Joy Powell legal defense fundraiser

Donate at https://fundrazr.com/freejoypowell?ref=ab_9Xb2fVW1By59Xb2fVW1By5

As a pastor and a consistent activist against police brutality, violence and oppression in her community, Rev. Joy Powell was warned by the Rochester Police department that she was a target because of her speaking out against corruption. On many occasions, from 1995 to 2006, Rev. Joy had held rallies and spoke out against the police brutality and “police justifications” in Rochester NY. In 2006, she was accused and convicted of 1st Degree Burglary and Assault. Joy is sure the prosecution was politically motivated based on her activism through her organization, Equality and Justice For All.

An all-white jury tried her; the state provided no evidence and no eyewitnesses. Rev. Joy was not allowed to discuss her activism or say that she was a pastor. The person that testified for her was not allowed to tell the court that he knew Rev. Joy through their activist work and the church. Furthermore, Judge Francis Affronti promised he was going to give her a harsh sentence because he was biased against her. While serving a 16-year sentence for the conviction, a cold murder case was pinned on her. The trial was fraught with misconduct, yet she was convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life.

All funds will go to fees necessary for Joy’s family to do the important legal work that needs to be done to secure her freedom.

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New version of NYCABC “Illustrated Guide to Political Prisoners” (v.13.7)

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) his update includes updated mini-bios, photos, and address changes for several prisoners. We are thankful to remove Jalil Muntaqim (parole) and David Campbell (completion of sentence)!

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Former political prisoner Zolo Azania needs help now

Zolo Azania was a Black Liberation Army fighter from Gary, IN who did 35 years and was sentenced to death twice. He got out in 2017 after beating the death sentence on appeal twice.

Since being out, he’s started a paralegal service and does a lot of pro bono work for comrades, and been organizing to establish a re-entry facility in Gary. Right now he’s facing eviction and needs to raise $2000 before Nov. 10.

Donate at https://chuffed.org/project/help-prevent-zolos-eviction
More information about Zolo here.

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NYC ABC’s “Project Fang”


Project FANG is a much-needed attempt to fill a gap in the ongoing support work for earth and animal liberation prisoners in the United States. Below is detailed information about the fund; we extend an invitation for prisoners and their supporters to use it. For now, the fund is limited to earth and animal liberation prisoners in the United States and their visitors. With additional funding, we hope to expand access to the fund in the future.

As people with loved ones, friends, and comrades in prison (and in some cases, as people who have done time ourselves), we know how necessary and reinvigorating visits can be. They help us stay connected with one another and with the struggles we all care about. They help us overcome the separation of walls and wire. Unfortunately, visits are cost prohibitive for many of our friends, families, and comrades.

This project aims to help with the financial strain imposed on the families and loved ones of prisoners by providing cash allowances for travel expenses to and from prisons. The funds will be available in two separate amounts. Tier 1 will be a $300 allowance. Tier 2 will be a $500 allowance. If you will be using the fund, please carefully consider how much you, as a visitor, will need for travel expenses. Things to keep in mind might include: airfare/busfare/trainfare, car rental, hotel rental, money for the vending machines at the prison, et cetera. While we encourage you not to be afraid to ask for what you need, keep in mind that other people will be accessing this fund. If Tier 1 is enough to meet your needs, then that is what you should apply for. We also strongly encourage visitors to use any excess funds to further support prisoners, which might mean putting money toward commissary, ordering books for prisoners, or simply donating the money back to project FANG.

The size of the fund at any given time will guide how often you can apply for funds. Initially, each prisoner may apply for funds once per quarter (1st Quarter is January-March; 2nd Quarter is April-June; 3rd Quarter is July-September; 4th Quarter is October-December). Please remember that an application for funds does not ensure receipt of funds. We will do our best to accommodate all requests and we sincerely hope that we are able to do so. However, we might not always be able to meet everyone’s needs.

The process is simple and initiated by the prisoner.

We have already sent letters to all eligible prisoners—those imprisoned for taking action in defense of non-human animals and the earth (and who have subsequently not cooperated with the state). After the prisoner completes and mails in an application form, with contact information for up to four potential visitors, we will begin contacting their list of possible visitors to let them know they are eligible to receive funds. We ask that prisoners only include people who have been approved for visits by the facility they are in and they prioritize their list of visitors, as we will be starting by contacting the first person on their list and moving down the list from there. If the first potential visitor would like to receive the funds, they will fill out and submit an application form. If/when the application is accepted, we will mail a money order. If they do not wish to receive the funds, we will contact the next potential visitor on the list. Once someone accepts the money, that will count as the prisoner’s single use of the fund for the quarter.

