Portland Anarchist Black Cross

Eh?

• Efren Paredes Jr.
• Marissa Alexander

Prisoners of the War on (Some) Drugs

• Cesar Quintero-Calle
• Darwin Huggans
• James Maxie

Just Because Prisoners

• Jonathan Martin

Efren, displaying an award he received

Efren Paredes, Jr.

15-YEAR-OLD LATINO HONOR STUDENT SERVING THREE

LIFE SENTENCES FOR CRIME HE DID NOT COMMIT

Efren Paredes, Jr.,#203116

4269 W M-80 Hwy
Kincheloe, MI 49784

Efren was 15 when sent to prison in 1989 for murdering another boy.  He had no criminal record previous to his arrest but was tried and convicted in a slap-dash, giddyup and go trial, only three months after his arrest. Eleven White jurors and one Black juror convicted Efren in a city whose racial composition was 95% White.  The judge, prosecutor, and all the investigating police were also White. The case against 15 year old Efren, was entirely circumstantial, based on the statements from youths receiving reduced charges and sentences in exchange for their testimony. There was no physical evidence linking Efren to the crime, no eyewitnesses to the crime, and Efren was home with his parents and two brothers when the crime occurred.  But nevermind; despite all that, Efren was sentenced to 3 life sentences – two without parole and one parolable life term.  He is now 40. It is important to note that all of the youths receiving life without parole sentences in Berrien County, Michigan (apparently not an unusual occurrence) have been children of color.

Update:  The recent 5-4 Supreme Court decision, struck down mandatory sentences of life without parole for juveniles convicted of murder in the U.S.  Efren is hopeful but Michigan State officials didn’t care for the decision and are working on a contingency plan.  It’s unclear whether felons who were convicted as juveniles will be eligible for resentencing but many legal experts think they will.  On the other hand, even if they are resentenced, they could end up getting life all over again; except with some murky parole date set for the indistinct end of a very long tunnel.

Marissa Alexander

Marissa Alexander, DC# J46944
Lowell  Annex
11120 NW Gainesville  Rd.
Ocala, FL 34482-1479

Marissa is serving time for aggravated assault after attempting to defend herself from her abusive husband. Marissa fired a warning shot to back off her attacker. Though no one was injured, she was denied a “stand your ground defense,” a legal grounds of defense in Florida, depending upon one’s economic class and race.  Marissa was sentenced to 20 years. She had no prior arrests, was licensed to carry a gun and had a restraining order against her rotten egg of a husband.  The case is being appealed, which must be a huge shot in the arm for Marissa’s faith in the legal system.  She has 3 kids.

African American women suffer higher levels of domestic abuse than any other ethnic group, most likely as a result of the stresses of poverty and discrimination. Black women are murdered by their partners at a rate three times that of white women.

Prisoners of the War on (Some) Drugs

Cesar Quintero-Calle

Cesar is in jail for allegedly dealing drugs and appears to have been an oft-favored subject for FBI profiling.  His earliest parole date is 2023.  Details are vague but reportedly, an agent responsible for Cesar’s conviction was dismissed by the FBI. Cesar is fighting his conviction and irrationally long prison sentence.  He needs help obtaining a public record from Providence, Rhode Island to substantiate his argument.  In his own words:  ”I am trying to locate two (2) Federal Cases pertaining to an FBI Agent, in 2009, in the United States District Court of Providence, Rhode Island and at First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, Massachusetts.  The FBI Agent is the defendant in both court cases. Please, I am looking only for the case in Providence, Rhode Island, not the two cases of the Agent’s in Wisconsin or Florida.  This information is available at writ.news.findlaw.com and at pacer.gov and at Access to Federal Legalmaterial.com and at www.cal.uscourts.gov and also at westlaw.com.   Any court clerk in the United States will provide this information in your district; or by calling the District Court in Providence, Rhode Island or the U. S. Court of Appeals in Boston, Massachusetts.  My request is public information.  The two cases, in both courts, would help my claim of actual innocence.  Thank you for your help in this matter.”

Sincerely,

Cesar Quintero-Calle

Just Because Prisoners

Jonathan Martin, #14242637

Jon is in prison because he got drunk and into a bar fight with another guy in a bad mood.  The other guy refused medical treatment for his fat lip afterward and got up and went to work the next day but Jon had a really, really bad attorney, so there he is – until at least 2016.   Jon could use some cheering up, please send him a card or letter.