Federal Prisons

Rap music has recently been under fire for its misogynistic, materialistic, explicit content and for delivering negative messages to today’s youth. But upon deeper examination, one tends to see that those ideas are merely the same ones being transmitted to the society at large by the institutions which govern society.

The parallels between the ideas propagated through the mass media and other sources; and the ones rapped about on the radio by recording artists are not hard to recognize. While this society proposes to thrive on such “rights” as “freedom of speech” and embraces such abstract concepts as individualism, materialism, and using sex to make profit, it lambasts and condemns artists who are the products of such defunct ideas and who have chosen to endorse and promote them for monetary gain–similar to their capitalist counterparts and employers–only creatively set over catchy beats in rhyme form.

While the hip-hop/rap culture is made up primarily of lower-class, urban youth, generally from the New Afrikan community. the question that arises is: Why are these destructive, negative values so unacceptable now? It seems that as soon as these inner-city youth find a way to use this society’s own value system to their benefit, and use their experiences an conditions of poverty, drugs, and crime as an avenue to create material wealth, they are demonized for their efforts. “Rap music” as a whole is condemned. This is as backwards a reaction as is a child growing up around parents who constantly use foul language, then reprimanding that child when he uses that same language, without holding the parents to account.

Before further analysis, the distinction must be made between what is referred to as “rap” and hip-hop. This may seem minor to some, but it is an important contrast in regards to the subject at hand. The difference between the who can be compared to saying “I love you” to somebody (rap) and being IN love with somebody (hip-hop). Rap is a more commercial venture, where the artists typically brag about who has the flashiest jewelry, the hottest cars, the highest body count, and the most extravagant sexual exploits. Included in this category would be such popular artists as 50 Cent, Young Geezy, and Lil Wayne. Hip-hop, on the other hand, tends to be the expression of the artist’s perception of life, their experiences, and an art form where they can articulate ideas and feelings. Artists falling into this category include Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, and Dead Prez. Unfortunately, both categories are lumped together and branded simply “rap” by the mainstream.

Most of the concepts being attacked come from artists in the “rap” category. Here, one can find rappers largely objectifying wimmin, advocating individualism and gangsterism, and supporting their general materialistic message by endorsing such acts as murder, robbery, and deceit, among others. After identifying these trends in rap music, one can’t help but see the similarities between rap and the society at large.

Every time one turns on the television, they can not help but notice the many overt references to sex. Wimmin are scantily clad in commercial advertisements to sell almost any commodity imaginable. Wimmin in bikinis walk around boxing rings holding placards showing what round has begun; reality shows televised with wimmin competing for some random guy while employing a wide array of seductive tactics; the list could continue much further. All this is available to a general audience at any given moment throughout the day. The underlying idea is that “sex sells,” and this idea is overwhelmingly used by men to objectify and exploit wimmin participants for profit.

Then there is the main reason that these wimmin are objectified–money. They stand next to an expensive car that is supposed to be the fastest and most popular; are in advertisements selling the “classiest” jewelry and apparel; and generally promote obtaining as many of the newest, flashiest, in-style material possessions as possible. This idea has become so widespread and acceptable that in schools the youth who are found to possess the newest, flyest clothes and products are the more popular, while those without the latest trendy clothes and items are the less socially acceptable.

Then there is also the issue of crime. While rappers are being chastised for glorifying violence and criminality, the chastizers fail to confront the underlying causes of such crime and its solution, instead placing the blame on rap culture. From a young age, youth are taught by society that accumulation of wealth is the desired goal of life, to look out for yourself and obtain as much as you can. At the same time–through acts of war at home and abroad– our country reinforces the idea that during the quest for the “almighty dollar.” any means may be employed to get more money, including violence, murder, and deceit (among others)–only accepting those from the lower-class. When a person not from a privileged upbringing and background employs these same tactics, even for the same objectives, they are labeled “criminals” and are subject to incarceration and, in some cases, death. The laws that govern this country blatantly display the fact that they were made to protect the privileges of the upper-class at the expense of the lower-class.

This is not a defense for the clearly negative aspects of a culture that influences people from all kinds of different persuasions and races. Objectifying and degrading wimmin, and glorifying drugs and crime are definitely counter-productive and really reflect a symptom of a far wider problem. I am simply attempting to show the correlations between rap music and society, how they both inherently share and promote the same ideas and values, and how by and from the former they are criticized and scorned, yet by and from the latter they are accepted and embraced.

If we want to get to the root of the problem, our attacks shouldn’t be aimed at a rap culture that developed from the harsh conditions of this society and which only reflects the same backward ideas and values that have been indoctrinated into the masses since birth. Instead, our attacks should be concentrated at a capitalist system that institutionalizes these degenerate values and ideas, and the ugly conditions it has consequently created in this country. Only when we begin to confront the root causes of crime, poverty, unemployment and racism will we be able to teach and educate our youth, and society as a whole, to new positive and progressive ideas and values, based on people helping and caring about other people-in one world: socialism. Anything short of this is a failure to confront the real issues and is simply a step backward.

I’m writing from the Michael Unit plantation in Tennessee Colony, TN. For the past few months we here at the Michael Unit have been having racial altercations, and it isn’t even the summer yet. It’s been mainly behind frivolous stuff: “wasted energy on a wasted cause.”

I’ve tried time and time again to get my Latino and Black brothers to open their eyes to the real struggle. Why fight each other? The system should be the ones you’re fighting. The more we stay divided, the more we can’t win our fight. It’s crazy!

Here in Texas, our unit comes through every few months and separates Mexican and Mexican cell mates and the same with whites, and integrates them with Blacks, when they know none of them can live together, and know something will happen because they have nothing in common.

This system is designed to divide and conquer the masses. If only everyone would open their eyes and realize what they were doing, then maybe somethings would change for the better.

I used to be one of the ones who was for my people and you couldn’t tell me different. If it wasn’t Raza I didn’t care. It’s fine and all good if you love your culture, but it’s time that we break down the walls of ethnicity and look at the big picture. It’s us against them and without knowing this, then we will always lose. It’s not a white, black or brown thing, but a struggle thing.

I just hope someone will spread the word about the big picture. It’s not “let’s make it better for our race.” It’s “let’s make it better for everyone.” We are the ones living in the trenches of poverty, blindness and no hope. And if we don’t change, this struggle will never defeat the system.

I am currently incarcerated in California serving a 220 year life sentence that I’ll never finish.

I know every state is a little different as to how it taxes its prisoners and uses the sweat of our slave labor to promote the prison industrial complex. Following is an outline of a few of the ways they do it here in California.

Some of our taxation comes in the form of “restitution,” for which we are taxed 55 percent of all money that lands in our prisoner trust accounts. Ten percent of that goes to the prison for administrative costs and the remainder goes to the state’s general fund.

The next money-grabber comes in the form of a $5 co-payment for all medical and dental visits, which is outrageous considering that we are provided substandard and unconstitutional medical, dental, and mental health services under the control of a court-ordered receivership.

Another tax comes in the form of our prisoner welfare fund, which gets collected in various ways, the most common of which is a 10 percent tax on the purchase of an appliance, quarterly package, special purchase or hobby supplies.

