Assata Shakur, was a member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army. In 1979, she escaped from Clinton Correctional Facility for Women in New Jersey, after visiting members of the Black Liberation Army drew concealed handguns and seized two guards as hostages. They commandeered a prison van, later transferring to other vehicles they had waiting along the escape route. The hostages were released unijured. Assata Shakur, had been serving time for killing of a New Jersey cop. In May 1973, she was involved in a shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike, during which New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster and BLA member Zayd Malik Shakur were killed. Assata was shot by police in both arms and her shoulder during the incident. She fled to Cuba where she was granted political asylum. Assata once wrote, “I am a 20th century escaped slave. Because of government persecution, I was left with no other choice than to flee from the political repression, racism and violence that dominate the U.S. government’s policy towards people of color.” During her involvement with the Panthers and other groups, Assata often butted heads with male members over the pervasive attitudes of male superiority she observed within the Black Revolutionary movement. Still at liberty in Cuba, Assata Shakur is on the FBI’s most wanted list for “domestic terrorism.”  She is the step-aunt of the deceased hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur. For more info, see Democracy Now’s interview with Assata, her attorney and Angela Davis: http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2013/5/2/ex_black_panther_assata_shakur_added_to_fbis_most_wanted_terrorist_list

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Imprisoned leftist lawyer Lynne Stewart has been granted a “compassionate release”  but is not out of the woods yet. If you have not signed it, please add your name to the Free Lynne Stewart petition. Support could make all the difference in this case. Lynne, you might recall, was undergoing treatment for breast cancer when she was disbarred and sent to prison in 2005. After going to prison, Lynne’s medical treatment was suspended for 18 months, during which time the breast cancer metastasized, spreading throughout her body. Originally sentenced to 28 months for “providing material support to terrorists,” her sentence was later pumped up an additional 10 years by a politically vindictive system of injustice. Lynne defended many leftist causes and individuals in her career, including Black Panther Party revolutionaries, Weather Underground member David Gilbert, and Islamic militant groups.  New laws, such as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance and the “Patriot” Acts; enacted under the Bush administration and perpetuated by Obama, made it possible for the government to wiretap Lynne’s communications, secretly film her activities, and violate the traditional attorney-client confidentiality privilege  for certain defendants. Lynne Stewart, never a danger to anyone, has spent most of her time at FMC Carswell Medical Detention Facility shackled to a bed. Gravely ill, she is forced to drag heavy chains even to get to her chemotherapy appointments. Below is the newest update sent out by Lynne’s husband, Ralph Poynter:

A major milestone has been reached in the struggle for Lynne Stewart’s freedom. Lynne Stewart wrote on April 26 to confirm that the Warden at FMC Carswell recommended Compassionate Release to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

“So Happy that the Compassionate Release was granted at Carswell and we are on the road!!!

“Who DID It? — The People Yes – and we certainly deserve a VICTORY and this is one for sure!!”

With this dramatic development, the International Campaign to Save the Life of Lynne Stewart crossed a critical threshold. We directed our attention immediately to Charles E. Samuels, Jr., the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Following two expedited communications from former Attorney General Ramsey Clark, a probation officer charged with inspecting the residence designated for Lynne Stewart’s recovery was dispatched to the home of her son, attorney Geoffrey Stewart. Soon afterwards, we were notified that the residence was approved.

Thus, another hurdle has been overcome, paving the way for Lynne Stewart’s Compassionate Release.

There is no time to lose. Lynne Stewart has been in quarantine for several weeks at FMC Carswell since her white blood count dropped precipitously. As Ramsey Clark wrote to BOP Director Samuels:

“Further medical tests reveal that the cancer that had metastasized rapidly to her lungs, lymph nodes and shoulder remains aggressive. If the series of chemotherapy treatments slowed its spread in certain areas, it has not attenuated in her lungs. … The sustained treatment and preparations by the medical team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City are critical to her survival.”

