Freddie Hilton #0001150688 Augusta State Medical Prison 3001 Gordon Highway Grovetown, Georgia 30813
Birthday: February 19
Kamau Sadiki is a former member of the Black Panther Party and was convicted of a 30-year old murder case of a Fulton County cop found shot to death in his car outside a service station. The police and government told Kamau that if he worked with them and got Assata Shakur to leave Cuba and go to some other country where they could apprehend her that they would not prosecute on the police killing. Kamau refused to cooperate. More information: freekamau.com
A group of Texas protesters convicted of terrorism charges received unusually harsh sentences of at least 50 years in prison on Tuesday in a closely watched case that was widely seen as a test case of the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on dissent.
After a three-week jury trial, the nine activists were all found guilty of a slew of criminal charges in March, stemming from a Fourth of July protest at an immigrant detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, south of Fort Worth. The demonstrators arrived late at night with a plan to set off fireworks as part of a noise demonstration to show solidarity with those detained inside. A few of the protesters spontaneously broke off from the main group and vandalized cars in the parking lot, a guard shack, slashed the tires on a government van and broke a security camera. When a police officer arrived on the scene and drew his weapon, one of the activists fired an AR-15 from the woods, hitting the officer in the shoulder. The officer survived.
Benjamin Song, who fired the gun at the police officer, was sentenced to 100 years in prison. Song was convicted of attempted murder of an officer of the United States, as well as firearm and explosives charges. He was also convicted of riot, providing material support to terrorists. He faced anywhere from 20 years to life in prison.
Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Savanna Batten, Elizabeth Soto and cooperating defendent cooperating defendent Meagan Morris were sentenced to 50 years in prison. Maricela Rueda, another demonstrator, was sentenced to 70 years in prison. All six were convicted of riot, providing material support to terrorist, and explosive charges. Rueda was also convicted of corruptly concealing a document or record.
Evetts, Hill, cooperating defendent Morris and Rueda were acquitted on attempted murder and firearms charges.
The sentences handed down on Tuesday were unusually long, said Barbara McQuade, a former federal prosecutor who served as the US attorney for the eastern district of Michigan during the Obama administration.
“Most often, judges will sentence defendants for separate counts concurrently. Here, it appears that the judge stacked the sentences for each count consecutively. I would have expected lengthy sentences here, more in the ballpark at 15 to 25 years, but nothing like 50 to 100 years,” she wrote in an email.
“The sentences handed down today make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice,” Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said in a statement. “Their violent extremism has no place in our country, and the Department of Justice will continue to aggressively investigate, disrupt, and prosecute those who threaten law enforcement officers or undermine the rule of law.”
In a statement, Song said he had fired at the police officer, Lt Thomas Gross, because Gross had his weapon drawn and Song believed he was about to shoot a protester.
“I never want to see good people, standing for what they believe in, gunned down in the street,” he said. “Now 21 people have been arrested, have been persecuted, have been punished. For knowing me or being my friend? This is wrong. This is mass punishment. Collective punishment. This is guilt by association. This is injustice.”
Evetts, a mechanical engineer, said in court on Tuesday the intent of the fireworks was solely to get the attention of people held inside the detention center. He intends to appeal his conviction and sentence, said Patrick McLain, one of his lawyers.
“As the witnesses at the sentencing hearing stated, Zach has always been a caring and compassionate man; an accomplished mechanical engineer with no history of trouble with the law or violence. Quite the opposite, he has been a man of peace who has always stood up for those bullied or afflicted,” McLain said. “Zach continues to give compassionate help in the jail, as a detainee, and we expect that will continue until he is one day cleared of this wrongful conviction by appeal or pardon.”
The sentences were “absurd”, said Amber Lowrey, Batten’s sister.
“This case has relied on lies and misinformation from the start,” she said. “It is heartbreaking nonetheless. But we will keep fighting to overturn these unjust convictions and to free Savanna and all the Prairieland defendants. We will not rest until they are free!”
The punishment for the protesters exceeds the lengthiest prison sentences given out for the attack on the Capitol on January 6. Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys who was convicted of seditious conspiracy, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the far-right group the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Even though many of the protesters did not know each other, or were loosely affiliated, prosecutors said the attack on the officer was premeditated and part of a conspiracy. They also said the activists were part of a “North Texas antifa cell”, which was seen as part of the administration’s effort to criminalize “antifa”, which is not an organization but rather a constellation of leftwing views.
