Let’s Roll!

Let’s Roll!!! Today and Tomorrow, start calling Florence-High as soon as 9am mountain time, on behalf of Oso Blanco. He is suffering from serious liver problems and he needs help, not medical neglect. The time is now, Support Oso Blanco.

Report back on how your calls went. Email denverabc@riseup.net

Call USP Florence-High:

719-784-9454

Ask to speak to:

• Mr. Charles Daniels, Warden

• Ms. McDermott, Hospital Administrator

• Mr. Leggit, Counselor

• Miss Hopkins

• “The Lieutenant”

NOTE:  Any of these people may put you on hold indefinitely, hang up on you, talk over you, etc. If nothing else, let someone, even if it’s just the operator, know the reason you are calling.

 

Sample call talking points:

Hello, may I speak to _________? This call is in reference to inmate Byron Chubbuck #07909-051. Byron has a painful, potentially cancerous mass in his liver. He needs an ultrasound to determine the problem, and has been asking for this since he came to Florence in January.

• He placed a sick call in April.

• He has high ammonia build up in his liver and experiences daily vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, and irregular breathing.

• Byron already has a medical record in the BOP concerning liver problems and has never asked for family/friends to help with a medical condition before.

• I know that HIPAA prevents you from sharing his personal health information (PHI) wtih me– I just want to make sure this is brought to your attention and that you take all actions necessary to ensure Mr. Chubbuck proper medical treatment.

• I know you have a protocol to follow. Why wasn’t he given a liver biopsy when he placed a sick call in April? How do you evaluate an internal medical condition?

• Thank you for doing the right thing and getting my friend the medical attention he needs.

 

Also write or email Florence-High:

Email: flm/execassistant@bop.gov

Address:

[STAFF NAME]
USP FLORENCE – HIGH
U.S. PENITENTIARY
PO BOX 7500
FLORENCE, CO 81226

 

Sample letter/email:

Dear [staff name],

It has come to my attention that inmate Byron Shane Chubbuck #07909-051 has been suffering from a painful health condition that has gone untreated. This is of great concern due to his 23 year history of chronic liver disease. For six years, he suffered from both Hepatitis B & C simultaneously. And in 2003, he was told that he would likely experience liver failure in the next two years.

I’m aware that when Mr. Chubbuck first arrived at Florence on January 9^th 2013, he informed the interviewing PA that he’s been a chronic care inmate for the past 12 years due to liver issues and that he needs an ultrasound and blood tests to be done. A week later he started getting sick and experiencing dizziness. In a very short time, Byron’s liver got hard and his condition grew drastically worse over the next two months. At the end of April, he was quickly examined again by medical staff and re-assured that he needs an ultrasound and blood tests to determine the problem. And recently, on May 28^th, he fell extremely sick again. This being the worst yet.

Byron has high ammonia build up in his liver, as well as an undiagnosed growth that is potentially cancerous. He experiences daily vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, and irregular breathing.

I understand that all of these are common symptoms of advanced Cirrhosis, which greatly increases the risk of primary liver Cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma). Primary refers to the fact that a tumor originates inside the liver.

Byron needs an ultrasound and blood tests to determine the problem. He has been requesting this care since he first arrived at Florence in January. I’ve been informed that he still has not yet received this treatment and his liver continues to get worse. I request that you take all actions necessary to ensure Mr. Chubbuck receives the proper medical care. I trust that you will do the right thing. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[name]

Reportback from a Visit with Tinley Park 5 Prisoner Dylan Sutherlin

from NYCABC: We received this reportback from Bloomington Anarchist Black Cross

Last week several folk visited with Dylan for about 4 hours at Centralia Correctional.

Dylan was in good spirits. He has greatly appreciated all the mail! When he first got to Logan County Jail, he said there were several weeks in a row that he got at least three letters a day, and people were saying, “Who is this guy?!” He has received lots of letters from all over the world. He hopes those overseas feel his sincere thanks, even as he is not able to write back because the prison determines how much each letter sent outside the country costs, and it’s too expensive.

Dylan said people at Centralia are friendly, and he mostly keeps to himself. He told a story of his time in Logan County Jail when he first got there. He said there are lots of Nazi’s at Logan. The grandson of one of the “victims” was also in there and had orders to get revenge. But Dylan quickly had friends in high places. The Lt General of some gang said he was untouchable so the Nazi’s couldn’t get him. They offered $500 for the gang to turn him over from their protection, but they wouldn’t.

Dylan gets to talk to both his dad and his mom at least once a month. He has written the warden about being able to write to his brothers in other prisons because his understanding is that family members can write each other, but maybe not because they are also co-defendents. He has not heard anything back from the warden after writing three times, and recently had trouble getting in touch with his lawyer.