This is the moment to intensify our global mobilization. We must prevail upon the director of the Bureau of Prisons to file the motion for compassionate release with Judge John Koetl, the sentencing judge.

ASK FIVE OF YOUR FRIENDS OR COLLEAGUES TO SIGN THE PETITION. PUT THE PETITION ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE AND SEND A TWITTER MESSAGE NOW.

Among the latest signers are: Fr. Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann, Bianca Jagger, Margaret Ratner Kunstler, Mark Lane, Noam Chomsky, Medea Benjamin, Rosa Clemente, Kathy Kelly, James Ridgeway and William Blum.

This update was prepared by co-coordinators Mya Shone, Ralph Schoenman and Ralph Poynter. *This message was sent by Ralph Poynter using the Change.org system. You received this email because you signed a petition started by Ralph Poynter on Change.org: “Petition to Free Lynne Stewart: Save Her Life – Release Her Now!.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

At ABC prisoner writing nights, there will be pre-addressed cards you can sign for Leonard Peltier’s campaign, below. The next writing night is last Tuesday at the Red & Black Cafe: 5/28 from 7-9pm. The article below is from the campaign; if it was Bloc writing it, you’d not see that word ‘prayer,’ anywhere in the vicinity – just sayin.’ It also seems unlikely Barack Obama is anything but deaf to the voice of his people, but he seems particularly impervious to indigenous people and people of color. Sigh. Anyway, it is important to unite in solidarity with this campaign to do something positive for poor Leonard, who has been unjustly imprisoned for decades.

From the Letters 4 Leonard Campaign:

General Announcements

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

According to the Committee Against Political Repression:  April 25th, 2013

“At least 2 houses in Olympia and 2 in Seattle were visited this morning by the FBI, looking for a few different people.  At least one of the people is being sought because the FBI wants to interview them about May Day/ black bloc.  At this point it is unclear whether there are subpoenas for either of the people the FBI is looking for, or whether they’re trying a more informal approach.”

Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

What would you do (?) if a cop approached you and your buddy and said:

“Alright You Prickely Pair; Stick-er Your Hands Up!” 

What to do when law enforcement interacts with you: 

-While driving
-At your home
-In the Streets

Que hacer si esta parado por la policía o la migra:
-Cuando esta manejando
-En su casa                                                                                                                                    
-En la calle

Si taller sera en ingles con traducción a español.

SEUI Local 503 Ballroom

Free/ Gratis

Childcare provided/ Habrá cuidado de ninos

Sponsored by: The Committee Against Political Repression & the Portland Central America Solidarity Committee

See the flyer here: http://hackbloc.org/~evoltech/ConocesSusDerechos.jpg

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

International Workers Day  May 01, 2013

Gather at 2pm – Rally at 3pm – March at 4pm

Where: O’Bryant Square, between SW Park & 9th, and SW Washington & SW Stark St. Portland

In Portland, (with only a couple of notable exceptions when anarchists had their heads rearranged,) this has traditionally been a family-friendly, permitted event, with heavy emphasis on immigrant’s rights and we don’t expect this one will deviate from that historically peaceful pattern of the May Days’ gone by. Come on out and march with us through streets lined with…..no; not baskets of spring flowers, or festive banners celebrating working people; but with hundreds of cops, dramatically togged out in full riot gear!   Unnecessary, yes -  but their opportunities to shine are so few and, as has been observed on numerous occasions, cops do not consider themselves “working people!”  Ignore the threatening postures and baleful glances as you traipse along and remember that those cops are not there working.  No!  Like the orange cones and ugly concrete barriers (or maybe more like cardboard ghouls at Halloween) those are only the City’s offerings of a sort of grotesque ornament.

International Workers Day!!
No Human Being Is Illegal!! People Over Profit!!

(From Jobs With Justice)

We find ourselves facing unprecedented cuts to public services, including education & social security, increasing poverty, homelessness, and ongoing attacks against people of color, immigrants, women, working families, students, unions & our right to organize.

