spring evening: "Only in freedom can man grow to his full tature. Only in freedom will he learn to think and move, and give the very best of him. Only in freedom wil he realize: the true force of the social bonds which knit men together, and which are the true foundation of normal social lfe.” Now, here in the cage, I have discovered a level of freedom that has long ago informed me of my need to be physically liberated from this dehu- manizing design called correction. In spite of the fact that I am stil here, I am stillfighting, thanks to that rebellious walk in the rain - free indeed, if only for ‘a moment... Given strength to continue my struggle to one day be free of this slave ship that doesn't ever, never, moves sane antisocial arraignment called prison, designed in the 1790s by god fearing capitalistic church goers. ‘The Anarchist Rain will erode and then raze it...in a dream, in my imagination, or inreality? —_— “Yet, in complete rebellion, but for a moment, I was free in spite of the bars, walls, and razor wire.” -Shaka N'Zinga ‘Smashing the chains in my dreams, as I sleep, dreaming of struggling on the other side of these bars, walls, and razor wire. Coming awake with the ‘words of Bakunin on my lips: “History consists in the progressive negation the primitive animality of Man by the development of his humanity. I am trly free only when all human beings... are equally free. The freedom of other men, far from negating or limiting my freedom, is, on the contrary, its necessary condi- tion and confirmation.” And the war, for my liberty and innocence, continued. Facing the Capitalist Bourgeois Without Fear by Ali Khalid Abdullah All over the world we find laws being implemented to control the masses. To have them afraid o stand up and demand their rghts; to be sover- cign; o be critical; o stand boldly and announce the wrongs being committed by government officials who are lackeys for big business = kapitalist = money changers. ‘With this progressive fear by the capitalist bourgeos come various forms of aggression, repression, censorship and murder. It also entails the mas- sive rate of incarcerations, prisons, and in Amerikkka, the death penalty, as well as the blatant erosion of laws where even the appearance of justice is not trashed in favor of absolute (dictatorship) abuse. ‘We have witnessed the extremes of the kapitalist bourgeois in Seattle during the WTO demonstrations, and during the demonstrations in Washing- ton, D.C. regarding the abuses of the IMF and WB. We've scen it most recently in Detroit, Michigan and Canada during the Organization of American States (OAS) and various Reclaim the Streets (RTS) actions around the world, and during Mayday events, More and more the peoples voice-the people’s ight 0 protest-s being met with oppressive resistance which includes beatings, shoot- ings, trumped-up charges (where they are fined or jailed, or both). All of tis in order to frighten us and for us to believe that the bourgeois' property is sacro- sanct. To have us "knowing our place” and not cross the artificial barrier that's been erected based on class, race and gender. ‘What this all means is that the kapitalist bourgeois are afraid of the people. Afraid of the masses because "they" (the Kapitalist bourgeois) are the minority. Therefore, there i a need to instil terror and fear i the masses to keep us afraid of actualizing our power and feeling as though we have no power. Keeping us in fear is the basis of all political discourse under kapital- ism. To scare us into "knowing our place” and accept what crumbs we are given from the bourgeois' plate, and the conditions in which they dictate to us in how we should live our lives. This is why police (all over the world) are more aggressive today. ‘This is why the right to protest and challenge is met with bullets, batons, beat- ings, incarcerations, and an assortment of attacks. Exploitation of the many by the few! _— “Keeping us in fear is the basis of all political discourse under kapitalism. .. This is why police (all over the world) are more aggressive today. This is why the right to protest and challenge is met with bullets, batons, beatings, incarcerations, and an assortment of attacks.” -Ali Knalid Abdullah ‘We must face the challenges placed before us by the kapitalist bour- geois without fear or intimidation. We must not bow down when faced with anything if we are to make a difference if we are to succeed. Being afraid in- hibits us from being effective and allows the kapitalist bourgeos to march their ageats (police and other enforcers of property) against u in arrogance. Our fear gives them victory. Our hesitation gives them an advantage and that ad- vantage only knows one thing...oppress! ‘Whenever we are attacked, beaten, brotalized, we have a right and a duty to give it back but with relentless extremes. Our actions (to survive) must 0 beyond the brick and the botte throwing. Beyond the window smashing because this isn't effective nor does it pose a threat o the established bourgeois ‘who i insured and wil have these minor problems, not nly fixed, but also receive something as a result of this incident. No, we must be more extreme. Extreme