Killer Police declare "Frozen Zone" in Brooklyn
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- Category: Repression
- Created on Thursday, 14 March 2013 19:12
- Written by Will of Fire Next Time
The following is an excerpt from a report by Will, a member of Fire Next Time. Will witnessed nights of protests in East Flatbush following the police killing of 16-year old Kimani “Kiki” Gray. His larger report appears here.
We hope to post more reports and information as we get them. And we urge everyone to express strong solidarity and find ways to take action to oppose the police repression and murder. Share with us your thoughts.
* * * * * * *
By Will
...The legend of the outside agitator has returned.... I was there at last night’s rebellion, and let me tell you: there were fewer then 10 white people involved in a rebellion of hundreds of young Black militants. Last night was led by young Black militants. Period.
For hours, Black politicians and activists–many of them veterans of, or influenced by, the 1968 generation–yelled and berated the young people to keep the “peace” and “respect.” The NYC Black establishment brought its best efforts to bear in hopes of keeping the affair civil. Crowds of Black men and women listened for almost two hours. They were told that the keepers of the peace felt their pain, that they understood. There was silence from the crowd of angry faces. The tension could be felt. The crowd had selected no spokesperson to respond, and none emerged organically in the moment. Will one emerge tonight?
At some point at night, the Black militants decided to march. No white people told them to march. As the march moved through the streets of Flatbush, it was Black militants who picked up bricks, cinder blocks, and beer bottles and threw them at the police. There were almost no white and Latino or African American faces involved in this. It was largely a Jamaican and Afro-Caribbean rebellion.
And perhaps that is the problem. We need to flip the script of the outside agigator. Are brothers and sisters from the Bronx outside agitators? The same people who are stopped and frisked in the Bronx become outside agitators to Jumanee Williams and his friends. It is time for the rest of the NYC working class to jump in and get involved. If the divisions of racialization are going to be broken down, white, Brown, and Black working class people must face the cops and go to jail together. New solidarities must be built. Now is the time for everyone who has felt the pain of the police to converge in Flatbush. Bring presents, bring your anger, and bring your running shoes.
The target has been the 67th Precinct all week, but we have not had enough forces to take it on. All the crews across New York should converge in Flatbush and then march towards the 67th precinct.
...
During Occupy, hundreds of people joined up with Occupy the Hood in hopes of building movement in working class black and brown neighborhoods. Now the opportunity is here. Will those who identify with these goals come down on the side of the people in the streets, or toe the line of the politicians? Only they can decide.
Letter from Rashid: Drugged, beaten, and in grave danger
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- Category: Repression
- Created on Monday, 04 March 2013 02:15
- Written by Kevin 'Rashid' Johnson
I was then confronted by a mob of guards in riot armor and gas masks with a large canister of gas and told to submit to handcuffs which I did. I was brought out of the holding cell and chained by my waist to a wall, where an argument ensued and the guards attacked me literally ripped off all my clothes, put me in a pair of underwear, strapped me into a restraint chair and wheeled me to the IMU disruptive unit (unit A), where I was dumped enraged into cell 07...
the medical staff literally tried to let me die. Their actions and attitudes made clear to me and the attending guards that they didn’t want me there because of my race. Not only did they do nothing to have the drugs disgorged from my stomach, they had me sit for two hours in a secluded room with no care, extracted only a small syringe of blood ahtough admittedly needing 3 large vials to conduct appropriate blood tests, then sent me back to the prison claiming there were no traces of pills in my system. The entire incident of me swallowing handsfull of pills was audio-video taped and confirmed by the riot armored guards who immediately removed me from the cell, including segeant Morthorst.
The following undated letter comes from Rashid, a revolutionary communist political prisoner. It includes confirmation past reports from another prisoner that Rashid was in fact drugged by the police, beaten, and intentionally denied access to healthcare. -eric r
“Keep this will need it to recollect everything. Also use it as factual basis for protest and help. I’ve begun writing this at 10:00pm on Feb. 9th 2013. At this moment I am severely dehydrated, tongue coated with white film. Staff refuse any monitoring of vital signs or care. Urine looks like rust water. kidney (left) hurts.
The following is a chronology of events leading to my present state. All are significant jointly and severally in revealing gross abuse and corruption here.
Jan. 28 (on or about) while exercising inside my cell I cut my groin area on loose nylon stitching from my pants and began bleeding heavily. On noticing the stinging sensation then, upon inspection, blood. I notified the unit guard N. Claudio who contacted medical staff. After a bit of back and forth wrangling I was taken to the SHU nursing station where a nurse (name unknown) inspected the laceration gave me a wad of gauze and ordered me given a shower. She also instructed me to keep the area clean and dry.
A couple nights later I caught the same nurse while she was passing out evening medication and got a small packet of antibacterial ointment from her.
Two Grand Jury refusers to be released
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- Category: Repression
- Created on Wednesday, 27 February 2013 20:29
- Written by Brendan Kiley
After five months in solitary confinement - with no charges against them - for courageously refusing to testify to a Grand Jury on an investigation against other acitvists, Katherine Olejnik and Matthew Duran will be released tomorrow. A third refuser, Maddie Pfeiffer, is still in prison. The following report is from slog.thestranger.com.
Grand Jury Refusers Katherine Olejnik and Matthew Duran Are Free
by Brendan Kiley
Or they will be at 4 pm tomorrow afternoon. Judge Jones has granted Duran and Olejnik's attorneys' request to release their clients, who have been in prison—without convictions or charges—for five months and in solitary confinement for two months.
I wrote about visiting them in prison, and how they got there, in this story.
More details after I get Judge Jones's ruling—but this is happy, happy news. And it's a correction of a situation in the justice system that has seemed very, very far from just.
The third grand jury refuser, Maddie Pfeiffer, is still in prison, but his attorney did not join the motion to file for his release. That motion, I'm guessing, isn't far away.
Of course, they might eventually be charged with criminal contempt—but at least that would have a semblance of due process, an opportunity for a public trial, and a fixed term of incarceration instead of you-just-sit-in-this-cold-cell-until-you-tell-us-what-we-want-to-hear.
You know, the stuff most American citizens expect when dealing with judicial branch of American government.
UPDATE
Judge Jones's ruling is here, with selected paragraphs after the jump. In short, it reiterates what we've been saying for many months: That they weren't there on May Day, that their confinement is looking awfully punitive even though it's not legally supposed to be, that they have shown their resolve to not testify, and that the feds are asking them for testimony that would be tangential at best. (em>Who are these people and what are their political beliefs? instead of who threw a brick through a window?)
Read it in Judge Jones's words below the jump:
Both Ms. Olejnik and Mr. Duran have provided extensive declarations explaining that although they wish to end their confinement, they will never end their confinement by testifying. The court finds their declarations persuasive. They have been submitted to five months of confinement. For a substantial portion of that confinement, they have been held in the special housing unit of the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac, during which they have had no other contact with detainees, very little contact even with prison staff, and exceedingly limited ability to communicate with the outside world...
The government does dispute the witnesses' assertions that confinement in the special housing until entails 23 hours of solitary confinement in their cells and an hour of solitary time alone in a larger room each day, a single fifteen-minute phone call each month (as opposed to five hours of monthly phone time for detainees outside the special housing until), and exceedingly limited access to reading and writing material. Their physical health has deteriorated sharply and their mental health has also suffered from the effects of solitary confinement.Their confinement has cost them; they have suffered the loss of jobs, income, and important personal relationships. They face the possibility of criminal convictions for contempt... both she and Mr. Duran have nonetheless refused to testify...
The court has observed both Ms. Olejnik and Mr. Duran in their prior appearances before the court. Whatever the merits of their choices not to testify, their demeanor has never given the court reason to doubt their sincerity or the strength of their convictions.
The witnesses and the government also invite the court to consider arguments specific to the grand jury investigation at issue. The witnesses argue, for example, that any testimony they could offer would be, at best, tangential to the investigation... Although they remain in contempt of court, the court finds no basis for their continued confinement.
