Sunday, April 17, 2011

Wlhy We Should Support Black Prisoners of War



Asata Shakur
and Sundiata Acoli







Sundiata Acoli: Why You Should Support Black Political Prisoners/POWs and How




My name is Sundiata Acoli (Soon-dee-AH’-tah Ah-COH’-lee). I’m a former member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army (BPP/BLA) who was captured on the New Jersey Turnpike in 1973 and am now a Black Political Prisoner and Prisoner of War (PP/POW) who’s been held by the government for the last 37 years.

So why should you care about any of this or particularly, why should you support Black PP/POWs? Well, maybe you shouldn’t. If you’re happy with the way the US, and the world is going ~ and if you want to see the US, and the West continue to dominate and oppress the rest of the world ~ then you shouldn’t support Black PP/POWs. If you want to see one country, or one race or the capitalist system continue to dominate other countries, other races and the world, then you shouldn’t support Black PP/POWs. And if you, yourself, are about trying to dominate, manipulate or exploit other peoples, and organizations for personal benefit then you definitely shouldn’t support black PP/POWs, or any other revolutionary PP/POWs, because we’re about ending racism in all its forms and wherever it exists, plus we’re about ending capitalism, sexism and all unjust oppressions of people and life in general on earth and throughout the universe.

Now if you can relate to that ~ and are about freedom, equality, human rights and self-determination for all people; creating a non-exploitative, non-oppressive society and economic system; making the world a better place and living in harmony with other people, the environment and the universe ~ then you should support Black PP/POWs cause that’s what we're about and have been about for generations, centuries and millenniums. But mostly you should support Black PP/POWs, and all revolutionary PP/POWs, because it’s the right thing to do.

And last, how should you support them? Well, you should support Black and all PP/POWs by supporting organizations that support them and by contacting PP/POWs individually to ask how you can best support them.


~End~

How you can support Sundiata Acoli

Contact the Sundiata Acoli Freedom Campaign at TheSAFC@gmail.com, http://www.sundiataacoli.org/

Contact Sundiata:
Acoli, Sundiata #39794-066
FCI Otisville, P.O. Box 1000, Otisville, NY 10963
Birthday: January 14, 1937

Sundiata is also receiving support from the Jericho Amnesty Movement a rel="nofollow" href="http://thejerichomovement.com/" target="_blank">thejerichomovement.com> a rel="nofollow" href="http://prisonactivist.org/jericho_sfbay" target="_blank">prisonactivist.org/jericho_sfbay> and from the Anarchist Black Cross Federation. www.abcf.net and Malcolm X Commemoration Committee -http://malcolmxcommemorationcommittee.com/ also the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement http://mxgm.org/



source:
nycjericho@gmail.com

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Why National Prisoner Book Day

At what point will it become crystal clear black men and women are in virtual slavery under the US Constitution?

We are originating National Prisoner Book Day to call attention to the plight of prisoners in the USA, especially the high rate of Blacks in American prisons and jails. Over 90% suffered drug abuse at the time of arrest. Many suffer drug abuse and mental illness, the dual diagnosed. More that 50% lacked proper legal representation at their conviction. On May 20, we are calling


Rev. Brondon Reems, Marvin X and Ptah Mitchell prepare

books for delivery to Alameda Country Juvenile Hall.

photo Gene Hazzard, Oakland Post Newspaper



for the public to send books to those incarcerated in jails, prisons, juvenile halls and mental institutions. This is the very least we can do. Malcolm X, George Jackson, Tookie Williams and Eldridge Cleaver are examples of men who transformed their lives by reading while in prison. We are designating May 20, the day after Malcolm's birthday as National Prisoner Book Day. Purchase a book and have it sent to a prisoner. Make his/her day!
TABLE 2 -- Prison & Jail Incarceration Rates, 2005
Rate of Incarceration per 100,000 Population
* Incarceration rates based on data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Prison and Jail
Inmates at Midyear 2005. New Mexico and Wyoming have been excluded due to lack of data
on race and ethnicity.
State White Black Hispanic
Alabama 542 1916 /
Alaska 500 2163 380
Arizona 590 3294 1075
Arkansas 478 1846 288
California 460 2992 782
Colorado 525 3491 1042
Connecticut 211 2532 1401
Delaware 396 2517 683
District of Columbia 56 1065 267
Florida 588 2615 382
Georgia 623 2068 576
Hawaii 453 851 185
Idaho 675 2869 1654
Illinois 223 2020 415
Indiana 463 2526 579
Iowa 309 4200 764
Kansas 443 3096 /
Kentucky 561 2793 757
Louisiana 523 2452 244
Maine 262 1992 /
Maryland 288 1579 /
Massachusetts 201 1635 1229
Michigan 412 2262 397
Minnesota 212 1937 /
Mississippi 503 1742 611
State White Black Hispanic
Missouri 487 2556 587
Montana 433 3569 846
NATIONAL 412 2290 742
Nebraska 290 2418 739
Nevada 627 2916 621
New Hampshire 289 2666 1063
New Jersey 190 2352 630
New York 174 1627 778
North Carolina 320 1727 /
North Dakota 267 2683 848
Ohio 344 2196 613
Oklahoma 740 3252 832
Oregon 502 2930 573
Pennsylvania 305 2792 1714
Rhode Island 191 1838 631
South Carolina 415 1856 476
South Dakota 470 4710 /
Tennessee 487 2006 561
Texas 667 3162 830
Utah 392 3588 838
Vermont 304 3797 /
Virginia 396 2331 487
Washington 393 2522 527
West Virginia 392 2188 211
Wisconsin 415 4416 /
PAGE 7 STATE RATES OF INCARCERATION BY RACE & ETHNICITY
Table