Funds to Punish, But No Funding to Live
This piece is by our formerly incarcerated comrade. There are funds to surveil him but there are not funds to keep him fed, housed, and healthy. This system encourages death + harm, not life. [photo ID: photo of the comrade with a shaved head and a grey beard in a complex braid outside with someContinue reading “Funds to Punish, But No Funding to Live”
Aggressive in Your Pursuit of Life: PrisonsKill in Conversation with Greg Curry
photo of Greg squatting back when he had longer hair. His hands are clasped together. He is in a teal prison jump suit and squatting before a painted background of some bright blue, some dark grey rock formations, and some grass. Little Black Train by Jacob Cohen plays in the background Someone’s voice: The goalContinue reading “Aggressive in Your Pursuit of Life: PrisonsKill in Conversation with Greg Curry”
“But Mainly To Fight”: An Interview with Solitary Resistor Troy Hendrix
“But Mainly To Fight”: An Interview with Solitary Resistor Troy Hendrix Little Black Train by Jacob Cohen plays in the background Someone’s voice: The goal of #PrisonsKill is to show you how prisons are inherent death traps, how they been letting us die before Covid-19 and that will continue to be so until we letContinue reading ““But Mainly To Fight”: An Interview with Solitary Resistor Troy Hendrix”
Transcript of “That Connection Can Transcend All of Their Fences: #PrisonsKill in Conversation with Sean and Lauren Swain
photo of Sean from Kansas City ABC – Sean is pictured in a white kufi with his hands up, seemingly indicating “hands up, don’t shoot.” Sean sports a blue prison uniform short sleeve shirt, a long-sleeve white undershirt underneath of it. He has a grey beard. Transcript of “That Connection Can Transcend All of TheirContinue reading “Transcript of “That Connection Can Transcend All of Their Fences: #PrisonsKill in Conversation with Sean and Lauren Swain”
House of Destruction by Troy Hendrix
image by @sleepappointment – image illustrates five people with three holding signs that say “For the People” and another smaller person with a sign that says “FTP.” There are silhouettes of other people in the background with raised fists and signs. I approach my 19th year of incarceration, for which I was sentenced to lifeContinue reading “House of Destruction by Troy Hendrix”
Must I Suffer More? by Dr. Al-Fatah Stewart
Image shows Dr. Al-Fatah speaking at a podium, it was published in the San Fransisco Bayview. This piece was written April 6, 2021 in the Rikers Island Penal Colony [CONTENT WARNINGS: anxiety, sexual assault, suicide attempt] From March 26, 2019 up until this very day I’ve been in jail suffering. First, I was placed inContinue reading “Must I Suffer More? by Dr. Al-Fatah Stewart”
#PrisonsKill By komrade underground
Image by James Anderson Prison kills. I hope by now, well into the year 2021, people have begun to see this truth. Covid-19 has highlighted the system made to kill us. People can now see that our lives, the lives of poor, Black and Brown folks, the prisoner class, are still not and will neverContinue reading “#PrisonsKill By komrade underground”
DRAPETOMANIACS by Pierre Pinson
[photo ID: Flyer for return of self-liberated enslaved person, description “$2,500 REWARD” in large black font on top, followed by “RANAWAY, from the Subscriber, residing in Mississippi county, Mo., on Monday the 5th inst., my NEGRO Man named GEORGE [in large bold font in the middle]. Said negro is five feet ten inches high, ofContinue reading “DRAPETOMANIACS by Pierre Pinson”
“Prison Convictions” are Systemic Abuse – By Tami
Image by @sleepapointment NY Penal § 70.25 (5)(c) Disciplinary Code Rules and Regulations: 1.00 For those who are intimately familiar with these charges, then you can identify my struggle and the battle I have been fighting for more than two decades. Unfortunately, I face this extreme method that guarantees I will never see the lightContinue reading ““Prison Convictions” are Systemic Abuse – By Tami”
Free Rev. Dr. Al-Fatah!
Image in black and white of Rev. Dr. Al- Fatah Stewart in Massachusetts at the time of the alleged crime in NY. He is wearing a suit and rimless black sunglasses and adjusts his tie as he looks at the camera (Source: Rev. Dr. Stewart) “My name is Rev. Dr. Al-Fatah Sha Sha Stewart. I’veContinue reading “Free Rev. Dr. Al-Fatah!”
