1 Prisoner Support Network « Graduate Student Organization « SUNY Binghamton « PO 6000 « Binghamton

OFF! magazine 1/10

NY 13902

OFF!
issue 1
april 2010

FREE! (Donations
appreciated.)

mag·a·zine f r o m t he i n s i d e

Cover art by G. DeLaRosa

CONTENTS: The Prisoner Support Network introduces itself ◦ A tribute to Howard Zinn ◦
Shadowy Figures by Cajun ◦ Poems by Dennis Meehan, Jonathan B., Flay Hines, and
Diane E. ◦ Lots of amazing artwork 。 Angela Davis on prison gerrymandering ◦ An Open Letter to the
Black Woman 。 Long Term Segregation Units Effects on Inmates 。 and much, much more.....
2 OFF! 1/10
Making the impossible possible...
The Prisoner Support Network
The Prisoner Support Network (PSN) was
originally founded in 1999 with the goal of offering
support to people incarcerated in the many institutions
of the U.S. criminal (in)justice system. Today, much of
what we are doing is carefully planned along the lines
of our relatively limited budget and our small
membership. We are still in the process of growing.
Most essential part of this process is re-establishing
contacts with incarcerated people and we hope that the
publication of the OFF! Magazine can help us with this.
If you receive OFF! from us, tell others about it, share
your copy of the magazine, and maybe even get
together with friends to read and write in a group.
Every month, a limited number of OFF! Magazines will
be available for distribution on the outside, so that we
are also doing outreach to folks who are not in prison.
This way we hope to be able to take away at least
some of the stigma that is so often still attached to
prisoners in our society ─ because we think that stigma
should be attached where it really belongs: to the
prison-industrial-complex.
We realize that many of the people who
contact PSN have heard about us through prisoner
resource guides such as PARC. Some of these ads for
PSN promise that we will answer the letters that we
receive individually and that we will directly respond to
requests for legal help, books, etc. Unfortunately, there
are not enough of us to really follow through with this
at this time. Instead we will have to concentrate all our
efforts on building our database, growing a steady
membership, raising the necessary funds for our
activities, and publishing the OFF! Magazine. If you are
receiving OFF!, this means that your contact information
is amongst our records and that we have connected,
even if you don't get an individual letter or postcard
from us. We promise, however, that in every issue of
OFF! we will include some information regarding legal
resources and other helpful stuff. For anything else you
would like to find in OFF!, write to us and we will try
to include it into the next issue. And if you are
someone on the outside who wants to get involved with
PSN, just email prisonersupportnetwork@gmail.com.
A few more words, before you can move on
to the really interesting pages of this magazine ─ those
amazingly beautiful and inspiring submissions that we
have received for our first issue of the new OFF!
Magazine. We hope that in the future we can again
run PSN as it is meant to be run: as a resource that
provides help and support on an individual basis to
many incarcerated people in all states of the U.S. It's
going to be a long way but we wouldn't be who we
are if we did not believe that we can make the
impossible possible.
In solidarity,
your friends at PSN
In Memory of Howard Zinn
The Binghamton Prisoner Support Network
(PSN) would like to remember the great historian,
playwright, and social activist, Howard Zinn (b. 1922),
who passed away in February 2010. In Fall 2008,
Howard Zinn came to Binghamton University where he
delivered the keynote address at the SUNY Social
Justice Conference. His words remain encouraging,
inspiring...
"…optimism isn't necessarily a blithe, slightly
sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be
hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly
romantic. It is based on the fact that human
history is a history not only of cruelty but also
of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.
What we choose to emphasize in this complex
history will determine our lives. If we see only
the worst, it destroys our capacity to do
something. If we remember those times and
places – and there are so many – where
people have behaved magnificently, this gives
us energy to act, and at least the possibility of
sending this spinning top of a world in a
different direction. And if we do act, in however
small a way, we don't have to wait for some
grand utopian future. The future is an infinite
succession of presents, and to live now as we
think human beings should live, in defiance of
all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous
victory."
Selected books by Howard Zinn:
"Disobedience and Democracy: Nine Fallacies on Law
and Order" (1968); "A people's history of the United
States: 1492–Present" (1995); "Terrorism and War"
(2002)
OFF! 1/10 3