This month Dylan ran out of commissary. He had received two books, ‘The ABC’s of Anarchy’ and ‘Green Rage’, but the prison rejected them as “security threats”. The prison said he had to pay to return them or they’d be destroyed, and so they had to be destroyed. He said he doesn’t read too often, but he received V for Vendetta and enjoyed it. He’d like to receive the 5th and 6th Game of Thrones books. They must be paperback.

He is on a wait list for college courses, which will help to shorten his sentence, and so he is hoping to get in soon, but he has no knowledge of where his name is on the list.

Dylan loves visits and is allowed way more visits than he’s getting. Anyone interested in visiting can write to Dylan and include their full legal name, address listed on their ID, age, race, gender and birthday and ask him to add you to his visitation list. For more info about visiting you can call the prison visitation department and ask them questions.

[URGENT] Call-In for Oso Blanco June 12-13th

From TTW and Denver ABC

Help a Captive Indigenous Warrior Survive!   Fight Medical Neglect in U.S. Prisons!

Byron Shane “Oso Blanco” Chubbuck is an Indigenous rights activist serving 80 years for bank robbery, aggravated assault on the FBI, escape and firearms charges. A confidential informant reported that Oso was robbing banks in order to acquire funds to support the Zapatista rebellion in Chiapas, Mexico throughout 1998-99.

Since his transfer in January 2013, Oso has been struggling with medical neglect at USP Florence-High. He is suffering from an undetermined potentially cancerous mass in his liver, and needs an ultrasound to determine the problem. He has been requesting this care since he first arrived at Florence, and his condition continues to get worse. Oso Blanco urgently needs our help.

In the day’s following June 11th international day of solidarity with Marie Mason, Eric McDavid, and other longterm anarchist prisoners . . .  Support Oso Blanco by calling USP Florence-High, June 12-13th (9am- 5pm, Mountain Time), and demand that he gets the medical attention he needs. (Email and letters are also highly encouraged)

USP FLORENCE-HIGH

Phone: 719-784-9454

Fax: (719) 784-5290

Email: flm/execassistant@bop.gov

Address:

[STAFF NAME]
USP FLORENCE – HIGH
U.S. PENITENTIARY
PO BOX 7500
FLORENCE, CO 81226

People to ask for and speak with if they are available . . .

• Mr. Charles Daniels, Warden

• Ms. McDermott, Hospital Administrator

• Mr. Leggit, Counselor

• Miss Hopkins

• “The Lieutenant”

NOTE:  Any of these people may put you on hold indefinitely, hang up on you, talk over you, etc. If nothing else, let someone, even if it’s just the operator, know the reason you are calling.

Sample call talking points . . .

•  Hello, may I speak to _________? This call is in reference to inmate Byron Chubbuck #07909-051. Byron has a painful, potentially cancerous mass in his liver. He needs an ultrasound to determine the problem, and has been asking for this since he came to Florence in January.

• He placed a sick call in April.

• He has high ammonia build up in his liver and experiences daily vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, and irregular breathing.

• Byron already has a medical record in the BOP concerning liver problems and has never asked for family/friends to help with a medical condition before.

• I know that HIPAA prevents you from sharing his personal health information (PHI) wtih me– I just want to make sure this is brought to your attention and that you take all actions necessary to ensure Mr. Chubbuck proper medical treatment.

• I know you have a protocol to follow. Why wasn’t he given a liver biopsy when he placed a sick call in April? How do you evaluate an internal medical condition?

• Thank you for doing the right thing and getting my friend the medical attention he needs.

Sample email or letter…

Dear [staff name],

It has come to my attention that inmate Byron Shane Chubbuck #07909-051 has been suffering from a painful health condition that has gone untreated. This is of great concern due to his 23 year history of chronic liver disease. For six years, he suffered from both Hepatitis B & C simultaneously. And in 2003, he was told that he would likely experience liver failure in the next two years.

I’m aware that when Mr. Chubbuck first arrived at Florence on January 9^th 2013, he informed the interviewing PA that he’s been a chronic care inmate for the past 12 years due to liver issues and that he needs an ultrasound and blood tests to be done. A week later he started getting sick and experiencing dizziness. In a very short time, Byron’s liver got hard and his condition grew drastically worse over the next two months. At the end of April, he was quickly examined again by medical staff and re-assured that he needs an ultrasound and blood tests to determine the problem. And recently, on May 28^th, he fell extremely sick again. This being the worst yet.

Byron has high ammonia build up in his liver, as well as an undiagnosed growth that is potentially cancerous. He experiences daily vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, and irregular breathing.

