Archive
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.
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 14.3 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 prisoners Janet and Janine Africa (paroled!).
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
BK/NY – Tuesday, April 10th – Birthday Bonanza Letter Writing Dinner
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, April 10th, 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 devastating that not even a month after Herman Bell was granted parole, the Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the mayor of New York City and the governor of New York all did their best to block it. Quite frustratingly, NYC ABC has been reminded that as quickly as the state can give us a big win, they can swiftly take it away. Or put it on pause rather. We are crushed and cannot imagine how Herman, his family and closest friends must feel. Our hearts go out to them.
NYC ABC encourages everyone to do one (if not all) of these action items to help bring Herman home:
- CALL New York State Governor Cuomo’s Office at 518-474-8390
- EMAIL New York State Governor Cuomo’s Office. You can use this form.
- TWEET at Governor Cuomo. You can use the following sample tweet:“.@NYGovCuomo: stand by the Parole Board’s lawful & just decision to release Herman Bell. At 70 years old and after more than 40 years of incarceration, his release is overdue. #BringHermanHome.”
On a happier note, this week we will be taking the time to write to all the folks who have birthdays coming up in the next couple of weeks.
If for some reason you aren’t able to make it, please take the time to send these folks a birthday card.
Chip Fitzgerald* #B-27527
California State Prison – LAC
Post Office Box 4490
B-4-150
Lancaster, California 93539
*Address envelope to Romaine Fitzgerald
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
Mumia Abu-Jamal #AM 8335
SCI Mahanoy
301 Morea Road
Frackville, Pennsylvania 17932
Walter Bond #37096-013
FCI Terre Haute – CMU
Post Office Box 33
Terre Haute, Indiana 47808
The deal, as always, is that you come bringing only yourself (and your friends and comrades), and we provide you with a delicious vegan meal, information about the prisoners as well as all of the letter-writing materials and prisoner-letter-writing info you could ever want to use in one evening. In return, you write a thoughtful letter to a political prisoner or prisoner of war of your choosing or, better yet, keep up a long-term correspondence. We’ll also provide some brief updates and pass around birthday cards for the PP/POWs whose birthdays fall in the next two weeks thanks to the PP/POW Birthday Calendar.
Directions:
Getting to The Base is simple:
From the M Train:
Central Avenue Stop: Walk east on Myrtle Avenue (away from Hart Street, toward Cedar Street). We’re about two blocks down on the south side of the street.
Knickerbocker Avenue Stop: Walk west on Myrtle Avenue (away from Harman Street, toward Himrod Street). We’re about three blocks down on the south side of the street.
From the L Train:
DeKalb Avenue Stop: Walk south on Stockholm Street (away from Wyckoff Avenue, toward Irving Avenue). We’re about four blocks down, at the intersection of Stockholm Street and Myrtle Avenue.
From the J Train:
Myrtle Avenue Stop: Transfer to the M train and follow the above directions
BK/NY – Tuesday, March 28th– International Women’s Day Political Prisoner Card Writing Dinner
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, March 28th, 2017 (POSTPONED FROM MARCH 14th)
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
For only the third time in over a decade, NYC ABC is not hosting our every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing dinner. With public transportation shut down, we would rather folks stay safe and store up some energy to write more folks in the coming weeks. In the meantime, look through our Illustrated Guide to Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War and use the snow day to reach out to imprisoned comrades.
Alright. It’s been 48 days, 10 hours and 34 minutes since the cheeto was inaugurated. Although many of us were working on the ground and in the streets long before that, no doubt efforts and numbers have increased since. The March 8th International Women’s Strike was no exception. Not only were there thousands of folks in attendance, but it seemed as though many of the groups doing the good work here in NYC had a contingent marching. Of course that included us anarchists marching alongside NYC Antifa and it was incredible to feel as though the march successfully represented working class, militant, and POC women, queers, and trans people. Join us Tuesday as NYC ABC continues celebrating International Women’s Day in that vein and write the female identifying political prisoners held captive here in the United States.
We’ll be sharing the stories of and writing to Debbie Africa, Janet Africa, Janine Africa, Red Fawn Fallis, Nicole Kissane, Chelsea Manning, and Rev. Joy Powell.
