American Torture: American Justice

African Americans & Puerto Ricans often not treated as "human beings." 
http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1633.htm

BOSTON, MA: On Saturday December 12, 2015, a workshop was held at Roxbury Community College entitled "American Torture: American Justice: Human Rights American Style," organized by the City School and Jericho Boston in commemoration of International Human Rights Day. The date also coincided with the 66th birthday of Arnold King, who has been in prison since he was 18 and has not been released on parole after 42 years despite the unanimous recommendation of the parole board. His brother, Kazi Toure chaired the event, saying, "With whatever gains Black and Brown people may feel were earned during the civil rights movement, equality was not one of them. Until Black people, people of African descent are viewed as "human beings," equality and full citizenship are an illusion."

Some very high profile people were represented in the panel discussions. During the lunch break, the speakers were all available to anyone that wanted to talk to them personally. Two of them, Fred Hampton Jr. and Luis Rosa expressed interest in speaking before a Muslim audience if invited, to counteract racism and to create links between our communities.

Chairman Fred Hampton Jr. of Black Panther Cubs and Prisoners of Conscience, whose father Fred Hampton, chairman of the Black Panther Party, was murdered by the Chicago police and FBI, spoke about the need to heighten consciousness, to be able to distinguish between what is normal and what is abnormal. He said the first step towards political freedom is like the first step of Alcoholics Anonymous: Recognize that you have a problem. "It's embarrassing to be oppressed. It's embarrassing to admit your father is in prison." Mental colonization hurts. People get involved in a people's revolution because of Inspiration, Aspiration, or Desperation. He said the masses are intelligent. They may not have a fancy term for it, but if they hear that a police officer shot a man 16 times in the back, they will say without hesitation, "They wrong."

Luis Rosa, a former Puerto Rican prisoner who was given amnesty by President Clinton, spoke of how sad he was to leave his comrade, Oscar Lopez Rivera behind in prison. Rivera, 72, is the longest-held political prisoner in Puerto Rican history, for his participation in the Puerto Rican independence movement. Rosa spoke of how he was freed despite a 100 year sentence for "seditious conspiracy." Take nothing for granted, he advised supporters of prisoners. In order to free Rosa, the Puerto Rican activists had three people inside the White House pushing for his freedom, Nobel Prize winners requesting his release, the Japanese Congress inquired about the political prisoners. "Don't neglect the religious community." Learn how to articulate and know your audience so that you can ask them to support the release of political prisoners. "We need to have dossiers ready. Know their cases and be able to speak about their history and current status.

Rosa recommended organizing regular contact between one penpal and one prisoner. Then, the penpals would have regular meetings in which they update each other on all the prisoners. This would maximize prisoner outreach while providing socialization for the activists, which will encourage them to continue. To build community we need love and unity.

"Fight for those who fight for us!" Rosa said. "They are not criminals or terrorists. They fought for what our communities enjoy. They are part of us and we are part of them. Engrave those names in your mind and heart."

Marquette Peltier, daughter of imprisoned American Indian Movement leader Leonard Peltier spoke of her father's tireless efforts for the sake of his community. "If he didn't do it, who would?" she said. "If he can get up and shower every day, we have to get up every day and do what we have to do." Peltier has been in prison for 38 years, accused of shooting an FBI officer during a raid on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Please download letters to support his release at WhoIsLeonardPeltier.info 
It is hoped that President Obama will grant him clemency because as a Senator, Obama promised to help. "Show me the support," he had said to the small group of activists. Maybe now it is time for American Indians to lead us.

Ray Luc Levasseur, who spent 20 years in solitary confinement for his involvement with a leftist anti-war group said it's easy to get discouraged. Behind bars, you can wonder, "Was my sacrifice worth it?" He spoke of a coral reef. Countless tiny creatures give their lives, and in so doing, create an ecosystem which has the power to change the course of the ocean.

Levasseur mentioned his comrade Tom Manning, who is serving a life sentence for bombing an IBM office to protest apartheid in South Africa, as well as returning fire and killing a police officer. "Everything that goes on in client states is exported from here. We've seen it all." Manning was body slammed, breaking his hip. He has been beaten in handcuffs, breaking his shoulders. He has been repeatedly stun gunned, denied medication and surgery, tear gassed, stripped naked while his cell is wrecked, his genitals threatened by a German Shepherd. Now an old man, he is in a wheelchair in solitary confinement at Coleman with an untreated leg infection.

Dr. Lana Habash, who is Palestinian, updated the status of Palestinian activist Amer Jibran, who was well known in Boston for participating in protests against Israel, gathering the ire of the Zionists, who targeted the young student for prosecution. After being arrested then released in Boston, he was deported then re-arrested in Jordan and sentenced to ten years. Habash linked Black Lives Matter movement to the Palestinian struggle by mentioning that police are sent to Israel for training in how to respond to the American public as an enemy population.

Also speaking was Russel Maroon Shoaz, Jr., whose father was a Black Panther Party activist, who has been held in isolation for over 23 years. Shoaz is dedicated to raising awareness about his father. The son of Herman Bell, a former Black Panther who is serving a life sentence for killing two police officers, sang an inspiring song for the audience. Herman Bell has spent the past 42 years in prison. He is going to the New York state parole board in February 2016.

Please email freehermanbell@gmail.com with a message of support for his release, with Subject Line: Herman Bell, 79C-0262.