A lot of guys - and girls - are unaware of the money that gets clipped from our friends and family. For example, every time we make one of those collect calls, our friends and family get clobbered with outrageous phone bill charges, which the phone companies kickback to the prison for allowing them to provide us with phone service. To give you an idea how badly our families are being taxed by these calls, last year the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) received over $25 million in kickbacks from phone companies.

A similar tax can be found in our visiting rooms by way of the “super high” prices of vending machine items. The vendors, like the phone companies, pay kickbacks to the prisons for the privilege of putting their machines in our visiting areas! I don’t know what this amount is annually, but I assure you, it’s a lot.

Also in the visiting area are the sales of pictures for which all the profits go to the inmate welfare fund, which gets quietly shuffled into the general fund. The same applies to the profits from our canteen purchases.

Next we visit the prison labor issue. Here in California we’ve been operating with a pay scale system that was developed in the 1970s and there hasn’t been a cost of living adjustment since it was implemented. In fact, the only change that has come has been the elimination of paid positions, because there is always some desperate prisoner who is willing to work for nothing just to get out of his or her cell. This practice must stop if we are ever to see a pay increase.

We pretty much make everything for the state prison system and government offices: Clothing, food, bedding, cleaning products, tables, chairs, and even modular offices. We make license plates and the tags that go on them; our labor saves the state $billions annually. Yet we continue to jump at the opportunity to work for 10 cents an hour or for nothing at all!

I could go on for hours about all the ways the state is extorting our money and the sweat of our labor. It’s endless, and all we are doing is making it possible for them to hold us longer and, quite possibly imprison our friends, neighbors and loved ones to expand their prison industrial complex. This has got to stop.

Now, here’s my solution. This should work, considering the current economic crisis affecting every state, but it won’t come easily or without sacrifice.

I call upon everyone to use up or send out all the money in your prison trust account. This will deprive the state of millions of dollars that they acquire from interest on our money, as well as funds they won’t get from restitution, fines, inmate welfare and other bogus charges, because we’ll have no money to spend. Second, everyone must stop using the phone and start writing instead. Third, stop working for nothing. I guarantee you this will quickly get the attention of your administrators - but don’t collapse under pressure. Last, demand prisoners’ rights, including the right to vote. Once that is established you will have the power to do just about anything.

For everyone’s information, I want you to know I have already undertaken this plan of action. I have remained indigent since my incarceration in 2005 and, as a direct result, the state pays me 20 metered indigent envelopes a month, all my necessary hygiene equipment, soap, razors, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb and so forth. They also pay for all my legal copying services, paper, envelopes and postage of which I have used many. I have deprived the state of the interest from my money and the $850,000 it claims I owe in restitution. I have refused to work from day one and will continue to do so until I see radical changes in prisoners’ rights. I don’t pay for my medical visits or my medications, which are numerous and extremely expensive.

Again, I could ramble on for days, but I want you all to start thinking about how you are contributing to the prison industrial complex and start taking actions to change this environment in which we live. If done nationwide, we can and will stop the heart of the Prison Industrial Complex by removing the profit motive.

MIM(Prisons) adds: This comrade points out a lot of ways that prisoners can take legal and non-violent actions against the so-called prison industrial complex. This sort of organizing is important. However, this will not remove the motivation for imprisonment in the United $tates. While people are making extra money off of prisoners through all the methods listed above, the fundamental source of money for prisons is still the government. Prisons are not profitable in the sense that they do not generate enough value to pay for themselves. They are a subsidized industry that pays a lot of people a lot of money to build, fill and operate. And so the portion of this that prisoners can impact by the direct actions described in this article is limited to a minority of the money. That doesn’t mean these actions will be useless, but we can’t fool ourselves into thinking these actions alone will stop the heart of the Prison Industrial Complex.

I am writing to let it be known that I had no problem receiving the January 2009 issue of ULK. It is such an honor and a privilege to be a recipient of such a fine publication.

While reading the latest issue of ULK I noticed something that made me stop and think really hard. That something was that throughout the entire newsletter there was some type of mentioning of women in nearly every issue. I point that out because I have a story to tell about how women are making life harder for prisoners.

Before I go any further with this please let me say to my fellow comrades that I love women to the utmost. The way they smell, the sound of their voice, the way they look, the way they walk, everything; I’m the furthest thing from a sexist anyone can imagine. Let’s face the facts though, women are some very emotional beings. Emotions that when not contained or kept in check could prove to be very detrimental to a person such as myself.

When dealing with women working in a men’s prison, one has to be very careful about what they do, and what they say. Because you never know when you’ll become a victim of one of her emotional outbursts.

Case in point: One morning on return from gym call, as I headed to my cell for an institutional count I had asked the female officer in the booth over the intercom was she going around for count to which she replied, “no”. I was going to my cell to wash myself since I was all sweaty from playing basketball in the gym, and I could not take a shower before lunch call because the showers don’t cut on until 5 o’clock. I had asked that female officer, was she coming through for count, out of respect because I knew that there was a slight possibility that she would, being that we can’t cover our cell door windows, and I knew that I would be washing myself. Out of respect for women I did this. So when she told me no, that she wasn’t coming around for count, I went to my cell, got completely naked, and proceeded to wash myself.

You can imagine what happened next. Unknown to me, the very same female officer walks right past my door to count me while I’m standing there completely naked washing my body. It wasn’t a problem to me but I didn’t want this lady thinking that I had disrespected her. So after count was cleared I went looking for her to apologize. I couldn’t find her for the rest of that day. I thought that maybe she was called to another unit to work.

The following day however, I was called to the sergeants office, and was told that I had a write up for being naked in my cell, stroking my penis in an up and down motion during count time when this particular female officer came past my cell door to count me. What? I was outraged. I tried calmly to explain the situation to the sergeant, but if you’re a prisoner you already know that a prisoner’s word versus an officer’s word is no good, and whatever that officer says is what it is. I felt completely defenseless. I was, because I knew that no matter what I said or did this facility’s disciplinary board was going to find me guilty. I tried though. I tried to get them to understand the situation, but these people are truly stuck in their ways even when the truth, and facts are right before their eyes.

In the disciplinary hearing the hearing officer stated in their summary that they find that this act was not intentional, but still found me guilty. Resulting in the punishment of $10 taken out of my account (money that my people send me, I only get $20 every other month), 45 days segregation time, loss of telephone privilege for 30 days, 10 days credit time less, 40 hours extra duty time, and one month limited draw (meaning that I can only spend $10 a week instead of 40). On top of all that I’ve been red-flagged to be placed on I-CON (intensive control) which is being placed in segregation for at least 6 months, because this is my second high level offense within the last 6 months. The first one was refusing to produce a urine sample for a drug test. I got that because I couldn’t piss on demand.