Shadowy Figures
Orion
by Cajun (Attica, NY)
by Dennis Meehan

Thou dost ponder heaven's abode

Whilst journeying a specious road
While at 'Elmira Reception Center,' my view of everyday
things took on a new perspective. I was there, from the tail-end of Betwixt wicked and devout broods
February to almost the ending of November 1994 (almost 9 Lie untouched seeds
months). With the exception of 3 days in 'B-Block,' my time was
spent being in 'A-Block I-36' (on the 'flats,' for medical reasons). Deemed rather crude
Now, don't get me wrong: time for me flew by! I had assisted
chaplains (both Protestant and Catholic), where I grew spiritually! Bereft of awe and piety
Ah, the picture did have its 'dark side'! In my cell was
this window. (All cells in 'A-Block' had a window.) It was the view Profess the light that glows in thee
that was the problem. Yes, I could see the blueness of the sky, I Hunted tongue of heresy
could watch those clouds fly by. Then, there was the occasional
bird in flight. Beauty, wonder, splendor. Almost ― breath-taking. By austere mass of tyranny
The works of 'my Lord'! Hearken to antiquity
Got your attention now, don't I? Well, God is ―
GOOD! And, of course, you're sitting there thinking, 'Ah, here it When blood was spilt for prodigy
comes. The punch line. ' No. ' Ah, then this is where the complaint
comes in at!' Well ― no. Now you're more than likely Men who honored chosen few
wondering, 'Where is this going?’ Supernal spirit, strong and true
Alright, I'll fess up:
JESUS LIVES! Dare thou deem mystical stem
Now, back to the window view ― it inspired this: Tree of life lived in them
Within these walls live the combined rejects of society.
These combined rejects make up a society of their own ― apart Rehearse ye profundity
from the world. A sub-normal world, tougher and stricter than any
you know; a world without freedom because they people that live Shewing divine alchemy
here have given up the privilege of responsibility. Enigma of thy soul's abyss
The people who are not responsible to a free society,
because they are not responsible to themselves as individuals, give Erudition cause to miss
up the privilege of responsibility ― the right to be free, and
almost enter another dimension. Pyre engulfing ego's hearse
Here, life is but isn't. Tomorrows are, but they mean no Lonely plight, could it be worse?
more than a day to follow the preceding day. Life is something we
can see, but not participate in ― an intangible reality, truly Putrid wounds thou must nurse
another dimension. Like shadowy figures, we are but we aren't, Done before we can converse
members of a world, which is other than the world we are born
into. Light the candle at both ends
Placed here to look out a people, who don't realize the
importance of what they have, we see the images of ourselves, With thy self need make amends
wasting those things that we now see the importance of.
Men who have given up the privilege of responsibility Illumination as thou shalt see
are victims of misguided strength. They failed to realize those Within ye self resides the three
things, which are most important.
I know, because I am one… Rapier of the unseen will
Slices through the ether still
Close thine eyes to see it well
Watch it, touch it, feel it swell
Whilst others preach and teach it long
Mortal man, celestial song
4 OFF! 1/10

Mental Peace and Strength

through Yoga and Meditation
In this section of OFF! we would like to provide you
with some information on different yoga and meditation
exercises for mental peace and strength as well as
physical health.
Hatha Yoga
Easy Pose / Sukhasana
T e Easy Pose or Sukhasana is a relaxation pose
h
intended for Meditation. It promotes inner calm
and straightens the spine, opens the hips, and
relieves tiredness. As the name suggests, this pose
is very easy to do. (Beginners can try doing this
pose with a pillow for added comfort.)

