Suchergebnisse

Discusses the context of the armed struggle of the 1970s and 1980s, the repression and persecution of radical activists in the US by the FBI's COINTELPRO destabilization program, and the importance of the ongoing campaigns to free political prisoners. Claims that it is now more possible than ever to differentiate between the armed revolutionary activities of the 1970s and 1980s and the terror of September 11. Sees the distinction between the two as apparent and obvious. Given the rightward shift in political discourse in the US, the opposite seems to be the case. With the passage of laws such as the 2001 Patriot Act, even if it is not an armed act - or an act at all - it could be construed as "terrorism" by the government. (Original abstract - amended)

Two political prisoners shed light on life in a US women's prison. Whitehorn was released in 1999 after 14 years' imprisonment for participating in property bombings carried out to protest police brutality & US foreign policy. Marilyn Buck, Whitehorn's friend & co-defendant, was also convicted of taking part in various activities of the Black Liberation Army, & is serving an 80-year sentence in CA's Dublin Federal Correctional Facility. Both women indicate prison conditions have become increasingly more repressive since Ronald Reagan's presidency. In addition, the dramatic increase in the percentage of blacks, Latinos, & immigrant prisoners has caused severe overcrowding. Other issues discussed include the prevalence of sexual abuse by male guards; the lack of adequate health care; small things that destroy an inmate's self-esteem; strategies for coping with life in prison; the US government's handling of political prisoners; the unfairness of conspiracy convictions for so-called "girlfriend crimes;" & the damage prison does to a person's ability to have human relationships. J. Lindroth

For many years, black nationalists have tried to reopen the investigation into the FBI's COINTELPRO (COunter-INTELligence PROgram), which served to disrupt & destroy the black liberation movement & other progressive movements in the US. On 14 Sept 2000 in Washington, DC, Congressional Representative Cynthia McKinney (D-Georgia) convened a "brain trust" on this subject as part of the Congressional Black Caucus' Legislative Conference, a yearly series of forums & panel discussions on issues of importance to the communities represented by the Caucus. Six panelists presented information on the history of COINTELPRO & its relevance to the cases of the approximately 100+ political prisoners in US custody at this moment. Some of these prisoners have served 30 or more years; all have exceedingly long sentences. While the US government denies that it holds any political prisoners, the facts of the cases -- & the connection of many cases to COINTELPRO operations -- indicate otherwise. Panel presentations excerpted below point to the necessity of examining illegalities of COINTELPRO -- & of releasing all of the US-held political prisoners to redress the crimes committed against progressive political movements under the aegis of COINTELPRO & other FBI counterintelligence programs. The significance of this issue to the community was illustrated by the tremendous crowd that gathered & participated in the discussion following the panel. Adapted from the source document.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface: The American Archipelago -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Violations -- I. Insurgent Knowledge -- 1. The Prison Slave as Hegemony's (Silent) Scandal -- 2. Forced Passages -- 3. Sorrow: The Good Soldier and the Good Woman -- 4. War Within: A Prison Interview -- 5. Domestic Warfare: A Dialogue -- 6. Soledad Brother and Blood in My Eye (Excerpts) -- 7. The Masked Assassination -- 8. A Century of Colonialism: One Hundred Years of Puerto Rican Resistance -- II. Policing and Prison Technologies -- 9. Racial Profiling and the Societies of Control -- 10. Jihadis in the Hood: Race, Urban Islam, and the War on Terror -- 11. The Effects of Repression on Women in Prison -- 12. Ponderings from the Eternal Now -- 13. Resisting the Ordinary -- 14. Cultures of Torture -- 15. Katrina's Unnatural Disaster: A Tragedy of Black Suffering and White Denial -- Bibliography -- Contributors -- Permissions -- Index