I’ve shared this story with you comrades so that you can see for yourself just how easy it is for a female working in a prison to cause so much hardship for a prisoner. On the outside looking in you just see that I’ll be doing a lot of months in segregation. You don’t recognize what effect that has on me and my family. Because now that I’m in segregation visits are now behind the glass, meaning that I can’t hug my sons, mother, and sisters if they choose to come see me shackled, handcuffed, and chained up behind a glass window. Now my people think that it’s a waste of money to have to pay for write ups, using money that could’ve been well spent somewhere else; resulting in them not really wanting to send me money anymore. I also have another charge added onto my DOC record which will be looked at by a judge being that I’m trying to get back into court. Now the judge is going to see that I can’t behave myself in prison, why should he really grant me a motion for appropriate relief if I’m unable to control myself in prison? That’s what he’s going to be thinking. Now my chances of getting a motion granted are even smaller.

These are just a few ways that my life and the lives of my family and loved ones are affected by a female coming to work emotionally distressed. Nothing I can do about it either. That’s the sad part. All I can do is live my life one day at a time with hopes that I’ll be released from captivity earlier than the 2020 release date set for me.

Throughout my entire life women played a significant role in how things went for me, some good, some bad. It just goes to show that that saying is true, “women, can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em.”

MIM(Prisons) responds: First we want to dispel some mistaken ideas about what sexism is. This prisoner suggests that because he loves women he is not sexist. But sexism has nothing to do with what one likes or loves. Sexism is the systematic view that women are in some way inferior to men. And in the case of this prisoner, his characterization of women as “very emotional beings” is actually a good example of sexist views. We’re not trying to say this prisoner is unusual in his sexism. In fact, right now we all live under a patriarchal system that teaches us sexist views from birth, and that’s not something we can just wish away. It’s more important that we work on fighting systematic oppression than attempting to change an individual’s well ingrained attitudes and views. But we mention this here because it is important for everyone to see how their views run counter to the goals of our overall struggle against all forms of oppression.

We do not doubt the truth of this story about the female officer mistreating the writer. But there is nothing in the incident that suggests that female officers are more dangerous or emotional than male officers. The pages of Under Lock and Key are filled with accounts of male officers taking advantage of prisoners’ (both male and female) position of powerlessness to abuse them, file false accusations, and even take sexual favors. Male officers can be just as emotional and illogical as female officers - in both cases this is more about abusing power than some inherent irrational nature. Giving people positions of power in the Amerikan criminal injustice system encourages this sort of behavior.

What is interesting about this prisoner’s story is the demonstration of a womyn exercising gender power over a man. This is not because this womyn was irrational and emotional, but instead because of the systematic position of powerlessness faced by (mostly male) prisoners in Amerika, and the relative power enjoyed by the guards (both male and female). Behind the bars men as a group end up gender oppressed, but on the streets they enjoy gender power over wimmin. The common theme of gender in the issue of Under Lock and Key that this prisoner read was meant to demonstrate this and put gender oppression in the context of the Amerikan criminal injustice system.

As I write this letter I am once again incarcerated in the administrative segregation dungeon (ad-seg) of Mule Creek State Prison for refusing to conform to the CDCR-CCPOA Mafia underground corruption rules of forced double celling.

This time they have incarcerated me in what is called the disciplinary detention bubble for no reason.

1. I have no RVR115 rule violation guilty ruling.
   2. I have no RVR115 disciplinary detention sentence.
   3. I have no psych evaluation 114 order.

They put me in the bubble to shut me up, to silence me, to stop me from teaching truth to the blind ignorant inmates.

In this letter I have drawn an image of the CDCR-CCPOA Mafia machine multi-billion dollar monster that holds you captive. Every time you feed the beast your money you empower the beast and the beast grows another arm.

• All prisoner telephone calls feed the CDCR-CCPOA-Mafia beast.
  - All prisoner canteen purchases feed the CDCR-CCPOA-Mafia beast.
  - All prisoner special purchase (Walkenhurst-access packages) purchases feed and empower the CDCR-CCPOA-Mafia beast.
  - All special food sale purchases feed and empower the CDCR-CCPOA-Mafia beast.
  - All prisoners who work and program in their pseudo (no pay) work/vocational/education schemes, feed and empower the CDCR-CCPOA-Mafia beast.
  - When prisoners conform and comply with the CDCR-CCPOA-Mafia’s underground corruption rule of forced double celling they empower the CDCR-CCPOA-Mafia beast.

Stop empowering your enemy the CDCR-CCPOA-Mafia. A plan + a goal + an action = freedom.

My comrades, I challenge you to ask yourselves this question: why, at a CDCR RVR 115 disciplinary hearing, does the disciplinary officer not restrict a prisoner from making purchases in the CDCR-CCPOA-Prison canteen as part of the RVR115 punishment? Because it’s part of the CDCR-CCPOA-Mafia’s life blood!

Ask yourself, why does the CDCR not stop prisoners from making prison canteen purchases in the CDCR-Adseg or the CDCR-SHU? Because it’s part of the CDCR’s life blood.

They have us like blind sheep and cows ignorantly empowering them. Stop empowering the enemy. Stop helping them. 65% of all purchase money in the canteen goes to the CDCR-CCPOA-Mafia beast.

The next time you give your money to the prison canteen CDCR-CCPOA-Prison mafia beast think of this image drawn for your education, think about how you’re empowering the CDCR-CCPOA-Mafia to grow another arm to incarcerate you, your son, your father, your brother, your sister, your mother, your wife, your grandchildren, your friends and comrades.

For our Peace Issue, MIM(Prisons) had solicited a number of allies who are doing work for peace among the lumpen on the streets. Though the Peace Issue is done, our pages remain open to those who are doing such work, as we want to build as many connections as we can between what is going on in the streets and behind prison walls. This article will make some of those connections in a mostly historical way. Similar stories can be told about the largest street organizations based in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and beyond. And as we’ll see, the use of prisons to isolate the peace makers is having a very real impact on efforts in oppressed communities.

Chicago

The Chicago story could start in the late 1960’s with Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party, who was shot in his sleep by the FBI for attempting to unite street and youth organizations under a revolutionary banner of the original “rainbow coalition.” While some legacies of that work remain, COINTELPRO was quite effective in preventing thousands of lumpen youth from joining the anti-imperialist United Front. During the same period, other street organizations were joining a coalition with city and business leaders in Chicago. The Conservative Vice Lords (CVL) were one of these groups who became a significant force for building Black businesses and serving the lumpen youth of the community. Despite their turn from petty crime and street fighting to a positive community organization, their attempts to work with the pigs and the business establishment failed again and again. Eventually their leaders were targeted for frame ups and put in prison like the revolutionary Panthers, despite a program that never attempted anything but integration into mainstream capitalist society. Their differences with the Panthers seemed to be based on misunderstandings of the Panther strategy (1), which others have suggested were a result of COINTELPRO misinformation campaigns.