Action... Extreme Relentless Dircct Action must be the new order for us to rely on or the domination we're al facing and living under will grow even worse. We must be the example for check n' balance. ‘Already we see governments around the world taking guns from the ‘people, or making it so difficult to obtain that many don'ttry to own one. This tactic is being enforced whercby leaving the masses defenseless and unable to fend off any brutal attacks by the agents of the Kapitalist bourgeois. A defense- ess people are a people subject to unchecked aggression, oppression, repres- sion, brutality and other undesired treatment. If we do not face the kapitalist bourgeois now and remain firm in our ‘communality and minimize our differences, soon it will be too late to develop ‘any resistance. We will simply become human robots. . 0 OO Anarchists and the Prison Struggle: Revolutionary Solidarity Not Empt; Rhetoric and Liberalism by Mark Bamsley A while ago I was iritated to sec a well-known Anarchist magazine: use prisoner support work as an example of “single-issue” politis. The com- ment may have been merely thoughtless, rather than anything else, but the fact that it appears to have gone unnoticed, and certainly unchallenged, reflects the poverty of current Anarchist thought in relation to the prison struggle, and the ‘marginalization of what was once very much a central issue for revolutionaries in general, and for Anarchists in particular. While some Anarchists may regard the prison struggle as just another single-issue, forincreasing numbers of working-class people, prison s a central part of their lives. ‘The purpose of the British judicial and penal system is locking up ‘working-class people, something which it does exceptionally well. Almost no middle-class people at all go to prison, and o the extremely rare occasions that they do, they are given shorter sentences and treated markedly differeatly to working-class people. The middle-class are happy to call for longer prison sen- tences and the worsening of prison conditions in the safe knowledge that the likelihood of them, or any of their friends and family, ever going to jail s, just about nl (look at Billy Straw.) Because of their real) class position the people. who dominate all political movementsin this country (the middle-class) sée prison struggle as a marginal issue, and consequently the movements they fest are in turn marginalized from it. This is currently as true of the British An- archist movement as of the left in general, and in practice (painful to hear as it might be) the Anarchist movement are worse than some in this respect. Despite what they may pretend, middle-class pseudo-revolutionaries still maintain most of the anti-working-class prejudices held by their mummys includes their atitudes to prisoners. It s no coincidence that the British left and Anarchist movement has generally been far more comfortable in publicizing the cases of prisoners who are incarcerated far enough away for them to be unlikely to turn up on the doorstep. They may claim otherwise, but most mid- dle-class Anarchists seem to have innate prejudices when it comes to accepting that 5o many miscarriages of justice take place in this country, and few sin- cerely believe that the State fits people up, ceraialy not as a irect result of their political activism - That only happens in other countries. —_— “No isolated group of individuals can win a fight against a vastly stronger enemy, and in here we are as isolated as could be. “ -Mark Barnsley —_—mm— e At the moment, there may be genuinely few activistsin this country thatthe State regards as a real threat (or at least serious pain in the arse), ‘something which is a rather sad reflection on the state of revolutionary politis. Believe me, if and when Anarchists become worthy opponents of the State they will find it more than willing o play its part. Many working-class people have found this out o their cos i the past, and whereas because of their class- stature the middle-class pscudo-revolutionaries are insulated from all this, ‘working-class people are increasingly feeling the repressive iron heel of the State on their faces. Imprisonment is becoming a more and more central part of ‘working:class people's lives, few of us are without brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, sons, danghters, frends or lovers, who have not been locked up, and often for fuck all. Sentences are getting longer, and it is geting easicr and cas- e for the Police and Crown Prosecution Service to fit people up. “The struggle behind bars is an intrinsic part of the wider revolutionary struggle, and prisoners need organizations which are capable of delivering concrete support and revolutionary solidarity, not empty rhetoric.” -Mark Bamsley ‘The past few years have seen a wave of increasing repression in Brit- ain's prisons, but despite many aspects of politial struggle being at something of nadi in this country, the struggle against oppression in British prisons ‘continues to endure. Prisoners deserve support in this struggle. No isolated group of individuals can win a fight against a vastly stronger enemy, and in here we are as