Kersplebedeb Political Prisoner/Prisoner of War Page

There are hundreds of people held in prison for their political activities in the United States and other "democratic" countries. Some of them acted on behalf of their beliefs, knowing full well that they were defying the enemy's laws, and are paying the price. Others acted on their beliefs, knowing full well that although technically permitted, their dissent would make them targets of State repression, and they too are paying the price.

Right-thinking people want these folks out of prison not so much because of any concern that the State be "fair" or "consistent" in its rulings, but rather because we approve of and wish to encourage resistance against this undeniably evil system.

Reformist stooges beware!



Certain Days: the 2008 Freedom for Political Prisoners Calendar


Freedom for Political Prisoners and Prisoners of War
 Since 2001 political prisoners Herman Bell, David Gilbert and Robert "Seth" Hayes have worked with activists in Montreal (and in 2005 and 2006 New York City) to produce these beautiful calendars. The result has always been a wonderful collection of artwork and political texts addressing some of the most pressing political issues fo our day.

This year's calendar is no exception. The theme for 2008 is the Legacy of the Panthers, as the collective explains: "The 2007 targeting of the San Francisco Eight (SF8) shows, more than ever, that COINTELPRO is ongoing. Over thirty years after the incident of which they are accused, eight Black Panthers face new charges... During 2008, as this calendar hangs on your wall, the SF8 will be in court and the Black Panther Party will be on trial once again. So this year's theme is the Legacy of the Panthers. Now more than ever, it is vital that their contribution be celebrated."

Contributors to this year's calendar include Mumia Abu-Jamal, Joy James, Ashanti Alston, Emory Douglas, Ward Churchill, Laura Whitehorn, Gord Hill, George Katsiaficas, David Gilbert and many others.

Beyond its own value, the calendar is also a worthwhile fundraising tool - funds raised from this year's sales will go to support the work of the New York State Task Force on Political Prisoners, Addameer, a Palestinian Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association, and the San Francisco Eight's support campaign.
$15.00


They Never Crushed His Spirit...
        A Tribute to Richard Williams


They Never Crushed His Spirit... A Tribute to Richard Williams
 Richard Williams was a lifelong anti-imperialist and socialist, one of the Ohio 7 convicted in 1984 of having carried out armed actions against racism and imperialism as a member of the United Freedom Front. Targets included South African Airways offices, Union Carbide offices for their manufacture of cluster bombs used against revolutionaries in Central America, US Army and Navy reserve offices, General Electric, as the fourth largest military supplier, particularly against El Salvador, and IBM for building the computers that enforced the South African pass system.

After over twenty years of captivity and medical neglect, Richard passed away on December 7th 2005, at the age of 58.

This book brings together a number of statements by those who knew, loved and respected Richard - and struggled alongside him to resist a system that condemns the world majorirty to lives of hardship and misery. With an introduction by Lynne Stewart, and contributions by Netdahe Williams Stoddard, Jaan Laaman, Tom Manning, Ray Luc Levasseur, Jamila Levi, Pat Levasseur, Kazi Toure, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Marilyn Buck, Nehanda Abiodun, Sundiata Acoli, Mutulu Shakur, Russell "Maroon" Shoats, Carlos Alberto Torres, Oscar López Rivera, Laura Whitehorn, Susan Rosenberg, Adolfo Matos Antongiorgi, and many other friends, family and comrades.

From the editorial note: "The book is a tool, both to educate and to offend our sense of humanity. Let us take our outrage and use it to insure that not one more political prisoner dies in prison."

published by Kersplebedeb and Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience Project
143 pages
ISBN 1-894946-22-7
$7.00 US plus postage

[this book can be downloaded in PDF format from http://www.ipoc-ministry.org/rwtributepdf.html]


Legacy Of Torture: A Timely New Film From Freedom Archives

Legacy of Torture
 In 2005 several former members of the Black Panther Party were held in contempt and jailed for refusing to testify before a San Francisco Grand Jury investigating a police shooting that took place in 1971. The government alleged that Black radical groups were involved in the 34-year old case in which two men armed with shotguns attacked the Ingleside Police Station resulting in the death of a police sergeant and the injuring of a civilian clerk.

In 1973, thirteen alleged "Black militants" were arrested in New Orleans, purportedly in connection with the San Francisco events. Some of them were tortured for several days by law enforcement authorities, in striking similarity to the horrors visited upon detainees in Guantánamo and Abu Ghraib. In 1975, a Federal Court in San Francisco threw out all of the evidence obtained in New Orleans. The two lead San Francisco Police Department investigators from over 30 years ago, along with FBI agents, have re-opened the case. Rather than submit to proceedings they felt were abusive of the law and the Constitution, five men chose to stand in contempt of court and were sent to jail. They were released when the Grand Jury term expired, but have been told by prosecutors that "it isn't over yet." This is the story to date: of history, repression, and resistance. A new 28 minute film.