During the trial, prosecutors displayed group messages from some of the defendants in which they planned the protest and discussed bringing firearms and dressing in all black to prevent themselves from being easily identified. But some of the defendants – like Batten, Elizabeth Soto and her husband, Ines Soto, were not involved in the planning, arrived separately at the protest, and left when guards at the facility asked them to do so. Cooperating Defendent Morris stayed in a van many of the protesters had carpooled in with a cache of weapons and body armor while the protest was ongoing. She later fled from police when they arrived on scene. She was ultimately arrested after a traffic stop that night.
Prosecutors in the case charged and secured conviction of eight of the nine defendants for providing material support for terrorists. The ninth defendant, Daniel Sanchez-Estrada was not at the protest, but was convicted of corruptly concealing a document or record after prosecutors said he moved leftwing zines and other materials at the request of Rueda, his wife, after she was arrested. Sanchez-Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday.
“I worked really hard every day in this country, and I believe in human rights and helping others in need. I donate money and art to help animals and other people … I’m a father, a husband and a teacher. But I’m not a terrorist,” Sanchez-Estrada said in court before his sentencing.
Although the charge does not require prosecutors to prove a connection to any kind of terrorist ideology, only that a defendant provided support for one of a list of several crimes, the justice department spun the convictions as proof that antifa was a terrorist organization.
The defendants in the case are a collection of activists who were loosely affiliated with one another through a local leftwing book club and gun group. During the trial, prosecutors highlighted many of the zines that the book club read as evidence of the conspiracy and ideology that linked the demonstrators. That evidence was met with widespread criticism from legal observers who said that it amounted to criminalizing freedom of speech.
Prosecutors also focused heavily on the cache of guns that many of the defendants owned and some brought to the detention center on 4 July. It is undisputed that all of the firearms were bought legally and that there was only one person who fired a weapon on 4 July. Prosecutors also highlighted other evidence they claimed proved that the protesters planned violence, including their decision to communicate and auto-delete messages on Signal, an encrypted messaging platform widely used among activists, journalists and other citizens wary of government surveillance.
Since the charges in the case, the government has brought a number of similar prosecutions against activists. Earlier this month, prosecutors filed criminal conspiracy charges against 15 activists in Minneapolis who allegedly interfered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in performing their duties. A federal jury in Spokane, Washington, found three protesters guilty of conspiracy for participating in a 2025 protest at an ICE facility. A similar case in Chicago against protesters fell apart after it was revealed there was misconduct before grand jurors.
Family Members, Faith and Community Leaders, Rally in Support of Defendants, Vow to Continue Fight for Freedom, Justice for Loved Ones
FORT WORTH, TX – Eight Prairieland defendants were sentenced in federal court today, three months after their convictions on a variety of federal charges, including riot, material support for terrorists, attempted murder, possession and conspiracy to use explosives, and conspiracy to conceal documents. Family members and supporters, who sat stunned as US District Judges Mark Pittman and Reed O’Connor delivered sentences ranging from 30-100 years in prison, called the punishment cruel, callous and starkly disproportionate to the defendants’ actions. In a rally and press conference held after the sentencing, supporters expressed defiance and vowed to continue fighting for the Prairieland defendants’ freedom.
The eight Prairieland defendants sentenced today are Savanna Batten, Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, cooperating defendant Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada, Benjamin Hanil Song, and Elizabeth Soto. All defendants, with the exception of Sanchez Estrada were convicted of rioting, providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy to use an explosive, and use of an explosive device, which referred to the consumer grade fireworks used on July 4. Sanchez Estrada was convicted of concealing a document—political literature—and, along with Rueda, conspiracy to conceal documents. Song was additionally convicted of attempted murder of an officer and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime.
Eight Prairieland defendants were sentenced today to consecutive prison terms as follows:
Savanna Batten: 50 years
Zachary Evetts: 50 years
Autumn Hill: 50 years
Meagan Morris (cooperating defendant) 50 years
Maricela Rueda: 70 years
Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada: 30 years
Benjamin Hanil Song: 100 years
Elizabeth Soto: 50 years
Ines Soto will be sentenced on July 1, along with Joy “Rowan” Gibson and Rebecca Morgan, who took non-cooperating plea deals, and five defendants who took cooperating plea deals.