This type of yoga is what most Americans 1 . Sit down on the fl oor.
think of when they hear the word "Yoga." Hatha Yoga 2. Cross your legs, placing your feet below
focuses on a series of asanas (postures) and on
pranayama (breathing). your knees.
Asanas are meant to prepare the body to 3. Clasp your hands around your knees.
stay in one position for long periods of meditation. They 4. Keep your head and body straight.
are also intended to purify and regulate the flow of
energy through the body. There are more than two
hundred different asanas that address every area of the
body.
Postures may involve sitting, reclining,
inversions (standing on one's head), forward and back
bends, twists, and positions held for long periods of
time for balance. The final asana in most sessions is
called the Shavasana or the Corpse, so named because
one lies on one's back, legs and arms spread
comfortably, palms up, and imagines physical
relaxation so deep it is as if the life force has departed.
Pranayama. Students are taught several
different ways to breathe to promote the flow of energy
through the body. Different breathing techniques include
abdominal breathing, alternate nostril breathing, and
ujjayi (loud) breathing (the latter involves learning to
control throat muscles while breathing deeply through
the nostrils).
Hatha Yoga promotes focus and concentration
and it can help the practitioner learn to relax tense
muscles, but it can also increase one's strength and Neck Exercises
flexibility. Its one limitation as an exercise program is
that it does not seek to increase heart rate like aerobic
exercise, so it does not have the cardiac benefit of a Many people hold tension in their necks and
brisk walk or a turn on the Stairmaster. shoulders, leading to stiff ness, bad posture and
tension headaches. Repeating these fi ve yoga
neck exercises eases tension, increases fl exibility
and tones the muscles. Do them slowly and keep
your spine straight, your neck relaxed and your
shoulders facing forward. First drop your head
back, then drop it right forward. Now keeping
your head erect, turn it all the way to the right,
back to center, then all the way to the left. Next
Note: If you are struggling with back or neck problems drop your head forward and roll it around as
you may not be able to manage all postures. wide a circle as possible. Repeat in the opposite
Remember to only go as far as your body comfortably direction. Now, raise your right shoulder, then
allows you to. With time and regular yoga practice, drop it down. Repeat with the left. Lastly, raise
your body will become more flexible and strong. If
practiced mindfully, Hatha Yoga can produce positive both shoulders at once, then drop them down
physical, spiritual, and mental results. again. (from www.abc-of-yoga.com)
(from www.yoga4beginners.org)
OFF! 1/10 5

Angela Y. Davis
on Prison Gerrymandering
as an Example of Racial Discrimination
(excerpt from an interview)

Eduardo Mendieta: The structures of these institutions

[prisons] are thoroughly racialized. An example would
be the way in which prisoners get their rights
suspended and enter a type of civil death. This is also
part of this racism, right? You mention in your book
Are Prisons Obsolete? that Bush would not have been
elected if prisoners had been allowed to vote.
Angela Davis: Absolutely. What I find interesting is that
disenfranchisement of prisoners is most often assumed
to have self-evident logic. Most people in this country
do not question the process that robs prisoners—and in
many states former felons—of their right to vote. They
might find it amusing to discover that a few states will
allow prisoners to vote. Why has the disenfranchisement
of people convicted of felonies becomes so much a part
of the common sense thought structures of people in this
country? I believe that this also has its roots in slavery.
A white contemporary of slavery might have remarked: LEGAL RESOURCES
"Of course slaves weren't supposed to vote. They
weren't full citizens." In the same way people think While the Binghamton Prisoner Support
today, "Of course prisoners aren't supposed to vote. network is not a legal organization, we try to
They aren't real citizens any more. They are in prison."
There remains a great deal of work to do if we wish to provide people on the inside with resources,
transform those popular attitudes. contacts, and guides to help navigate the U.S.
(in)justice system. Since it is often diffi cult for
(Excerpt from "Abolition Democracy: Beyond Empire,
Prisons, and Torture. Interviews with Angela Y. Davis" us to respond to individual requests, mostly
[2005]. The interviews were conducted by Eduardo due to lack of legal training but also because of
Mendieta, associate professor of philosophy at Stony limited funding, we will add a section with
Brook University.) information on legal resource guides as well as
Note that only Maine and Vermont allow incarcerated organizations that provide free legal help in
people to vote. Some states allow only individuals on each issue of OFF! We hope that we will
probation and ex-felons to vote, while others allow eventually be able to print and mail legal
individuals on parole, probation and ex-felons to vote.
Fourteen states, 11 of them in the South, ban anyone guides upon request.
with a felony conviction from voting for life.
NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD – PRISON
LAW PROJECT, 1 32 Nassau St, Ste 922, New
TOTAL INCARCERATED POPULATION
Total incarcerated (prison and jail) = 2,304,115  York, NY 1 0038
Prison only = 1,518,559 The Jailhouse Law ye r Handbook covers how to
Jail only = 785,556 fi le civil suits for government violations of your
Total probation population = 4,270,917  rights while in prison and how to perform
Parole population only = 828,169   basic legal research. T h e handbook is available
from the NLG for $2.00 in any form - money
RACIAL/ETHNIC DISPARITY IN INCARCERATION order, checks (payable to National Lawyers
Black: White Ratio 1.8:1 
Hispanic: White Ratio 1.8:1 Guild) or stamps - to help with the postage
costs for the handbook.
(Statistics from www.sentencingproject.org)
6 OFF! 1/10