If prisoners have any thoughts or ideas about project FANG or how to improve it, they are encouraged to include them with the response to the introductory letter we have sent to them. Prisoners know what their needs are better than we do, and the fund is here for them.

We realize that everyone is differently situated. If, for any reason, a prisoner you support is not able to respond to the introductory letter or to make direct requests for funds, we will not take it as a denial of need. We will make every effort to be in touch with support groups who might be better situated to correspond with groups such as ours.

Initially, project FANG will be facilitated by NYC Anarchist Black Cross and Sacramento Prisoner Support. More folks may become involved in the project should the need and interest arise. You can donate by going to projectFANG or sending a check or money order payable to NYC ABC to:

project FANG c/o NYC ABC
Post Office Box 110034
Brooklyn, New York 11211

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Philly ABC letter writing event for Jamil Al-Amin 10.26

Join us on Monday, October 26th, 5:30 pm at the picnic bench just north of the playground at Clark Park. We’ll be writing letters to Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin (formerly H. Rap Brown).

Jamil became known as a Black liberation leader as the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Justice Minister of the Black Panther Party. In the early ’70s, he did five years as a political prisoner before being paroled in 1976. Upon his release, he moved to Atlanta, GA and led one of the nation’s largest Muslim groups, Al-Ummah. He is known to have greatly improved social services to the West End community in Atlanta.

From 1992 to 1997, the FBI and Atlanta police investigated Imam Jamil in connection with everything from domestic terrorism to gunrunning to 14 homicides in Atlanta’s West End, according to police investigators’ reports, FBI documents and interviews. On March 16th, 2000, Fulton County Deputy Sheriff Ricky Kinchen is shot and later dies, while another deputy Aldranon English is wounded after being shot by a man outside Imam Jamil’s store. English identified the shooter in the March 16th incident as Imam Jamil, yet testified that he shot the assailant — who “had grey eyes” — in the exchange of gunfire. Imam Al-Amin’s eyes are brown, and he had no gunshot injury when he was captured just four days later.

Now that Fulton County has a Convictions Integrity Unit, there is a good chance that Imam Jamil’s case will be reopened due to the known incongruities. This is doubly important because he has medical challenges — symptoms of Sjogren’s syndrome and smoldering myeloma (a form of blood cancer) as well as untreated cataracts. Due to his eyesight, write letters to him in large print if you are participating remotely.

Snacks and all the letter-writing supplies one could wish for will be provided. We will also sign birthday cards for political prisoners with birthdays in November: Ed Poindexter (the 1st), Joe Dibee (the 10th), and Josh Williams (the 25th).

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NYC ABC Card Writing for ‘Green Scare’ political prisoners

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, October 20th, 2020
WHERE: YOUR HOME
COST: Free

It is 2020 and there are still folks locked up due to the US government’s war on environmental activists and animal liberationists. A few of years ago NYC ABC and Sacramento Prisoner Support responded to the state’s repression with project FANG, a travel fund for earth and animal liberation prisoners and we have since provided funds to families and supporters to help ease the burden of visiting imprisoned loved ones.

With “Operation Backfire” defendant Joseph Dibee apprehended in Cuba and the continued imprisonment of Standing Rock water defenders, we are reminded of the backwards and arbitrary logic the State uses to deem who are “terrorists.” Corporate influence continues to drive policy, as recently seen in North Dakota where pipeline companies have pushed legislators to codify harsh punishment for actions such as “valve turning.” The truth is, those in power will always villainize those who seek to liberate and will always valorize those who seek to carry out real destruction.

In light of the coming holiday, we are asking you to send Halloween cards to targets of the Green Scare as part of our every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing events, this year with 100 percent fewer spooky snitches’ fingers cookies, but 100 percent more Page One Collective collaboration, as we collectively work to keep each other safe from COVID-19 by distancing and writing from home.

Since the early 1980s, public relations hacks have been working to reify the term “eco-terrorism.” By 2004, they became successful and a phrase that a decade earlier had no real meaning was now defined by the United States government and used to introduce legislation. In the face of global ecologic destruction and animal torture, those who try to end the suffering are the ones labeled terrorists. Join us in letting the ones who have ultimately been captured know that they have not been forgotten.

Please take the time to send cards to Marius and Rattler (and share a photo of your completed envelopes with us online):
Marie (Marius) Mason #04672-061
FCI Danbury
Route 37
Danbury, Connecticut 06811
*Address card to Marius.

Rattler* #06280-073
FCI Sandstone
Post Office Box 1000
Sandstone, Minnesota 55072
*Address envelope to Michael Markus.

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