EMERGENCY: Fight to save the life of Kevin Rashid Johnson (Update)
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- Category: Repression
- Created on Thursday, 21 February 2013 02:05
- Written by zzzzz
Update: Kasama has received word that Rashid was in fact drugged against his will (but not by whom). He is now stabilizing. New x-rays have confirmed that he does not have any razer blades in his system, he has returned to drinking liquieds, and his urine has returned to normal.
Rashid has said that he is still being denied access to his literature, his mail, and his ability to write letters. People are encouraged to continue pressuring the prison to demand the he receive these things.
Kevin Rashid Johnson is a political prisoner and leader of a prison organization called the New Afrikan Black Panther Party. He is an outspoken communist revolutionary whose life is in danger.
Kasama recieved the following from zzzzz:
CALL IMMEDIATELY: 541-881-5000 and then press "0"
UPDATE:
inspector general's line: (877) 678-4222
number for the or-doc: 503-945-9090. they're open 8am-5pm.
Kevin Johnson #19370490
S.R.C.I.
777 Stanton Blvd.
Ontario, OR 97914
I have not heard from Rashid for about two weeks, which is surprising, because he normally sends me 2 or 3 letters a week, sometimes for other prisoners. I just received a letter written Feb. 11, at Rashid's request, by another Snake River prisoner, xxxxx. xxxxx's letter begins as follows (edited for spelling etc):
"This is about Rashid. We need a lot of help. They are trying to kill him. On Jan. 31 they put something in his food that made him crazy. On Feb. 2 he took 30 pills. They did not do anything to get the pills out of him.... On Jan. 4 [sic; I assume he means Feb. 4] he ate 3 razor blades. This is all on videotape. They lied and said the X-ray showed nothing. The [blades] are still in him right now. He has not eaten since Feb. 3. He has not drunk anything since Feb. 5.... He is passing out and they won't do anything to help him.... Said he is the one that won't eat or drink so they are not helping him at all. He is peeing blood and has bad kidney pains.... Med staff will not give him IV fluids.... [As of Feb. 10 he had] lost over 16 pounds. His blood pressure is 191/100 and his urine is the color of coffee...."
I phoned Snake River immediately. If you want to speak with anyone, you have to dial 541-881-5000 and then press "0". I left messages with his counselor, Alice Tomlinson and also with a staff member named José Delgado. So far I have not heard back from either of them. I then called again, saying that it's an emergency and I needed to speak to someone who would pick up (I mentioned the warden's office). They connected me with a Sergeant Di Andrea. He looked up Rashid on his computer and said he was "all right"; I said I wanted to know more specifically, so he put me back onto the counselor's answering machine. Obviously he is not "all right"; on the other hand, I think that if he had died, they would have had to tell me. I will keep trying. We should make many calls, reaching as high up as possible.
There are obviously a lot of questions here. How could it have been on videotape? How could he have obtained all those pills? etc etc. The idea that he would try to destroy himself is totally out of character; on the other hand, I suppose that with certain kinds of drug, many strange things are possible. Let's all stay in touch if we get any news.
I am sending this both to the listserv and to the individual addresses I have, just to make sure everyone gets it.
Ironically, just 2 days ago I mailed Rashid the proofs for the article of his that we will be publishing in the July issue of Socialism and Democracy.
Let's all write to him (address below). Even if the letters aren't delivered, the officials will know that a lot of people are ready to protest whatever abuses they inflict.
zzzzz
Christopher Dorner: American Blowback
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- Category: Repression
- Created on Sunday, 10 February 2013 12:53
- Written by George Ciccariello-Maher and Mike King
What do the recent events involving exLAPD member Christopher Jordan Dorner and the brutally oppressive LAPD represent? What does Dorner's break, seemingly the break of a man who went into the repressive apparatus of the state with the intention of doing right and who came to a realization that the it was utterly wrong, tell us about the times we are living in? What does the Dorner episode say about our society in general? How is Dorner different than Adam Lanza or any other of the frequent mass shootings now occuring in the United States? What does the response of the LAPD say about how they look at the rest of society juxtaposed to themselves and the rich they protect? What should we be learning from this event? These are open questions. This event concentrates much. The following article by George Ciccariello-Maher and Mike King that appeared on Counterpunch seeks to speak to some of these questions. Hopefully many of you will as well. -Nat Winn
American Blowback
by GEORGE CICCARIELLO-MAHER and MIKE KING
Yesterday was not simply a day like any other, and yet an entire system is grinding into motion to ensure that the peculiarities of the day be promptly forgotten: another crazy person lost it and committed unthinkable acts. The act of killing stands in and speaks for the person: look what he has done, of course he must be crazy. Case closed.
What they want you to see is just another Adam Lanza, just another inexplicable act, and when the act speaks for the assailant, words are secondary and there is no need to listen. But this is not, and has never been, a good way to understand reality.
BREAKING: Glimpses of the new COINTELPRO
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- Category: Repression
- Created on Saturday, 22 December 2012 13:01
- Written by Justice Online
Thanks to CAEC for pointing this out. It first appeared at Justice Online.
The actual FBI documents can be viewed online here.
Click to view the actual FBI documents.
FBI Documents Reveal Secret Nationwide Occupy Monitoring
FBI documents just obtained by the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF) pursuant to the PCJF’s Freedom of Information Act demands reveal that from its inception, the FBI treated the Occupy movement as a potential criminal and terrorist threat even though the agency acknowledges in documents that organizers explicitly called for peaceful protest and did “not condone the use of violence” at occupy protests.
The PCJF has obtained heavily redacted documents showing that FBI offices and agents around the country were in high gear conducting surveillance against the movement even as early as August 2011, a month prior to the establishment of the OWS encampment in Zuccotti Park and other Occupy actions around the country.
“This production, which we believe is just the tip of the iceberg, is a window into the nationwide scope of the FBI’s surveillance, monitoring, and reporting on peaceful protestors organizing with the Occupy movement,” stated Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, Executive Director of the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF). “These documents show that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are treating protests against the corporate and banking structure of America as potential criminal and terrorist activity. These documents also show these federal agencies functioning as a de facto intelligence arm of Wall Street and Corporate America.”
“The documents are heavily redacted, and it is clear from the production that the FBI is withholding far more material. We are filing an appeal challenging this response and demanding full disclosure to the public of the records of this operation,” stated Heather Benno, staff attorney with the PCJF.
- As early as August 19, 2011, the FBI in New York was meeting with the New York Stock Exchange to discuss the Occupy Wall Street protests that wouldn’t start for another month. By September, prior to the start of the OWS, the FBI was notifying businesses that they might be the focus of an OWS protest.
- The FBI’s Indianapolis division released a “Potential Criminal Activity Alert” on September 15, 2011, even though they acknowledged that no specific protest date had been scheduled in Indiana. The documents show that the Indianapolis division of the FBI was coordinating with “All Indiana State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies,” as well as the “Indiana Intelligence Fusion Center,” the FBI “Directorate of Intelligence” and other national FBI coordinating mechanisms.
- Documents show the spying abuses of the FBI’s “Campus Liaison Program” in which the FBI in Albany and the Syracuse Joint Terrorism Task Force disseminated information to “sixteen (16) different campus police officials,” and then “six (6) additional campus police officials.” Campus officials were in contact with the FBI for information on OWS. A representative of the State University of New York at Oswego contacted the FBI for information on the OWS protests and reported to the FBI on the SUNY-Oswego Occupy encampment made up of students and professors.
- Documents released show coordination between the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and corporate America. They include a report by the Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC), described by the federal government as “a strategic partnership between the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the private sector,” discussing the OWS protests at the West Coast ports to “raise awareness concerning this type of criminal activity.” The DSAC report shows the nature of secret collaboration between American intelligence agencies and their corporate clients – the document contains a “handling notice” that the information is “meant for use primarily within the corporate security community. Such messages shall not be released in either written or oral form to the media, the general public or other personnel…” (The DSAC document was also obtained by the Northern California ACLU which has sought local FBI surveillance files.)
- Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) reported to the DSAC on the relationship between OWS and organized labor for the port actions. The NCIS describes itself as “an elite worldwide federal law enforcement organization” whose “mission is to investigate and defeat criminal, terrorist, and foreign intelligence threats to the United States Navy and Marine Corps ashore, afloat and in cyberspace.” The NCIS also assists with the transport of Guantanamo prisoners.