BREAKING NEWS: On January 21st 2007 eight former Panthers - including the men efatured in this film - were arrested and charged with in 1971 killing. People across the continent are organizing to protest this vindictive repression - for more information visit CDHRsupport.org and download this PDF pamphlet.
$15.00



Hope Breathing Life : Postcards for Liberation

by Zolo Agona Azania

I am soooo overwhelmingly happy to be able to announce the recent publication of this book of postcards, featuring the artwork of New Afrikan political prisoner Zolo Agona Azania. This was a project that could not have comen about without the wonderful work by the people in the No Death Penalty for Zolo Committee in Chicago.

Zolo Agona Azania is not only a remarkable artist, but also one of the numerous African-Americans who await execution as a result of a racist criminal justice system. Moreover he is a politically conscious activist, who at the time of his arrest and capture in 1981, was actively involved in the movement for the self-determination of African-American people. The fact that he defined himself as a New Afrikan and was committed to the liberation and independence of Black people within the borders of the U.S., directly influenced the way the police, the prosecution, and the Indiana courts denied him a fair trial and fanned the flames of prejudice to obtain the death penalty.

Throughout his ordeal, Zolo has maintained a strong spirit of hope and a commitment to justice for all. From Zolo’s tribute to the struggle of Emmett Tilll’s family to his depiction of the story of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the paintings collected in this book are a testament of this spirit.

Please check out this book, order copies for yourelf, for the progressive bookstore of distro in your town, for your friends and comrades. Proceeds from the sale of this book are being used to support Zolo's fight for his life.
 Hope Breathing Life: Postcards for Liberation, by Zolo Agona Azania


Heartcheck

Heartcheck, by Jeffrey “Free” Luers and Rob “Los Ricos” Thaxton. Both of the authors are eco-anarchist prisoners serving time for their activities - Thaxton received a 7 year sentence on charges of assault and riot on the June 18th “”Day of International Action Against the Global Economy” and Luers received a staggering 22 year sentence for setting fire to three SUVs. Here they lay out their ideas on what is needed to stop the empire. An action-oriented, caffeinated plea for radical resistance from two guys who walked their talk and are now paying the price. Proceeds from the sale of this pamphlet go to benefit the authors.
40 pages
$7.00 US / $8.75 Cdn
From the introduction:

"With millions of people dying, the environment being poisoned and destroyed by consumerism, there really are only three kinds of people: the victims, the problem, and the solution.

This zine is dedicated to the latter. The time for rhetoric is over. The time for action has arrived. We hope that the writings contained within will begin a much-needed discussion on real solutions and alternatives sorely lacking in radical circles. We hope these words will only be the beginning of something much larger."

Proceeds from the sale of this zine will benefit both political prisoners. Show solidarity for these political prisoners and get a copy today. To order, email me at info@kersplebedeb.com

Heartcheck is printed on 100% recycled paper [New Leaf EcoOffset, 80% post-consumer waste and processed chlorine free] by 1984 Printing in Oakland, California and has a 4 color cover.

 Heartcheck


September 11th, the War on Terror and Prisoners' Rights

Following  the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11th many prisoners reacted by locking down their facilities, and many outspoken prisoners suddenly found themselves in the hole. What follows are a few articles on this situation that can be found on the Kersplebedeb site, as well as reflections by various prisoners on the September 11th crisis:


Kersplebedeb distributes a somewhat dated 78 page pamphlet about the September 11th pamphlet, S11 Truth and Consequences . For more information click here .

the below is taked from the Kersplebedeb Struggle in Iraq page

Torture at Abu Ghraib

See also: "The Prisoner Abuse Scandal at Home" , by Michelle Goldberg in Salon - "The stories sound familiar: Muslim prisoners beaten and sexually humiliated by American guards. But it happened in Brooklyn, not Baghdad."

Prison Writings and Writings about Prisons

Below are a list of links to writings by political prisoners, prisoners of war and politicized social prisoners. This is stuff that the State does not want you to hear - so listen up!

