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BK/NY – Tuesday, January 8th – Letter-Writing Dinner For David, Jalil, and Joy
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, January 8th, 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 the majority of Americans use New Years Eve as an excuse to drink as much alcohol as they can consume only to ‘turn over a new leaf’ the following day by joining a gym, we at NYC ABC are doing the work we always do. We were excited to see your smiling (albeit it rain-drenched) faces at our annual New Year’s Eve Noise Demo at MCC in Manhattan. And as per usual, we will be kicking off yet another calendar year of bi-weekly letter writing nights and hope to see y’all there, too.
NYC ABC is starting the first month of the year by focusing on comrades near to us, both in affinity and proximity–David Gilbert, Jalil Muntaqim, and Joy Powell, three of our New York state political prisoners.
David Gilbert was moved in 2016 to Wende Correctional Facility, luckily closer to some comrades and unfortunately farther from others. David is a long time anti-racist and anti-imperialist who is serving a life sentence for his involvement as a white comrade to the Black Liberation Army during an attempted expropriation, better known as the Brinks Robbery. He has continued the struggle while held captive. For more information, see here.
Jalil Muntaqim has been rejected by the New York state parole board a total of ten times. December 2018 was the last time Jalil appeared before the Board, and the tenth time he has been denied, despite having an excellent record and meeting all requirements to be released on parole. Jalil has submitted a request to Governor Cuomo requesting commutation of sentence to time served, as the parole board is obviously biased. A fair and just parole hearing is impossible for Jalil and our other New York State political prisoners. More information at freejalil.com
Reverend Joy Powell was warned by the Rochester Police department that she was a target because of her speaking out against corruption. On many occasions, Rev. Joy held rallies and spoke out against the police brutality and “police justifications” in Rochester, New York. As a result, she was accused and convicted of 1st Degree Burglary and Assault. Rev. Joy has filed multiple grievances for sexual assault and religious discrimination among other things, and has been repeatedly denied medical attention for her diabetes and asthma. For more information on how you can help support, read here.
We expect to see you on Tuesday. If you can’t make it, please take the time to write a letter to David, Jalil, and Joy:
David Gilbert #83-A-6158
Wende Correctional Facility
3040 Wende Road
Alden, New York 14004
Jalil Muntaqim* #77-A-4283
Sullivan Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 116
Fallsburg, New York 12733-0116
*Address envelope to Anthony Bottom.
Reverend Joy Powell #07-G-0632
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 1000
Bedford Hills, New York 10507-2499
BK/NY – Tuesday, January 2nd – Letter-Writing Dinner For Herman, Seth, and Jalil
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, January 2nd, 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
While the majority of Americans use New Years Eve as an excuse to drink as much alcohol as they can consume only to ‘turn over a new leaf’ the following day by joining a gym, we at NYC ABC will be doing the work that we always do. We hope to see your smiling (albeit it freezing) faces this Sunday at our annual New Year’s Eve Noise Demo at MCC in Manhattan. And as per usual, we will be kicking off yet another calendar year of bi-weekly letter writing nights and hope to see y’all there, too.
This week join NYC ABC as we write to three of our New York state political prisoners: Herman Bell, Robert Seth Hayes, and Jalil Muntaqim. All three of these elders are up for parole this year for what feels like the millionth time. Parole preparation years can be particularly taxing; prisoners and their support team, legal crew, family, friends, and communities all pour a lot of time and energy into the preparations for getting them to the parole hearing in hopes of getting our comrades out from behind the walls. Come by on Tuesday for a hot vegan meal and to send them all a nice message of support during this time.
Herman Bell has been to the New York state parole board 7 times and been denied 7 times. His next parole board appearance will be in February 2018, when he will be 70 years old. At this next appearance, we hope that Herman will have a better chance of being seriously considered and therefore released. New regulations governing parole hearings mandate that an applicant’s risk of recidivism be considered as a “guiding principle” of the hearing. Herman has the very lowest risk score, based on the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s measures. In addition, six new parole commissioners were added to the Board and several, though not all, of the older, law-enforcement connected ones have been retired. More information at freehermanbell.org
Robert Seth Hayes has been to the New York state parole board 10 times and has been denied each time. Each time, the board—always made of up former law enforcement personnel and former prosecutors—reviews his very impressive record, all the institutional programs participated in and completed, college attended while inside, his job offers, his numerous letters of support from family, friends, and community members from many walks of life. Seth had a petition that received over 1000 signatures at his last trip to the board. Seth is one of the longest held political prisoners and suffers immense health problems, most notably his diabetes. It is imperative that he get out now before it is too late. More information at kersplebedeb.com/posts/robert-seth-hayes
Jalil Muntaqim has been rejected by the New York state parole board a total of 9 times. June 2016 was the last time Jalil had been to the Board, and the ninth time he had been denied, despite having an excellent record and meeting all requirements to be released on parole. Jalil has submitted a request to Gov. Cuomo requesting commutation of sentence to time served, as the parole board is obviously biased. A fair and just parole hearing is impossible for Jalil and our other NY State political prisoners. 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, Seth, and Jalil:
Herman Bell #79-C-0262
Shawangunk Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 700
Wallkill, New York 12589
Robert Seth Hayes #74-A-2280
Sullivan Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 116
Fallsburg, New York 12733-0116
Jalil Muntaqim* #77-A-4283
Sullivan Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 116
Fallsburg, New York 12733-0116
*Address envelope to Anthony Bottom.