Song, the most harshly sentenced Prairieland defendant, having received a 100-year prison term, gave a moving statement in response to their sentence, explaining for the first time the motivations for their actions the night of the noise demonstration at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center. “What we all saw happen to Renee Good and Alex Pretti is my worst nightmare,” said Song. “So, when I was standing in the street on July 4th, 2025, in plain view with reflective safety strips and high visibility clothing, what I saw right in front of my eyes was my worst nightmare,” continued Song. “When I saw Lieutenant Thomas Gross stop pursuing and point his gun at the back of a running, unarmed protester, like he testified, I was terrified.”
“As a firearms instructor and a United States Marine Corps Veteran, I understood what I was seeing. I knew what it meant for someone to lean forward into a gun, […] to prepare for recoil. As the evidence shows, I did not want to hurt anyone. I never had the intent to hurt anyone. It is impossible to say that I was trying to ambush or anyone or planning violence,” Song told the court. “I am so grateful that we are not here mourning another death and tragedy. Another Alex Pretti. Another Renee Good.”
“This case has relied on lies and misinformation from the start,” said Amber Lowrey, the sister of Savanna Batten, who was sentenced today to 50 years in prison. “While these absurd sentences are no surprise based on the bias of the court, it is heartbreaking nonetheless. But we will keep fighting to overturn these unjust convictions and to free Savanna and all the Prairieland defendants. We will not rest until they are free!”
“As a congregation, we decided that this case was a fundamental test of our right to dissent against authoritarian regimes,” said Ana Marie Thorne, Chair of the Social Justice Committee at All People’s Church Unitarian Universalist in Fort Worth. “These defendants are not militant monsters out to kill,” continued Thorne. “They are everyday people who saw our country literally interning people in concentration camps and decided to show up at Prairieland Detention Center to let those incarcerated there know that they mattered. We leave here today knowing that the outcome of this trial is not the end. It is the beginning.”
Before the sentencing, Judge Pittman dismissed numerous motions to overturn the convictions without providing written rulings and with little-to-no explanation. All nine trial defendants filed motions for a new trial, detailing how the government failed to provide the necessary evidence for a conviction and instead put on a trial that was “saturated with evidence designed to evoke fear, political bias, and guilt by association,” according to one of the motions. Another motion details potential juror misconduct. Prairieland defendants have vowed to fight their convictions and will be filing appeals in the following weeks.
The Prairieland cases, involving 22 people charged with both state and federal charges, stem from a noise demonstration in solidarity with detainees at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4, 2025. After the protest, an officer with the Alvarado Police Department became involved in an exchange of gunfire soon after arrival. The officer allegedly sustained minor injuries, and was reportedly released from the hospital shortly afterwards, but authorities have never provided hospital records to justify these claims. Alvarado police arrested ten people that night, and a dozen more were arrested over the following several months.
One day our comrades will come home. Leonard Peltier came home last year; Marius Mason came home this year. Many of our Green Scare, Animal Rights, Anarchist, Black and Puerto Rican Liberation, Indigenous and Anti-Imperialist Warriors, and Conscientious Objectors have come home. And one day the Prairieland and other anti-fascist prisoners will return to our communities, too.
Join the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Support Committee and friends for an online webinar, Sunday, July 26, at 2pm ET, as we celebrate Marius Mason’s return home and let those inside know we are here for them. MC’d by Matt Meyer with Ashanti Alston, Diana Block, Josh Harper, Ray Luc Levasseur, and Julie Herrada (Marius Mason Support Committee).
People Do Come Home: An Event for the Prairieland Defendants and All Political Prisoners brings together an intergenerational group of former political prisoners and support committee members who will share their experiences of coming home and building prisoner support movements as we seek solace in a time of fascism.
“For, if they take you in the morning,” James Baldwin wrote to Angela Davis, “they will be coming for us that night.” Our movement must respond as “they” may come for “us”: repress us, arrest us, imprison us. But we will fight back and be here for each other when we come home!
The full event will be transcribed and shared with political prisoners and made available to support committees.
Technical and organizational support for People Do Come Home provided by Common Notions Press, artwork by Josh MacPhee of Justseeds, publicity by Agency, and with the support of the Prairieland Defendants / DFW Support Committee.
For more information on the event or to co-sponsor please email Kevin Van Meter at [email protected].
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.
If you consistently mail the latest updates to a specific prisoner, please let us know so we can insure there’s no overlap. The goal is to have copies sent to all of the prisoners we list.
We’ve also been told that some prisoners are not receiving the copies sent in, yet we aren’t getting rejection notices. If you are in steady contact with a prisoner, please ask them whether or not they are receiving the updates and let us know.