Behind Enemy Lines: A Soul Rebel Rebels By Tamar Malik
Image depicts Tay, the author of this piece, and his Sun, smiling during a prison visit in 2019. I once heard the story of an elephant rehab in Thailand. It was said that people would trap these Asian elephants in the wild and take them for logging or circus work. The elephant would be placedContinue reading “Behind Enemy Lines: A Soul Rebel Rebels By Tamar Malik”
Freed Up: Martha Hennessy Speaks From Danbury
Image: The Kings Bay Plowshares Seven just prior to their civil resistance action in 2018. Martha is in the front row all the way to the right. Martha Hennessy is a Catholic Worker and longtime peace activist who has fought for the abolition of nuclear weapons. She is currently incarcerated for taking part in aContinue reading “Freed Up: Martha Hennessy Speaks From Danbury”
Foreigners – By Safear
Image by @sleepapointment Sweat won’t stop leaking from my crevices. Droplets cascade under my arms like an avalanche. I’m slow broiling in the body heat of the foreigners around me. Their strange smiles and funny smells, the mix of Gucci fragrance and lavender lotion is giving me a headache. “How does it feel?” they askContinue reading “Foreigners – By Safear”
Covid-19 and Vaccine Update from Eastham Plantation by Steven McCain
photo: Eastham Plantation, an old concrete rectangular prison. There is a mix of dirt and a photo of Eastham Plantation, a drab gray building rectangular prism building, with an overcast sky and a mix of dirt and grass in the foreground. Eastham first started as a plantation for convicting leasing– source of photograph: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~txhousto/Eastham.Prison.Unit.htm 2/12/2021Continue reading “Covid-19 and Vaccine Update from Eastham Plantation by Steven McCain”
6 Years With My Brother Jon by R. Ya’iyr Carter
photo of R. Ya’iyr Carter, the author of the piece. He is a Black man, who is bearded, wearing a white cap, white t-shirt, and maroon cargo pants. He is standing in front of a backdrop of the Pittsburgh skyline at dusk. [photo source: R. Ya’iyr Carter] In 2014 I met D-Boi playing poker inContinue reading “6 Years With My Brother Jon by R. Ya’iyr Carter”
Break the Chains: Ours, then Theirs!
source for photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_gang Shake Off the Manacles that Enfetter you, my friend,And those you love as well.Give those gyves away!Throw off the Hobbling Inertia that Narrows the Gate before us impassable.Hobbles are for horses, not for humans.Life, liberty and pursuit of Happiness lie just beyond the gate…Inviting…Taunting, Tempting, Tantalizing.Why stand we here idle?Have weContinue reading “Break the Chains: Ours, then Theirs!”
Mishandling of Covid 19 at Eastham Plantation
a photo of Eastham Plantation, a drab gray building rectangular prism building, with an overcast sky and a mix of dirt and grass in the foreground. Eastham first started as a plantation for convicting leasing- source of photograph: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~txhousto/Eastham.Prison.Unit.htm Chronology of EventsDec. 30, 2020 Random Covid testing conductedJan. 3, 2021 A resident in my dormContinue reading “Mishandling of Covid 19 at Eastham Plantation”
Love And Rage – By L. Swain
Image of L. Swain smiling, courtesy of L. Swain I remember the exact moment and exact place I first heard Sean’s voice. It was raining and I was wearing my cherry red doc martins while walking to class. At the ending of the segment, Sean always tags “If you are listening you are the resistance”Continue reading “Love And Rage – By L. Swain”
Justice should be – By R. Ya’iyr Carter
Image by @sleepapointment Justice should be… equal & fair to heal & repair but it feels cold like it’s just ice. Or is it just us? Divided by rich & poor Black & white. I remember standing in school everyday with my hand over my heart repeating “liberty & justice for all” before learning theContinue reading “Justice should be – By R. Ya’iyr Carter”
“They Gonna Have to Give Us Some Daylight.” Notes from McCormick, SCDC.
