Currently, there are two places you can get political prisoner buttons. Gender Enders are selling Gage Halupowski, Eric King and Bill Dunne buttons as fundraisers. You can buy them at genderended.com/category/buttons

Additionally, our friends at Burning Books sells a series of 9 amazing button packs complete with current and former political prisoners and politicized prisoners. Order at https://burningbooks.com/collections/other/products/political-prisoner-button-packs

“We’re excited to be carrying these political prisoner buttons from Blue Ridge ABC. They come in 9 different mix packs.

Each pack contains 6 buttons with the names, faces and in many cases support sites for U.S.- held political prisoners, a mixture of well-known and less famous, younger and older, from different movements. A great resource for starting conversations and spreading support.”

Button packs represent:

#1) Sean Swain, Jeremy Hammond, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Jaan Laaman, Hanif Shabaz Bey, Dion Ortiz

#2) Ramsey Orta, Reality Winner, Leonard Peltier, Muhammad Burton, Chuck Africa, Imam Siddique Abdullah Hasan

#3) Joshua Williams, Marius Mason, Tom Manning, Janet Africa, Kevin “Rashid” Johnson, Russell “Maroon” Shoats

#4) Red Fawn Fallis, Michael Kimble, Eddie Africa, Joe-Joe Bowen, Walter Bond, Bill Dunne

#5) Oso Blanco, James “Angry Bird” White, David Gilbert, Greg Curry, Ed Poindexter, Janine Africa

#6) Jennifer “Babygirl” Gann, Delbert Africa, Jalil Muntaqim, Xinachtli, Michael “Little Feather” Giron, Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald

#7) Ruchell “Cinque” Magee, Kamau Sadiki, Eric King, Nina Droz Franco, Bomani Shakur, Ronald Reed

#8) Veronza Bowers, Mutulu Shakur, Casey Brezik, Rayquan Borum, Josh “Skelly” Stafford, Keith “Comrade Malik” Washington

#9) Jay Chase, Jalil Al Amin, Doug Wright, Sundiata Acoli, Michael “Rattler” Markus, Abdul Azziz

By Lauren Regan|July 26th, 2021|CLDC.org

Today I was locked in a small windowless room with asbestos walls crumbling onto a filthy floor for over seven hours. I was allowed to leave only once to use the restroom. I was not permitted to have water, food, or access to my cellphone to let anyone know whether or not I was OK.

A small metal shelf, about the size of a laptop, is mounted on one of the walls of the room. Above the shelf is a window of plexiglass that looks into an equal sized cement room in which our client, Eric King, sits looking back at me. I am in the attorney visiting room of the segregated housing unit (SHU) at the Englewood Federal Correctional Institution outside of Denver, Colorado.

Eric is an antiracist, antifascist anarchist serving a 10-year federal sentence for an act of protest over the murder of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black man who was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014. He is scheduled to be released in 2023. In a federal prison system filled with racial segregation, white supremacist gangs, and brutal violence, Eric’s time locked up has been the stuff of activists’ nightmares. Some prison guards and “white power” prisoners work together to exact vengeance on prisoners like him — “race traitors,” LGBTQIA individuals, and smaller-framed people who are visibly proud of standing against fascism, as evidenced by their tattoos.

Eric has been left in a cage by guards to be beaten or killed by the leader of an infamous white supremacist gang; framed; seriously beaten at least a dozen times; had his head split open by a guard and rendered unconscious; and was taken into a mop closet and punched multiple times in the face by a Bureau of Prisons Lieutenant who screamed “terrorists killed my daughter” before throwing the first punch. Eric was then strapped to a metal bed in four-point restraints while multiple guards beat him, and a captain used a shield to smother him while hissing “I hope you get raped or beaten up at your next institution.” And, sure enough, he did get beaten…while guards watched. Eric currently faces a federal criminal assault prosecution for allegedly punching the BOP Lieutenant in self defense. He has been waiting for a trial on the charge for almost three years now. If he is convicted, this hell may be prolonged for several more years.

About a year ago CLDC took on Eric’s criminal case. After reading through the evidence and viewing the security videos — which appear to be edited to remove several periods of torture — we knew we had to try to help keep Eric alive until he could come home to his wife and daughters. Two months ago we filed a federal civil rights case on his behalf. You can read more about the trauma and abuse Eric has endured, and our suit on his behalf, here.

In addition to Eric’s criminal case, our small legal team is also handling several other major #BLM related cases, including several federal prosecutions. Those clients are largely young BIPOC activists also rooted in the antiracist/antifascist movement. In the event that any of them are forced to do federal prison time, we must attempt to make that place survivable by at least shedding light on the secretive system of racism and abuse that has been running rampant within the BOP for a long time. It is necessary to call for the abolition of the prison industrial complex and the carceral state in order to permanently stop these egregious harms. It is also necessary to try to keep our comrades safer as they attempt to survive alone within the cement walls of those jails and prisons where some prison employees act with impunity.

After a long day of listening to Eric’s terrifying, tragic saga of imprisonment, I will return again tomorrow for another eight hours in the tiny, foul attorney cell. Of course, I am grateful that, at the end of the day, I can leave, but I am intensely worried for our client and friend who fears for his life almost every minute of every day.

If you support our legal defense of antiracist, antifascist activists and political prisoners, please consider becoming a monthly CLDC donor. Your contribution will help defray the costs we incur in taking on these pro bono cases. Thanks to generous donations, our activist clients are never turned away for lack of ability to pay for litigation expenses.

