Solidarity with Richmond anarchist, Jeremy Hawthorne

From Anarchist News:

“Jeremy’s said he needs about $30 a week to pay for decent non-carnivorous food, stamps, sanitary supplies, and so on. Assuming a release date sometime in August, he’ll need somewhere near $500 all up from now til his release.

I’m assuming like roughly $100 will go to the ChipIn, Paypal, and jail percentages. We can minimize the amount of money wasted (and given to the state!) by donating it all at once.

So, put up some cash for our friend!”

Help make Jeremy’s time easier in jail by donating money so he can have phone privileges to call his family (collect!), write letters (paper & stamps cost dollars), and eat something vegetarian (mostly Cheetos & Ramen minus the flav packet).

I know he and all of his loved ones will really appreciate it.

http://jeremycommissary.chipin.com/mypages/view/id/00c7a462ca2f7222
.
.
.
“Jeremy had his sentencing hearing today. The judge found it appropriate to comment on Jeremy’s political views as an anarchist, telling him that this ‘society is governed by laws’ and that he should rethink his affiliations. The prosecutor, Chris Toepp, felt it was necessary to defame Jeremy’s character, insisting ‘he shows no remorse’ for a crime he maintains he is innocent of. He also demanded Jeremy go straight to jail, despite the fact that Jeremy’s father testified that he was very closely involved with his family, and being Easter Weekend, he would like Jeremy to spend it with the family. The Commonwealth of VA got their wishes mostly, denying Jeremy’s request of work release, and only suspending 6 months of the jury’s recommended 12 months in jail. We did not even get to say goodbye to our friend before he was taken to be processed, for a nonviolent crime he did not commit.

About 20-25 people showed up to support Jeremy, including his mother and father. Many were Jeremy’s close friends, others were comrades in the struggle. Most of us are both.

So what is left to us now? We organize. Jeremy’s close friend Pablo will be setting up a commissary fund for Jeremy to be able to purchase the supplies he needs while he is serving time. Ellen and Janissa will be gathering the paperwork and rules regarding visitation and letter writing, and will be making small business cards to be made available to anyone who would like to send Jeremy literature, zines, or whatever else may be allowed. This blog will make sure to give timely updates on any developments, and allow anyone who wants to show Jeremy support to get the information they need to do so.

Until then, take care of each other, and don’t give up the fight. Jeremy hasn’t.”

Ohio: Prisoners end hunger strike, declare results

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012, Youngstown OH- OSP Hunger Strike Ends. After long negotiations with Warden David Bobby on Monday, May 7th, the hunger-striking prisoners at Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) began eating again. Two of the men held out through Tuesday, unsatisfied with the agreement. The warden met with them separately, and they agreed to come off the strike. Warden Bobby reported that “by lunch time today, everyone was eating.” This was confirmed by two prisoner sources.

At this point, details on agreements are unclear, but sources inside say that the hunger strikers are satisfied and feel they achieved results. One source described the demands and the Warden’s response as “reasonable”. Without going into detail, the main concerns were in regards to commissary costs, state pay rates, phone costs, length of stay, and harsh penalties for petty conduct reports. The Warden said that he discussed “many things” at Monday’s meeting with strike representatives, “many things beyond the main demands” but he would not share any of the details.

The strikers are resting and recovering, but have mailed detailed information to outside supporters at RedBird Prison Abolition, which will be released to the public as soon as possible. The Warden admitted that one of the hunger-strikers was transferred to disciplinary segregation for an unrelated rule infraction, but stated that there were no reprisals or punishments for participating. One prisoner source agreed with this statement.

The hunger strike began on April 30th and was timed to align with May Day protests outside. Prisoners have stated an interest in “joining hands in struggle toward common goals” with protest and resistance movements like Occupy Wall Street.

Portland: Paxana Released on $4000 Bail

According to Pax’s support page on Facebook, they have been released on a $4,000 bail after seeing 64 of the more than 70 felony charges dropped during their first court appearance. The next court date is May 14th.

Ohio: OSP prisoner hunger strike enters second week

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OSP Hunger Strike Enters Second Week.

Monday May 7th, 2011, Youngstown OH- Prisoners at Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) continue the hunger strike they started on Monday April 30th, in solidarity with May Day.

The number of prisoners refusing food has fluctuated from 24 to 48 over the last week, as some prisoners joined late. Communication with the super max prisoners has been limited since the beginning of the strike, but a clear list of grievances and demands has emerged from at least two sources.

