NYC, Support Prisoners this Weekend!!!

FRIDAY- Screening to benefit Books thru Bars program (sending books 
to prisoners)!

SATURDAY- Run/walk/jog/picnic for the WARCHEST PROGRAM (30$/month to 
PP/POWs inside) and for SEKOU ODINGA's legal defense!

Details below!
-------------------------------

Dog Day Afternoon

Friday August 6, 2010 ּ 8p

@ Freebird Books

123 Columbia St., Brooklyn

$5 suggested donation + beer and food

Books through bars is a volunteer collective that sends free books to 
folks in prison.

All proceeds go towards sending incarcerated people something good to 
read.
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New York City: Running Down the Walls 2010

On Saturday, August 7th, 2010 at 3pm, the NYC Anarchist Black Cross will
host a 5k run/walk/jog in solidarity with the Political Prisoners and
Prisoners of War held in North America. We'll be running on the same day
as other ABCs and other organizations around the country as well as some
of the prisoners who will be running in the rec yards. We will be 
passing the hat to raise much-needed funds for the ABCF's Warchest program. This
will be followed by a spirited picnic afterparty at 5pm.

When:
Run/walk/jog- Saturday, August 7th, 2010, 3pm.
Picnic afterparty- Saturday, August 7th, 2010, 5pm.

Where:
Runners, walkers, and joggers will meet at 3pm on the steps of the
Brooklyn Public Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza at Eastern Parkway in
Brooklyn (take the 2/3 train to Grand Army Plaza).

Picnic afterparty feasters and frolickers- the Long Meadow

Proceeds will be split between the ABCF Warchest and the Sekou Odinga
Defense Committee

ABCF Warchest:
The ABCF Warchest program is now almost 16 years old; funds for the
Warchest are divided and distributed through monthly stipends to 
political prisoners who receive little or no financial aid. Prisoners use this 
money to cover the basic necessities of everyday living. Funds have been 
used by prisoners to pay for stamps, shoes, clothes, as well as assisting their
families with what little they can.

Sekou Odinga:
Sekou Odinga is a New Afrikan Prisoner of War with roots in the
Organization of Afro-American Unity, the Harlem and Bronx Black Panther
Party, the Provisional Republic of New Afrika, as well as the Black
Liberation Army. In July 2009 after forty years of captivity as a POW,
Sekou finally finished his sentence in the US federal prison system only
to be transferred to Shwangunk Correctional to begin a 25-year NY-state
sentence at the age of 66. He is currently in need of legal funds to 
make a case for his release from NY state which has, along with the United
States government, conspired to make an example of him  by keeping him
perpetually incarcerated in violation of international law. Sekou was 
the first prisoner to receive Warchest funds. The Sekou Odinga Defense
Committee/ PO Box 1272/ New York, New York 10013
Tel: 212-234-4336/ SekouOdingaDefenseCommittee [at] gmail [dot] com

Official Runs:
The ABCF is a Federation of ABC chapters that span the country and is
holding two official Running Down the Walls runs, in New York City 
and Los Angeles, on August 7th. In sync with each other and other solidarity
runs, we will collectively pound the pavement with our feet and bike 
tires as we exhibit our strength and stamina as examples of our tireless 
effort to free our imprisoned comrades.

Solidarity Runs:
Every year, prisoners and supporters of political prisoners organize
solidarity runs with Running Down the Walls. Last year, we had runs in
Albuquerque (NM), Arcata (CA), Ashland, (OR), Bellefonte (PA), Boston
(MA), Denver, (CO), Elmore (AL), Inez (KY), Los Angeles (CA), Marion 
(IL), New York NY), USP. Navosta (TX), Pelican Bay (CA), Phoenix (AZ), Tucson
(AZ), and Toronto, Ontario. We raised just over $1,000 with funds being
distributed between the ABCF Warchest, Romaine Chip Fitzgerald 
Homecoming Fund, and Ojore Lutalo’s Homecoming Fund. This year we hope to expand 
the amount of runs in prisons and other cities, as well as, increase the
amount of funds raised for community projects. This year we hope to have
even more runs in cities, towns, and prisons all across North America.

Support the Struggle:
We must remember that many of those arrested in the past or present are
not far from us. Many of them were and are community and labor 
activists, queer, and environmental activists; people who decided to speak out
against various forms of oppression and paid the price of their freedom
for their actions. We must remember that anyone of these people could 
have at one time stood beside us in a demonstration, at a speak-out, or 
even at an organizing meeting. At any given moment it could be us who finds
ourselves in this situation, so it is imperative that we ensure a strong
enough community of support exists for these people as well as 
ourselves.
The strength of our movement is determined by how much we support our
fallen comrades. As anarchist and former POW Ojore Lutalo says, "Any
movement that does not support its political internees, is a sham
movement." So please help us, help them, help you!

Why August 7th?
We chose the date of August 7th as the day to run down the walls to
commemorate the life of revolutionary Jonathan Jackson who on August 7th
was killed in an attempt to free the Soledad Brothers. On August 7, 
1970, Jackson brought guns into the Marin County Court house during the 
trial of James McClain, William Christmas, and Ruchell Magee. Jonathan Jackson
demanded the release of the Soledad Brothers as he and the three 
prisoners took the Judge and four others hostage. As Jackson and the others 
entered his van in an attempt to leave, the authorities open fired on the van,
killing Joanathan Jackson, James Mclain, William Christmas and Judge
Harold Haley. Ruchell Magee was injured but survived the onslaught and
remains in prison to this day.

We encourage people to participate in helping us raise funds for the
Warchest, which can be done in the following ways:

Be a runner:
We are asking people or groups who are running to collect as many
sponsor for the run as possible. Remember the money received is going to
help imprisoned comrades who need your help. The person who collects the
most amount of funds will be given a prize for their involvement and
dedication to helping our fallen comrades.

Sponsor a runner:
This can be done through a flat donation to the runner of your 
choice. We ask from those who wish not to run to actively support those who are
running in hopes of collecting as much for our comrades as possible.
Contact us for a list of runners.

Sponsor Running Down the Walls:
Any amount helps. Contact the NYC Anarchist Black Cross if you wish to
simply donate money to the cause.

Donate to:

-The Warchest:
Send funds directly to NYC ABCF (PO Box 110034, BK NY 11211) or to the
Philadelphia ABCF (PO Box 42129, Philadelphia, PA 19101) Make checks or
money orders out only to Tim Fasnacht.

-Jaan Laaman, UFF Political Prisoner Statement of Solidarity
October 19th 2002 My Brothers,

"Thank you for running at this special event that means so much to 
many of us all over the world, both free and imprisoned. In a relative way, 
we are all political prisoners because it is the politics of this system of
things that is exploiting, crushing, imprisoning, and destroying the
masses all over the world and the earth itself. Then there are those who
know this and take actions against those who seek to deny us our 
rightful place on earth as common human brethren. Those are the ones we run 
for and seek to help... whom sacrificed their family, freedom and lives, so that
our lives may be better! The fact that you ran with us is a sign that 
when the red-hour comes, you will not be caught asleep. You are conscious and
you too are willing to represent. The potential in you is great. 
Thank you for running for the cause!"


"As we ran we were thinking and talking about all the runners in Los
Angeles and how we'd love to be out there running with them. We also 
spoke about the other political prisoners who were running with us in at least
some other prisons."

*If you're not in NYC, email us to find out if there's a run in your 
area! - nycabc[at]riseup.net