- DSAC issued several tips to its corporate clients on “civil unrest” which it defines as ranging from “small, organized rallies to large-scale demonstrations and rioting.” It advised to dress conservatively, avoid political discussions and “avoid all large gatherings related to civil issues. Even seemingly peaceful rallies can spur violent activity or be met with resistance by security forces. Bystanders may be arrested or harmed by security forces using water cannons, tear gas or other measures to control crowds.”
- The FBI in Anchorage reported from a Joint Terrorism Task Force meeting of November 3, 2011, about Occupy activities in Anchorage.
- A port Facility Security Officer in Anchorage coordinated with the FBI to attend the meeting of protestors and gain intelligence on the planning of the port actions. He was advised to request the presence of an Anchorage Police Department official to also attend the event. The FBI Special Agent told the undercover private operative that he would notify the Joint Terrorism Task Force and that he would provide a point of contact at the Anchorage Police Department.
- The Jacksonville, Florida FBI prepared a Domestic Terrorism briefing on the “spread of the Occupy Wall Street Movement” in October 2011. The intelligence meeting discussed Occupy venues identifying “Daytona, Gainesville and Ocala Resident Agency territories as portions …where some of the highest unemployment rates in Florida continue to exist.”
- The Tampa, Florida FBI “Domestic Terrorism” liaison participated with the Tampa Police Department’s monthly intelligence meeting in which Occupy Lakeland, Occupy Polk County and Occupy St. Petersburg were discussed. They reported on an individual “leading the Occupy Tampa” and plans for travel to Gainesville for a protest planning meeting, as well as on Veterans for Peace plans to protest at MacDill Air Force Base.
- The Federal Reserve in Richmond appears to have had personnel surveilling OWS planning. They were in contact with the FBI in Richmond to “pass on information regarding the movement known as occupy Wall Street.” There were repeated communications “to pass on updates of the events and decisions made during the small rallies and the following information received from the Capital Police Intelligence Unit through JTTF (Joint Terrorism Task Force).”
- The Virginia FBI was collecting intelligence on the OWS movement for dissemination to the Virginia Fusion Center and other Intelligence divisions.
- The Milwaukee division of the FBI was coordinating with the Ashwaubenon Public Safety division in Green Bay Wisconsin regarding Occupy.
- The Memphis FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force met to discuss “domestic terrorism” threats, including, “Aryan Nations, Occupy Wall Street, and Anonymous.”
- The Birmingham, AL division of the FBI sent communications to HAZMAT teams regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement.
- The Jackson, Mississippi division of the FBI attended a meeting of the Bank Security Group in Biloxi, MS with multiple private banks and the Biloxi Police Department, in which they discussed an announced protest for “National Bad Bank Sit-In-Day” on December 7, 2011.
- The Denver, CO FBI and its Bank Fraud Working Group met and were briefed on Occupy Wall Street in November 2011. Members of the Working Group include private financial institutions and local area law enforcement.
- Jackson, MS Joint Terrorism Task Force issued a “Counterterrorism Preparedness” alert. This heavily redacted document includes the description, “To document…the Occupy Wall Street Movement.”
You can read the FBI – OWS documents below where we have uploaded them in searchable format for public viewing.
The PCJF filed Freedom of Information Act demands with multiple federal law enforcement agencies in the fall of 2011 as the Occupy crackdown began. The FBI initially attempted to limit its search to only one limited record keeping index. Recognizing this as a common tactic used by the FBI to conduct an inadequate search, the PCJF pressed forward demanding searches be performed of the FBI headquarters as well as FBI field offices nationwide.
The PCJF will continue to push for public disclosure of the government’s spy files and will release documents as they are obtained.
Our lips are sealed: tactics for grand jury resistance
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- Category: Repression
- Created on Wednesday, 21 November 2012 12:25
- Written by radioautonomia
photo credit: Olga Palma
This post first appeared at radioautonomia. Thanks to Ryan S from advancethestruggle for sharing this.
Recordings from panels at the event “Our Lips Are Sealed- Grand Jury Defense” which took place Sunday November 11, 2012 at The Holdout Social Center in Oakland, California.
