This Week: Support Ojore Lutalo, released after 26 years!

Sunday, November 08, 2009 NYC ABC

Anarchist, New Afrikan political prisoner Ojore Lutalo was recently released from prison. He served 26 years, most of it in isolation, or "the hole," all in the service of revolutionary struggle. The NYC branch of the Anarchist Black Cross Federation has set up a gift registry to insure that of the challenges of shifting from prisoner to civilian, having basic apartment furnishings is not among them. New Afrikan Anarchist Political Prisoner, Ojore N. Lutalo, is out after 26 years of imprisonment! In continuation of the Anarchist Black Cross Federation (ABCF) fundraising efforts to support Ojore transition back to life on the outside, we have created a gift registry of items for his new apartment. Please visit the registry (or go to target.com and search for Ojore Lutalo or List ID:012399301813930) and make a purchase either as an individual or an organization. This financial assistance will allow Ojore to transition more smoothly, giving him the needed time to readjust to life on the outside that he hasn't experienced since 1982. Please note that his move-in date is Sunday, November 15th so purchasing items for shipment on this Thursday or Friday is ideal. As many former prisoners and their supporters know, coming back home after a doing a long stretch in prison is difficult, and without a support base it is even more difficult. The ABCF, anarchists, and many PP/POW supporters who have maintained contact with and supported Ojore over the years have immensely benefited from the example that he has set for what it means to be a revolutionary. His untiring advice and criticism has helped many of us and our organizations grow politically and deepen not only our commitment to the struggle to free political prisoners and prisoners of war, but also to that of building revolutionary movements. It's our revolutionary duty ensure Ojore has all the support he needs! We encourage folks to fundraise and/or donate whatever they can towards Ojore's housewarming fund, and circulate this appeal far and wide. To make a donation without selecting an item from the gift registry, checks or money orders payable to Tim Fasnacht can be sent to: Philadelphia ABCF Post Office Box 42129 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101 Thank you for your support! Solidarity and Struggle! NYC Anarchist Black Cross ABCF-NYC --- Ojore Lutalo was locked down in Trenton, New Jersey, for actions carried out in the fight for Black Liberation. In Ojore's own words, he is, "serving a parole violation sentence (we received 14 to 17 years) stemming from a 1977 conviction for expropriating monies from a capitalist state bank (in order to finance our activities) and engaging the police in a gun battle in December 1975 in order to effect our departure from the bank, and to ensure success of the military operation..." "After my parole violation sentence terminated in December 1987, I started serving a forty year sentence with a twenty year parole ineligibility (I was paroled in 1980, and I have been back in captivity since April 20, 1982) that I have received in 1982 for having a gun-fight with a drug dealer. The overall strategy of assaulting a drug dealer is to secure monies to finance one's activities, and to rid the oppressed communities of drug dealers." Ojore was originally arrested with New Afrikan prisoner of war Kojo Bomani Sababu, and was struggling with comrade Andaliwa Clark. Andaliwa was killed in action within the confines of New Jersey's infamous Trenton State Prison after he shot two of the prison's security guards in the repressive Management Control Unit (M.C.U.) on January 19th, 1976 when they tried to stop him from escaping from captivity. Ojore was a comrade of the late Kuwasi Balagoon, a New Afrikan anarchist prisoner of war, and states, "I've been involved in the struggle, the war against the fascist state since 1970. I've been an anarchist since 1975 without any regrets. Prior to my involvement in the struggle, I was just another apolitical lumpen (bandit) here in Amerika." "I was... influenced and highly motivated by the Black Liberation Army (B.L.A.) here in Amerika. These sisters and brothers were New Afrikans just like me from the streets of the ghettos who took the initiative militarily, to start assassinating members of the state's security forces who were murdering black people in our communities. From the inception of all revolutions, I feel that people need armed combat units to check state sponsored acts of terrorism by the government's security forces. In addition, I feel that these armed combat units are necessary to show the people that fascist acts of state-sponsored terrorism... will be responded to militarily. In 1975 I became disillusioned with Marxism and became an anarchist (thanks to Kuwasi Balagoon) due to the inactivity and ineffectiveness of Marxism in our communities along with repressive bureaucracy that comes with Marxism. People aren't going to commit themselves to a life and death struggle just because of grand ideas someone might have floating around in their heads. I feel people will commit themselves to a struggle if they can see progress being made similar to the progress of anarchist collectives in Spain during the era of the fascist Bahamonde..."