An Open Letter to the Black Woman Midnight Stroll

by Charles Crawford by Dennis Meehan

Dear Sis: Walking on the beach

I hope that when you receive this letter Sand giving way
you are doing well. I also hope that as you read this Moonbeams light my path
you are sitting down 'cause I'm about to go there Waves bound to and fro
with you. I must apologize to you for my actions, I Water and land
was sitting here reviewing this last year when it hit Meet briefly
me like a ton of bricks. I am in major violation of the Boundaries ever-changing
"we" code. Every time our heart beats, the blood of I walk between two worlds…
kings and queens courses through our veins. Nothing My face to the stars.
in our make up is weak but I have systematically
attacked you as you were my enemy, I have
constantly abused you because I had lost my way.
There was a time when I would have protected you
to my last breath, 'til my last drop of blood was
shed.
I feel ashamed that I no longer look at you
as my Queen but a Bitch, you are no long the
mother of my child but my baby's momma, not my
friend but my enemy. Instead of uplifting you so that
you can see your dreams realized I hold you down
in unfounded jealousy and petty insecurities. I am
guilty of so much but my crimes against you are the
worst, Please Forgive Me! I will not try to blame the
images of popular media for my transgressions and I
hope that you will not let others do this for me. No
More Excuses!
I use terms like 'Gangsta' and 'Real Man,'
yet I repeatedly commit cowardly acts towards you.
My Ah-Ha moment has occurred, Sis, and I now
understand my true role as well as yours. For every
Malcolm there was a Betty, for a Martin there was a
Coretta, for a Nelson there was a Winnie. Oprah has
her Steadman! Every time we have moved we have
moved as one, from the fire hoses to the bullets.
Hopefully you can look past all of my
ignorance and forgive me for all the pain I have
caused you. My Queen, your King is back! 2010 is
us!!
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Anyone who is currently incarcerated can publish in the OFF! magazine. Submissions and letters to the editor
should be sent to:
Prisoner Support Network 。 c/o Graduate Student Organization
Binghamton University 。 Binghamton, NY 1 3902-6000

Please, write legibly and clearly designate which of the materials you sent to us are intended for publication.
Submissions should be 2-4 pages in length (if handwritten) or 1-2 pages (if written on a typewriter / computer).
Artwork should not exceed 1 page (letter format). Note that artwork can only be reprinted in black-and-white.