From the Event Page: “Considering that recently, over half a dozen people in the Pacific Northwest have received Grand Jury subpoenas in the last few months, houses connected to OWS organizers have been raided, and many of our comrades down here are facing very serious charges, folks have put together a Grand Jury panel/discussion that is going to be very focused on how we (the collective Left in the Bay Area) can protect ourselves and each other in the case of heightened repression.
This full day event features short presentations from folks with Grand Jury experience — Kristian Williams (author of Our Enemies in Blue), Richard Brown from the SF8, and others.”
* Only the panel presentations were recorded. The discussions and Q&A are not included here.
(Click on the Panel Title to hear the audio)
Panel 1: Legal Rights with Megan, Dan, Sami
Panel 2: Grand Juries Past & Present with Dennison, Kristian, and Richard
Panel 3: Media Strategies with Claude and Kristian
Panel 4: Family Matters, Self Care & PTSD with Mona and Mickey
Hackers are not terrorists, hands off Red Hack!
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- Category: Repression
- Created on Monday, 08 October 2012 11:34
- Written by Hurriyet Daily
Red Hack, an infamous Turkish Maoist hacker group that predates Anonymous is being declared a terrorist cell by the Turkish state. Thanks to Joe for sharing this.
This article first appeared on Hurriyet Daily.
An Ankara Court has accepted an indictment against RedHack, a Turkish hacker group, seeking prison sentences of 8.5 to 24 years for its members as “members of a terrorist group.”
RedHack has denied the allegations, saying 10 people currently held under arrest have had no ties with the group, and that the allegations of terrorism simply part of the government’s policy against all of its opponents in the country, speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News.
“We just demand freedom and unlimited information. That’s why they call us terrorists. Those 10 people have no ties with us, they are only innocent people who shared the news [on online platforms] about us,” a RedHack member told the Hürriyet Daily Newsyesterday via instant messaging over Twitter.
The indictment likened Redhack’s activities to those of such outlawed leftist organizations as the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front (DHKP/C) or the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“It has been determined that [RedHack] has lent support to Marxist, Leninist, Maoist, leftist and separatist terrorist organizations. Hence, even though they are not members of those terrorist organizations, RedHack Kızılyıldızlar [RedStars] members can be considered to have perpetrated crimes in the name of those organizations,” the indictment read.
Because RedHack is a socialist group it expects to be linked with leftist organizations, said the RedHack member who spoke to the Daily News, but he also denied that the group is armed.
“Who is not a terrorist these days, then? If you have a pen, you are a terrorist according to [the government],” the RedHack member said.
The prison sentences the prosecutor requested do have a legal basis because the group’s attacks have targeted governmental websites, lawyer Yavuz Mavioğlu of the law firm ADMD told the Daily News.
“When political hacking attacks were taken into account under Turkey’s present anti-terror laws, there was no doubt that suspects could receive long prison terms,” Mavioğlu said.
RedHack has attacked government websites and leaked information from them, and was previously listed as a terrorist group by the Turkish government. On July 3, RedHack revealed the identities of some foreign diplomatic personnel working in Turkey. The U.S. mission in Ankara condemned this action, and a prosecutor requested on July 6 that the group be listed as a terrorist organization. The group’s Twitter accounts were suspended immediately afterward. RedHack went on to disclose the identities of police informants, after academics and journalists who supported the group were threatened on July 16. A list of military personnel stationed at the Turkish military’s 2nd Commando Brigade was also exposed by the group on June 12. RedHack has also hacked the websites of interior and justice ministries.
Three suspects, Duygu Kerimoğlu, Alaattin Karagenç and Uğur Cihan Oktulmuş, have been held under arrest for the past seven months due to their suspected ties to the group.
Matt Duran on Northwest grand jury witchhunt: Resist!
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- Category: Repression
- Created on Sunday, 16 September 2012 22:24
- Written by Matt Duran
Matt Duran on Northwest grand jury witchhunt: Resist!
Posted by kasama on September 16, 2012
This letter comes from Matt Duran who was just sent to prison for refusing to provide information to the Grand Jury.
Friends and comrades,
My name is Matt Duran and I will do everything I can to resist this Grand Jury.