I understand that all of these are common symptoms of advanced Cirrhosis, which greatly increases the risk of primary liver Cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma). Primary refers to the fact that a tumor originates inside the liver.

Byron needs an ultrasound and blood tests to determine the problem. He has been requesting this care since he first arrived at Florence in January. I’ve been informed that he still has not yet received this treatment and his liver continues to get worse. I request that you take all actions necessary to ensure Mr. Chubbuck receives the proper medical care. I trust that you will do the right thing. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[name]

Coordinating the effort

• Post a brief report of how your call went to social media  with this announcement or a link to it! Lead by example! #OsoBlanco

• Email  denverabc@riseup.net and let us know how calls are going!

• If you can, send a quick get card to Oso, letting him know that you called and that he is in your thoughts and/or prayers. This will lift Oso’s spirits and again remind him, as well as his captors, that he is not alone in his struggles.

Also, don’t forget about these other crucial ongoing campaigns against medical neglect of political prisoners . . .

• Mutulu Shakur

• Tom Manning

• And sign the petition for Lynne Stewart!

throughthewalls.org     denverabc.wordpress.com

French Antifascist Murdered by Nazis in Paris

from France24:

A young left-wing activist has died after an attack by skinheads left him brain dead on Wednesday night. Clément Méric fell to the ground after being physically assaulted by a group of skinheads in the 9th district of central Paris.

Several people have been arrested in connection with the incident, which police said was “politically motivated”.

Méric was attending a clothes sale with friends when three “skinhead-type” individuals, including one woman, arrived on the scene.

Witnesses told police that “angry words were exchanged” before the aggressors left “to fetch reinforcements”.

When Méric left the building he was assaulted by the group, including one person wearing brass knuckles, and hit his head on the pavement as he fell. He was declared brain dead in hospital later that night.

“A REAL SENSE OF SHOCK, SADNESS AT SCIENCES PO”
By Katerina VITTOZZI reporting from Paris

Several hundred people gathered near the site of the attack on Thursday where they chanted left-wing slogans and friends made speeches paying tribute to Méric.

The Left Party (Parti de Gauche), a grouping of French far-left parties, issued a statement accusing the Paris-based far-right organisation JNR (Young Revolutionary Nationalists) of carrying out the attack. The JNR has been active in Paris since the late 1980s and has been known for violent attacks in the past.

“The horrors of fascism have brought murder to Paris,” the statement said.

Other left-wing groups, including the Young Socialists and SOS Racisme, called for the JNR to be banned as an organisation if a link between the group and the attack is proved.

Serge Ayoub, the 48-year-old founder and head of the JNR, told reporters on Thursday that any link between the attack and his organisation was “completely false”. He added that the fight was probably started by left-wing activists.

Marine Le Pen, who heads the far-right anti-Europe and anti-immigration National Front (FN) party, said Thursday that her party had “no links at all” with the “appalling” attack.

“The FN is not linked in any way whatsoever to this unacceptable and intolerable act,” she told RTL radio.

French President François Hollande’s office issued a statement condemning the attack, saying police had been given “firm instructions to ensure that the perpetrators of this odious act are arrested as soon as possible”.

Chicago: Judge orders state to hand over info on police spying on the NATO 3

From NATO 5 Support:

The NATO 3—Brent Betterly, Brian Jacob Church, and Jared Chase—were brought before Judge Thaddeus Wilson again today for another status hearing leading up to their trial in September. The defendants looked well and were not shackled at the hands, only at the feet. There were also fewer sheriff’s deputies in the viewing gallery intimidating supporters.

As the September 19th trial date looms closer and closer, we must pack the courtroom gallery to let our comrades know we stand with them as they face this state repression. These status hearings have uncovered previously unknown information about the broad and sweeping surveillance program carried out by the Chicago Police Department against the activist community. They have also revealed the nature of the legal fight the NATO 3 are facing. Their lawyers continue to work hard on their defense and support funds are still urgently needed to help them prepare for trial. You can make a tax-deductible donation today by sending a check or money order with “8th Day Center/Nato 5 Defense Fund” in the memo line to:

8th Day Center for Justice
205 W. Monroe St. Suite 500
Chicago, IL 60606

You can also donate online at https://www.wepay.com/donations/nato-5-defense (these donations are not tax-deductible).

The judge has attempted to maintain a strict schedule, holding status hearings every two weeks to monitor the progress of outstanding discovery issues. The prosecutors have dragged out the discovery process past two set deadlines by withholding key information needed by the defense team. This information largely has to do with the extensive surveillance program of the Chicago Police Department and their months of spying on activists as well as their collaboration with federal police agencies.