In the end the CVL leadership saw that the next generation was coming up looking to undo everything they had built. And sure enough the streets of Chicago succumbed to more violence and chemical warfare following the destruction of the Panthers and efforts like those of CVL. The next generation produced Larry Hoover who also came around from the criminal mentality to create institutions like “Save the Children,” support legal Black business development and register thousands of people to vote. After being imprisoned, Hoover’s Gangster Disciples (GDs) hosted perhaps the largest peace summit in u$ lumpen history in Chicago in 1993. After his 13th parole denial Hoover released a statement in which he said things such as:

Drugs are our enemy, destroying many of us with the lure of profit, more of us with addiction, and still more with the crime that results; we must join our voices with those across the land, of whites and blacks, churchgoers and convicts, gays and straights - all who share the purpose of taking the profit out of drugs and ending the slaughter made easy by guns. (2)

And this was not just talk, as the GD’s had demonstrated their ability to achieve such goals. The biggest immediate threat to the imperialist establishment that the lumpen can make is to end the meaningless destruction of oppressed youth life while destroying the profits from chemical warfare thru imperialist-run drug cartels. The state responded by sending Hoover to the federal supermax prison ADX in Colorado for conspiracy charges to deal drugs.

New York

In New York City the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation is a well-documented (if not always accurately) example of the modern repression of progressive mass organizations of lumpen youth. With constant targeting by police, most of the local leadership ended up in prison. The main architect behind the Nation’s growth in New York, King Blood, has spent 12 years in complete isolation. King Tone, who was the popular spokespersyn for the Nation in NYC during their politicization in the mid-1990’s has also been in prison since those tumultuous years. Their pro-Puerto Rican community organizing made them greater targets than they had been as a street gang engaged in criminal activities. Statements like,

“We are not AMERICAN, we are one of 22 million Puerto Ricans who are victims of Americanism… We are Revolutionary Nationalists but we are remembered as proletarian internationalists, heroic fighters in the struggle against oppression and imperialism.” (3)

led one pig to state,

There’s no way we’re gonna let a bunch of gang-bangers think they’re the Panthers or the Young Lords.

As more Kings & Queens went to prison, they took their goals with them and began to build educational programs and promote peace within the new gang units that were popping up at the time. MIM’s Free Books to Prisoners Program helped comrades in New Jersey build a library of thousands of books where Kings were not just teaching other Kings, but also members of the United Blood Nation and others to read. UBN, like the New York ALKQN, was formed within the New York prison system. And like King Blood, one of UBN’s co-founders, is in a control unit for his organizing, just recently getting his sentence there extended to 2021 by the NYSDOCS; greatly limiting his contact with the outside world. He reports that extensive COINTELPRO tactics were used against them in conjunction with the ALKQN.

Today the ALKQN is clear that none of its senior leadership is involved in any illegal activities and the leadership continues to define it as an organization for the betterment of the community and the self-determination of oppressed nations. As with all of the mass organizations discussed here, whose popularity has exploded, often beyond the influence of its founders, there are many who claim the flags that play into government efforts to dirty their names.

Los Angeles

Perhaps the most well-known peace effort came in Los Angeles around the time of the Rodney King verdicts and the uprising that followed. The state responded swiftly when Bloods & Crips came together in the streets. Not to mention that the unity in action also included a majority of Mexicans and a significant proportion of white participants.

As discussed in the article We Want Peace! They want Security. the unity of the oppressed is a response to the unity of the oppressor against them. Therefore, when the Panthers were destroyed, the Crips came up from a history of Black street organizations that formed to protect themselves from white violence. Eventually, other Black groups united under the Blood flag to protect themselves from the Crips.

When these groups came together for peace in the early ’90’s, once again we saw the targeting of leaders of the oppressed by the state. Just to mention some of the most high profile attacks, Crip leader Sanyika Shakur (aka Monster) who had taken up Black Nationalism was sent to a Security Housing Unit (SHU). Imprisoned Black Liberation fighter Mutulu Shakur had worked from a distance to develop the Thug Life code promoted at the peace meetings by his step-son Tupac. Federal Bureau of Prisons papers document that Mutulu Shakur was moved to the original control unit in Marion because he was effectively organizing young Black prisoners. The warden of Lewisburg, in recommending his transfer, wrote the following: “I firmly believe Shakur needs the controls of Marion, as he appears to manipulate the entire system. This shrewd behavior coupled with his outside contacts and influence over the younger Black element will have adverse affects on the mission.” (4) Mutulu continues to be isolated in the newer federal supermax prison, ADX, while Tupac was assassinated following his work around the peace treaty.

Over a decade later, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent Tookie Williams to be executed because he had dedicated his books to leaders in the Black Liberation struggle. A Crip co-founder, Tookie spent many years in prison writing children’s books to counter the anti-people activities of street organizations, while drafting up peace protocol for those who were involved in the gang wars. He was a shining example of rehabilitation (no thanks to the state), which the CDCR added to its name and allegedly to its mission around the same time.

The state’s success led to the bloodiest years the California ghettos, barrios and prisons have seen. Those who could do something to stop all the violence were part of the first large scale experimentation in long-term isolated captivity of humyn beings (or were dead). In this context, the leadership became more concentrated within the prison system, where the state had already begun dividing the system up along the lines of Blacks, whites, northern and southern Mexicans. These became the battle lines for the years of “race wars” that continue to this day.

One of the most violent battles took place in Pelican Bay State Prison in 2001. Prisoners responded by calling on leaders representing each group, who were being held in SHU, to negotiate a truce. (5) This truce seemed to be on the road to success when the CDCR’s Institutional Gang Investigation unit intervened, along with others in the department, to carry out a negative propaganda campaign, similar to what has happened every time prisoners have tried to come together in peace. (see We Want Peace! They want Security.)

As one prisoner explained what happened,

I have yet to hear of any of this, however, I did hear about the 2001 attempted peace treaty. Which of course was purposely sabotaged by CDC. The very last thing these bastards (CDC) wants is peace amongst the races here in prison. It is not in the material interest of the white middle class who work for CDC to have this violence come to an end. Any time an institution goes on lock down, prison officials automatically get what’s called “Hazard Pay” which doubles their pay. So for every violent incident they (CDC) can provoke, they stand to profit from it.

And it’s not only the CDC that stands to profit. Other outside organizations are also profiting from what the CDC has created. Organizations such as the Sheriffs department and other police agencies, which of course are staffed with middle class white amerikans. Every time an incident from in here spills out into our occupied communities, it is these organizations that come in and lock up everyone in sight, not to mention harass, beat and even murder us.

According to those involved in the 2001 peace talks, the failure stemmed from a lack of community support. This allowed the pigs to spread the rumors and squash the organizing efforts. This is why it is crucial to develop links between the peace efforts on the street and behind bars.

Only with growing mass support, inside and outside prisons, will the CDCR agree to allow for a peace process. That is why MIM(Prisons) is promoting the petition initiated in 2006 to restart the process. (6) As one veteran leader of the California prison movement said in an interview regarding the Pelican Bay Peace Summit,

A peace accord, or a peace summit itself. If that’s real. Then I wanna bet it’s real in a sense that both your politically motivated SHU prisoners and your regular gang member- motivated prisoners have both come to the realization that they are both doomed to hell! No matter how many differences exist between them, that they are united in the fact that they are doomed prisoners. And that’s the only way that they’re going to get that condemnation off of them, is if they join forces to change the policies that allows them to live in the naked abyss. And that means that they would have to work together. And in order to work together they would first have to arrange a successful peace summit. So that they could combine forces. Now I kinda think that that’s a natural course of events. That they would come to that conclusion, whether they wanted to or not, the conditions are gonna force them to come to those conclusions.