Image originally used by Oakland Abolition and Solidarity This is a transcript of a press conference that took place shortly following an uprising at McCormick Correctional Institution in South Carolina. A guard was briefly held hostage and several incarcerated people attempted to liberate themselves. Matt C is an organizer with the Party of Socialism andContinue reading ““They Gonna Have to Give Us Some Daylight.” Notes from McCormick, SCDC.”
UNCONDITIONAL WORK STOPPAGE FOR PAROLE & PAY WAGES – By Comrade Z
“When the peace you are continuously urged to return to looks like powerlessness, humiliation, poverty, boredom and violence, it shouldn’t be a surprise many choose to fight and to witness the ferocity with which some of us flight, it’s almost as if we’ve been waiting for this moment our entire lives.” -Dispatches from Ferguson, Vol.Continue reading “UNCONDITIONAL WORK STOPPAGE FOR PAROLE & PAY WAGES – By Comrade Z”
TDCJ RETALIATES ON COMRADE Z, AGAIN
aerial photo of Darrington Unit, located in Rosharon, TX 12/18/20 – Officer Garcia and Mailroom Supervisors, Intelligence Officers Sgt. Estrada, Williams and Reyes, illegally opened privileged media mail, directed to The Final Straw Radio and wrote a disciplinary case for being a member of IWW-IWOC, all by the order of Warden B “Dirty Deeds” Armstrong.Continue reading “TDCJ RETALIATES ON COMRADE Z, AGAIN”
Interview Between Comrade Z and Comrade GW at Dirty Darrington
photo source: https://www.texasobserver.org/penal-system-slavery-unpaid-labor-texas/ TDCJ Darrington UnitRosharon, TexasDec. 23, 2020 Z: Can you introduce yourself and give some background on you and your time atDirty Darrington Concentration Camp of Texas Department of Minimal Justice?What is the atmosphere there? GW: First and foremost, long live solidarity! And a special shoutout to all thebrave men and women whoContinue reading “Interview Between Comrade Z and Comrade GW at Dirty Darrington”
Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Budget by Mark Johnson
The operating budget of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) by “goal” for 2021. source: https://www.tdcj.texas.gov/documents/bfd/Main_Operating_Budget_by_Goal_FY2021.pdf
The Reality of the Modern Day Slave Complex – by Comrade Z
This post originally appeared on moongoosedistro.com. The Current Slavery Complex continues only because of its profitability. The Slaves perform Free Labor; they perform integral functions in the maintenance of the Slavery Complex; they provide secondary profit for companies that provide goods and services to the Slave Population. Texas Department of Criminal Justice men’s prison, Darrington Unit,Continue reading “The Reality of the Modern Day Slave Complex – by Comrade Z”
Mental Health, Abuse, and Neglect At Toledo Correctional Institution – By Mark Hinkston aka Mustafa
Image shows Mustafa in prison My name is Mark Hinkston (aka Mustafa) and I’m reporting from the other side of Amerikkka- from the belly of the beast (here at the Toledo Correctional Institution)! On 10-28-2020 mental health staff came to the restrictive housing (RH) unit where I was being held against my will. As thisContinue reading “Mental Health, Abuse, and Neglect At Toledo Correctional Institution – By Mark Hinkston aka Mustafa”
END UNPAID LABOR: Stop Working For Free in TDC – By Comrade Z
Image by @sleepapointment Houston was right to reject a contract with a state program that exploits inmate workers. American businesses often bemoan the struggle to compete with companies making products in foreign countries where weak worker rights drive down the cost of labor. Profiting off the exploitation of workers is as unfair as it isContinue reading “END UNPAID LABOR: Stop Working For Free in TDC – By Comrade Z”
Tekkk$a$: Where Black Lives Have Never Mattered – By Comrade Monsour
Illustration by Mark Pernice Comrades, I am offering this piece as a part of the ongoing discussion surrounding the current socio-political movement in the furtherance of New Afrikan designation and human rights. Specifically, the topic of defacing or destroying symbols, statues and institutions representative of oppression and exploitation. Many people fail to grasp the significanceContinue reading “Tekkk$a$: Where Black Lives Have Never Mattered – By Comrade Monsour”