An Interview with Joelle Aubron , (former) Action Directe political prisoner: the English translation of an interview carried out in 2002-2003 by the anarcho-punbk webzine Future Noire

Women in Prison: How It Is With Us by Assata Shakur. The author was a member of the Black Panther Party who went underground to evade police repression, joining the Black Liberation Army. She was captured in 1973 and held as a political prisoner until 1979 (one year after this article was written), when she was broken out of prison by a unit of the Black Liberation Army. She has been living as a refugee in Cuba since 1986. Her autobiography is one of several radical books on sale at the Kersplebedeb Literature Rack . Find out more about the campaign to resist those who would put her back behind bars: http://www.afrocubaweb.com/assata.htm . The article linked to here was written in 1978 while Assata still in prison - it was published in theApril 1978 edition of The Black Scholar.

Hauling Up the Morning/Izando la Manana - writings & art by political prisoners and prisoners of war in the United States. Edited by political prisoners Ray Luc Levasseur and Tim Blunk, with an introduction by Black Liberation Army fugitive Assata Shakur, this book contains paintings, poetry, essays and prose by dozens of imprisoned revolutionaries in the United States. while the book itself is not available online, you can see the table of contents on my site.

4strugglemag is a magazine of writings by North American political prisoners/prisoners of war and their friends.

Ray Luc Levasseur was a political prisoner who did twenty years behind bars for having actively resisted U.S. crimes at home and around the world. Letters from Exile is a site devoted to his writings, maintained by the December 16th Committee. A pamphlet of his writings - Trial Statements of Ray Luc Levasseur - is available from Kersplebedeb while supplies last (see Literature Rack )

Also about Ray Luc Levasseur, read the article "Sanford's Son" which appeared in the Portland Phoenix shortly after his release from prison in 2004.

Visit the official site of the Leonard Peltier Defense Committee - Peltier is one of the longest held prisoners of war in the world.

Mumia Abu-Jamal is on death row, convicted of killing a cop after a rigged trial. Many of his writings have been archived by the North Coast Express .

The Prison Industrial Complex and the Global Economy by Eve Goldberg and political prisoner Linda Evans, exposes the role incarceration is playing in the world of big business today. This text also available in pamphlet form from Kersplebedeb for $2 US ( email me to place an order).

AIDS Conspiracy? Track the Real Genocide by David Gilbert (also available in pamphlet form from the Kersplebedeb Literature Rack )


Wazo Weusi (Thinking Black) essays by a number of political prisoners and prisoners of war, past and present

Out of Control Lesbian Committee to Support Women Political Prisoners

A Brief History of the New Afrikan Prison Struggle , By Sundiata Acoli


Transgender in Prison journal (at Gender Identity Centre webpage)


Medical Advocates for Social Justice Prisoners web page  


Montreal chapter of the Anarchist Black Cross Federation


California Prison in Focus is an excellent group doing work for prisoners' rights in that state


The Mother Jones magazine special issue on prisons (July 10th 2001)


The New York Three are Herman Bell, Jalil Muntaqim and Albert Nuh Washington (now deceased), Black Liberation Army members who were arrested in 1971 and railroaded for the murder of two New York City police officers.. Two pdf documents - one detailing the history of their case and Jalil`s current bid for parole , the other consisting of police and FBI documents relating to their case - are now available on my site.

Also, check out this listing of political prisoners and POWs held in the United States.

Profiles of Political Prisoners & Prisoners of War

The Kersplebedeb Site also includes profiles of a few political prisoners and prisoners of war.
At the moment there are profiles of:

Buck, Gilbert and Whitehorn have all been interviewed in the booklet Enemies of the State , available from Kersplebedeb. For more information click here .

Thanks to the Montreal chapter of the Anarchist Black Cross Federation i also have PDFs of various ABCF leaflets available for download, in both English and French:

  1. Janet Holloway Africa
  2. Marilyn Buck
  3. David Gilbert
  4. Robert Seth Hayes
  5. Alvaro Luna Hernandez
  6. Sekou Cinque T.M. Kambui
  7. Jaan Laaman
  8. Ray Luc Levasseur
  9. Ojore Lutalo
Also while not on the Kersplebedeb site i encourage you to check out this site which details the experiences inside for three months of former School of the Americas prisoner Jesse Carr, an activist, student and trans man. He served a three month federal sentence in womens' facilities connected to protest against the School of the Americas. During that time, friends, allies and supporters rallied to demand the prison meet Jesse's basic medical needs by continuing his hormone therapy of testosterone. For more information check out http://www.deadletters.biz/jesse/index.html

The following writings by present-day and former political prisoners and prisoners of war are currently available from Kersplebedeb:

For details on how to order, please email me . For a complete list of the reading materials i distribute, please check out my Literature Rack .
 


Other Links:


Other Kersplebedeb Pages
political struggle [] links
button galleries [] catalog [] t-shirt gallery []  send postcard
email me []  homepage []  more about Kersplebedeb