We reserve the right to not print statements, comments, or images that violate other people's rights by
discriminating against individuals based on nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual preference, etc.
We will not print statements that incite violence against individuals or groups of people or that represent personal
attacks and insults. We encourage authors to respect copy right laws by indicating if a submission has an author
diff erent from the person who submitted it.
OFF! 1/10
We Interrupt this Breaking News...
A Commentary
by Cajun
This just in! There's no more news on TV, at
least not on the cable news networks. Plain old news
apparently just isn't good enough anymore, so TV news
stories have been getting new and improved names.
President Obama's latest news conference?
CNN labels it a "Developing Story." A car bombing in
Baghdad? The banner on MSNBC reads "Breaking
News." A blown transformer in New York City? Fox
News Channel is on it, with a graphic that announces
"Very Latest."
Sometimes a story is a "News Alert."
Sometimes it's a "Bulletin." And sometimes the banner
reads "New Developments." (Although if there are new
developments in a "developing story," shouldn't it really
say "Developing Developing Story"?)
The dizzying world of news labels raises
many questions. Is it possible for a "Developing Story"
to become "developed" like a Polaroid picture or a
post-adolescent woman? Does "Breaking News" ever
become "broken" (and if so, can it be "fixed")?
And can a "Developing Story" ever morph
into a "Breaking Story" and vice versa? Or are they
like oil and water, matter and antimatter, Alec Baldwin
and Kim Basinger?
Perhaps the biggest question is why the news
needs such quickened-breath labels at all. Isn't all news
just, you know, new information? Jeremy Gaines, a
spokesman for MSNBC, replies that the labels
"telegraph the story in a visual way" for channel-surfing
viewers.
Ah. Kind of makes sense. With all the talk-
shows and shouting heads on TV, with all the opinion-
mongering and vicious partisanship, a banner on the
screen reading "News Alert" reminds viewers that the
news channels still sometimes get around to ……
covering the news.
And that's the Very Latest.
We interrupt
this breaking
news...
7
Long-term Segregation Units Effects
on Inmates
by Abdul Brown
My name is Abdul Brown. I am a state
Prisoner who has been locked down in solitary
confinement for going on 10 years. I have very
substantial experience with effects of solitary
confinement in that segregation units are not helpful in
changing negative behavior and in fact may be
extremely detrimental, not only to the prisoners but to
prison staff and society as a whole when prisoners are
released. I believe intensive treatment programs are
required instead of continuing to perpetuate the
escalating, futile cycle of violence and punishment.
Overcrowding: Pennsylvania has a severe
overcrowding issue in the prisons. Studies have shown
that increasing the number of prisoners in correctional
institutions has significantly increased negative
psychological effects like stress, anxiety, tension,
depression, hostility feelings of helplessness and
emotional discomfort.
When I first came to the RHU, also known as
Solitary confinement, I was 22 years old and had only
been incarcerated a little over 3 years. I received 6
months for forgery and theft by deception. This was
July 17, 2000. At this time I didn't have any mentally
ill diagnosis but as months went on, I started having
effects such as depression, madness, delusions,
emotional instability, paranoia, hearing voices, etc.
Since I was young and rebellious, they didn't want to
help me at all, so all they did was giving me
medications and misconduct, trying to break me down
psychologically and mentally. I was given no choice but
to fight them the best way I could and that led me to
catching six (6) new cases, being placed in mental
hospitals, and locked down in LTSU (Long Term
Segregation Units) as well as SMU (Special Management
Units), where I am right now—a few months away
from being placed back in general population.
I have come a long way over the last three
years with a lot of support from family and friends. My
point of writing this article was that I see an ongoing
patterning with the younger generation and this is one
of the biggest problems with the crime in our
communities today. There's no treatment, programming
or rehabilitation inside these prisons. All they want to
do is punish you and lock you down. Most of these
prisoners in solitary confinement are released into
society and emerge mentally destroyed and full of rage.
So this is my point. My story about my
confinement is much deeper but if I write every detail
word for word I'll be here all day & night writing. I
would love to write with anyone who is interested. You
can contact me at:
Abdul Brown Dp2655
SCI Fayette
Box 9999
Labelle, PA 15750
8 OFF! 1/10