…I know that a peace summit has to be a prelude to something more significant. And that something more significant has to be what we always fought for, you know what I’m saying, the humyn rights of all prisoners in general, regardless of what clique or what race they’re from.

The story we see over and over again is that state attacks on lumpen organizations are superficial as long as the organization is engaged in activities murdering and poisoning their own people. It is only when these groups begin to help their communities that they are crushed by the state.

COINTELPRO continues its misinformation campaigns against lumpen organizations today and historically through the mainstream media like National Geographic and BET who have jumped on the sensationalized gang life bandwagon. They pretend to investigate both sides of the story while painting all of these organizations as evil. Part of this is a continued campaign against the Black Panthers almost four decades after they were effectively neutralized. Organizers today need to be prepared for the attacks by representatives of the State who claim they want peace, but in reality only want peaceful submission to imperialist profit.

notes:
(1) Dawley, David. A Nation of Lords: The Autobiography of the Vice Lords. Waveland Press, 1993. 2nd edition (orig. 1973).
On p.112, the Vice Lords claim that the Panthers tried to convince all of the street organizations to go on a rampage burning the city down. This would have been contrary to the consistent line and strategy of Fred Hampton and Huey Newton. The Vice Lords do admit to breaking up underground organizing in response to the assassination of MLK as part of their partnership with Chicago business interests. Yet, still the establishment never came thru with their end of the deal of providing loans and other business development support.
(2) Hayden, Tom. Street Wars. The New Press, 2004. p. 284.
(3) Brotherton, David C. & Luis Barrios. The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation. Columbia University Press, 2004. p. 298.
(4) http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~kastor/walking-steel-95/ws-florence.html
(5) Support Pelican Bay Peace Process
(6) for more info on this campaign and petition click here

Time will tell,
As we go through hell,
prisons known as modern day slavery.
Taking young lives every hour endlessly,
Why should kids starve and look at us as the enemy,
When their father, mother, sister, brothers
have been stripped of their liberty.
And still, at this moment you say ‘you can’t tell,’
just listen closely and you’ll hear their wails.
And you’re wasting time watching every day go by,
As the real criminals are right in front of your eye.

The main purpose of issue 7 of Under Lock & Key is to show who wants peace and who does not. We will also focus on our long-held line that prisoners accomplish nothing by lashing out and fighting each other or prison staff. Every prison that censors this newsletter is acknowledging that peace among prisoners is contrary to their goal of so-called “security,” further substantiating our thesis presented below.

Time has proved . . . that blind deference to correctional officials does no real service to them. Judicial concern with procedural regularity has a direct bearing upon the maintenance of institutional order; the orderly care with which decisions are made by the prison authority is intimately related to the level of respect with which prisoners regard that authority.

There is nothing more corrosive to the fabric of a public institution such as a prison than a feeling among those whom it contains that they are being treated unfairly.” Palmigiano v. Baxter, 487 F.2d 1280, 1283 (CA1 1973). As THE CHIEF JUSTICE noted in Morrissey v. Brewer, 408 U.S. at 408 U. S. 484, “fair treatment . . . will enhance the chance of rehabilitation by avoiding reactions to arbitrariness.
-dissenting opinion from Wolff v. McDonnell, 418 U.S. 539 (1974)

Our track record speaks for itself. At least dozens of prisoners and former prisoners have given up lives that once included physical attacks on cops, and often fights with other people as well, after taking up the anti-imperialist struggle through MIM. Unfortunately, our data is a little skewed since we can only speak for prisoners who we are in contact with. It is up to an ambitious researcher to demonstrate statistically that those involved in anti-imperialism are less violent than those who aren’t (or more so as the prison mail rooms across the country claim is the case).

In the meantime, there are plenty of studies showing how all sorts of educational and family programs help reduce violence and anti-social behavior. (1) Unfortunately, in a system focused on punishment and ostracizing groups of people, these programs are used to manipulate rather than rehabilitate. U$ prisons that do offer these programs do so in an effort to tempt prisoners with a carrot. By taking this individualist approach they are not actually investing in peace or progress. When priorities change and a prisoner loses his job or can no longer see his loved one, then there is no longer the incentive to be peaceful. In contrast, a dedication to the struggle for a world without oppression cannot be taken away by future prison administrators.

Facts:

1. In decades of work the Maoist Internationalist Movement has never broken bourgeois laws. In years of work, neither has MIM(Prisons).

2. Members of MIM and members of MIM(Prisons) have always been forbidden from breaking the law.

3. MIM literature has never promoted breaking the law or taking up arms against the united states government, or any local government or organization, for that matter.

4. Every issue of Under Lock & Key, the newsletter of MIM(Prisons), encourages prisoners to obey the laws and to avoid physical conflicts.

5. Anecdotal experience provides evidence of a pattern of reduced violence among prisoners who become involved in MIM-led educational programs and/or organizational campaigns.
   

Despite the facts listed above, our programs and materials are routinely denied to prisoners all across the united $tates. In late 2007, we launched our website where we have since recorded 509 incidents of censorship. Most of those are censoring MIM(Prisons). Of them, 11 cite “STG” or “Security Threat Group”, 34 cite “security” in general, 14 cite a threat of “violence,” and 26 cite our threat to the “law” as the reason they are censored. In addition, 164 took place in California, where all MIM mail was banned because it allegedly “advocates seizing public power through armed struggle and overturning prison administrations ‘by stripping them of control.’” (2) While the recent legal struggles of one comrade in California brought to light a document overturning this ban, it continues to be applied in many of the prisons where MIM(Prisons) used to have a large readership. Most of the rest of the incidents of censorship fall into the various categories of “unacceptable”, “disallowed”, “unauthorized”, “refused” or there was just no reason given whatsoever.

Security Threat Group (STG) is the buzz word developed in the 1990’s to apply to a range of street and political organizations. Many so-called “correctional professionals” claim MIM(Prisons) is an STG. But exactly what are we a threat to the security of? Copying the language of precedent setting case law, it is often phrased as being “detrimental to the security, good order, or discipline of the institution or […] it might facilitate criminal activity.”) The problem with the phrasing in this court decision is that many prisons interpret that to mean that if you tell prisoners to file complaints, write the press, join organizations or build lawsuits in response to torture, physical abuse, lack of medical care, censorship, etc. then you are threatening the “good order or discipline of the institution.” (THORNBURGH v. ABBOTT, 490 U.S. 401 (1989)

Reviews of this and other case law demonstrate that under capitalism in amerika, prisoners actually do have rights and the above interpretation is a violation of them. The real meaning of this law should be to allow prison administrators to censor materials that promote real and immediate threats to safety and security, such as plans to attack someone else in the prison or to smuggle in weapons. The most recent case condemning prisoncrats for preventing prisoners from receiving materials that promote legal resistance was just last year when a comrade in Wisconsin won his suit in federal court. (3)

In some cases the prison administration has interpreted the law the same way we do, but still claims we violate it by posing an immediate threat to safety and security. The California ban letter cited above is one example of this. In these cases we also disagree to the point of getting the bourgeois courts involved.