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing
WHEN: 7pm, Tuesday, July 27th, 2021
WHERE: YOUR HOME
COST: Free

On July 19th, 1936, right-wing authoritarian generals and their fascist allies revolted against the timidly left-leaning government of the Spanish Republic. Though no friends of the liberals in power, Spanish anarchists saw the existential threat to the working classes—and humanity—that fascism posed, and fought heroically not to save the government, but to repel the coup. What followed has been called revolution (as people in liberated cities and villages dramatically re-organized their social and economic lives), civil war, triumph, defeat, and folly, depending on who you ask and where their ethics lie. Whatever you call it, it was the first major international battle against fascism, and included some of the largest experiments in real-world anarchism the world had seen. This confluence is no coincidence, since every form of centralized government contains the seeds of fascism. As Buenaventura Durruti put it: “No government fights fascism to destroy it. When the bourgeoisie sees that power is slipping out of its hands, it brings up fascism to hold onto their privileges.” Y la Lucha continua…

July 25 is the International Day of Solidarity with Anti-Fascist Prisoners. In honor of this, NYC ABC and Page One are asking folks to write a letter to anti-fascist political prisoner Gage Halupowski.

Gage Halupowski was arrested along with two other protesters in the wake of clashes in Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square, later indicted on four criminal charges, including second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, attempted assault of a public safety officer, and interfering with a peace officer. In November 2019, Gage was convicted and sentenced to six years in state prison.

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

Gage Halupowski #21894460
Snake River Correctional Institution
777 Stanton Boulevard
Ontario, OR 97914-8335

Monthly Prisoner Letter Writing Night-
Monday August 9th
7-9pm
Lamplighter (1719 Summit Avenue, Richmond, VA)

Join James River Anarchist Black Cross to write letters and share info about prisoner support and movement defense. Space Information: masks required indoors, stairs at front entrance, ramp entrance available [email protected]

Here’s the latest compilation of every other week updates:
https://nycabc.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/updates-27-jul-2021.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

Our friends at @genderended distro are selling buttons for Eric’s upcoming birthday! (August 2nd). All funds directly go to Eric! Order at https://www.genderended.com/product/support-eric-button

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2021

UPDATE on Jessica Reznicek’s case, SIGN THE PETITION “Protecting Water is Never Terrorism: Repeal Jessica Reznicek’s Terrorist Enhancement!”, and Free Jessica WEBSITE LAUNCH!

Contact: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/freejessrez
Website: Supportjessicareznicek.com

Since sentencing Jessica has remained on house arrest at the Des Moines Catholic Worker, with her cat Noni who has offered constant comfort and solidarity. The United States Department of Justice has notified Jessica Reznicek that she is scheduled to report to Waseca, MN Federal Correctional Institution on Aug 11th at 2pm. Our hearts are filled with feelings of love and gratitude from all the requests to write letters of support to Jessica. Once she is in prison we will launch a letter writing campaign with all the information and directions on how to do so.

The 8th Circuit United States Court of Appeals has set a preliminary deadline of August 19th for an appeals brief to be filed. The appeal will be focusing on Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger’s misuse of terrorism enhancements at Jessica’s sentencing.

Despite federal authorities use of ‘terrorism’ language to describe Reznicek’s actions, no person was harmed by her actions, nor was she technically convicted of any terrorism-related crime. In plain language, there are already laws on books to punish people for arson, and without the domestic terrorism enhancement Jessica would be looking at less than half of the 8 year sentence she has wrongfully received.

ADD YOUR NAME TO THE PETITION: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/protecting-water-is-never-terrorism-repeal-jessica-rezniceks-terrorist-enhancement
In the meantime, Jessica remains upbeat and heart-strong as she is receiving enormous amounts of support, solidarity and love from folks around the globe. She is currently exploring ways to earn her bachelor degree while in prison through prison correspondence education programs. For more information on Jessica’s case and to continue to support Jessica visit our website: supportjessicareznicek.com

If you are on organization that would like to add your name to the petition or support team fill out this form.

Thank you for your support!
Love and solidarity, Jessica and the Jessica Support Team

Join us in Clark Park this coming Monday for the next letter-writing event. Snacks and materials will be provided! We will be writing letters to extend our solidarity to Ron Reed, long-time civil rights activist and Black revolutionary who is fighting his conviction for which he was framed and given a life sentence. His birthday is August 31st, so if you are writing to him from home, please send him birthday greetings as well.

Ron is a former 60s civil rights activist. In 1969, Reed was 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 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 an off-duty police officer during a bank expropriation and served 13 years in prison. Twenty-five years later, Reed was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder after having a cold case of another police shooting pinned on him. He is now serving life in prison for the second conviction.

We will also be sending birthday cards to political prisoners with birthdays in August: Eric King (the 2nd), Bill Dunne (the 3rd), Hanif Bey (the 6th), Mutulu Shakur (the 8th), and Russell Maroon Shoatz (the 23rd).

If you have the ability, please check out political prisoner Eric King’s online wishlist at
tiny.cc/EK_Books  and buy a book or two. Eric has been in segregation for almost two years and facing new charges. He is a voracious reader and shares the books with many others. He is also, absurdly, on a mail ban for over a year and can only receive mail from his wife, mother and lawyers.

More about Eric
https://supportericking.org

Imprisoned Anti-Fascist Activist Says Federal Guards Let White Supremacists Beat Him

Voices from Solitary: Flipping the Script

Running Down the Walls 2021

Saturday, September 11, 2021 at 6:00pm (rain or shine!)

Southern Walnut Creek Trail at Govalle Neighborhood Park, 5200 Bolm Rd, Austin, TX 78721

Required registration form here.

Registration fee: sliding scale $20-100 ($40 strongly recommended). Each paid and registered participant will get a t-shirt (design is still in the works).

Pay online via PayPal to AustinRDTW@protonmail.com or you can bring cash/check/money order to the event. Or email us to make other arrangements.

Contact: [email protected]