Our response to this onslaught against humanity is to organize and fight back!  We want YOU to 
JOIN AN ORGANIZATION WORKING FOR JUSTICE

(Of course, you don’t really have to join an organization to do that – but there we go splitting hairs again.  Anyhow, Jobs With Justice is a worthy labor rights group, if someone is looking to join one.)

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Good News!

Just a quick note to let everyone know, Daniel is no longer being held at MDC Brooklyn! Friday afternoon, the Bureau of Prisons released Daniel back to the halfway house, as they had made a serious error. The Center for Constitutional Rights issued a statement today which read: “Daniel McGowan has been released from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn where he was taken into custody yesterday and is back at the halfway house where he has been residing since his release from prison in December. Yesterday, Daniel was given an “incident report” indicating that his Huffington Post blog post, “Court Documents Prove I Was Sent to Communication Management Units (CMU) for My Political Speech,” violated a BOP regulation prohibiting inmates from “publishing under a byline.” The BOP regulation in question was declared unconstitutional by a federal court in 2007, and eliminated by the BOP in 2010. After we brought this to the BOP’s attention, the incident report was expunged.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daniel McGowan Article

Posted on April 1, 2013 by theblocproject | Edit

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

PDXABC is seeking occasional submissions for this site.  You don’t have to commit to anything regular and you don’t have to be a great writer; you can get good at it later.  All that is needed, is a compulsion to share humor and ideas with our readers. Interesting writers take risks, make blunders, and squirt out stupid ass-berries they later wish they hadn’t. Their participles dangle awkwardly. They are often bedeviled by a spastic semicolon. To write, is to abide in a state of perpetual uncoolness – and enjoy it!  If this sounds like you, please email: portlandabc@resist.ca

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

A new Oregon Jericho Movement affinity group, is starting up in Salem, OR!  They will be holding their first prisoner writing event on Sunday, April 7, 2013, from 2-4pm.  Some of us are going to pool it down there to support them in their first effort, so if you want to ride along, let us know at: portlandabc@resist.ca  Or, if you think you might want to go by yourself, the address where the event will be held is:

Ike Box Coffee Shop
299 Cottage St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
(On corner of Cottage and Chemeketa Streets NE, downtown Salem)

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Prisoner activism can be wearing.  This post is something different, just to give us a little breather.

The I Ching (pronounced, “ee-king,”) means ‘Book of Changes,’ in Chinese.  It is one of the most important books in world literature, with origins stretching far back into the mists of antiquity.  It is thought the I Ching evolved out of prehistoric tortoise shell and bone divination; much the same as dice.  In the mythical account of the history, Fu Hsi, an early cultural-hero type, saw a dragon-horse rise from the Yellow River. On the side of the dragon-horse were markings, and it was those
which inspired the earliest version of the I Ching. Whether one ascribes to the bored cave-people tossing bones around origin, or the “I drank too much and beheld a mythic beast” version, the I-Ching is the world’s oldest known book.  It is the source out of which later grew Taoism, the martial arts, Chinese medicine and Feng Shui.

The I Ching can be used for divination, to answer a question you might have, or as tool to inspire meditation and deep philosophical thought.  The first step is to create a hexagram that looks like this thing, over here ——->

A very simplified method for creating a hexagram, is to take 3 pennies and toss them 6 times.  A  hexagram grows from the bottom up, like a plant.  The first coin toss will be your bottom line, the second toss will be your next line up, and so on to the top.  Each line in the stack will either be noted as a yin line: __   __, or a yang line: ______, according to the position the coins landed in, below:

This is really an over-simplification of the rather more complex and proper way to create a hexagram, but it will do to get us started.  Once you have your stack drawn, you can look up your hexagram on the table located here:  I CHING TABLE  just click on the hexagram that looks exactly like yours, then brace yourself for some ancient wisdom to come charging out of the dawn of time and smite you right upside your third eye!  Seriously though – if you are receptive, this could change your life .  

Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »