Our friends at Certain Days were on a few podcasts this month. Check it out.

Kite Line Radio– February 4, 2022.

Listen at wfhb.org/news/february-4-2022-certain-days/ 

We share a conversation between Daniel McGowan and Brian Whitener about the Certain Days calendar. The Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar is a joint fundraising and educational project coordinated between outside and inside organizers in the US and Canada. Its founding members Herman Bell,Robert Seth Hayes and David Gilbert were welcomed home from prison in 2018 and 2021. Today, McGowan talks about the history of the project, his own experiences with prisoner support, how the calendar supports folks on the inside, and some of the challenges to long-term organizing.  McGowan reflects on his time inside following his arrest for Earth Liberation Front actions and emphasizes the importance of supporting grassroots movement organizations.

Millennials are Killing Capitalism  February 18, 2022
Listen at https://millennialsarekillingcapitalism.libsyn.com/if-i-fall-and-we-struggle-together-certain-days-political-prisoners-and-movement-defense-with-josh-davidson-and-daniel-mcgowan 

This one I did with my fellow Certain Days collective member Josh. We talked to Jay Beware for over an hour about the past and future of our calendar, political prisoners, the 2022 calendar and more. 

Daniel and Josh talk about the nuts and bolts of putting the calendar together, working with political prisoners on the project, and supporting prisoners against state repression. Along the way they both talk about tensions they feel in political prisoner support in the present moment. Both embracing prison abolition, understanding the inherently political nature of all imprisonment, and holding firm on the critical importance of movement defense to the creation of a better future.

Daniel also shares many insights from his own time as a political prisoner on the vicious and arbitrary nature of carceral power and the role that political prisoners try to play teaching and sharing radical knowledge but also seeking to legally combat the most repressive facets of the prison system both inside and out.

Josh and Daniel reference a ton of great projects and ways people can get involved, we will include all of them in the show notes so make sure to check them all out and get involved. One in particular we want to draw folks attention to uprisingsupport.org which was created to support people facing political repression for their involvement in the uprisings in response to the executions of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others in 2020.

 MAKC has a patreon you can support at https://www.patreon.com/millennialsarekillingcapitalism 

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing
WHEN: 7pm, Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022
WHERE: YOUR HOME
COST: Free

So this post was going to start off with a clever twist on the usual call for active inter-generational and intersectional solidarity as the only hope at this point for those who want anything other than outright fascism. But in light of the vigilante shooting of multiple comrades the other night in Portland, our clever arguments don’t seem apt. The ongoing collusion of state and right-wing violence directed at Black and Brown people, anti-racist protestors, and those perceived as being anarchist or anti-fascist, is chillingly horrific. The old familiar adage “we keep us safe” is as true as ever, because if we don’t, it is increasingly clear that truly no one will. But that “we” is open-ended, an invitation more than a definition. The more bridges we can build and maintain with any and all people struggling for a society based on solidarity rather than white supremacist, heterosexist domination, the stronger and safer we will all be.

One great way to build those bridges is to write letters to political prisoners! Engage with them, have a respectful dialogue; we all have things to learn from and teach each other. lf they don’t have the capacity to respond, be understanding, stay in the loop, offer your help to heir public support crews, learn about the context of their cases, and spread the word. You can start this week, by joining NYC ABC and Page One Collective in writing to Black liberation struggle political prisoner Ronald Reed.

Ronald 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.

Reed went on to join the Black United Front. In 1970 he was convicted of shooting 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.

Please take the time to write a letter to Ronald:
Ronald Reed #219531
Minnesota Correctional Facility-Lino Lakes
7525 Fourth Avenue
Lino Lakes, MN 55014

If you missed the tremendous oral arguments in Sundiata Acoli’s appeal in NJ Supreme Court on Jan, 31. 2022, you can watch them at https://www.njcourts.gov/public/webcast_archive.html

For more information and what you can do to help, please check out the Bring Sundiata Home Freedom Campaign’s webpage and also follow on social media: https://sundiataacolifc.org/

Order books at https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1L3A3PSLOYAY4?ref_=wl_share

Daniel Baker #25765-509
FCI Memphis
P.O. Box 34550
Memphis, TN 38184

Dan Baker is a social justice activist and former army vet. He went AWOL instead of fighting in Iraq, and then took his training to help defend Rojava with the International Freedom Battalion and was featured on VICE. Dan was also active during the George Floyd Rebellion and took part in CHAZ.

He was arrested on January 15th, 2021 after the FBI compiled social media posts related to Trump supporters’ actions on inauguration day to build a criminal case against him. Dan was facing up to 10 years for two counts of transmitting a communication in interstate commerce containing a threat to kidnap or injure. He was sentenced to 44 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release. His legal team is appealing the verdict.

Saturday, February 19, 2022
Black Panther Political Prisoner Kamau Sadiki 69th Birthday Celebration
7 to 9 p.m. EST

Featuring an inspirational evening of speakers, art, music, performances & information.

The Family, Friends & Comrades of Veteran Black Panther Political Prisoner Kamau Sadiki

Invite You to Join:

Dhoruba Bin Wahad ~ Naima Bandele ~ Russell Shoatz III ~ Ashanti Omowale
dequi kioni-sadiki ~ Spiritchild ~ Rev. Dorlimar Lebrón ~ Zayid Muhammad
YahNé Ndgo ~ Sophia Dawson ~ Sadiki “Bro. Shep” Olugbala and
many more Black/New Afrikan Revolutionaries & Anti-Imperialist Allies!

Organized by The International Campaign to Free Kamau Sadiki NOW!

RSVP on Eventbrite. Donations are needed and welcomed:
https://bit.ly/freekamausadiki69

For information:
[email protected] • https://linktr.ee/freekamausadiki

Here’s the latest compilation of every other week updates:
https://nycabc.files.wordpress.com/2022/02/updates-8-feb-2022.pdf

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.

Free ’em all,
NYC ABC

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing
WHEN: Tuesday, February 8th, 2022
WHERE: Your home!
COST: Free

Hey everyone, it’s that time of the month again! NYC ABC and Page One Collective are back to remind all of you wonderful, exhausted, burnt out people that there are political prisoners! They need our support and friendship! An easy way to provide that is to write letters!

This week we encourage everyone to write to Daniel Hale. Daniel Hale is a whistleblower who was indicted for allegedly disclosing classified documents about the U.S. military’s assassination program. On March 31, 2021, he pleaded guilty to a single count under the Espionage Act, and on July 27, 2021, Daniel was sentenced to 45 months in prison.

From The Intercept:

“Ahead of his sentencing this week, Hale filed an 11-page handwritten letter to the court detailing the motivations behind his actions. In vivid detail, Hale recalled his own experience locating targets for American drone strikes. By some estimates, U.S. drone operations abroad, conducted by both the military and the CIA, have killed between 9,000 and 17,000 people since 2004, including as many as 2,200 children and multiple U.S. citizens. Those estimates, however, undercount the true cost of remote American warfare — as Hale noted in his letter to the court last week, the U.S. military has a practice of labeling all individuals killed in such operations as “enemies killed in action” unless proven otherwise.“

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

Daniel Hale #26069-075
USP Marion
P.O. Box 1000
Marion, IL 62959

In 2 weeks, on the 36th anniversary of his capture, join the #FreeMutuluNow Campaign for our Black Love in Action for Dr. Mutulu Shakur weekend! We are calling on all those who believe in love, justice & human rights to demand his immediate release.

Kick-off the Black Love in Action for Dr. Mutulu Shakur weekend with our virtual rally on Feb. 11th at 7PM EST. We’re inviting our people to educate, agitate & organize to #FreeMutuluNOW!

Register for all events at https://linktr.ee/FreeMutuluNow or directly at http://bit.ly/BLAWEEKEND

Elder Native activist Leonard Peltier’s continued unjust imprisonment while positive for COVID-19 is a death sentence. Demand his immediate release NOW!

On Tuesday, Feb. 8, call the White House hotline: 202-456-1111 to demand Leonard Peltier’s immediate transfer to an outside hospital and immediate release!
11-3 Tues-Thurs (EST)
Message: www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Tweet at Biden: https://twitter.com/POTUS • https://twitter.com/joebiden

Sign the national petition calling for Leonard Peltier’s hospitalization and freedom

White House Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki was unable to answer Huffington Post reporter Jennifer Bendery’s question on the White House response to demands that Leonard Peltier be immediately released. Obviously, President Biden is not communicating with her about what action he will take. This is an urgent situation, so we must take action now!

Be sure to contact Jennifer Psaki on Monday, February 7, 2022 to demand Leonard’s immediate release: Email: [email protected]; Twitter = @PressSec

Peltier was convicted of aiding and abetting the killing of two FBI agents during a shootout on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975 while a member of the American Indian Movement. He was captured in Canada on Feb. 6, 1976 and illegally extradited to the U.S. based on false affidavits. Leonard has always maintained his innocence and is the longest-held Native American political prisoner in the United States. His lawyer, former federal judge Kevin Sharp, says Peltier’s case was riddled with misconduct, including witness coercion and withholding of exculpatory evidence. Peltier’s health, age and unfair trial make him the perfect candidate for executive clemency. “The legal remedies are no longer available,” says Sharp on Peltier’s case. “Now it’s time for the [Bureau of Prisons] and the president of the United States to fix this and send him home.”

“The big misconception about this is that Leonard Peltier was convicted of shooting two agents. He was not. They had to drop that, because the evidence they had presented that he had shot two agents was false. It was perjury. It was manufactured. So they had to drop that case and come up with a new theory, and that theory was aiding and abetting. And when Leonard talked about not being able to put on his defense, one of the things that Judge Benson said  — when he excluded the evidence related to the misconduct in the reign of terror, was that the FBI is not on trial here. But once he did that, you have to put all of this in context. That’s why Judge Heaney, who was on the 8th Circuit, who heard Leonard’s appeal — and although he upheld the conviction, later came out himself in favor of commuting this sentence — said the federal government has to take responsibility for what happened here. And absolutely, they do. Context matters. But the lack of evidence that this man killed someone also matters. And so it’s time. We’re now 46 years later. We’ve got a 77-year-old man with multiple health issues, and his tribe, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, saying, ‘We will embrace him. Please send him home to us.’ And that’s what I’m asking the president to do: Send him home.”

Organized by (list in formation): NYC Free Peltier • Jericho Movement • ProLibertad Freedom Campaign