I’m releasing this as it’s come to my attention that the strategy my lawyer and I have been working under will more than likely not work; the prosecution wants to grant me immunity before I even have a chance to testify.
I want to make it clear that I am in no way ever cooperating with the state now or ever.
Anyone who knows me well enough to be a close friend knows that I will fight with my political allies and for them with every fiber of my being.
If I ever did cooperate, it would bring an immeasurable amount of shame upon myself, my community, and my family as they have risked more in resistance than I have in my life so far.
This is not the first time that the State has attempted to kidnap me,
extort money from me, and take me away from my family, loved ones, and
comrades. The last time, the State even went so far as to create lies in
order to put me away. Bearing this in mind as well as the institutional
racism I face every day, I have long ago accepted that I am going to go to
prison at some point in my lifetime. This compounded with the fact that I
have such an amazing amount of support, to the degree that I don’t even
know what to do with it, allows me to know that I am going to make it no
matter what is thrown at me.
People should know that this is more than likely not the end of this, the
State will continue this Grand Jury well after my comrades and I locked up.
Whatever happens, I want you to know that you are not alone and are more
than capable of handling whatever is thrown at you. They would not be doing
this if we were not successful in any respect; if we kept to our ivory
towers debating what is more revolutionary and not actively creating
conflict, we would not be facing this repression. Do not stop the struggle,
keep organizing and fighting or they will have won. When the Haymarket
massacre took place all those years ago and the martyrs were hung for their
desire for a better life, the State attempted to crush all radicals.
Clearly, this did not work then and it won’t work now. If this was their
desire, they have failed in every aspect of it as I have not seen anything
other than flagrant disregard for them across the globe. Keep the struggle
in your hearts and minds and do not bend to their will. They will never be
able to destroy us no matter how hard they try.
In solidarity,
Matt Duran
Today: Support Grand Jury Resisters at the Seattle Federal Court House
- Details
- Category: Repression
- Created on Thursday, 13 September 2012 20:09
- Written by nopoliticalrepression
Today: Support Grand Jury Resisters at the Seattle Federal Court House
Posted by eric ribellarsi on September 13, 2012
The following comes from nopoliticalrepression.
Today at 12:00pm there will be a rally outside the hearing at noon in front of the Federal Court House (700 Stewart St) (Facebook Event) in support and solidarity of those who have been subpoenaed before a grand jury. These subpoenas are a part of the larger wave of political repression against radical movements, those who are doing what is right.
Go to www.nopoliticalrepression.wordpress.com for more information, statements by those who have been subpoenaed, and updates to come. We will continue to repost and spread the word as information becomes available.
August 2nd was the first hearing of the Seattle grand jury that has been formed to investigate Northwest anarchists [Eric Ribellarsi editorial note: communists of the Kasama Project and Red Spark Collective are also being targeted by this repression. They have faced SWAT team raids and continue to be targeted]. Leah-Lynn Plante read a statement that detailed her non-cooperation and then proceeded to go inside the court house to refuse to answer their questions.
The remaining recipients of subpoenas either elected not to show up to the grand jury, had August 30 or another date on their subpoena, or have not been officially served; however now all the dates have been pushed back to the 13th of September.
In the event that a contempt hearing is held that day, please be prepared to come inside the courthouse for to support the resisters. You’ll need photo ID and court-appropriate clothes. Don’t bring anything you wouldn’t be able to get past metal detectors and security guards.
Vigil from Noon on the September 13th till noon on September 14th.
Come today, support grand jury resisters.
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Kasama is a communist project for the forcible overthrow and transformation of all existing social conditions. We are open to learning, unafraid to admit our own uncertainties. We will not shrink from what we do know: the solutions cannot be found within the current world order or the choices it provides. We are for revolution. We seek to find the forms of organization and action for the people most dispossessed by this system to free themselves and all humanity.
To take this road, we need a fearless, open-eyed debate, discussion and engagement. We need fresh analyses of the rapid changes shaping the world around us. We need to sum up a century of revolutionary strategies and attempts, victories and defeats – instead of the conventional wisdom and facile verdicts that paralyze our movements. We need to re-imagine a radical politics that can take life among people and move mountains.
