MIM(Prisons) is a cell of revolutionaries serving the oppressed masses inside U.$. prisons, guided by the communist ideology of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
www.prisoncensorship.info is a media institution run by the Maoist Internationalist Ministry of Prisons. Here we collect and publicize reports of conditions behind the bars in U.$. prisons. Information about these incidents rarely makes it out of the prison, and when it does it is extremely rare that the reports are taken seriously and published. This historical record is important for documenting patterns of abuse, and also for informing people on the streets about what goes on behind the bars.
Rising from the ashes like a phoenix Emancipated from the fetters
of oppression O, the beauty of freedom! Imperialism is the
absolute adversary And capitalism the daunting sin I was branded a
rebel Because of my revolutionary stance This was a
nightmare From which my only escape Was to awaken
On 14 October 2015 my neighbor was suicidal and the COs didn’t want to
let him go, so he had to break his water sprinkler. But this is not what
bothers me. What got to me was when they left em in there for 2 days and
Sergeant Williams was in the tower booth laughing and turning his water
sprinkler on and off for like an hour.
It was so much wasted water in our cells and on the floor in the tier,
that I yelled if the tax payers see where their money is going they’ll
be mad, then I said if the police cared so much about the water shortage
why would they do this. Just one week ago the same police got on his
partner’s head for watering the PSU yard grass and washing the bird shit
from the ground, talking about “we’re in a drought and you’re gonna
waste water for them to live in a clean environment?” The police rather
step in bird shit themselves then to let us live in a cleaner
atmosphere.
I feel that we will never be safe around them unless they wore cameras
on their turtle suit and all over the institution.
Nine days ago this prison was put on lockdown. Four days later the
warden said it was merely our usual quarterly lockdown. But we know he
is full of shit. There are too many irregularities.
The “quarterly” lockdown was done last month. Quarterly lockdowns always
begin on a Sunday evening; this one started Friday afternoon. During
quarterly lockdowns no one nor anything is permitted out of the cells
until the cells are searched, and support staff (school teachers,
counselors, etc.) bring our meals to our cells. During this lockdown
we’ve taken our trash and our laundry out, and we pick up our trays on
the pod.
An officer told us the reason. A prisoner in another building had his
throat cut. The pigs are trying to keep it secret, claiming it’s “gang
related.”
But here are the facts. This prison has been open for two years without
any major issues or incidents of violence. Then, in August Warden
Walrath took over and every day new policies are enforced that do
nothing more than aggravate and harass prisoners. Guards start ordering
us to stop rolling up our pants legs even though the legs of the pants
hang four to six inches past our feet. Our beards, fingernails, and hair
length is checked. Tooth brushes are confiscated on the pretext these
can be used as weapons. Parallel red lines 18 inches apart are painted
down sidewalks, and we are forced to walk between them. If one prisoner
steps outside, all 96 men are put on lockdown. Prisoners are marched to
the gym with their hands on their heads. They are forced to stand in
this humiliating and painful (for some) position for hours simply to
amuse the pigs. Prisoners are told they can no longer wear thermal
underwear except in their cells; no wearing it outside during cold
weather. Three upper level employees - a Major, a Lieutenant, and a unit
manager - each check every bed to see if it is made. Their combined
annual salaries easily surpass $100,000.
But it appears no one was being paid to find shanks to keep one
prisoners from nearly killing another. It is a lack of wisdom and
leadership to enforce policies that only aggravates an already
disturbed, desperate group of people. Within two months of Warden
Walrath’s arrival and take over, a prisoner is nearly murdered.
Apparently, confiscating toothbrushes doesn’t make prisoners safe.
I ask that you embrace the tides of the times we are no longer
confined with binds on the mind once we embrace united front,
scientific thought and study for line the long arm of
imperialism is no longer strong when through theory and
practice we arrive at the decision to take up arms which is a
must if we are to defeat imperialism’s parasitic lust with too
much greed we fail to heed even the most basic of humyn
needs so turn the tides of the times study correct line and
overthrow imperialism hystory is on our side
by a West Virginia prisoner October 2015 permalink
Cowards will hit you when you’re in chains. Anger fits you,
coursing through your veins. Inflicting violence when you can’t fight
back. Demanding silence or the charges will stack. Stop resisting,
I’ve got mace! Was sleeping, now on your face. Throwing grenades
when you are unarmed and compliant. Snitches, puppets and police
can’t take down a giant. Most are grimy, with much snake in their
blood. The rest, evil flowers beginning to bud. Giving us bad
water and rotten food. What the hell put them in such a bad
mood? Don’t think they can get the cuffs any tighter. Of course
they will have to chain up a fighter. Excuse me, I’ve done nothing
wrong, sir. Under his saddle must be a burr. Getting sprayed after
being cuffed. Wearing a badge must make them tough. Everyone
should apply a little resistance. Make the pigs call “Officer in need
of assistance.” Like a martye against ten, maybe more or
less. Just give as much as you take, simply do your best.
