On February 26, political prisoner Oso Blanco turns 59 years old. He’s been imprisoned since 1999 for bank expropriations to support the Zapatistas. now it’s our turn to support him. This surprise birthday raffle will raise funds to help bring him home!
Join us in showing the jury and the whole country that the defendants are not alone and that the future of dissent lies in the balance.
Organizers have planned themed events outside the courthouse along with at least one meal a day. Participate in the programming or contribute an event of your own!
Political prisoner Alexander Stokes has been moved to a new prison- another maximum security prison and an infamous one: Sing Sing prison. His birthday is coming up on February 26th and transfers are always rough so shoot him a letter or card if you can.
Alex Contompasis #22B5028 Sing Sing Correctional Facility 354 Hunter Street Ossining, NY 10562
Alex received a 20 year sentence and is not eligible for parole until 2039. You can donate to his support fund at https://freealexstokes.com/donate
Background: Alex Stokes Contompasis is a journalist and artist from Albany, NY. Alex’s work documenting social unrest began in 2014. He was arrested in 2017 in Washington DC during the J20 inaugural protests and co-represented over 200 counter-protestors and independent journalists that were rounded up and falsely charged. He was in Charlottesville, VA during the summer protests in 2017. He routinely attended and recorded Black Lives Matter protests in Albany in 2020. He also regularly revealed local white supremacist groups and members.
On January 6, 2021, protestors gathered outside the New York State Capitol in Albany, NY in support of the Stop the Steal rally in Washington DC. A handful of counter protesters spoke out against them and a melee broke out after a Proud Boy tased a Black man in the neck. Alex was watching from the sidelines and ran to help others. Police did not intervene until the violence had ended and ultimately arrested three Black activists. Alex was charged with several violent felonies. The Proud Boys that engaged in the violence were not arrested at the scene.
Alex’s family and friends maintain that he was railroaded by the system. He was a journalist under a court-ordered gag-order for over a year. His previous work and experience with dangerous hate groups were inadmissible for his defense, but the prosecution picked apart his social media accounts and portrayed his actions as premeditated. He was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to 20 years in prison, despite the fact that no one died and neither of the victims received life-altering injuries. One even began a job as an EMT just 6 weeks later.
A man with no violent criminal history, and with lifelong ties to the community, was issued a sentence far more severe than most who commit reckless acts of violence and orchestrated the insurrection itself.
New year, new look! Make sure to check out the fully refreshed version of the Guide!
We’ve finished the latest version of the NYC ABC “Illustrated Guide to Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War” and it’s available for viewing and download at
Finally! As you may have seen elsewhere, Casey is finally out of the holdover unit at FCI Mendota and is in the transfer pipeline to their designated facility.
At 4 am on Tuesday, 2/11, Casey was woken up, told to pack it up, and then put on the bus before the sun rose. They were transported from Mendota to the SF Federal Bldg and then to the county jail in downtown SF. Casey reported that coming over the hills that morning into the Bay as the sun rose, they felt blessed. Casey, sitting in a van still cuffed up, was able to see the horizon, able to see the sun’s light grow and spread over the city and the Bay. While at the SF jail, Casey was able to walk around the unit freely, talk to others, and enjoy phone access with their friends and loved ones in a way not possible for months in that shithole holdover unit. Casey and a member of our committee were able to have a loving, hour long conversation that didn’t feel like a rushed whisper through a keyhole.
Casey didn’t spend long in SF before they were put on a plane. On Friday, Casey showed up on the BOP inmate locator at FCI Allenwood – Medium, one facility of three in a prison complex located in northern Pennsylvania.
A few notes about Casey’s current placement:
This may be an intermediate placement. We have not confirmed with Casey that this is their permanent designated facility and this may well be a temporary location. All prison systems are opaque and move people around at will according to their own fickle bureaucratic criteria. When we confirm this is to be Casey’s designated facility, we will let you know.
It’s always good to write! Address for the facility is below. But know that in addition to this possibly being a short-lived placement, sometimes Casey’s mail has been held by the mailroom for weeks or months. We have also found that multiple pieces of mail have been blocked or “lost” as well. So independent of Casey being at Allenwood permanently or temporarily, know that comms through the mail are goofy as well as slow and fully surveilled.
Conditions have changed already. According to Casey, this current spot is more capable meeting their needs as a diabetic. They are let out of their cell from 8 am to 5 pm, have phone access, and at the time of the last call with fam, Casey was on their way to check out the library (!! of course. If you know Casey…🙂)
At some point, Casey’s counselor told them that they had been given a “Low” security classification. This has not been formally confirmed. So again, we will let you know when we know more. And yes, a Low can be sent to a Medium level facility – Welcome to the byzantine nature of prison regulations and practices.
