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BK/NY – Tuesday, October 13th – Letter Writing for Jeremy Hammond and Barrett Brown
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, October 13th, 2015
WHERE: The Base – 1302 Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11221 (directions below)
NOTE: The Base is on the ground floor, is wheelchair accessible, and has a gender neutral toilet.
COST: Free
This week we are writing to Jeremy Hammond and Barrett Brown, both of whom are imprisoned in relation to the hacking of the private intelligence firm Statfor.
Jeremy Hammond is an anarchist computer hacker from Chicago. In November 2013, he was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for leaking the personal information of 860,000 customers of private intelligence firm Strategic Forecasting (Stratfor) through the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks. This information revealed that Stratfor spies on activists, among others, at the behest of corporations and the U.S. government.
In October 2012, Barrett Brown was indicted on three counts related to postings on websites such as Twitter and YouTube. Later in December of that year, Barrett was indicted by a federal grand jury on twelve additional counts related to data from the Stratfor information leak carried out by hackers from Anonymous. Despite his lack of direct involvement in the operation and stated opposition to it, he faced these charges for allegedly pasting a hyperlink online. On January 23, 2013 he was indicted a third time on two more counts, relating to the March 2012 FBI raid(s) on his apartment and his mother’s house. In April, Brown pleaded guilty to three reduced counts. In January 2015, he was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison.
Manchester, Kentucky 40962
Barrett Brown #45047-177
FCI Three Rivers
Post Office Box 4200
Three Rivers, Texas 78071
The deal, as always, is that you come bringing only yourself (and your friends an Read more…
NYC – Tuesday, June 24th – Letter-writing to Barrett Brown, Jeremy Hammond, and Chelsea Manning
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, June 24th, 2014
WHERE: CAGE – 83A Hester Street (UPSTAIRS) New York, New York 10002 (directions below)
COST: Free
Who doesn’t love really good sports talk, right? Of course you saw the way sporting team defeated their rivals at the Big Game™. In the latest global distraction, we’re rooting for the protesters, including those imprisoned for challenging the state and capital as they’ve colluded to further disenfranchise the poor. As our solidarity extends to comrades jailed in Brazil, we also return to the way we’ve been supporting U.S. held political prisoners for the past several years. The simple way NYC ABC does that is through every-other-week letter-writing dinners.
This week, we are writing to three imprisoned comrades— targeted by the state for their work to expose the atrocities committed by, and in service to, the United States government and the economic system that feeds it.
Having previously been raided by the FBI on March 6, 2012 and not arrested or charged, on September 12, 2012 Barrett Brown was again raided and this time arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation while he was online participating in a Tinychat session. He was subsequently denied bail and detained without charge and adequate medical treatment for over two weeks while in the custody of US Marshals. In the first week of October 2012, he was finally indicted on three counts. related to alleged activities or postings on popular websites such as Twitter and YouTube. He was later indicted by a federal grand jury on twelve additional counts related to data from the Stratfor breach, and a third time on two more counts, relating to the March 2012 FBI raid(s) on his apartment and his mother’s house.
Jeremy Hammond, a former member of the hacking network Anonymous who has become a cause célèbre for hacktivists, civil libertarians and those concerned about the rights of whistleblowers, is a gifted young computer programmer who is currently spending a decade in prison. His crime? Leaking information from the private intelligence firm Strategic Forecasting, information which revealed that Stratfor had been spying on human rights activists at the behest of corporations and the U.S. government.
The trial of military whistle-blower and democracy advocate Chelsea Manning (known as Bradley Manning until her Aug 22, 2013 announcement) finished on August 21st, 2013. After a prosecution which starkly showcased US government officials’ misplaced priorities when it comes to human rights, Army whistleblower PVT Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison. This case sets a dangerous precedent for the first amendment, opening whistle-blowers and those who help them to extreme prosecution.
If, for some crazy reason, you can’t join us, please write to Barrett, Jeremy, and Chelsea (or send a book) from home:
Barrett Brown #45047-177
FCI Seagoville
Post Office Box 9000
Seagoville, Texas 75159-9000
Jeremy Hammond #18729-424
FCI Manchester
Post Office Box 4000
Manchester, Kentucky 40962
Chelsea E Manning 89289
1300 North Warehouse Road
Ft Leavenworth, Kansas 66027-2304
For more information about Barrett, visit freebarrettbrown.org
For more information about Jeremy, visit freejeremy.net
For more information about Chelsea, visit chelseamanning.org