In the last hearing, the judge ordered the prosecution to comply with a handful of discovery requests made by the defense. The main issue of contention was how much the broad surveillance investigation into Occupy Chicago, the Mental Health Movement, Chicago Street Medics, and other activist groups would be given up by the prosecutors and the Chicago Police Department as part of the trial. While the judge ruled that a majority of the discovery motions were irrelevant to the specific case of the NATO 3, he did order the state to comply with a number of discovery requests, including the following:

* the 1st Amendment worksheet produced by the field intelligence team in the course of the investigation and all subsequent re-applications

* text messages exchanged between different officers involved in the investigation

* Affidavits from the three police informants as well as additional officers within the Field Intelligence Team regarding the specific investigation of the three defendants, but not the larger investigation into Occupy Chicago

* The identification of officers involved in taking pictures during surveillance operations

* Any additional information on training programs undergone by the police informants

Today, the prosecution had not secured this discovery material, wasting more time to cover up the repressive state surveillance behind the targeting of the NATO 3. Matthew Thrun, Assistant State Attorney, claimed to have scheduled a meeting this Thursday with the 15 officers involved in the Field Intelligence Unit behind the clandestine spying and targeting operation carried out by the Chicago Police Department against activists. Thrun told Judge Wilson that they will have information on the deleted text messages and surveillance pictures after this meeting. The plan agreed upon by the prosecution and the defense is for the prosecution to be in compliance with the discovery orders in 2 weeks.

Two attorneys within the defense team then previewed motions to dismiss that will be filed by the next hearing. Michael Deutsch with the National Lawyers Guild, who is defending Brian Jacob Church, alluded to a pretrial motion to dismiss the arson charges, arguing that the facts of the indictment do not fulfill the statute. Attorneys for Brent Betterly alluded to their own pretrial motion to be filed by the next hearing to dismiss a variety of charges against him based on grand jury testimony.

Finally, the judge asked the prosecutors to what extent they had thus far received information from federal law enforcement agencies. In previous status hearings, the defense team requested discovery material from other agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Secret Service. The defense presented evidence of previous communications between these agencies through fusion centers on Occupy movement activities. The prosecutors stated that they had not received any information from the requests they submitted and the judge encouraged them to meet the scheduled deadlines.

The next court date is June 11, 2013 at 2 pm in Courtroom 303 of the Cook County Criminal Courthouse (26th and California).

Anonymous: Jeremy Hammond’s statement on accepting non-cooperating plea agreement

From Free Jeremy:

Today I pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. This was a very difficult decision. I hope this statement will explain my reasoning. I believe in the power of the truth. In keeping with that, I do not want to hide what I did or to shy away from my actions. This non-cooperating plea agreement frees me to tell the world what I did and why, without exposing any tactics or information to the government and without jeopardizing the lives and well-being of other activists on and offline.

During the past 15 months I have been relatively quiet about the specifics of my case as I worked with my lawyers to review the discovery and figure out the best legal strategy. There were numerous problems with the government’s case, including the credibility of FBI informant Hector Monsegur. However, because prosecutors stacked the charges with inflated damages figures, I was looking at a sentencing guideline range of over 30 years if I lost at trial. I have wonderful lawyers and an amazing community of people on the outside who support me. None of that changes the fact that I was likely to lose at trial. But, even if I was found not guilty at trial, the government claimed that there were eight other outstanding indictments against me from jurisdictions scattered throughout the country. If I had won this trial I would likely have been shipped across the country to face new but similar charges in a different district. The process might have repeated indefinitely. Ultimately I decided that the most practical route was to accept this plea with a maximum of a ten year sentence and immunity from prosecution in every federal court.

Now that I have pleaded guilty it is a relief to be able to say that I did work with Anonymous to hack Stratfor, among other websites. Those others included military and police equipment suppliers, private intelligence and information security firms, and law enforcement agencies. I did this because I believe people have a right to know what governments and corporations are doing behind closed doors. I did what I believe is right.

I have already spent 15 months in prison. For several weeks of that time I have been held in solitary confinement. I have been denied visits and phone calls with my family and friends. This plea agreement spares me, my family, and my community a repeat of this grinding process.

I would like to thank all of my friends and supporters for their amazing and ongoing gestures of solidarity. Today I am glad to shoulder the responsibility for my actions and to move one step closer to daylight.

Jeremy Hammond

Jerry’s Mailing Address

If folks want to drop anarchist Grand Jury resister Jerry (Gerald) Koch a line of solidarity, love, and support, the BOP lists his address as:

Gerald Koch
68631-054
MDC Brooklyn
PO Box 329002
Brooklyn, NY 11232