BK/NY – Tuesday, April 16th – Letter Writing Dinner for Joshua Williams

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, April 16th, 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

While it comes as no surprise, the fact is that in modern times Black people are not only regularly gunned down by the State, but also kidnapped and caged for standing up for and defending their communities. 23 year old Joshua Williams is a victim of the latter and will be the focus of NYC ABC‘s every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing dinner.

Josh became a vocal regular participant in the anti-police demonstrations following the murder of 18 year old Mike Brown in 2014. Later that year, Joshua was arrested for the arson of a convenience store that was located across the street from the fatal police shooting of Antonio Martin just days prior. In December 2015 Joshua pleaded guilty to arson and burglary and has been sentenced to 8 years in state prison. There is currently a petition campaign to get parole for Josh or have his sentence commuted. You can sign it by clicking here.

Josh’s age and high profile status as a Ferguson protester have made him a consistent target for right wing media and blogging blowhards. They have been giggling to their empty selves at the idea of a young man who has been outspoken for peace being locked up for arson. They lack the understanding that peace sometimes comes at a cost. They lack the context of a world in which a young Black person enduring any violence by the State or other white supremacists will likely go unchecked and probably publicly applauded. The damage to an empty building is not equivalent.

We expect to see you on Tuesday. If you can’t make it, please take the time to write a letter to Josh:
Joshua Williams #1292002
Missouri Eastern Correctional Center
18701 Old Highway 66
Pacific, Missouri 63069

BK/NY – Tuesday, July 4th – Letter Writing Dinner for Josh Williams, Krow, and Ramsey Orta

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, July 4th, 2017
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

While the rest of the country happily turns the other cheek to the daily atrocities committed under the name of the USA in order to get wasted and light off fireworks, NYC ABC will be doing something a little different.  Join us at this Tuesday to enjoy some vegan barbecue, relish in our disgust at the state and celebrate folks who have recently been captured.  This week we’ll be writing three individuals who have gone down for their participation in the Ferguson uprising, No DAPL, and cop watch actions.

Josh Williams became a vocal regular participant in the anti-police demonstrations following the murder of 18 year old Mike Brown in 2014. Later that year, Joshua was arrested for the arson of a convenience store that was located across the street from the fatal police shooting of Antonio Martin just days before. In December 2015 Joshua pleaded guilty to arson and burglary and has been sentenced to 8 years in state prison.

On April 12, Krow was taken into custody, to Morton County Jail, where she awaits extradition. True to form—always thinking of others— she spent her last day on the outside supporting other No DAPL prisoners and rescuing a cat.  On February 4, 2017—her 30^th birthday—she was assaulted and arrested by a member of the Bureau of Indian Affairs while in North Dakota supporting the resistance to the Dakota Access pipeline. She was held in Morton County Correctional Center until February 27. She is being charged with violating felony probation. Krow’s legal case set a precedent in North Dakota as the first case to release someone on bond preceding a formal extradition hearing.  For Krow’s statement after her initial release from jail on February 27, and before turning herself in on April 12, visit http://supportkrow.org

In July 2014 Ramsey Orta was in front of a corner store on Staten Island when vicious murdering pig David Pantaleo wrapped his arm around Eric Garner’s neck and squeezed until his final breath. Having dealt with police before Ramsey had the forethought to grab his camera phone and start recording. He captured the final moments of Eric Garner’s life, in which he uttered the now infamous phrase and rallying cry, “I can’t breathe.” Ramsey released the video, which instantly went viral and inspired folks to hit the streets across the country against the police. Given the State’s goals of maintaining white supremacy it should come as no surprise that the only person who both walked away from the scene of Eric Garner’s death alive and faced any real consequences handed down by the State is Ramsey. Since the uploading of the video, Ramsey has been harassed non-stop by the NYPD and was arrested numerous times. On one occasion when the police were targeting and arresting him, they even pulled out their phones and said “You filmed us, now we are filming you.” One of these charges stuck and Ramsey surrendered himself to begin a four year sentence on October 3rd.

If for some reason you can’t make it Tuesday, please take a moment to write these folks on your own time:
Josh Williams #1292002
E.R.D.C.C.
2727 Highway K
Bonne Terre, Missouri 63628

Krow*
Iron County Jail
300 Taconite Street
Hurley, Wisconsin 54534
*address envelope to Katie Kloth

Ramsey Orta 16A4200
​Franklin Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 10
Malone, New York 12953-0010

BK/NY – Tuesday, May 12 – Letter-writing to Bill Dunne and Casey Brezik

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, May 12th, 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
We’ve been told that last week a historic fight took place, but those who keep talking about it seem confused. The real fights have been taking place in Baltimore, in Seattle, in Ferguson. And these fights still rage. We in NYC ABC are fighters, too. We fight for those comrades who are imprisoned and this week we are focusing our every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing dinner on two such folks. This week we are writing to anarchist prisoners Casey Brezik and Bill Dunne.

In 2010, anarchist Casey Brezik tried to assassinate the governor of Missouri. In June of 2013, he was convicted and sentenced to a dozen years on each of three counts – assault and two armed criminal action charges – and seven years on a second count of assault. All sentences will run concurrently.

Bill Dunne is an anti-authoritarian sentenced to 90 years for the attempted liberation of comrades from Seattle’s King County Jail in 1979 and for attempting to break himself out of Leavenworth Penitentiary in 1983. Dunne was charged with possession of an automatic weapon, auto theft, and with aiding & abetting the escape. Charges further alleged the operation was financed by bank expropriations and facilitated by illegal acquisition of weapons and explosives. Bill went before the parole board in the winter of 2014, was rejected and given a 15 year “hit” (meaning he cannot go back to the board for that time period).

We expect to see you on Tuesday. If you can’t make it, please take the time to write letters (and send books) to Casey and Bill:
Casey Brezik #1154765
Jefferson City Correctional Center
8200 No More Victims Road
Jefferson City, Missouri 65101

Bill Dunne #10916-086
FCI Herlong
Post Office Box 800
Herlong, California 96113

BK/NY – Tuesday, December 9th – Letter-Writing Dinner For Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, December 9th, 2014
WHERE: The Base – 1302 Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11221 (directions below)
COST: Free
With the public eye turned to Ferguson, police brutality, and murder;  and in response rebels shutting down transportation infrastructure across the country– cops are shook.  So it’s only right that NYC ABC heads back to The Base for our every-other-week Political Prisoner Letter Writing Dinner— with a focus on two comrades targeted by the state and its racist pigs for struggling for collective liberation.

This week we will be watching videos of a couple of short interviews with, and writing to, Herman Bell & Jalil Muntaqim.

Herman Bell is a former Black Panther imprisoned for the murder of a police officer in New York and is serving 25 years to life in prison.

In 1971, Herman went underground because of relentless FBI attacks on the Black Panther Party. While underground, Herman was captured and extradited to New York on charges of having killed two New York City police officers. No witnesses were able to put Herman at the scene of the crime. The first trial ended in a hung jury and he was convicted at his second trial and given 25 years to life. For more information, make sure to visit freehermanbell.org.

Jalil Muntaqim is a former Black Panther who, in 1971, was arrested in California with Albert “Nuh” Washington and Herman Bell and ultimately convicted for the killing of two New York City cops. In 1974, Muntaqim was convicted and received a prison term of twenty-five years to life.

Now, 30 years after the conviction, Jalil is preparing an Article 78 petition to the Court. He is also still requesting folks call Tina Stanford, Commissioner of the Board of Parole, and urge her to reverse Jalil’s most recent parole denial due to erroneous information in the parole folder: the COMPAS Report and their receipt and review of racist letters opposing his release. Jalil anticipates that, if several people make these calls, perhaps the parole board will reverse the denial and order a new hearing. We ask that you all make phone calls to Tina Stanford’s office (518.473.9400) and urge a decision in Jalil’s administrative appeal. More information at freejalil.com

We expect to see you on Tuesday. If you can’t make it, please take the time to write a letter to Herman and Jalil:
Herman Bell #79-C-0262
Great Meadow Correctional Facility
11739 State Route 22
Post Office Box 51
Comstock, New York 12821-0051

Anthony J. Bottom* #77A4283
Attica Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 149
Attica, New York 14011-0149
*Address envelope to Anthony Bottom, address letter to Jalil Muntaqim.

NYC – Tuesday, August 19th – Solidarity With International Anarchist Political Prisoners

WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, August 19, 2014
WHERE: CAGE – 83A Hester Street (UPSTAIRS) New York, New York 10002 (directions below)
COST: Free

Rebels are getting wild in the streets, fed up with the abuse and brutality regularly meted out by cops. We in NYC ABC say up the rebels, including those comrades behind bars. And how do we support those imprisoned revolutionaries? One way is through our every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing dinners. This week we are a little early in answering the call for solidarity with international anarchist political prisoners.

Many imprisoned anarchists will never be acknowledged as ‘political prisoners’ by formal human-rights organizations, because their sense of social justice is strictly limited to the capitalist laws which are designed to defend the State and prevent any real social change. At the same time, even within our individual communities, we know so little about the repression that exists in other countries.

Here in the states, folks are being persecuted for possibly even associating with anarchists or animal liberationists. Around the globe, the state and capital collude in much the same way, and as a result rebels are imprisoned for acting on their desire for a free world. Please join us in sending cards to these imprisoned comrades. We’ll see you at supper!