Slow Down and Love Someone – By Jeffrey Prager
Image by @sleepapointment Today I want to talk to you about making the people that you love feel as loved as you say. You never know what someone is going through mentally or how long they may still be around. My name is Jeffrey Prager, 30, and I’m currently at a psychiatric prison facility inContinue reading “Slow Down and Love Someone – By Jeffrey Prager”
Equal Justice For All? (A Death Penalty Review) – By James P. Anderson
Image “I Didn’t Have to Die” by James Anderson Corporal Pat Tillman, a star California defensive-back who walked away from a fat NFL contract to fight for his country in the Middle East occupation, made the ultimate sacrifice. The first “official” version was that he’d been ambushed by the enemy, but when evidence proved thisContinue reading “Equal Justice For All? (A Death Penalty Review) – By James P. Anderson”
The Only Ones Who Are Gonna Keep Us Safe Is Us – By Ajamu
Image: Corcoron Prison This has been a difficult time in Corcoran Prison, as inmates have been catching the virus every week it seems, and we’ve had four total deaths so far. When we first heard of the pandemic, no one was quite worried because we were concerned for our loved ones in society. We stillContinue reading “The Only Ones Who Are Gonna Keep Us Safe Is Us – By Ajamu”
Dear Anarchists – Julio A. Zuniga, a.k.a. Comrade Z
I come to speak about the personal stand that I am making against this slave camp. It is a known fact: Julio A. Zuniga, a.k.a. Comrade Z, is a certified member of IWW-IWOC. Said wobbly, is in fact a known activist to raise awareness about dangerous and illegal working conditions for any human being or animal.
THE TEXAS CRUCIBLE at Dirty Darrington Slave Plantation and Concentration Camp – By Julio A. Zuniga
How can people, organizers, abolitionists hacktivists, media, families of the general population ignore the largest monument of Confederacy in Texas? Texas Department of Minimal Justice is once again using oppressive tactics to cover up their own flaws. When will the black and brown communities stop swallowing their pride and allowing the racist regime to continue systematically stripping all rights from us slaves?
Pain and Torture – By Rasheen Bell 15B2340
Image: A solitary cell, with a small desk, a rusty sink and toilet, and a small mattress. 33 years old out in society living life right, working as a union roofer to provide for the beautiful baby girl. I would have done anything to give this girl the world. May, 01, 2014 is when theContinue reading “Pain and Torture – By Rasheen Bell 15B2340”
#PrisonsKill – By Kiaza Loccenitt
Image: Attica Correctional Facility on a sunny day. The United States flag hangs from one flag pole and the flag of New York from another. The POW/MIA flag flies below the American flag. I doubt this flag represents our stolen friends and loved ones inside Attica. Meet Blow. Joe Blow. He’s 19 years old andContinue reading “#PrisonsKill – By Kiaza Loccenitt”
#PrisonsKill by Mark ‘Mustafa’ Hinkston
Trigger warnings: strong discussion of a suicide, medical neglect You may write Mustafa at: Mark Hinkston #A70808 T.O.C.I. 2001 E. Central Ave. Toledo, OH 43608 You may call Toledo Correctional Facility at 419–726–7977 to voice your concern over their treatment of prisoners. Ask for Warden May’s office. It would be best to not mention Mustafa’s name.Continue reading “#PrisonsKill by Mark ‘Mustafa’ Hinkston”
UPDATED PRESS RELEASE – By The Campaign to Free Indiana Political Prisoner Bro. Khalfani Malik Khaldun
Image: Bro. Khalfani pictured above in a light tan sweater with a necklace and glasses. We NEED OUR COMRADE HOME! On July 2nd, 2014, at 10:00 AM, Khalfani Malik Khaldun participated in a Telephonic Legal Conference regarding his (USC§1983) Civil Law Suit that has been ongoing since 2010. Judge Theodore M. Sosin, Marion County SuperiorContinue reading “UPDATED PRESS RELEASE – By The Campaign to Free Indiana Political Prisoner Bro. Khalfani Malik Khaldun”
#WeLoveYouSista BreonnaTaylor! – By Bro. Khalfani Malik Khaldun
Image: Breonna Taylor and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker, the state has tried to coerce Walker into implicating Taylor, in an effort to justify her murder. Today I had to witness it once again. The gestapo Kentucky police will not be tried for the murder of this beautiful black woman. She never asked to be killedContinue reading “#WeLoveYouSista BreonnaTaylor! – By Bro. Khalfani Malik Khaldun”
