The Anarchist Black Cross Federation (ABCF) initiated the Warchest program in November 1994 to send monthly checks to Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War who have been receiving insufficient, little, or no financial support during their imprisonment.
Its purpose is to collect funds from groups and individual supporters and send that money directly to commissary accounts of vetted Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War (PP/POW) via monthly checks. Since its inception, we have distributed over $130,000 in funds. The ABCF Warchest program distributes $50 in funds every month to 20 long-time political prisoners and has been doing so since 1994.
Our friends with Certain Days have announced that their new calendar is now available for pre-sales!
“We are happy to announce that pre-sales for the 2021 Certain Days calendar (OUR 20th EDITION) have begun! Order now and calendars will ship soon.
In the U.S., order from Burning Books in Buffalo. In Canada, order 1-9 copies from Left Wing Books. Order 10 or more copies (and raise funds for your own organizations and projects!) via certaindays.org.
Certain Days 2021:
The Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar is a joint fundraising and educational project between outside organizers in Montreal, Hamilton, New York and Baltimore, with two political prisoners being held in maximum-security prisons: David Gilbert in New York and Xinachtli (s/n Alvaro Luna Hernandez) in Texas. Founding members Herman Bell and Robert Seth Hayes were happily welcomed home from prison in 2018. Learn more about them at certaindays.org.
Your group can buy 10 or more for the rate of $10 each and sell them for $15, keeping the difference for your organization. Many campaigns, infoshops and projects do this as a way of raising funds and spreading awareness about political prisoners. Use the discount code “BULK” to get 10 or more calendars for $10 each. In Canada, you can order at our bulk rates at certaindays.org.
This year’s theme is “A Generation of Support Through the Bars” and features art and writings by Grae Rosa, Herman Bell, Veronza Bowers, David Campbell, Saima Desai, Damon Locks, Tom Manning, Monica Trinidad, Nidal el-Khairy, David Gilbert, Gord Hill (aka Zig Zag), Eric King, Jaan Laaman, Paul Lacombe, Joy Powell, Richard Rivera, Laura Whitehorn, Linda Evans and Susan Rosenberg, Xinachtli and more!
While COVID-19 makes its way around the world causing massive shut downs, prison officials make measly attempts at controlling the spread to the most vulnerable inside. Let’s raise the voices of prisoners, now more than ever.
Proceeds from Certain Days 2020 were divided amongst Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association (Palestine), Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP), Civil Liberties Defense Center and the Rosenburg Fund for Children. This year’s proceeds will go to some of the same grassroots groups and more.
We’re happy to report the success of our third annual Philadelphia Running Down The Walls in support of political prisoners, held on September 6th 2020. Read the report back here.
Due to the tremendous support received as part of this year’s Running Down the Walls, the Anarchist Black Cross Federation is now able to increase its monthly Warchest stipends. Effective in November, all 19 political prisoners supported by ABCF Warchest will receive $50 every month.
It is imperative that we recognize that the ABCF was able to make this adjustment because of the support received by the larger community. For more information, please check out: https://www.abcf.net/warchest-program/
Write: Leonard Peltier #89637-132 USP Coleman I PO BOX 1033 Coleman, FL 33521 (USP Coleman does not allow greeting cards. You must write on regular white paper and white envelopes). More political prisoner addresses are here.
Background: Native American activist Leonard Peltier has spent over 40 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Prosecutors and federal agents manufactured evidence against him (including the so-called “murder weapon”); hid proof of his innocence; presented false testimony obtained through torturous interrogation techniques; ignored court orders; and lied to the jury. People are commonly set free due to a single constitutional violation, but Peltier—innocent and faced with a staggering number of constitutional violations—has yet to receive equal justice.
Listen to the new The Leonard Peltier Podcast at http://leonard.buzzsprout.comIn 1977, Native American activist Leonard Peltier was sentenced to consecutive life terms for killing two FBI agents. Then in 2000, a Freedom of Information Act disclosure proved the Feds had framed him. But Leonard’s still in prison. This is the story of what happened on the Pine Ridge Reservation half a century ago—and the man who’s still behind bars for a crime he didn’t. commit. https://twitter.com/leonard_pod
More political prisoner birthdays are at NYC ABC’s birthday calendar!
This amazing video was made by hate5six for Philly ABC. See all of the former political prisoners from the MOVE organization in one place and so much more!
Ed’s Story In April of 1971, Edward Poindexter and Mondo we Langa, formerly David Rice, were sentenced to life in prison for the death of an Omaha police officer- a crime they did not commit. The two were targeted by law enforcement and wrongfully convicted due to their affiliation with the Black Panther Party, a civil rights and anti-fascist political group. Nearly 50 years later, Ed is still in prison and maintains his innocence. He has earned several college degrees, taught anti-violence classes to youth, authored screenplays, and more. His last chance for freedom is to receive a commutation of sentence from the Nebraska Board of Pardons. At age 75, he is at high risk for COVID related health complications. He must receive an immediate and expedited commutation hearing from the Board.
Take Action Now Write, email and call the Nebraska Board of Pardons. Request that they expedite Ed’s application, schedule his hearing for the October 2020 meeting and commute his sentence.
WRITE: Nebraska Board of Pardons P.O. Box 95007 Lincoln, NE 68509 *please email a copy of your letter to [email protected]
Sample Letter
Dear Pardons Board:
I am writing in regards to Edward Poindexter, #27767, who has served nearly 50 years in prison with exemplary behavior and many accomplishments. He is 75 years old and at high risk for COVID-19 related medical complications, which have been amplified by the increased COVID transmission rate among prisoners. I am therefore requesting that the Board expedite Ed’s application, schedule his hearing for the October 2020 Board meeting, and commute his sentence to length of time served.
The Anarchist Black Cross Federation has always attempted to stay transparent in regards to how donations are dispersed. Here is an updated Warchest report which highlights the most recent donations and disbursements. As indicated on the flier, due to recent fundraising efforts and donations, we have added two more individuals (Leonard Peltier and Doug Wright) to the Warchest list. This brings the number of Warchest recipients to 19 political prisoners who receive monthly stipends. To download the report, please click here