Kazi Toure: A warrior retires

Non-Muslim Political Prisoners Suffered Much before Muslims Became the Targets
African-American, Native Americans, Puerto Ricans Suffered US "Justice" 

http://newtrendmag.org/ntma1593.htm

On Friday March 13, 2015 former Black Panther and political prisoner Kazi Toure celebrated his 65th birthday in a cozy gathering at First Church in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. He looked very sharp wearing a silky black jacket with a red Chinese dragon on the back and a leather top hat over his long dreadlocks. Many young children of activists were in attendance at the event, as well as some old timers related to the struggle for liberation including Jimmy Barrett. The walls were covered with posters of liberation icons like Ramona Africa. 

The gathering began with an African celebration called a “libation.” A young woman poured water from a glass into a dish below, while mentioning the names of ancestors and role models whose spiritual energy they wanted to invite into this gathering. People around the room also invoked names such as Harriet Tubman and Leonard Peltier. This set the mood for a very meaningful evening.

The first speaker was Eddie Cortez, a Puerto Rican former political prisoner who spent many years in the penitentiary for “seditious conspiracy.” He spoke about Oscar Lopez Rivera, the longest serving Puerto Rican political prisoner, who has served 35 years. Obama freed the Cuban 5. Why won’t he free Oscar Lopez Rivera? On December 14, 2014, for the first time, the Puerto Rican governor came to visit Rivera in Terre Haute. But nothing further has happened. No US Congress has ever addressed the issue of Puerto Rico as a Commonwealth vs. as a free country, even though every Puerto Rican church and political party supports freedom.

He mentioned Leonard Peltier, who has served 36 years, Sundiata Acoli, who has been in prison for 40 years, and Jaan Laaman, Kazi Toure’s co-defendant. In 1979 he and Kazi Toure helped to organize the Amandla Festival of Unity to support an end to apartheid in Southern Africa, which featured musician Bob Marley. Laaman was sentenced to 53 years in 1984 for bombing government buildings.

“How much punishment is enough?” Cortez asked. He then told a cute story about how prisoners managed to smuggle in birthday cakes by organizing a group to distract the guards.

“We need to change the face of America,” he said. “We need our own system, not socialism or communism. What we need is creativity in the face of oppression.”

Next, Palestinian activist Dr. Lana Habash spoke about the need for clarity against Zionist hasbara within current political activist movements. “It’s not complicated, it’s just wrong.”

She spoke about Amer Jibran, who was very active locally in Boston against Zionism against US wars of aggression. He led a high profile confrontation against the yearly Israeli Independence Day celebration, which used to draw 10,000 people. He was deported in 2004 but remained politically active in Jordan. In 2014 the Mukhabarat, Jordanian intelligence, used ropes to enter his home and kidnap him. He was held for two months without charge. Then in August 2014 the Jordanian State Security Court charged him with a list of terror offenses related to Hezbollah, which basically amounted to speech and were based on forced confessions.

“Amer’s writings were never against Jordan but against Israel and US wars,” Lana said. “We must reject definitions of terrorism. The political prisoner is our oxygen. They represent who we are, who we must be, and the task ahead. We must carry on the struggles they went to prison for.”

Next spoke Ray Levasseure, another of Kazi’s co-defendants. He said he met Kazi when our country was at war with South America and there was the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Both of them were “packing,” he said. They meant serious business. He said he was surprised to be here today, especially looking at 65 in the rear view mirror. He was underground sometime already when Kazi started getting his feet wet. He spent 20 years in ADX prison for activities related to the United Freedom Front (UFF). 13 of those years were spent in solitary.

Governor Deval Patrick denounced UMass for letting Ray give a talk. The police lobbied against him and prevented his speech about Black Panther Party related political prisoners in America.

Born of French-Canadian immigrants, Ray was imprisoned for an anti-apartheid bombing of a South African office in New York City. Nobody was hurt because that was not the intention. He noted that the government is more concerned about property destruction against military installations than they are about bloodshed.

Ray mentioned Tom Manning, another of their co-defendants, who is still in prison for bombing US military installations for UFF. He also knew Oscar Lopez Riveras from prison. Tom is having a lot of medical problems and as a result cannot walk. Medical problems are devastating to anyone, but when experienced in the Supermax segregation unit, the suffering is incomparable. Tom has had many surgeries. He needs to use a walker but could not do so because of problems with his shoulders. Dr. Lana Habash led a campaign for him to get shoulder replacement surgery, which happened 2 months ago. He is now in the early steps of rehab. If all heals well, he will be out of his wheelchair and onto crutches for the first time in six years. Tom suffered many brutal beatings in prison. Ray talked about how important it is to send a letter, make a phone call, especially for professionals like Dr. Habash to step in and do something. 

He mentioned a long-time prisoner, who has been forgotten. He just needed a couple magazine subscriptions. He is now serving time with Imam Jamil al-Amin. Ray met him during his pre-trial detention decades ago. They were given one hour a day out of their cages to walk up and down the tier. The prisoners began to befriend each other. It was an amazing time because so many revolutionary movements were going on. During these tier walks, Ray met members of the Irish Republican Army, Palestinian and Mexican groups, Puerto Rican, Black Panthers, etc. Kazi has told me similar prison friendship stories.

There are so many disparate groups, each with their own little defense committee. Everybody knows about Mumia but they don’t know about Kojo Bomani or Grayling Brown. Inside of the prison, these political prisoners bonded and watched each others’ back, but on the street supporters can’t get along because of too many different agendas. Filiberto, who was murdered by the FBI in his home in Puerto Rico, issued a call for a conference for all political prisoners but Freedom Now collapsed and the Jericho Movement has not achieved what Filiberto had in mind. We need to work for a larger sense of unity, Ray concluded.

Musical entertainment from a rapper called Optimist then ensued, with a band called Foundation Movement.