We Can Breathe – By Eli-jah Amani Ogun
Image: Eli-jah Amani Ogun, pictured above, has been incarcerated five times, the first time being when he was a young teenager. For everything going on in this unjust world right now, especially the acquittal of Breonna Taylor’s killers. The reminiscences of a revolutionary,baptisteries in blood normalizes mortuary,Facts!lets go back,agricultural development of pre colonial times,divine mindsContinue reading “We Can Breathe – By Eli-jah Amani Ogun”
A Conversation With Stephen Wilson
Stevie Wilson, an incarcerated abolitionist organizer and educator with In the Belly and Dreaming Freedom Studying Abolition study group, is pictured above. (Source: Stevie Wilson)
What the CDC Doesn’t Want you to See – By James P. Anderson
It should first be understood and known that “What the CDC Doesn’t Want You to See” is the result of a recently published article in the Pacific Sun(.com) newspaper (January 6–12, 2016- “A Day on San Quentin’s Death Row”), which reported only a small fraction of the truth.
A Rebuttal to: “A Day On San Quentin’s Death Row” – By James P. Anderson
As a wrongly convicted and actually innocent death row prisoner of over thirty five (35) years, I simply couldn’t allow the Pacific Sun article to be absorbed by the public as “the truth” about death row, especially “all” of those that are housed in the Adjustment Center.
Part of the Storm – by Joergen Ostensen
I’m thinking of you tonight
As the wind picks up
Here on the pandemic-lonely bleachers
Beneath the cigarette ash colored sky
Where no stars are allowed to shine.
An Interview with Mfalme Sikivu, Chairperson of the Ujamaa Fraternal Dynasty (UFD) for the 49th anniversary of the Attica Rebellion – By #PrisonsKill
The commemoration of the Attica rebellion was always observed by prisoners going to the mess hall in silence and not taking a tray of food. I wasn’t in Attica general population on that day, but remember how We did things in other facilities on that day.
Justice Or Else – By the Campaign to Free Indiana Political Prisoner Bro. Khalfani Malik Khaldun
Imagine someone you love being forced to remain separated from family and friends for 29 years, that he, you, and everybody who love him have pursued every avenue to change his situation.
Dare to Fight, Dare to Win – By “Spirit of George Jackson”
Greetings Comrade! I’m writing to you to let you know what these Tyrants are trying to do to me. They’re telling me that I’ve got a 90 day Local Control (LC) placement. They cannot do this–period!
Prisons Kill – By Kiaza Loccentti
“Fellow Americans…” is how the presidents of the U.S.A. (United Snakes of America) love to address the nation on matters of “national security.” Our current president is no different. Yet, he is different. He is the first U.S. president to ever face a foe such as the one we now face. No it’s not a scorned woman.
Darrington State Farm est. 1933: A Call For Prisoners and Anarchists – By Comrade Z
This is for all the suffering in TDCJ torture chambers across the state. In this struggle, you can’t stay quiet. Speak up, reach out,
let your anarchist seeds sprout.
#LasPrisionesMatan
Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center puede ser pasado por alto como otra bodega en el puerto para aquellos que no son iniciados, aquellos cuyas vidas no han sidas tocadas por los horrores del sistema penitenciario de América.
Update From FCI Jesup 7/26/20
This is day 22 of a 14 day quarantine. Go figure. On Thursday July 23, the folks came around and handed each of us a piece of paper: the results of COVID tests that everyone was administered on the 15th, 8 days prior. I’m positive, as is my cellie, and about 95% of this unit. That means we’re to be quarantined for several more weeks until everyone comes back negative.
Not Even 1% Of How This Prison Kills – Kiaza Loccenitt
My name is Kiaza Loccenitt. I’m currently housed in a Residential Mental Health Unit (RMHU). It’s supposed to be an alternative to the box (SHU). But in truth…It’s the worst jail I’ve been in, here the abuse is on camera (video and audio) and nothing is done.