If for whatever crazy reason you cannot join us Tuesday, please take the time to write to them on your own time:
Debbie Sims Africa #OO6307
SCI Cambridge Springs
451 Fullerton Avenue
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania 16403
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
Red Fawn Fallis
HACTC
110 Industrial Road
Rugby, North Dakota 58368
Nicole Kissane #20651-111
FCI Dublin
5701 8th Street – Camp Parks
Dublin, California 94568
Chelsea E. Manning 89289
1300 North Warehouse Road
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027-2304
Reverend Joy Powell #07-G-0632
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 1000
Bedford Hills, New York 10507-2499
BK/NY – Tuesday, March 3 – Card-signing for Women’s History Month
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, March 3rd, 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
So cops in Chicago now function like the thugs of the CIA by having a black site where they torture and disappear folks they arrest. Let that set in for a minute. Chicago cops, with a storied history of corruption and brutality, operate an off-the-books compound where they interrogate folks. Ask many of the prisoners we support and they’ll describe similar torture during their detentions and/or imprisonments. Speaking of supporting political prisoners, it’s time again for the every-other-week NYC ABC political prisoner letter-writing dinner. In this month of women’s history, we offer our solidarity to female rebels.
Come find out more about Debbie, Janet, and Janine Africa, Maya Chase, Chelsea Manning, Rev. Joy Powell, Megan Rice, and Rebecca Rubin. We’ll also have other political prisoner news, so come enjoy a meal with friends (new or old).
We expect to see you on Tuesday. If you can’t make it, please take the time to write letters to the prisoners:
Debbie Sims Africa #OO6307
SCI Cambridge Springs
451 Fullerton Avenue
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania 16403
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
Maya Chase M44710
Dixon Correctional Center
2600 North Brinton Avenue
Dixon, Illinois 61021
*Address envelope to Jared Chase.
Chelsea E. Manning 89289
1300 North Warehouse Road
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027-2304
Reverend Joy Powell #07-G-0632
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 1000
Bedford Hills, New York 10507-2499
Megan Rice #88101-020
MDC Brooklyn
Post Office Box 329002
Brooklyn, New York 11232
Rebecca Rubin #98290-011
FCI Dublin
5701 8th Street – Camp Parks
Dublin, California 94568
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: Free
It’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
NYC – 19 Mar – Card-signing for Women’s History Month
WHAT: Political Prisoner Letter-Writing Dinner
WHEN: 7pm sharp, Tuesday, March 19th, 2013
WHERE: CAGE – 83A Hester Street New York, New York 10002 (directions below)
COST: Free
A mere month ago, we wrote about the nearly universal disdain folks have for cops. There’s little reason to explain why this is true, but some solid examples are the facts that cops consistently MURDER CHILDREN, have threatened to kill the grandmother of one of their victims, and conspire to murder and eat women. Of course these are outstanding events, but they shouldn’t be seen as exceptional in the context of an armed authority that protects the state and capital. These examples are highlights of an institution that by design oppresses to maintain the status quo. Another component of that oppression is imprisonment. We in NYC ABC respond to the caging of our comrades with support. Part of that support comes in the form of our every-other-week political prisoner letter-writing dinners. And in this month of women’s history, we offer our solidarity to female rebels. We’ll be providing updates and a little background on Debbie, Janet, and Janine Africa, Patreese Johnson, Marie Mason, CeCe McDonald, Rev. Joy Powell, Rebecca Rubin, and Lynne Stewart.
If, for whatever reason, you can’t make it to dinner, please take the time to write these comrades a letter:
Debbie Sims Africa #OO6307
SCI Cambridge Springs
451 Fullerton Avenue
Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania 16403
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
Patreese Johnson 07-G-0635
Beacon Correctional Facility
50 Camp Beacon Road
Post Office Box 780
Beacon, New York 12508-0780
Marie Mason #04672-061
FMC Carswell
Post Office Box 27137
Fort Worth, Texas 76127
Chishaun McDonald* #238072
Minnesota Correctional Facility – Stillwater
970 Pickett Street
Bayport, Minnesota 55003-1490
*Address card to CeCe.
Reverend Joy Powell #07-G-0632
Bedford Hills Correctional Facility
Post Office Box 1000
Bedford Hills, New York 10507-2499
Rebecca Rubin #770288, 8A20
Multnomah County Inverness Jail
11540 NE Inverness Drive
Portland, Oregon 97220
Lynne Stewart #53504-054
FMC Carswell
Post Office Box 27137
Fort Worth, Texas 76127
For more information, check out:
http://www.onamove.com
http://freethenj4.wordpress.com
http://supportmariemason.org
http://supportcece.wordpress.com
http://freejoypowell.org
http://lynnestewart.org
NYC Anarchist Black Cross 