isolated as could be. ‘When it comes to prisoner support work too many Anarchists are believing too ‘much of our own propaganda, which on this ssu s at best wishful thinking, and at worst downright lies. The truth hurts, but the fact i that, among Anar- chists in tis country today, solidarity is a pretty rare commodity. T was part of the Anarchist movement for 20 years before being fitted-up by the State, yet for the first 4 years of my imprisonment I received litle more than limited sup- port from a few individual comrades. Anarchists have long bec big at encouraging active resistance in Britsh prisons, yet they are rarely able or willing to provide the solidarity and financial aid required by prisoners who are brutalized and isolated for fighting ‘back in prison. This mirrors the atitude of the so-called revolutionary’ eft in general, big on slogans calling for militancy and revolution, but left shocked and wanting by even relatively minor acts of esistance. Like middle-class An- archists they view any individuals with the botti to back up words with action as dangerous lunatics. It s litle wonder that many prisoners (lke the working class in general) regard politicos with suspicion, or even outright contempt. ‘While we are told in some quarters that there have never been more Anarchists in this country, the fact i that the organizations and structures that have traditionally made up the movement are in tatters, and the whole move- ment seems in ideological disarray, with many comrades so ashamed of the state of things that they have had enough. Even the ABC, in which many Anar- chists take a part-time interest, has been reduced to a small number of tiny groups and individuals, with ltle cobesion or direction, and secmingly without the will to address their obvious organizational problems. ‘The current disarray in the prisoners solidarity movement could not have come at a worse time for those of us behind bars, for we are at critical ntin terms of the British prison struggle. Batles arc now taking place which I decide the conditions of prisoners for many years to come. Inside, State. forces are intent on stripping away the concessions to humanity they were forced to make in the 80's, and crush prisoner resistance once and for al, while outside the Labour Government is escalating its attacks on working-class peo- ple through the crosion of civil liberties and the building of an increasingly un- disguised Police State, locking up more of us than ever. ‘The struggle behind bars is an intrinsic part of the wider revolutionary struggle, and prisoners need organizations which are capable of delivering con- crete support and revolutionary solidarity, not empty thetoric. If we are serious as revolutionaries we need to build an effective prisoner solidarity movement ‘which will coerently oppose the increasing State repression, and which i ca- pable of effectively aiding prisoner resistance and cven going on the offensive in support of t.In the words of Anarchist prisoner Ojore N Lutalo, "Any ‘movement that does not support its political internecs is a sham movement." Full Sutton Prison, February 1999 “Plea” to the Athens Criminal Court By Nikos Maziotis [Dear comrades, ‘The following text is the translation of what Nikos Maziotis has said 10 the court during his trial which took place in the Sth to the 7th of July 1999 in Athens, Greece. "He was convicted with a 15-year prison sentence for “attempted ex- |plosion with danger for human lives"” and *passession of guns and explosives™ r his action of putting a bom in the Ministry of Industry and Development in 6-12-97, in solidarity with the revolt of the villages in Strymonikos against the installation of a gold metallurgy by multinational company TVX GOLD. Dur- ing the trial he supported politically again his choices, as he did from the be- inning when he had sent from prison a letter with which he was taking re- sponsibilty of the action against the Ministry. He never though accepted the charges the state was accusing him of, as revolutionary acts canno be de- scribed in terms of the penal code. In that sense, thi trial was not a typical |procedare of convicting someone who pleads “guilty” but it turned into a po- litical confrontation so much between Nikos and his prosecutors, as much as between his comrades, anarchists and revolutionaries and the state and its mechanisms. This confrontation was strongly supported by the presence of com- rades from Sardegna (Costantino Cavalleri), Italy (Alfredo Bonanno) and France (Hellyette Bess) who testified in the courtin solidarity with Nikos and by the letters sentin support by the imprisoned militants of Action Directe, France, by the ABC of Barcelona and by other anarchist groups from Spain. |Allthese together, along with the presence inside and oussde the court of an- archist comrades and of course the speech of Nikos Maziotis against his prose- cutors, gave a sense of the international strugle for freedom and of solidarity with al the people in revols, wth all political prisoners captured in moments of the social and class war against the state and capita. Solidarity, Comrades from the Anarchist Circle| and the collective