Over 100 in the streets for NYC ABC NYE Noise Demo

2019 started strong as we welcomed home water protector Dion Ortiz. Throughout the year, we saw more comrades released (Janet, Janine, and Eddie Africa; Little Feather, Connor Stevens, and Nina Droz Franco). And yet, as more elders age behind the wall, we lost a true warrior, Tom Manning. To close the year, NYC ABC organized a noise demo outside of Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in order to protest, celebrate, and let folks on the inside know they are not forgotten.

We got there a little after 8:30 and others were there waiting. We greeted old comrades and folks we’d yet to meet and by 9:00pm, a decent crowd had formed. The night was relatively warm by winter standards, but comrades from the Metropolitan Anarchist Coordinating Council (MACC) showed up with tea and hot chocolate to make sure everyone’s vocal cords stayed nice and toasty as we yelled and sang upward, into the steel and cement monolith that is MCC.

There were all manner of noise makers, most folks brought their own. Hell, we even had a makeshift drum corps to keep this noise demo moving.

Photo by NYC RAM

And while folks were there to celebrate and reach through the walls, signs and banners also expressed the brimming rage of the crowd. A crew from The Base showed up with black flags and banners to make sure all inside knew there were anarchists organizing in solidarity with them.

The demo lasted a couple of hours, but not before folks broke out sparklers and fireworks. And not before a fair amount of cops came to observe. They didn’t have riot gear or visible plasitcuffs, so the threat was more in what a bunch of preposterous goons they are than in any potential for arrest.

We’ve been told before, by comrades who were once held in MCC, that the noise demos light up the whole place and get through to the prisoners. If you’re thinking about organizing a noise demo in your town, do it.

Shortly before the crowd started to break up and head out, the following statement was read as a call and response, ensuring that our comrades inside could hear it:
“To many it feels like we live in a time like no other with surveillance and repression at every turn but also resistance, rebellion, and open revolt. This is neither the new golden nor dark age, it is simply another moment in time where we can collectively force conflict with a fucked up system.

Every day there are revolts of varying scale, most of which you never hear about. For those captured in revolt we come together in protest and celebration. Through the din of revelry and rage we tie ourselves to those who suffer systematized white supremacy and war against the working class

Prison is a means of social control to be absolutely destroyed.

Here’s to the total destruction of a prison-based society!

Tonight we bring with us the courage of Bill Dunne, the ferocity of Joe-Joe Bowen, the wisdom of Mutulu Shakur.

We remember in every act of rebellion against the state, our deceased comrades Tom Manning and Robert Seth Hayes your legacies will never be forgotten.

We hold in our hearts comrades soon to be or recently imprisoned—David Campbell, Joseph Dibee, Gage Halupowski, Chelsea Manning.

YOU. ARE NOT. ALONE.”

BK/NY – Tuesday, July 9th – Letter Writing Dinner for Eric King

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, July 9th, 2019
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

It’s rare we get good news in the political prisoner support world, or even the anarchist world, as you all well know. But recently NYC ABC was thrilled to find out that Eddie Africa, one of the MOVE 9 political prisoners, was released on Friday, June 21st after serving an abominable 40 years in prison.  WELCOME HOME EDDIE! You can support the struggle to get parole for the two remaining MOVE 9 prisoners–Chuck and Delbert, via the Abolitionist Law Center. In the meantime, we keep grinding and hosting every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing dinners, and this week is no different.

This week NYC ABC will be writing to anarchist prisoner Eric King, who certainly feeds off of news of fellow political prisoners to keep his fire burning while inside. Eric is a vegan anarchist prisoner serving a 10 year sentence for an attempted firebombing of a government official’s office in Kansas City, Missouri in September 2014. Eric was charged with throwing a hammer through a window of the building, followed by two lit Molotov cocktails. The criminal complaint states that both incendiary devices failed to ignite. We encourage folks to send him a card or letter and spread the word about him if not already doing so. More information can be found at supportericking.org.

If for what ever reason you can’t make it out to write Eric in the company of fellow anarchists and vegan food, we hope you’ll still find some time to write to him here:
Eric King # 27090045
USP Atlanta
Post Office Box 150160
Atlanta, Georgia 30315

Illustrated Guide Version 14.4 Uploaded!

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) by clicking on the tab at the top of this page. This update includes updated mini-bios, photos, and address changes for several prisoners. We are thankful to remove MOVE 9 prisoner Eddie Africa (paroled!).

BK/NY – Tuesday, June 25th – Letter Writing Dinner for Chuck and Delbert Africa

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, June 25th, 2019
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

We in NYC ABC are going to keep it short this time. One by one, the MOVE 9 are coming home! #FACTS. And it’s not due to a benevolent state apparatus, it’s due to folks on the outside busting their asses to make sure the spotlight remains on imprisoned comrades. Eddie was just released, Janine and Janet very recently, and they will all need help getting on their feet and acclimating to a world possibly more fucked up than when they  went in. In short, DONATE! And help us keep the pressure on the state and the morale of our comrades high by coming to our every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing dinner. This week we write to the two remaining MOVE 9 political prisoners, Chuck and Delbert Africa.

If for some insane reason you cannot join us Tuesday, please write them from home:
Smart Communications/PA DOC
Charles Sims Africa #AM4975
SCI Dallas
Post Office Box 33028
St Petersburg, Florida 33733

Smart Communications/PA DOC
Delbert Orr Africa #AM4985
SCI Dallas
Post Office Box 33028
St Petersburg, Florida 33733

Illustrated Guide Version 14.1 Uploaded!

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) by clicking on the tab at the top of this page. This update includes updated mini-bios, photos, and address changes for several prisoners.

Illustrated Guide Version 13.9 Uploaded!

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) by clicking on the tab at the top of this page. This update includes updated mini-bios, photos, and address changes for several prisoners. Unfortunately, we are adding two prisoners to the guide this month–Green Scare target Joseph Dibee and whistleblower Reality Winner. We are thankful to remove water protector Ellen Sue Gerhart (completion of sentence!) and Mike Africa (Parole!).

BK/NY – Tuesday, July 31st – Letter Writing Dinner for the MOVE 9

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, July 31st, 2018
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

It’s uncommon that we are able to relate good news, but this week we can. Robert Seth Hayes has been released on parole, having met all criteria for release according to his sentence and after serving 45 years in prison. Welcome home, Seth! It’s impossible to celebrate Seth’s release without remembering that we have so many comrades still in prison. So NYC ABC will do what we do and host another of our every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing dinners. We are so close to the 40th anniversary of the police attack on the MOVE house that we are focusing this week’s event on the MOVE 9.

The MOVE 9 are a family of strong, serious, deeply committed revolutionaries who have endured decades of violent oppression at the hands of the racist state. They are innocent women and men who have been in prison since August 8, 1978, following a massive police attack on them at their home in the Powelton Village neighborhood of Philadelphia. This was seven years before the government dropped a bomb on MOVE, killing 11 people, including 5 babies. You will notice only six addresses below. That is because the state would rather see our comrades dead than free and allowed both Merle and Phil Africa to die while imprisoned. ¡Presente! Just last month, in June 2018, Debbie Africa was the first MOVE prisoner to be released on parole. Welcome home, Debbie!

If for some reason you can’t make it out on Tuesday, take a minute to write these folks from home (NOTE: Pennsylvania will ONLY accept mail in plain white envelopes):
Janet Hollaway Africa #OO6308
Janine Phillips Africa #OO6309
SCI Cambridge Springs
451 Fullerton Avenue
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania 16403-1238

Delbert Orr Africa #AM4985
Charles Sims Africa #AM4975
SCI Dallas
1000 Follies Road
Dallas, Pennsylvania 18612

Michael Davis Africa #AM 4973
SCI Phoenix
Post Office Box 244
Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426

Edward Goodman Africa #AM4974
SCI Mahanoy
301 Morea Road
Frackville, Pennsylvania 17932

NYC – Tuesday, September 16th – Letter-writing to MOVE 9

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, September 16th, 2014
WHERE: CAGE – 83A Hester Street (UPSTAIRS) New York, New York 10002 (directions below)
COST: FreeIt’s been a busy couple of weeks since our last political prisoner letter-writing dinner. We hosted Running Down the Walls 2014 and folks from our collective are preparing to attend a North American Anarchist Black Cross conference in Colorado. Meanwhile, Raytheon the United States government continues to try and convince the world that plans to start new wars in Northern Iraq and Syria are justified and desirable. In that same period of time, one of our imprisoned MOVE 9 comrades was again denied parole. So it is on the MOVE 9 prisoners NYC ABC focuses our next dinner. We are also very fortunate to have a member of the campaign to Free the MOVE 9 coming to give background on the case and updates on the prisoners.

The MOVE 9 are innocent men and women who have been in prison since August 8, 1978, following a massive police attack on MOVE at their home in the Powelton Village neighborhood of Philadelphia. This was seven years before the government dropped a bomb on MOVE, killing 11 people, including 5 babies. For more information on the MOVE 9, visit http://onamove.com/move-9 and for more information on the campaign to secure parole for them, check out http://move9parole.blogspot.com

If for some bizarre reason you can’t make it to dinner, please write to the remaining MOVE 9 prisoners from home. Their addresses are:

Charles Sims Africa #AM4975
SCI Dallas
1000 Follies Road
Dallas, Pennsylvania 18612-0286

Debbie Sims Africa #OO6307
SCI Cambridge Springs
451 Fullerton Avenue
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania 16403

Delbert Orr Africa #AM4985
SCI Dallas
1000 Follies Road
Dallas, Pennsylvania 18612-0286

Edward Goodman Africa #AM4974
SCI Mahanoy
301 Morea Road
Frackville, Pennsylvania 17932

Janet Holloway Africa #OO6308
SCI Cambridge Springs
451 Fullerton Avenue
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania 16403

Janine Phillips Africa #OO6309
SCI Cambridge Springs
451 Fullerton Avenue
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania 16403

Michael Davis Africa #AM4973
SCI Graterford
Post Office Box 244
Graterford, Pennsylvania 19426-0244

William Phillips Africa #AM4984
SCI Dallas
1000 Follies Road
Dallas, Pennsylvania 18612-0286