Grailing Brown #39384066 USP Canaan Post Office Box 300 Waymart, Pennsylvania 18472
Birthday: May 27
Kojo Bomani Sababu is a New Afrikan Prisoner of War serving a 55 year sentence. Kojo was captured on December 19th, 1975 during a bank expropriation. He was subsequently charged with conspiracy for an alleged plan to use rockets, hand grenades and a helicopter in an attempt to free Puerto Rican Prisoner of War Oscar Lopez Rivera from the federal prison where he was serving a 55-year sentence for a 1981 conviction of seditious conspiracy
Ronald Reed #219531 Minnesota Correctional Facility Lino Lakes Post Office Box 247 Phoenix, Maryland 21131
Birthday: August 31
Ronald Reed, a former member of the Black United Front, was convicted of the 1970 shooting of a St. Paul police officer. Twenty-five years after the killing, Reed was arrested and convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first degree-murder. He is serving Life in prison. Reed is a former 60s civil rights activist. In 1969, Reed was also among the students at St. Paul Central High School who demanded black history courses and organized actions against racist teachers. He was also instrumental in helping to integrate college campuses in Minnesota. During this period, Reed began to look toward revolutionary theory and began to engage in political street theater with other young black revolutionaries in the city of St. Paul. More information: http://bit.do/RonaldReed
Smart Communications/PA DOC Fred Burton AF3896 SCI Chester Post Office Box 33028 St Petersburg, Florida 33733
Birthday: December 15
Frederick Burton is an innocent man who has diligently attempted to prove his innocence to the courts for 47 years. Prior to his inprisonment, Fred worked for a phone company, was a well respected member of his community and his wife was preparing to have twins. In 1970, Fred was accused and then convicted of participating in the planning of the murder of Philadelphia police officers. While the alleged plan was to blow up a police station, instead a police officer was shot and killed by alleged members of a radical group called “the Revolutionaries.”
Smart Communications/PA DOC Joseph Bowen #AM4272 SCI Fayette Post Office Box 33028 St Petersburg, Florida 33733
Birthday: January 15
Joseph “Joe-Joe” Bowen is one of the many all-but-forgotten frontline soldiers in the liberation struggle. A native of Philadelphia, Joe-Joe was a young member of the “30th and Norris” street gang before his incarceration politicized him.
Released in 1971, his outside activism was cut short a week following his release when Joe-Joe was confronted by an officer of the notoriously brutal Philadelphia police department. The police officer was killed in the confrontation, and Bowen fled. After his capture and incarceration, Bowen became a Black Liberation Army combatant, defiant to authorities at every turn. In 1973, Joe-Joe and Philadelphia Five prisoner Fred “Muhammad” Burton assassinated Holmesberg prison’s warden and deputy warden as well as wounded the guard commander in retaliation for intense repression against Muslim prisoners in the facility.
In 1981, Bowen led a six-day standoff with authorities when he and six other captives took 39 hostages at Graterford Prison as a freedom attempt and protest of the prison conditions. Much of his time in prison has been spent in and out of control units, solitary confinement, and other means of isolating Joe-Joe from the general prison population. He is legendary to many prisoners as a revolutionary. “I used to teach the brothers how to turn their rage into energy and understand their situations,”
Bowen told the Philadelphia Inquirer in 1981. “I don’t threaten anybody. I don’t talk to pigs. I don’t drink anything I can’t see through and I don’t eat anything off a tray. When the time comes, I’ll be ready.”
Mumia Abu-Jamal Smart Communications/PA DOC Mumia AbuJamal #AM8335 SCI Mahanoy Post Office Box 33028 St Petersburg, Florida 33733
Birthday: April 24
Mumia is an award winning journalist and was one of the founders of the Black Panther Party chapter in Philadelphia. He has struggled for justice and human rights for people of color since he was at least 14 years old ~ the age when he joined the Party. In December of 1982, Mumia, who moonlighted by driving a taxi, happened upon police who were beating his brother.
During the melee, a police officer was shot and killed. Despite the fact that many people saw someone else shoot and then run away from the scene, Mumia was convicted and sentenced to death by what can only be called a kangaroo court. During the summer of 1995, a death warrant was signed, which sparked one of the most effective organizing efforts in defense of a political prisoner ever. Since that time, Mumia has had his death sentence overturned, but still has a life sentence with no opportunity for parole.