Sister China 1949 Chairman Mao caught her eye Imperialism
reigns But soon will fall Socialism will rise And
prevail Hammer in hand The vanguard will swing The capitalist
pig will be nailed The lumpen will grow its wings We stand and
fight Instead of flight Until the proletariat is finally free
The name of this organization is the AMBI Foundation. The purpose of
this foundation is to bring prisoners to full awareness internally.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has a way of making
prisoners believe that they have no rights, but, if brought to full
awareness, real eyes will realize real lies. The AMBI Foundation is
under the guidance of MIM(Prisons). We recognize, understand, as well as
apply the five United Front for Peace in Prisons principles. Our
foundation is based on them.
Peace - We believe in peace, because without it, there’s no unity
amongst inmates. Unity - We believe in unity because only when
we unite will we actually see change as well as growth Growth
- We believe in growth simply because it’s power in
numbers. Internationalism - We believe in this because we
fight for freedom from discrimination as well as equality, we must
practice what we preach. Independence - The system does not
and will not serve us. AMBI also stands for A Movement Built
Independently
Those are all important as it is the forefront of our organization.
The last few weeks at Riverbend Detention Center have been more trying
than usual. Despite the usual complaints about prisons (bad food,
dishonest guards, lack of protocol for inmates, etc). This facility is
one of several dozen privately run prisons in this state over which
there are very few governing statutes all of which are unreasonably
vague. We have no protection legally from our captors. We are fed like
second graders, cheated at commissary, and denied visitation. Riverbend
is owned and operated by the local sheriff in a backwoods parish of a
notoriously backwoods state. Money is a determining illusion in the
voters decisions because there is no revenue at all. As part of his
campaign, Sheriff Wydet made it his point to exploit the unused space in
his jail to house DOC inmates. Like most of the poorer parishes, the
prison is the primary employer. This is a result of the low educational
standards (another record held by Louisiana). This summer was unusual
for us because a portion of the prison (one of three buildings), which
up until now was used for storage, was refurbished to be ready to accept
prisoners again for this fall. Several men were put to work, all were
occasionally paid scraps of extra food or a couple of cigarettes but
they made it happen. Even if they did it right at the deadline set by
their slave drivers (thank you 13th amendment), but DOC didn’t send any
prisoners - somebody else did.
After Katrina, New Orleans was constantly both rebuilding (which is
still going on) and restructuring. Being a transplant to this state
listening to the horror stories told by the prisoners who were in OPP
during the storm (they were abandoned for a week) seems like something
that couldn’t happen in a Christian based land, but we all know now that
it can and does. The prison, however, has been getting a makeover.
Orleans Sheriff Marlon Gusman pushed for years to get funding to build a
brand new 1400+ bed facility so that he could shut down the Main Jail at
the Sheriff’s office. Orleans employed five separate jails when I was
there in 2010. The Sheriff’s office was split down the middle to create
CLU and HOD. Then had tent city next door, which was literally eight
military hangar-type tents. These three no longer exist in their prior
functions. The other two are Conchetta (which is used for DOC) and the
Old Parrish (which is in the court house to hold violent offenders and
escape risks). The new prison utilizes a large re-entry program that is
only a couple years old but both New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and
Gusman insist has lowered recidivism. September 10, 250 pre-trial
inmates of every spectrum of the criminal code were moved three and a
half hours away to Lak Providence. They are here now, mixed together
under no variation or classification (murderers with sex offenders with
pot dealers with traffic violators) and being guarded by the lowest
common denominator of the states workforce. This is for an increased
rate of $30 a day per head, a 20% increase from staying in Orleans to be
milked from the taxpayers. Some of the guards enjoy telling us about
their time in prison and how that makes them one of us.
The Orleans public pretender office is taking issue with this because
they are also broke and short staffed. Traveling here to see their
clients is obviously unrealistic to both the lawyers and the clients.
Who are now going to be down several months longer due to missed court
dates and other scheduling conflicts. A motion to forbid Gusman from
moving pretrial detainees before DOC inmates was put before U$ District
Judge Lance Africk, who is overseeing a federal consent decree aimed at
reforms at OPP; Africk ordered Gusman to appear in his chambers to
discuss these problems. The Sheriff has so far ignored all attempts to
work out some other alternative, he obviously wanted this move to
happen. Something tells me he’ll be bringing money when he visits the
judge. As Darren Sharper and Jaime Foxx have shown, prosecution in New
Orleans only happens when District Attorney Leon Canazarro doesn’t get
paid.
The prison here is full and content not unlike a corpulent child after a
buffet. No one here seems to mind and I will tell you from experience
that Gusman will not do anything unless it appeals to his own personal
interest.