The October 2006 memo from CDCR Director Scott Kernan banning MIM publications (supposedly not all our mail) has completely inaccurate statements in it, such as the one quoted above. If it were possible to demonstrate that MIM promoted violence in prisons or breaking the law without lying, one of the state lawyers would have done it by now. Their favorite defense in many states is to hide behind prison walls, rather than lie like Scott Kernan did. That is why state officials need to be publicly accountable in any society claiming democracy in any form.

From the CO’s up to the director, they play the text book role of the bureaucrat attempting to defend their corrupt institution, and by proxy their own lucrative jobs. We admit to being a threat to the jobs of corrupt officials and abusive institutions, as any conscious and active citizen should be.

In this issue you’ll read stories of foiled peace plans, violent set-ups and hazard pay for CO’s. The various unions representing so-called peace officers are some of the strongest in the country and their main leverage tool is persynal safety. They say, “we’re putting our lives at stake to protect your shit, you better pay us good.” Hence the built in motivation for more violence, more riots, more “validated” gang members and more maximum security and supermax prisons. It all means more money in their pockets.

More generally, amerikans as a whole benefit from their positions of power over the oppressed. Middle class amerikan citizens benefit from being members of the group of people who can be cops or get similar jobs as oppressors in the criminal injustice system, and they benefit from the services the cops provide in maintaining lines between social groups. So it is not just an individualist motivation for higher pay, it is also a national consciousness that is necessary to create the us vs. them mentality necessary to run prisons the way they do in the united $tates. One example of this consciousness came up during the Giuliani reign of terror in New York City in the 1990s, when the New York Times reported that most white residents were comfortable with the police behavior they saw, while nine out of ten Blacks felt that “the police often engaged in brutality against blacks.” (4)

These national lines of us vs. them were created by the white settlers and is deep in that history of land grab and slave trading. Over time this forces the oppressed to see the world in a similarly divided way, leaving the oppressors with two choices: they can turn around and use it as a justification for their own brutality, or they can de-escalate the contradiction. Our analysis of imperialism and the principal contradiction predicts that amerikans cannot de-escalate the contradiction, and so far we’ve been proven right. And that is why u$ prisons have become a perversely violent microcosm of amerikan society.

While we believe that in general cops and CO’s have a vested interest in opposing our efforts to promote peace, we are also acting in United Front with those employed by the vast u$ criminal justice system who are more interested in making it home to their family each night than getting hazard pay and new high tech toys to play with. This is unlikely in places like California where history has already demonstrated what happens to prison staff who speak against these interests. On a related note, MIM(Prisons) does not threaten people’s lives, berate people into suicide, or carry out assassinations.

Many prison staff claim MIM(Prisons) is a threat because we encourage prisoners to organize. We look to history again, and help quell those fears by taking a look at two of the greatest examples of prisoners organizing themselves. In the Attica rebellion in 1971, no CO’s were killed until the National Guard came in and shot 11 employees dead, along with 29 prisoners. Up until that point the prisoners of Attica had organized a democratically run society within the prison walls, including such things as their own food and medical services, while negotiating with the state on behalf of all prisoners. Guards were given superior treatment the whole time.

A couple years later prisoners in Walpole were left to run the prison on their own when the guard union went on strike. They set up similar services as the prisoners in Attica, and actually increased the efficiency of the operating of the prison with the guards and bureaucrats out of the way. This shows that as early as the early 1970’s prison guards were paid high wages for doing nothing. Since then the prison population has increased 8-fold, fattening the labor aristocracy with high paying jobs along the way.

The prisoners peacefully functioning without overseers shocked the pigs, who then began to spread rumors about riots in Walpole. The riots never happened, and in fact there was an end to all violence and rape during the weeks while the prison guards were absent, and for some time to follow. This kind of rumor mongering is not unique to a particular group of mean-spirited CO’s. Rather, they were representing the inherit self-interest of this class of people. In the last 15 to 20 years in California, they have succeeded in creating a constant atmosphere of disturbance and violence. Only the minority see their self-interest in peace, because it is a threat to their jobs as a class.

Unfortunately, we can expect much violence from the oppressors before we can expect an honest assessment of what is going on in these secretive dungeons. The people want peace now. Communities that are being occupied, imprisoned and bombed want an immediate end to violence.

Huey P. Newton said it is up to the oppressor whether meeting such demands of the oppressed happens in a peaceful way or a violent way. Fanon said violence is part of the development of a humynism and new consciousness among the people. Even if Fanon is right, it takes a lot to push the masses to the point of violence as Huey pointed out. This is obvious by the many more people who have spent many more days in peaceful submission than those who have not. Violent resistance from the people will only arise as it is necessitated by those who monopolize violence through their own power.

MIM(Prisons) only engages in and promotes legal means of combating injustice. When the prison staff represses every educational and legal outlet for prisoners to redress their complaints then it is clear what kind of strategies they are promoting. In those prisons, we predict there will be violence, and they cannot blame it on us because they have kept us out. This is similar to what we say about all struggles for justice around the world. We believe violence is necessary to end injustice because history has demonstrated that the oppressor never stops oppressing any other way. We do not want or promote violence, we are merely stating our conclusion from reading history. In every case of revolutionary war, it was up to the oppressor to decide whether violence was used or not. History shows that the same has been true in the prison rights movement; the struggle for prisoner rights has only become violent when the state initiated such violence.

Notes:

4. Hayden, Tom. Street Wars. The New Press, 2005. p. 108.

Por MIM, Noviembre 2008.

Para los comunistas, no hay que pensar en el asunto de matrimonios homosexuales porque es algo sencillo, pero en realidad no es tan útil. Oponerse a la opressión quiere decir que nosotros nos oponemos a restringer matrimonios y derechos que van juntos con ciertos grupos de gente. Pero no es
un asunto en que nosotros los comunistas nos enfocaremos y organizaremos alrededor como una reforma para los pequeños borgueses. Sin embargo, nosotros
quermos hablarles a la gente sobre esta lucha porque los movimientos
en favor de los derechos homosexuales no están eficazmente atacando
la opresión de sexo, mientras que los más oprimidos en gran parte
se han opuesto al movimiento, frecuentemente por las razones
emocionales. Una discusión es útil para ganar esos radicales quienes
están envueltos en los movimientos de derechos homosexuales por las
razones correctas, mientras desalentamos reacciones incorrectas por
los oprimidos.

