WHAT: NYC ABC Political Prisoner Letter-Writing
WHEN: 7pm, Tuesday, March 9th, 2021
WHERE: YOUR HOME
COST: Free

Hey, everyone, who likes sweet and sour? Us, too! But what we’re being fed right now by the state’s lapdog–corporate media, is saccharine sweet to keep some of us placated, ultra sour to keep others of us divided, and 100% rotting us from the inside. This steady diet of nothing keeps most of us distracted from the hammer held above our heads, just out of sight, ready to fall when we step out of line. For those who refuse the distraction, who face the full brunt of state repression, NYC ABC and Page One Collective again come together to show support. Please join us this week in writing letters to water protector and grand jury resister Steve Martinez.

Steve Martinez, an Indigenous and Chicano activist who participated in the protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) on the Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota in 2016, is being held on charges of contempt of court for refusing to testify before a federal grand jury.

Steve invoked the Fifth Amendment in an effort to avoid participation in the grand jury. The Fifth Amendment protects individuals from being forced to testify against themselves in court. In a common procedure intended to coerce testimony, the judge in the case granted Steve immunity, meaning that he could no longer be charged with crimes associated with his testimony. In so doing, the judge created the conditions by which Steve could be forced to testify or jailed if he refused to do so. Steve can now be held for as long as the grand jury before which he has been called remains empaneled. For more information and resources on grand jury resistance, visit supportstevemartinez.com

Please take the time to write a letter to Steve (and share a photo of your completed envelopes with us online):

Steve Martinez
Burleigh County Detention Center
PO Box 2499
Bismarck, ND 58502

Please donate to Steve’s defense fund at https://www.gofundme.com/f/supportstevemartinez