Poem by Reggie West

OFF! 1/10 9

art by Reggie West

10 OFF! 1/10

A Message to the Youth: A Letter Time

from Prison by Gene Mitchell
by Bro. Reggie West In the walls unit of Huntsville Prison three
inmates were in debate as to the setting of the big yard
Thee, Let off our Condolence to the families clock that controlled the blowing of the whistle that
who have lost loved ones and become victim to the starts and ends the workday and other activities.
violence. We offer our apologies for having been
derelict in our duties and responsibilities as men in not They ask the timekeeper of the clock and are
being the guardians, educators, and leaders our told he sets the time daily by the warden's office clock.
Communities needed in order to be vital and life The warden in turn sets his office clock daily by the
affirming. clock in the chief clerk's office. The chief clerk sets his
We want to inform you that it is our goal to clock daily from the watch on his wrist set daily by the
Counteract the insanity of the destructive mind-set and downtown square clock in Huntsville Texas. The
we do not embrace those who prey upon any people, downtown square clock was set daily by the whistle at
but particularly our people. We want our Collective the walls unit prison.
voices to be heard. Let the violence, drug dealing,
physical and spiritual abuse of our Communities STOP.
As men, we want it to be known that we
have Come to value and recognize that our Children
need and deserve a safe and secure environment in
which to grow and develop, be educated, have access
to equal opportunities to excel and become who God
intended them to be. We ask that everyone reading or
hearing this looks at a Child―whether at home,
School, at play, in church or mosque, and Consider
these words:
“I am the African Child”
The whole world awaits My Coming, all the
earth watches with interest to see what I shall become.
Civilization hangs in the balance: for what I am, the
world of tomorrow will be.
I am the African Child Love, Happiness, Forever
You have brought me into this world about
which I know nothing. You hold in your hand my by Jonathan B.
destiny. You determine whether I shall succeed or fail.
Give me I beg you, a world where I can walk tall and L ove has every
proud. Train me, as is your duty unto me. To love O pportunity to make
Myself, and my people. And to build and maintain a V ery big changes in
great nation. It is I who Pro-claim; E verybody's life
I am the African Child
The Whole World awaits my Coming. I shall +
not delay it … For I too, HAVE A DREAM. H ave an
A ffection for a
P erson who is
P ositive and fall
I n love with them.
N othing is worse then having an
E mpty heart with
S omeone who is
S elfish
=
F rom now
O n, find someone who is willing to have a
R elationship with an
E normous amount of love for
V arious reasons.
E njoy the
R elationship for the rest of your lives because love and
happiness will always last forever
OFF! 1/10 11

The Eve Before Christmas at MCC

by Diane E. Schindelwig

Was the eve before my MCC's Christmas

Not an inmate was stirring, well maybe a mouse
The cells were all locked, on the units with care
In hopes that my lawyers soon would be there.
The inmates were all nestled all snug in their bunks
While visions of freedom swirled around in their heads
And unit counselor in her kerchief and the guard in his cap
Had just settled down for a long restful nap.
When outside MCC there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my bunk to see what was the matter
Away to the window, I flew like a flash, peering through
the grates, trying to see around the bars
The spotlights searched the new fallen snow
Gave a luster of hope; to be one of the free persons down below.
When what to my astonishing eyes should appear
but a miniature sleigh heaped with my defense team and
eight tiny reindeer
With a little driver so frisky and slick
I knew in that moment, I had hired S1. Nick
More rapid than federal charges, his courses they came
And he whistled and he hollered and called them by name.
Come on Dasher, come on Dancer, come on Prancer and Vixen, Yo Comet
Yo Cupid, Yo Donner and Blitzen!
To the fop of MCC's roof, past high fences as they stand
To the top of the wall, past razor wires all in a band
Now flyaway, flyaway, flyaway all!
As armored guards looked on amazed from their posts
When they meet with assault rifles mounted up toward the sky
So up to MCC's roof the team it did fly.
With a sleigh full of discovery, motions
and such, and the driver S1. Nicholas too!
And then in a flash of sparkle I heard on the roof
The dancing and stepping of each little boot
As I drew in my head from the bars and was turning around,
Down the chimney, St. Nick and my defense team, came with a bound.
They were dressed in Armani from head to toe, their
boots were all Prada it was easy to know.
And their suits were all custom tailored, sporting red
power ties, all knotted just so.
A bundle of papers they flung on their backs
As they looked like corporate gangsters just opening their sacks.
Their eyes how they glistened!
Their cute dimples how merry!
Their windswept cheeks like roses, their straight noses like cheeries!
Their funny small mouths were curled up like bows
All in good pretense, for he prosecutor to know.
12 OFF! 1/10

