Tuesday, April 21st – Letter Writing for Bomani Shakur

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, April 21st, 2020
WHERE: YOUR HOME
COST: Free
We are deep enough into this pandemic to see how power is exploiting both it and the folks considered disposable–essential workers (delivery drivers, grocery workers, et al) and prisoners. Prisoners are being infected and dying at a rate far higher than those on the outside. At the federal level, the bureau responsible for their well being (yes, we understand it’s an oxymoron), keeps blaming underlying health conditions instead of taking responsibility and freeing those with high risk factors for infection. To keep the focus on prisoners, NYC ABC  continues our support via every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing events. We are also excited to announce that starting with this event, we are organizing collaborative letter-writing nights with Page One Collective. And while the events will be collaboratively organized, due to where we are in history, and the importance of keeping everyone safe, those events will be organized here. That means we are asking you to take on the work of writing letters from home. Please post a photo of your addressed envelope on social media and tag us (with your return address blurred out) and we will share it, building digital community while our analog community stays indoors and washes its hands. This week, we respond to the call for a month of action in support of Bomani Shakur.

Bomani Shakur went to prison in 1989, at the age of 19, sentenced to seventeen years to life for defending himself during a robbery in which he was shot in the legs. At the time, Bomani was, by his own account, selling drugs to survive and it was not until his imprisonment that he became politicized. While in prison, Bomani read authors like Frantz Fanon and Noam Chomsky and developed his politics into those of a revolutionary. In 1993, the prison in which Bomani was being held rose up after the implementation of rules and sanctions by a new warden who was likely looking to incite violence to justify plans to expand the prison’s supermax wing. The uprising lasted eleven days and in the end nine prisoners and a guard were killed. Bomani was among those framed for the killings, probably due to his political organizing prior to the uprising. There is abundant evidence that runs contrary the the state’s contentions. For more information, check out keithlamar.org

Please take the time to write a letter to Bomani (and share a photo of your completed envelope with us online):
Bomani Shakur* #317117
Ohio State Penitentiary
878 Coitsville-Hubbard Road
Youngstown, Ohio 44505
*Address envelopes to Keith LaMar.