La proposición 8, la papel de la iniciativa en California que ha
enmendado la constitución del estado para prohibir matrimonios del
mismo sexo, es una iniciativa fundamentalmente reaccionaria que
quita derechos de un grupo de gente basado en sexo. Mientras que
claramente podemos decir que proposición 8 es erronea, nosotros no
gastamos tiempo haciendo campaña en contra porque nuestros
prioridades ahora son pelear por los derechos de los oprimidos, y
como grupo en general no consideramos a los Estadounidenses raros como
parte del mundo oprimido, y la campaña en contra de la proposición
8 fue demasiado enfocada en lo que es necesario para unir una
mayoria ciudadanos Estadounidenses contra esta proposición, ellos
evadieron una educación sobre opresión de sexo (porque eso era
necesario para ganar lo más posible de los Estadounidenses). Estamos
contentos de mirar bastante gente sin una experienca política
previa saliendo a las calles y las iglesias para protestar el paso
de proposición 8, como también es bueno tener gente envuelta en
acciones políticas, denunciando educación religiosa contra y
influencia religiosa en política, proposición 8 ha destado
sirviendo un buen propósito educacional para el público.

MIM ha hablado por largo tiempo sobre la sexualidad como una parte
del sexo, y opresión de sexo. Pero también tenemos claro que en los
paises imperialistas, los ciudadanos gozan privilegios de sexo
relativos con el resto del mundo. Esto es en parte porque el sexo
está tan amarrado con los privilegios de nación y clase, y en parte
porque la difícil posición de opresión que concede mujeres y
hombres del primer mundo cosas como acceso ha anticonceptivo
probados en mujeres y hombres del Tercer Mundo, entre otros
privilegios. Además, matrimonios no son un asunto de vida o muerte
para la mayoría de la gente. La excepción es para los imigrantes
buscando residencia legal en los Estados Unidos, ironicamente uno
de dos derechos asociados solamente con matrimonios que el estado
sancionó uniones civiles no pueden ofrecer (el otro es la capacidad
de meter impuestas federales juntamente) ya que el matrimonio no
es una pregunta de economía y sobrevivencia para la mayoría de la
gente, esto tiene más que ver en revolver derechos dentro de la
aristocracia laboral y pequeños burgueses.

La atención que la proposición 8 ha recibido por todo el más
comparada con otras proposiciones es distinguido. Mientras los
derechos de matrimonio no son un asunto de vida o muerte, o al
menos una calidad significante en pregunta de vida para la mayoría
de la gente, estaban dos iniciativas de voto en California
relacionado con las prisiones que son bueno mas inmediato para la
libertad y derechos de los oprimidos en el estado. Proposición 5
hubiera proviedo, ampliado y mejorado tratamiento de drogas para la
gente condenada por ofensas de drogas, reduciendo la populación en
prison y ayudando gente con problemas de drogas.

No pasó abrumadamente. Esta proposición era demostrablemente más
barata y más saludable para la gente que la prision, pero no ha
existido protesta pública contra su cuida. A la inversa,
proposición 9 paso, quitandole a los prisioneros el derecho de
opciones sobre libertad condicional y reduciendo las
oportunidades para una salida temprana. Otra vez, una proposición
muy cara para el estado, y demonstrablemente mala para la gente
porque terminos de prisión más largo no resulta en mejores
ciudadanos en las calles.

Las iniciaticas de prisión tienen un impacto nacional de opresión
mientras que la prohibición y opresión de matrimonio impacta el sexo.
Es importante que no ignoremos opresión de sexo cuando nos
enfocamos en opresión nacional. Pero nosotros necesitamos reconocer que la opresión nacional es la contradicción principal en
los Estados Unidos, y los efectos de esta opresión son mucha más
urgente que los matrimonios. Ellos se relacionan con la vida,
educación, y libertad fundamental porque más y más Africanos y
Latinos están encerrados en prision.

Nuestra crítica de la campaña de proposición 8 regresa a su meta. Ahora
mismo la mayoría de estadounidenses se oponen a los matrimonios
homosexuales. Entonces cuando enfocarnos en esta reforma dentro del
sistema imperialista, resulta que la gente tiene que complacer para evitar discusiones de verdaderos asuntos sobre opresión de sexo o haciendo cualquier conexión a la opresión nacional. Una compaña que provee la gente con más correcta y usable material educacional huberia sido un uso progresivo y más útil al contrario a los millones de dolares ya gastados en esta campaña.

Religión es contra ciencia.

Proposición 8 nos da una oportunidad para señalar claramente que no
es bueno todo el tiempo en el lado de la mayoría. Como en el
caso de los intereses económicos de los ciudadanos Estadounidenses,
en el presente los intereses de sexo de ciudadanos Estadounidenses
relacionado con el matrimonio homosexuales son reaccionarias para
la mayoría. Por cierto, California es exceptionalmente progresiva
en este asunto, prácticamente cada otro estado con excepción de
Massachusetts hubiese pasado esta inciativa de voto sin
complicación, y otros estados pasaron aún mas prohibiciones
restrictivas sobre gente homosexual sin reacción pública ahora
siendo vista en California. Esto quiere decir que por el momento no
tenemos la mayoría en el lado de la pregunta. Sobre un asunto como
este que es sobre derechos entre los pequeños-burgueses nosotros
creemos que en el plazo largo se resolvera correctamente. Pero
este asunto claramente se muestra algunos problemas la educación
política bajo el imperialismo. Notablemente más el papel jugado por
la religión es promoger misticísmo y está en contra la ciencia.

La religión juega un papel grande porque a los estadunidenses les
importa tanto el tema de matrimonios homosexuales. La iglesia mormona
convenció a sus feligreses de donar millones de dolares a la campaña
de proposición 8. Otras iglesias se juntaron a la alianza por la
proposición 8 y también trabajaron duro para que pasara. Es la
irracionalidad de la religion la cual empuja posiciones políticas
ridículas como enseñar creacionismo en las escuelas, condenando
gente homosexual al infierno y negandoles la oportunidad de casarse, y
continuando la afirmación sobre la supremacia de la raza blanca,
hombres, y casi cualquier religion excepto el Islam.

Nadie verdaderamente puede articular una buena razón porque
el matrimonio debe ser reservado solo para cierta gente. Algunas
personas religiosas tratan de juntarlo con la procreación, pero si
eso fuese verdaderamente el caso entonces deberíamos tener pruebas
de fertilidad antes permitir que cualquiera se case, y tal vez
deberíamos requerirles que se divorcien si no producen niños.
También deberíamos tener que negarles a los padres adoptivos acceso
a matrimonio, aunque sean derechos. Algunos fanáticos religiosos
afirman que la gente homosexual estarán amenazando sus
matrimonios, aunque nadie parece disponible de ubrallar hacia algún
desastre por familias derechas en Massachusetts donde compañeros
homosexuales han estado casados por algunos años ahora.
Fundamentalmente, este debate sobre matrimonios tiene que ver con los
sentimientos religiosos de la gente. Pero los sentimientos no
deben ser parte de la politica.

Son los sentimientos subjetivos de uno que llevan al homosexual
estadounidense a mirar proposición 8 como el asunto más
importante. Al poner esto como su prioridad principal, ellos están
diciendo que están decididos a hacer lo que sea para ganar, como
gusta ir a guerra con paises tercermundistas, y desafortunadamente,
lo que es esencialmente una batalla por la igualdad, fácilmente se
desliza entre un pleito en contra del oprimido porque en el
contexto en donde la batalla continua. Mientras que los derechos de
la mujer han sido mucho más comunes de los movimientos contra-
Islamica, existen bastantes ejemplos de extremos pro-homosexuales,
pro-imperialista invasión o propaganda.

