Several years ago, the global human rights group, Amnesty International, issued an extraordinary appeal to Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, to grant compassionate release to 72-year-old former Black Panther and political prisoner, Herman Wallace, who has recently been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer, after losing some 50 pounds in less than 6 months.
Wallace is one of two remaining imprisoned members of the Angola 3, who, with Albert Woodfox (and the recently released Robert King), have spent over 40 years in solitary, and thus among the longest held political prisoners on earth.
The men were falsely convicted of murder, when in fact; they were actually guilty of nothing more than what prison administrators called “Black Pantherism” – or having the sheer audacity to organize a chapter of the Black Panther Party – in Angola prison!
For this, for daring to rebel on the very grounds of a former slave plantation, the Angola 3 were framed, thrown into the deepest hole in Louisiana – and hopefully, forgotten.
Thanks to their supporters, this was not to be.
In fact, tens of thousands are campaigning for Herman’s release – and the same should be done for Albert Woodfox as well.
In another southern state, peoples attorney, Lynne Stewart, too, is fighting the ravages of cancer, and her loyal, loving husband, former Panther Ralph Poynter, has staged a one-man protest in front of the White House, not only to dramatize the injustice his wife has suffered, but to push for compassionate release, lest his wife die alone in an icy jail cell in Texas.
Lynne and Ralph ran – for over 30 years – a law firm of last resort, for the poor, working-class and political people who stood up to and resisted the Empire.
Now, in connection to the Egyptian cleric, Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, Lynne allegedly broke a facially unconstitutional prison rule, and this became the pretext for jailing and disbarring one of the finest lawyers ever to walk the streets of the Big Apple.
For this, 73-year-old Lynne Stewart was consigned to her own hole – in essence a death sentence.
Ralph’s fight for Lynne’s life is your fight.
Herman Wallace’s fight is your fight.
If you join in and support it with your strength, you can insure that they breathe the air of freedom again.
![Prison Radio is sharing an abbreviated version of a press release covering recent racist incidents at SCI Rockview in PA and the organizing to demand accountability. We are reaching out to people incarcerated at Rockview as well as recently transferred folks, inviting them to call, in hopes of hearing commentaries from them.
Benner Township, PA.-
On November 24th, 2023, imprisoned people at SCI Rockview found two nooses hanging in the CO’s office, displayed visibly for many prisoners to see. When the prisoners asked the staff why the nooses were hung, they were told it was a joke.
By December 4th, prisoners filed a grievance to document what they saw, noting that the hanging of the nooses was “unethical, racially motivated, hateful, [a] deliberate debasement of black inmates" and “unsafe for inmates, staff, [and] the whole prison in general.” In the grievance, they demanded that Sgt. Mosser and CO Richard be fired and investigated for a hate crime, and for CO Kirchner to get therapy. Captain Andrews, the head of security, denied the grievance.
The sergeant and COs are still working in the prison to this day, with no repercussions...
As of March 10th, prisoners have reached out to Pennsylvania officials at the Dept. of Corrections in a letter campaign, sending 100 copies of the grievance. Copies of the letter also were mailed to Governor Shapiro, Senator Fetterman, Senator Street, and various advocacy groups. The demands for relief in the original grievance have now become the platform of demands for this campaign. About 20 of the 100 letters were withheld by the prison.
Activists on the outside are joining forces with prisoners to elevate their demands, flooding the phone lines of DOC offices, assisting with outreach to media, and circulating the stories of prisoners who have found unity in opposition to the facility's virulent institutional racism.
In any other workplace, hanging a noose would be grounds for immediate termination. However, Nicki Paul, the superintendent's assistant and "grievance coordinator" informed the public that they self-investigated their staff and found they did nothing wrong.
Read the full article at i
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