It must be a surprise, to the DA's side, that they have a

wonderful defense that will let the inmate slide
It will hit them so quick the prosecutor will say "Oh" and the
Judge will bang his gavel, not guilty, you must let her go!
They had proud broad faces and tight six pack bellies
they laughed and cheered at the victory they won.
The prosecutor was chubby and plump, a right nasty old elf,
that seemed quite at odds with himself, with a tear in his eye
And a droop of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
The team said not a word and went right to their work
Signed all the papers required to release all the
assets they took.
And giving me a wink and nod up the chimney we rose
We hopped in the sleigh and gave the reindeer a whistle
Away we all flew quicker than flying thistle.
But I let myself cry out, as we drove out of sight
Merry Christmas to all and to all a fine night.

If you are an individual in the Binghamton area who wants to get involved with PSN or are part of another
prisoner support group, you can get in touch with us by emailing: prisonersupportnetwork@gmail.com
OFF! 1/10 13

MAYDAY “We who believe in freedom cannot rest”

Mayday Amidst Global Mayhem

A Radio Essay by Mumia Abu-Jamal

As May approaches, the day celebrated for

over a century as an emblem of workers power, (May
Day), seems to have become a symbol of its fall.
That's because the economic system has gone
through shocks, after-shocks, and tremors, social and
communal wealth has been funneled to banking and
corporate interests―bailouts for billionaires, while
workers have faced, at best, a plague of cutbacks; at
worst, mass layoffs and firings as businesses reorganize
by being even more antagonistic to labor.
Marx and Engels rightly determined that 'the
modern state is but the executive committee of the
bourgeoisie.' Why else would the world's economic
powers pour hundreds of billions into corporate coffers
―virtually no questions asked―while dropping a
pittance―like coins in the cup―to workers and their
families?
May Day began in America in the midst of
the Haymarket Rebellion of the 1800's, in struggle for
the 40 hour work week, and an end to child labor.
May Day still represents workers struggle in
America, in Europe, in Africa and Asia, against State
and corporate repression and greed.
In a nutshell, capitalism is in severe crisis,
and the phony wars, and very real rise of  cronyism
are but mirrors of that crisis.
If workers are to use their billions to change
the world, they must join together across false barriers
to build a new and better world where life and liberty "Here and there
are more precious than profit. in the barrios and the favelas,
    It's not only possible; it's necessary. among those who have least,
beat hearts of hope,
fly sparks of Overcoming."
(Mumia Abu-Jamal, Death Blossoms: Reflections
from a Prisoner of Conscience )

International Concerned Family & Friends

of Mumia Abu-Jamal
P.O. Box 19709
Philadelphia, PA 19143
Phone – 215-476-8812
Fax - 215-476-6180
E-mail - icffmaj@aol.com
Send our brother some LOVE and LIGHT at:
Mumia Abu-Jamal
AM 8335
SCI-Greene
175 Progress Drive
Waynesburg, PA 15370
14 OFF! 1/10