La iglesia mormona está deteniendo el progreso con su misticismo,
las Talibanes están cortando pesadamente al imperialismo con sus
propios y la diferencia es nacionalidad. La verdad, es un
acercamiento cientifico de organizamiento y estrategía militar lo
que está detrás del éxito de los Talibanes, pero el misticismo todavía
está porque, y la aristocracia de sexo ha estado atacandole por una
década. Es por esto que llamamos al movimiento homosexual de
derechos de agarrar el materialmismo dialectivo, antes de hacer más
para movilizar la ya funatica contra-Islamica movimiento en este
país.

Como lo dijimos, la no-sobre proposición 8 movimiento no solamente
obtuvo la pregunta nacional mal, pero el ensució sobre sexo
también al complacer a la aristocracia paternalista de sexo. La
proposición 8 partidarios enseñaron bastantes anuncios de
televisión diciendo que, “los niños iban a ser enseñados sobre
matrimonios homosexuales en la escuela elementaria si los matrimonios
homosexuales no era prohibidos.” Esta táctica de espanto
aparentemente trabajó como las encuestas lo demuestran la opinión
pública cambóo para soportar la proposición 8 después que los
anuncios de televisión empezaron a correr. En vez de contraatacar
esto con anuncios que niegan, los niños aprenderían sobre
matrimonios homosexuales como la no-sobre 8 campaña lo hizo,
nosotros diríamos qué no sería algo malo para los niños aprender
sobre matrimonios homosexuales en las escuelas al menos a la
extensión que ellos aprendan algo sobre matrimonio. No solamente el
movimiento en prop 8 sacrificaría las naciones oprimidas en
California o el medio Oriente pero ellos reforzan el sistema
tributario de opresión contra sus propios hijos en orden de ganar
este privilegio por una elite pequeña.

Estadisticas de la mayoría.

Otro importante aspecto de proposición 8 y las instituciones de
matrimonio es la posición del presidente electo Barack Obama y el
partido democrático. El debate vice-presidencial de Palin/Biden demostró
los dos cadidatos compartiendo unos momentos de unidad, el más
notable alrededor de sus compartida convicción que el matrimonio
solamente debe ser entre una mujer y un hombre. En realidad
políticos más jovenes como Barack Obama probablemente no le importa
sobre la definición de matrimonio, pero políticos del partido de la
principal corriente tienen que tomar posiciones en asuntos como
estos en donde la mayoría de Estadounidenses soportaran, y una
gran mayoría de Estadounidenses se oponen al matrimonio de
homosexuales.

Esto pone a menos soportadores de Obama en una posición difícil
cuando la campaña de proposición 8 empezó llamadas robóticas a los
votantes tocando una grabación de Obama diciendo que él cree que el
matrimonio solo debe ser entre una mujer y un hombre. Obama salió
en contra de proposición 8 al final, pero por razones técnicas, no
porque él soporta matrimonio de homosexuales. Todos esos demócraticas
de California quienes fueron por Obama claramente no votarán en contra
proposición 8.

Por cierto, resultados de encuestas y estudios sobre quien votó por
la proposición 8 muestra que algunos tradicionalmente progresivo
(lee: votantes democratas) partes de la ciudad de San Francisco
votó por proposición 8 mientras que algunas creen que son más
tradicionalmente conservadores (lee: votantes republicanos)
abrumadoramente opusieron proposición 8. Esto no debería ser una
sorpresa cuando nos damos cuenta que clase y nación son mucho más
importantes consideraciones en general en los puntos de vista
políticos de la gente bajo el imperialismo hoy. Gente blanca rica
no les molesta darles derechos de matrimonio a los homosexuales
ciudadanos estado nidenses, pero ellos no van a dejar salir esos
negros usadores de droga fuera de la prision. El otro lado de esto
es que naciones oprimidas por los estados unidos tienen les cuesta
mirar la importancia de oponerse a la proposición 8 y
generalmente votó en favor de la prohibición del matrimonio.

Mucha gente oprimida hasta toman un acercamiento reaccionario de
este asunto. Si la gente blanca rica está de acuerdo con esto, este
debe ser otro intento por ellos para corremper nuestros jovenes.
Esto negó el progresivo carácter de esta batalla en nuestro dado
contexto. Entonces, mientras debemos defender los derechos de
matrimonio para las homosexuales para contraatacar esta confusión
entre la gente oprimida. No es una campaña que hará algun golpe
serio contra la opresión en este momento.

Opresión de sexo es parte del imperialismo.

La lucha contra el imperialismo envuelve pelear contra clase, nación y
opresión de sexo. Tenemos que escoger nuestras batallas para obtener
el más grande impacto en terminar la opresión y evitar promover
nacionalismo blanco sin querer, o soportar causas solo porque
sueñan progresivas. En el caso de la proposición 8, es mejor tener igualidad
de sexo bajo el imperialismo el cual es generalmente una meta progresiva,
pero no es algo que nos pondrá más cerca a un final de todas las
clases, nación y opresión de sexo en este momento.

Cuando peleamos para reformas dentro del imperialismo, como la
batalla para terminar la censura de correo que mandamos a los
prisioneros, hacemos eso por dos razones. 1. Educación al exponer
las reglas reaccionarias del imperialismo, y 2. ganar algo de
espacio para los oprimidos para sobrevivir y organizar. Solamente
el derrocamiento del imperialismo y el establecimiento del
socialismo bajo la dictadura del proletariado nos moverá
significativamente hacia el final de clase, nación y opresión de
sexo.

I’m sitting here on the Connally Unit in ad seg for assaulting an officer. I honestly have to say I did. Why? Because he threatened me. He said “when I put these handcuffs on you, and you go to 12-building, it’s not going to stop. That’s where it will all begin.” Then he said “Besides, I used to work on 12-building.” No one would let someone place cuffs on him after he made such a statement. I asked him to get his supervisor and he didn’t. So I tried to go around him. He cut me off.

This female officer was standing right there listening to him threaten me. I knew this was getting out of hand so I asked Mrs. C, can you get your supervisor. That’s when the officer pushed me up against the wall and he started twisting my left arm. That’s when it all went down. I was only defending myself against his assaults. I never did anything aggressive to him.

The female officer didn’t want anything to do with it because she knew this officer was in the wrong. She just walked away. The unit wrote her up for not helping out this officer. I guess that she didn’t want to get in to wrong doing. That’s what made her quit working on this Unit.

Another incident like this happened while I was here in ad seg. A prisoner was in his cell when they shot gas in his cell, one canister after another. Then they ran in on him as he was choking and they beat him up. They busted his head.

When you try to do the right thing by writing a grievance they retaliate on you. And sometimes they won’t feed you. As soon as the grievance gets back to you it says something like “officer denies the allegation, grievance denied.” Or it might say “no further action taken.” This grievance thing is a joke to them. That’s why officers do as they want, because the unit wardens will go right along with them.