Reflection of Self – By John Pierre Patterson –aka– Freedom
First and foremost, before I dive into this expression of self, I would like to send my greetings, respect, and appreciation for your very existence.
Covid-19 Hits FCI Jesup: A Report from Inside
While COVID cases in the North have been on the decline, the states that re-opened earlier, Georgia being one of them, are seeing fresh outbreaks and an uptick in cases. I’m in a federal medium-security prison in Jesup. We’ve been on lockdown since April 1st because the BOP is doing everything but decarcerating, so they’d rather confine us to cages wherein it is impossible to socially distance with our cell-mates. While we’ve been lucky to not have any cases in the last three months, our luck has dried up.
Hopelessness is the Enemy of Justice (Covid-19 Hits Wabash Valley Corr. Facility) – by Bro. Khalfani Malik Khaldun
My name is Bro. Khalfani Malik Khaldun. I’m housed in a prison plantation here in Indiana called the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. I have devoted at least 25 of my 33 years inside to liberation prison activism. Trying to fix the wrongs and make them right, which has been a protracted struggle. I fight for freedom, justice and eventual equality. We are seeking Justice as we destroy Hopelessness.
Dispatch From Inside The Belly
I’m still in the SHU, but in better spirits. I had to put my own situation into perspective, just as I did seven years ago. The man in the cell next door to me has been back here 14 months; someone else has been back here since November, and there are many others–a large portion of which are here for possessing cell phones, a device that people in the “free world” take for granted. I’ll be writing more about that soon–I know I say that a lot.
#PrisonsKill – By Antoine Indy Walker
While in the hole at State Correctional Institute (SCI)-Greene, I found out that my mother had passed away August 2019 (R.I. Power Kristi Luvenia Walker). Less than a month later, September 1st, 2019, I noticed sudden pain and numbness in my left leg. So, I submitted a sick call that night. I was never seen,Continue reading “#PrisonsKill – By Antoine Indy Walker”
My open letter to my extended family Black Lives Matter – By Bro. Khalfani Malik Khaldun
To all the women of political consciousness who organized and created our movement Black lives matter. For years now i have had to read about and catch the world news from a prison cell.
Homegrown
At 24 years old, I’ve been many places. A federal prisoner since I was 18, my youthful years have not been spent in college or at parties, or any of the other past-times that people my age do. Instead, I’ve lived my life in MDC Brooklyn; FCI Butner, North Carolina; FCI Schuylkill, Pennsylvania; and now FCI Jesup, Georgia. That is so because I am a victim of the NYPD’s Intelligence Division and their illegal surveillance of the Muslim community.
Discussion of Similarities Between State Repression of Protests and Prison Nation Interrupted by Tear Gas at FCI Jesup – By Justin Kaliebe
On Wednesday, June 24th, I was on the phone with my comrade Eve. That day, 2 of the phones were broken, so the line was longer and more tense than usual. As I was in the midst of our conversation, all of a sudden there was a confrontation involving a very close friend of mine.
When White Men Looted
This past month, cities across the country, and indeed the world, have been swept up by uprisings and demonstrations, not only over the murders of George Floyd and other Black people at the hands of the police, but against the very institution of policing.
#PrisonsKill – By Tamar ‘Tay’ Malik
On Sunday December 6, 2009, I was watching disgraced NBA referee Tim Donoghy, who’d been sentenced to prison for gambling on his own games, on 60 Minutes, when the C.O. came out of his office and announced “lockdown!”
Just These Walls
In the SHU, in isolation, where a human is deprived of sensory stimulation, partially or totally, the mind tries to compensate for it. I get stuck often, without even realizing it, thoughts playing like a movie, bringing me to past events or contemplations of what could happen in the future.
#PrisonsKill Original Essay
Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center can be overlooked as just another warehouse on the harbor to those who are uninitiated, to those whose lives have not been touched by the horrors of America’s prison system.
#PrisonsKill
Here you can read accounts of the abuse inherent to carceral settings by jailhouse journalists, prison abolitionists, formerly incarcerated people and loved ones of those directly impacted by the carceral state.
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