The two primary demands are:
1. Improved commissary practices and increased state pay. The prison commissary can set prices at up to 35% mark-up on basic necessities like shampoo, food, and soap. These prices fluctuate unexpectedly, and are often prohibitive to prisoners without outside support, as state pay is only $9 a month.

2. A transparent and accountable security level classification process. OSP houses level 4 and 5 prisoners, the highest security level in Ohio. Once prisoners are classified at these levels and transferred to OSP, there is no clear process for how they can reduce their level and get transferred out of the facility. Prisoners can spend years in OSP without any negative conduct reports and still have no hope of their level being reduced.

Other grievances include:

1. Food portions and quality have been reduced due to austerity measures.

2. Inadequate medical care. Also due to austerity cuts, prison officials have stopped send prisoners to outside treatment centers for MRIs and EEGs unless their conditions are considered life threatening. They also often ignore doctor recommendations for pain medications.

3. Lack of enrichment programming. There are strict bans on many books and movies, and the institutional television channel has little variety. One prisoner said they run the same programs on a loop every six months.

The two sources for these demands are an open letter written to the local Youngstown paper, by prisoner Marcus Harris, and phone conversations with a trusted anonymous source inside the prison. This source also stated that at least one hunger striker has been punished for his participation, sprayed with mace in his cell and sent to disciplinary isolation. This report has not yet been confirmed.

Warden David Bobby met with hunger strike representatives for 3 hours on Wednesday May 2nd. He says he will “continue to communicate with the inmates and listen to their concerns”. Thus far, the Warden has called a committee to review commissary practices, comparing them with other Ohio Institutions.

He says that the security level classification system is not uniform because it takes the reasons a prisoner was transferred to OSP into account. One prisoner source was familiar with this argument. He described a situation where someone got sentenced to Level 5 at OSP for 48 months or less. He got no negative reports for those 48 months, but was still denied a security transfer because of “the reasons he was originally classified Level 5, but they already knew that when the brought him in and told him it’d be 48 months or less”. This prisoner also said that consequences for petty conduct reports, like refusing to cuff up or return a food tray, have recently increased, “someone who used to be sent to the hole for 16 days, now might be dropped a level from 4 to 5″. He considers these changes an attempt to keep OSP full of prisoners as “job security” for the Warden and Officers.

The Warden said OSP currently has the most prisoners it has since it opened in 1996. He also said the current hunger strike is the biggest hunger strike since he became warden 4 years ago. It is also the second hunger strike this year. In February, twenty-five prisoners went on hunger strike for 3 days. Two major demands from that hunger strike were: increased recreation time, to the court required minimum of five hours a week, and improved commissary practices. The recreation time demand was met, but the prisoners say the current hunger strike “follows directly” from the neglected commissary demand from February. The warden says he does not remember what the demands in February were, and that the recreation schedule has changed repeatedly since the transfer of death row from OSP to Chillicothe last December.

Prisoner Mark Harris’s letter ends: “in short, we are sensory deprived, underfed, isolated with little to no movement, unable to hug our children, family and friends, and we are stuck for an overly extended period of time, with limited programming”. He requests that people use “whatever resources [they] have to help spread the word of our cause, to call and check up on us and our health and also to look into these matters”.

Warden David Bobby 330-743-0700
ODRC Director Gary Mohr 614-752-1164

Colorado: Parole officers accused of forging documents to illegally lengthen parolees jail sentences

From the Westword:

Jeffrey Wells, a Department of Corrections parole officer based in Grand Junction, is well regarded by his fellow employees, who recently named him top employee of the quarter. But he’s less venerated by John Morgan and three other parolees, who are currently suing him for allegedly forging documents in order to keep them behind bars longer than is allowed by law. And their attorney suspects the problem may not stop with him.

“From the documents we’re getting, it seems like a bigger issue,” says Siddhartha Rathod, who also represents four alleged victims in the Denver Diner police brutality case. “I can’t prove this yet, but I think through discovery we’ll be able to prove this has been going on across the board — that parole officers are routinely holding people beyond the allowable time.”

Such accusations are fairly common, Rathod concedes. “I typically get a lot of calls from inmates, but more so from mothers, wives, brothers, fathers saying, ‘My child has been unlawfully revoked on parole.’ And parolees are often on the fringes of society: They’re in custody, so they don’t have a lot of money, and some don’t have a lot of support services. They’re a group of people who, when they’re on parole, can easily be abused.”

Rathod believes that was the case with Morgan and fellow plaintiffs Dustin Cook, Paul Stark and Jerrod Thoele. And he’s got a report from the DOC’s Office of the Inspector General to back up his assertions.