All property is surrendered on transfer out of a holdover unit so Casey has to start over in terms of personal property and nutritional supplements from commissary to deal with their diabetes. To send funds to keep Casey’s commissary account topped,up, you can Venmo Casey’s fam – @JuliePetersonG
More on the toll of “holdover life”
Casey spent over 4 months in holdover at Mendota. Holdover – the limbo unit for people being received, moved, etc. – is worse than solitary in many respects. You have no property, no programs, limited access to anything but your tiny cell, and no definite date for getting out. Casey had only minimal access to medical care for their diabetes: insulin only dispensed once per day, insufficient blood sugar checks, mediocre diet, and maximum stress and uncertainty. The poor care had started to permanently damage Casey’s eyesight. If they were to continue much longer in holdover, Casey was anticipating needing a new prescription in order to read or see adequately.
Also, every other person that passed through holdover at Mendota only spent a few weeks there. A month in and Casey became in effect the “OG” of the unit, the prisoner housed there the longest, orienting others to the layout and program of the place. Yet again, to those who been locked up or who have years doing prisoner support, the question at some point becomes “Is this bullshit targeted or is it just random, just industrialized abandonment and they don’t give a shit about anybody?”
Well, Casey is a political prisoner. And while everybody inside gets a number and everybody gets put in the uniform, there is nonetheless a wild card or two in the deck for politicals. Consequences can be heavier. And that’s another thing for people on the outside to remember and take to heart regarding risks, expectations, and communications with our loved ones inside.
Legal update
Casey has been working on a habeas petition with another legal team in order to appeal their conviction and sentencing. The deadline for this filing will be 12 months from their sentencing (Sept. 23, 2026) so we will report more on this in the coming months as it develops.
NYC ABC, along with several other individuals and prisoner support crews, now send hard copies to all political prisoners and prisoners of war we support.
Black History Month: Honoring Warriors and Political Prisoners of the Black Panther Part and Black Liberation Army. Panel discussion with current and former BPP/BLA Political Prisoners and their allies.
February 28, 2026 Medgar Evers college, 1650 Bedford Avenue, Room C13, Brooklyn, NY. Panelists include Mumia Abu-Jamal, Jalil Muntaqim and Kwame “Beans” Shakur 5-7pm.
Join NYC Jericho and allied comrades for an important conversation on resistance to racist imperialism and fascism. For more information, [email protected]
Political Prisoner Hridindy Roychowdhury has been transferred to a new prison- a low security prison in Illinois. He also has an upcoming birthday on February 24th so feel free to shoot him a note or birthday wishes.
Hridindu Roychowdhury #51111-510 FCI Thomson PO Box 1002 Thomson, IL 61285
Hridindu Roychowdhury is an anarchist from Madison, Wisconcin who was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison for attacking a building with a Molotov cocktail in the wake of the leak of the draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overruling Roe v. Wade.
He targeted the building because it was occupied by an anti-choice organization (Wisconsin Family Action). Roychowdhury acknowledged spray-painting the message “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either” on the outside of the building. No one was in the office at the time. Roychowdhury pleaded guilty on Dec. 1, 2023. He was was ordered to pay nearly $32,000 in restitution and was serving his sentence at FCI Marion. He received a 7.5 year sentence.
In May 2025, he was shipped to Wisconsin to go before a grand jury. After the judge recently found him in contempt for refusing to answer questions within the grand jury room, he sat in this county jail without earning any good time—in essence his federal time was frozen until contempt is purged. He was moved to county jail in 2025 in retaliation for refusing to cooperate with a federal grand jury.
Hridindu was released from contempt and returned to the Bureau of Prisons in September 2025.
As of February 2025, Mumia has yet to receive treatment for the diabetic retinopathy or aggressive glaucoma. Although vision has been restored to some degree – despite the secondary cataracts being removed the underlying issues does not address his concerning eye diseases, which could rob him of the sight he has. We need the PA DOC and Wellpath to obtain ophthalmologists to treat the above eye conditions.
We ask the public to resume calls, emails and letters to SCI Mahanoy and the Secretary of the PA DOC this week. Operation hours are Monday thru Friday 9:00am to 4:00pm EST.
PA Department of Corrections Secretary (Dr. Laurel Harry) (717) 728-4109 or (717) 728-2573 PA DOC Secretary – [email protected]
Bernadette Mason SCI Mahanoy, 301 Grey Line Drive, Frackville PA 17931
Basic Script: Hello, my name is —————– and I’m calling to request that Mumia Abu-Jamal DIN # 8335 needs to be seen and treated by specialists, who treat diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. He also needs to be examined for new glasses, a heart healthy diet, filtered water and regular exercise, indoors and out.