Illustrated Guide Version 12.9 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.
Illustrated Guide Version 12.8 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.
BK/NY – Sunday, September 17th – Running Down the Walls
WHAT: Running Down the Walls – 5k Run/Walk/Jog/Bike
WHEN: 2:00-7:00pm, Sunday, September 17th
WHERE: Prospect Park– Lincoln Road/East Lake Drive, east of the Terrace Bridge (see the below map for exact location)
COST: $10 registration (includes food and drinks afterwards)
Every year, prisoners and supporters of political prisoners organize solidarity events with Running Down the Walls. In the last few years, we’ve had runs in Albuquerque (NM), Arcata (CA), Ashland (OR), Bellefonte (PA), Boston (MA), Buffalo (NY), Chico (CA), Denver (CO), Elmore (AL), Inez (KY), Los Angeles (CA), Marion (IL), Minneapolis (MN) New York (NY), USP Navosta (TX), Pelican Bay (CA), Phoenix (AZ), Tucson (AZ), Seattle (WA), and Toronto, Ontario. This year we hope to expand the amount of runs in prisons and other cities, as well as increase the amount of funds raised for community projects. NYC ABC‘s goal with this year’s run is $4,000. You can donate online by going to gumroad.com/nycabc
This year’s run will take place on Sunday, September 17th at 2:00pm in solidarity and conjunction with runs that will take place in cities and prison yards across the country at the same time.
REGISTER AS, OR SPONSOR, A PARTICIPANT
To raise our goal of $4,000, we need your support.
* Promote – print and distribute this poster and/or this flyer to friends and local businesses, your doctor’s office, laundromat, food co-op, wealthy benefactor, et cetera.
* Run/walk/bike/roll in the 5k – We need participants who can run/walk/bike/roll the 5k and are able to collect financial pledges to offer as donations to the run. Download the brochure, complete with registration and sponsor form right here.
* Volunteer for the run – We need folks who are willing to staff a registration/literature table, hand out water, bike the route as street medics, and help chalk the route beforehand.
* Donate online at gumroad.com/nycabc
* Donate to the run/sponsor a participant – If you are not able to attend, but want to support this fundraising effort, please mail donations to:
NYC ABC
Post Office Box 110034
Brooklyn, New York 11211
Your donation of $10 or more entitles you to the celebratory picnic after the event.
Each year, we split proceeds between the Anarchist Black Cross Federation’s Warchest Program and a local organization. This year’s partner group will be the 5 Borough Anti-Repression Committee (5BARC).
The Warchest Program:
The Anarchist Black Cross Federation (ABCF) has initiated a program designed to send monthly checks to those Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War who have been receiving insufficient, little, or no financial support during their imprisonment. The Warchest program was initiated in November 1994. Its purpose is to collect monthly funds from groups and individual supporters, and send that money to Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War (PP/POW) via monthly checks. Over the last two decades, the ABCF warchest has dispensed over $85,000 to political prisoners in the United States. Currently, there are 13 imprisoned comrades who receive a monthly stipend as part of the program; they are:
David Gilbert
Hanif Bey
Herman Bell
Jaan Laaman
Jalil Muntaqim
Joseph Bowen
Malik Smith
Oso Blanco
Robert Seth Hayes
Ruchell Magee
Sundiata Acoli
Tom Manning
Xinachtli (FKA Alvaro Luna Hernandez)
For more information, visit: abcf.net/warchest-program
5 Borough Anti-Repression Committee (5BARC):
The 5 Borough Anti-Repression Committee (5BARC) is dedicated to defending NYC #DisruptJ20 defendants who were mass arrested on inauguration day in Washington D.C. while protesting against everything Trump stands for. Each defendant now faces at least 8 felony charges which amount to 75 years in prison. 5BARC aims to build a local coalition of organized supporters who will voice their opposition to these absurd charges. #DISMISSJ20
We will be starting here:
From the Q train, get off at the Prospect Park stop. Walk to Lincoln Road and turn right into the park. We’ll be about 700 feet away.
The event will be one lap around what is known as the Main Loop, and will total five kilometers. For the curious, here’s what it looks like:
If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us at nycabc at riseup dot net.
See you there!
Illustrated Guide Version 12.2 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.
Action Alert Against Gov Cuomo’s Proposed NYS Visitation Restrictions
We have been made aware of an awful piece of the Governor’s budget proposal that that would affect thousands of folks in New York State (NYS) prisons, including all of the political prisoners in New York who we list in our guide. This call to action has been circulating and we hope that you will take part and pass it along as well:
Governor Cuomo has just proposed to limit visiting at New York State maximum security prisons to three days a week instead of the current seven. If passed, this measure will be awful for David Gilbert, Herman Bell, Seth Hayes, Jalil Muntaqim and thousands of other maximum security prisoners.
This proposal will seriously escalate suffering and family disruption. Under the current seven-day system, weekend visitors (many are women with young children) often wait two to three hours to see their loved ones. With reduced days, the wait will be longer, the visitor rooms more crowded, the visiting days and hours even more limited. This will be terrible for everyone and impossible for many.