Full Story

Portland: Anarchist arrested, held on 72 counts of criminal mischief

From Anarchist News:

forest defender, punk diy-er, squatter, collectisvist worker – our comrade has been active in anarchist projects since his teens, and his arrest touches on the lives of many people in the portland area

Today, Thursday May 3, 2012, the Portland Police Bureau arrested 25-year-old Byran Michael Wiedeman on seventy-two counts of criminal mischief related to an investigation into multiple bank and ATM vandalisms in Portland.

Officers served a search warrant today at 6104 North Mississippi Avenue, where Wiedeman and 4 others were squatting. Wiedeman was arrested while 4 others at the residence were detained and released at the scene.

This investigation stretches nearly two years and involves vandalisms at the Hollywood Key Bank branch and the U.S. Bank branch in Southeast Portland on February 29, 2012; as well as vandalism at the Portland Community College Cascade Campus in July 2010.

The investigation at this point is continuing and detectives will continue to analyze computers and phone seized during the search warrant as well as bank surveillance video collected during this investigation. Additional arrests are possible as the investigation continues.

Wiedeman was charged with thirty-six counts of Conspiracy to Commit Criminal Mischief in the First Degree and thirty-six counts of Criminal Mischief in the First Degree.

Bail is set at $360,000. A Multnomah County Grand Jury will hear the charges against Wiedeman in the next week.

from the portland police bureau

Ohio Super Max Prisoners on Hunger Strike

From Redbird Prison Abolition

According to a level 5 prisoner participating in the hunger strike at Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) there are forty-eight (48) prisoners who have refused nine meals and should be officially recognized as on hunger strike. Warden Bobby has not returned calls requesting information about the hunger strike.

The prisoner’s demands include the following:
1. Lower commissary prices. One striker writes: “Commissary items are permitted to be marked up.to 35% above retail, while many of us receive only $8 a month.”
2. No more indefinite terms. Prisoners on the highest security level at OSP (level 5) currently have little prospects for reducing their security level and increasing privileges. “We are taken in front of a privilege review board every 90 days, yet can expect no [increase in] privilege for a year or longer” the hunger striker says of prisoners on Level 5B. Men on Level 5A have a privilege level review every six months, but there has been no increase in their privileges in recognition of good conduct for some time.
3. Healthy and nutritious food. According to the hunger striker, “austerity cuts have allowed our food portions to be shortened.”
4. Access to educational and enrichment materials. ”There has recently been a major ban on books and music” the hunger striker said.

FBI Supplied the Anarchist “Terrorists” Arrested in May Day Plot

From Green is the New Red

As the Occupy movement carries out massive May Day protests around the country, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task force is trumpeting the arrest of “self-proclaimed anarchists” and “terrorists” who allegedly conspired to destroy a bridge in Ohio. Integral to the development and advancement of this plot, however, were FBI agents themselves and an informant with a drug and robbery record.

Douglas L. Wright, 26; Brandon L. Baxter, 20; and Anthony Hayne, 35, Connor C. Stevens, 20, and Joshua S. Stafford, 23, were arrested by the FBI on April 30, just in time to make the announcement as the nation turns its attention to May Day protests.

The affidavit reveals a plot by the FBI that continues a pattern of behavior in “terrorism” investigations against political activists. Most importantly, undercover FBI agents helped shape the “plot,” offered advice on how and where to use explosives, and allegedly sold explosives to the activists.

Pervasive Use of Informants and Undercover FBI

The informant in the case has been working with the FBI since July 20, 2011, and has a criminal record including possession of cocaine, conviction for robbery, and four convictions for passing bad checks. (The FBI’s proclivity for using down-and-out criminals was a key issue in the “Operation Backfire” Earth Liberation Front cases. The lead arsonist and informant, Jacob Ferguson, had a heroin addiction, and is now back in prison on drug charges).

The informant and the others haphazardly talked about various plans, starting with the use of smoke grenades and destroying bank signs off the top of large buildings.

For instance, on April 10, 2012: ““…BAXTER explained that he does not know what to do with the explosives and he has never considered blowing anything up before.”

Conversation shifted to other outrageous plans. According to the affidavit, “WRIGHT joked that he would wear a suicide vest and walk in and blow himself up, but advised he would have to be very drunk.”

“The CHS [the informant] asked the others what it is they wanted to do… BAXTER said that they had never decided on the bridge, they were just throwing out options and they had never decided on anything.”