Still Searching A Long Dark Way: Remake of the

by Jonathan B. Negro Mother
by Flay Hines
I'm looking for a heart
Brothers, I have come today
Searching for that smile to tell you the story of a long dark way
Finding nothing but emptiness that I had to climb, that I had to know
in order that you might live and grow.
That'll last for quite a while
Look at my face, dark as the night, yet
shining like the sun with Love's true light.
I am the descendant of an African slave, who
I'm looking for a heart crossed that wide and rugged sea.
Searching for love Carrying in his bones and in his blood the seed of
the Coming Free.
Finding me being pushed away There was a time when I was deaf, dumb, ignorant and
blind;
Being shoved I had no love, no peace of mind back there in the
night,
where I couldn't read, neither could write.
I'm looking for a soul
Sometimes the valley was filled with tears,
Searching because she took mine but I kept on struggling through those lonely years.
Sometimes the road was not with sun,
Finding nothing that but I had to keep on working 'til my work was done.
can take back time Sometimes I was beaten, and whipped like a runaway
slave.
No love, nor respect, was I due, for the work I gave.
I'm done looking now But One Day! God put a prayer, and a song in my
Still searching for life mouth.
Put a dream like steel in my soul and I'm still pushing
Finding (once again) nothing forward trying to reach my goal.
For the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the
But darkness forever, good night strong, but to those who will transform the jangling
discords of our motion into a beautiful symphony off
brotherhood.
So before I changed my address to go into the presence
of God
I want you to know that, I've been bulked, and
I've been scorned.
I want you to remember my sweat, my pain and my
grief, when I ran to the rock to hid my face, but the
rock cried out, "there is no hiding place."
In that deep south; where the roots are mightier than
the branches.
Oh! My brothers, make out of these years a torch for
tomorrow.
Make out of my past, a road to the light.
Lift high my banner out of the dust.
Stand life free men supporting my trust.
Remember how the strong in struggle and strife.
Still bar you the way, and deny you life.
But whatever you do, to make your dream come true
I want you to know, that I've come to you today!
In order that you might march ever forward, breaking
down bars. Looking forever upward at the sun
Drawing by Pedro G. and the stars.
OFF! 1/10 15

(A Long Dark Way continued)

RESOURCES
May my dreams and my prayers
impel you forever up! the giant stairs.
And when you allow my dream and my prayers to ring CELLPALS, PO Box 470/Montgomery,
from every village and every hamlet, from every state TX 77356
and every city, we will be able to speed up that day CellPals is a world wide prison pen pal
when all of God's children, Black men and white men,
Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be organization. CellPals believes that providing
able to join hands and sing in the words of the old incarcerated people with positive interaction with
Negro spiritual: "Free at last, free at last. Thank God the outside will assist in reducing recidivism in
Almighty, we are free at last." So I say unto you my
fellow comrades. You are the hope of future American prisons.
generations. (Website at http://cellpals.com)
Don't let nobody tell you that you cannot be the best
that you can be. I challenge you to remember this
poem: "Be the best that you can be." And it will help
make you be much stronger for the rest of your life.
"If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill, be a
scrub in the valley but be the best little scrub by the
side of the hill. Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you
can't b a Muskie, then just be a bass, but the liveliest
bass in the lake. If you can't be a highway then just be
a trail. We can't all be captains, some got to be crews.
There's good work to do, and there's lesser work to do.
If you can't be the sun, then just be a star. It isn't by
size that you win or you failed, be the best of whatever
you are." So with this said, when the storms of
disappointments rage, the winds of disaster blow, and
the tidal waves of grief beat against your soul, there is
still real hope for the future.
Don't give up! You can make it if you try.

KIRA INTERNATIONAL, PO Box 2839,

North Babylon, NY 1 1703
Kira International is a phone company that is
fully dedicated to the prisoners' families. T
h eir
goal is to provide low cost inmates calls from
prison to their families and friends. T
h ey are
dedicated to helping incarcerated people and their
families and friends keep in touch at a reasonable
cost to both.
(Website at http://www.kiraintl.com)
Drawing by Issy B.
Prisoner Support Network
c/o Graduate Student Organization
SUNY Binghamton
P.O. Box 6000
Binghamton, NY 13902-6000
Mail to:

cover art by Reggie West