Now, I could expound on the human cost or push the legality of access to
one’s lawyer but all of those things make sense. Not dollars. I’ve seen
almost every state in this union but nothing compares to what I’ve been
forced to witness in Louisiana. I tell you that this will be the outcome
for the rest of this country and all capitalist societies. Prisons come
before schools, profits come before rights and politics come before
people.
by a North Carolina prisoner October 2015 permalink
I’m writing you in regards to my personal (incoming & outgoing) mail
at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. Since I’ve been on Anson Unit
(segregation), correctional staff have been confiscating my (and about
50 other prisoners) incoming and outcoming personal mail.
The mailroom staff, and Anson Unit Managers (Mr. Hatley &
Mrs. Wieks) and their staff (Sgt. Allen, Officer Mack, Officer Jones,
Officer Tillman, and Officer Harrington), are all conspiring to deprive
me (and about 50 other prisoners) of my (our) rights to communicate.
They are using all types of frivolous excuses to try to cover it up.
When it comes to NCDPS Division of Adult Corrections “mail policy &
procedure” it doesn’t specify who’s to deliver or pick up the mail. The
mailroom staff doesn’t deliver our mail, but in actuality they should,
because they are solely responsible for it. When the mail is picked up
from the post office, by the mailroom staff, they sort it out, place the
prisoners “housing unit” & “cell number” on the letters, then they
send the mail to each housing unit, for the officers on each unit to
pass out. By doing this the burden shifts towards the unit managers and
their officers. But anytime I or any othe prisoner inquire about the
mail delivery problems, unit management or their staff tells us to write
the mailroom. So, what’s happening is that they’re shifting the burden
back and forth to where the problems are never getting resolved.
Revolution in Texas! Revolution in Utah! Revolution in Arizona! And
Revolution in California!
It is with these hystoric words once shouted by Chican@ revolutionaries
a hundred years ago that we proudly echo this sentiment today as we
announce the completion of Chican@ Power and the Struggle for
Aztlán, on this anniversary of the Plan de San Diego. A hundred
years ago, so-called “bandits” and “heathens” in the conquered territory
of the United $tates, known as Aztlán, declared their war of liberation
from Amerikan imperialism. And just as the Plan de San Diego grew out of
heightened national oppression both on a domestic and international
level, so does Chican@ Power and the Struggle for Aztlán come
out of the depths of Amerika’s dungeons at a time in which the Chican@
nation, and indeed the world, risks being swallowed whole by various
imperialist factions; principally Amerikan imperialism.
Those once thought to be our old guard have come closer and closer to
unity with our oppressors than to our own people, yet the Chican@ lumpen
pushes through, rises to the challenge and presents us with the most
correct political analysis to the most pressing questions facing Aztlán
today. Vendidos (sell outs) might say that revolutionary nationalism is
an ancient and dead phenomenon no longer relevant in a “globalized
world.” But it is exactly because of this “globalization”
(i.e. imperialism) that this work is more needed than at any other time
since the last round of national liberation struggles inside of U.$.
borders.
Chican@ Power and the Struggle for Aztlán has been in
development for well over three years and is a collaborative effort
between Chican@ revolutionaries from northern and southern
Califas-Aztlán and MIM(Prisons). Our comrades on the outside
facilitated, guided and made possible this manifesto. This work is an
example of the political unity between both major regions of
Califas-Aztlán that must come to bear by the imprisoned Chican@ lumpen
on an Aztlán-wide basis before we are ready to put this ideological
unity into practice.
Throughout the creative process of this book there were indeed many
times in which we found it difficult to continue this collaboration.
This was due not only to the same old tired divisions amongst Chican@s
in California that have been keeping the imprisoned Raza from uniting as
one, but due to ideological and political immaturity as well. However,
through all of this, Chican@ revolutionaries from both major sections of
Califas-Aztlán managed to resolve our differences through the tools and
weapons refined for us by the great protagonists of oppressed peoples’
movements everywhere: Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao. But above
all, the reality that bound us throughout this work was not only our
common oppression but the want and need to one day see our people free.
And so, largely through the method of unity-struggle-unity and the
dialectical materialist frame of thought did we finalize this important
task. And as great as this work is, and as much of a watershed moment we
are celebrating, we remain very much aware that this is just the opening
shot to the quickly flourishing revolutionary nationalist movements
within Amerika’s prisons.
This book is in service to the imprisoned Chican@ lumpen in order that
they may finally have a general framework from which to build
ideological unity and from which to politically grow and wrest state
power from Amerikan imperialism and the white settler nation.
Just as author Benjamin Heber Johnson makes the statement, “In fifty
years the projected ninety-six million Latino residents of the United
States would, if considered a nation, follow only Brazil and Mexico as
the most populous country in Latino America” so will it probably take as
long to see the fruits of our labor.(1)
The Chican@ nation is comprised of oppressed Raza and it forms a part of
Latin@ America. Chican@s Unite!