CCF – victory of the hunger strikers

English original

Athens – CCF – VICTORY OF THE HUNGER STRIKES -ANNOUNCEMENT 1-5-2012
May 1, 2012 by actforfreedom | 0 comments
Translated by boubourAs/Act for freedom now!
CCF – VICTORY OF THE HUNGER STRIKES

ANNOUNCEMENT

1-5-2012

“A battle has been won but the war does not end here…”

After 23 days of hunger strike, we come out as winners against the corruption, defeatism and captivity that dominate in the world of prisoners.

We wrote: “We made a decision… we fight till the end…” We stood consistent to this choice of ours even when we saw our brothers Gerasimos and Panagiotis leave and be hospitalized in a bad condition at Tzanio hospital. Because from all that is written, we love what is written with blood and sealed with actions.All the rest is hollow babbles and a waste of time.

These 23 days we did not regret the hunger strike even for a moment. We knew the risk. We know everyone dies… but there are deaths that weigh differently, because we ourselves decide the way we will die, just as we choose the way we live. And we decided to come out of this battle as winners.

Gerasimos and Panagiotis won their final transfer from Domokos prisons. Gerasimos got transferred to Koridallos prisons and Panagiotis because he is considered a long term convict (he is sentenced to 37 years) and could not come to a prison such as Koridallos (a prison mainly for people who are waiting to be judged), won a transfer to a prison of his “choice” and will be transferred to Trikala prisons where three other members of the Conspiracy Cells of Fire are also being held.

This victory puts in its own way another pledge in our aim for political coexistence of the members of the CCF within the walls and abolishes the isolation they try to impose on us.In this confrontation opposite the system, time and fatigue, we put our bodies as a barricade and as a pawn of our decency. That’s why we did not plead, neither did we beg for solidarity in the places we avoided to hang out during our course as anarchists of praxis.

We stayed clear of leftist parties, from press conferences with a humane background, from reformist circles. Choosing thus a conscious loneliness we counted friends and enemies, comrades and indifferent, actions and silences… We do not have spare words for the small time politicians and the meaningless.

On the contrary the word “thankyou” is very poor for the comrades from the whole of greece who ran, gave out flyers, put up posters, set up PA systems, organized gatherings, occupied a tv station, they came with a demo by the prisons, carried out counter-information actions from radio stations…

Finally we send our warmest hug to all those vandals, the hooded ones, the provocateurs, the night time arsonists and bombers in Greece, the anarchist nihilists in Spain, our brothers in Bolivia, England and to all the cells of the Informal Anarchist Federation and of the Conspiracy Cells of Fire…

Nothing would be the same, without all of you…

May we meet soon comrades. Although we won, we have nothing more to do than start the next battle.

FOR THE SPREADING OF THE INFORMAL ANARCHIST FEDERATION (FAI/IRF) FOR THE BLACK INTERNATIONAL OF THE ANARCHISTS OF PRAXIS Cell of Imprisoned Members of CCF/FAI

And anarchist revolutionary Theofilos Mavropoulos

25 Ohio Super Max Prisoners Start a Hunger Strike

Monday April 30th. Today at least twenty five prisoners at Ohio State Penitentiary (OSP) began a hunger strike. They are demanding that the Warden meet and negotiate with them for improved conditions in Ohio’s super-max prison. These hunger strikers say they intend to continue to refuse food until their demands are met. Another, larger group of prisoners will show symbolic solidarity with the hunger strikers, and workers outside of prison by also refusing food on a one-day fast tomorrow, for May Day, the international day of worker solidarity and resistance.

Information about the hunger strike is limited at this time, because super-max prisoners have very constrained access to communication with the outside world. The hunger strikers are asking supporters of their cause to participate by calling Warden David Bobby (330 743-0700) and ODRC director Gary Mohr (614-752-1164). The hunger strikers are asking people to encourage Warden Bobby to meet with the prisoners and take their demands seriously.

This is the second hunger strike at OSP this year. The first occurred on Feb 20th-23rd in solidarity with the Occupy movement’s call for an “Occupy for Prisoners” day of action. That hunger strike ended with Warden Bobby, as well as officials from Central Office in Columbus, promising to increase recreation time to the court-mandated minimum as well as improve enrichment programming, food quality and commissary practices. At this time, it is unclear if that promise was kept and what relationship, if any, the current hunger strike has with February’s Occupy for Prisoners hunger strike.

Ohio State Penitentiary opened in 1998. It houses over 270 level 4 and 5 maximum security prisoners, and until recently also housed 116 of Ohio’s death row prisoners. OSP was built in response to the 1993 uprising at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville.