http://www.ainfos.ca/ainfos06474.html ________________________________________________ A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E http://www.ainfos.ca/ ________________________________________________ To the local, national, and international media: We are among the over 300 people now beginning our second week of incarceration for our participation in non-violent protests at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia intended to raise awareness of the abuse of the criminal justice system. The Philadelphia police did not brutalise us in front of the cameras and have as a consequence been praised for their professionalism. Out of view the brutality began at once. People in handcuffs were peppersprayed. Others were hog-tied with plastic cuffs that cut off their circulation. Men were dragged and kicked in the genitals until they bled. These are only examples of some of the acts of cruelty and torture we have personally experienced. Isolated as we are, we cannot confirm the rumours we have heard of people hung by their ankles to obtain their “cooperation.” But we believe them. Bruised and bloody, the city of Philadelphia has little choice but to level absurd charges at us and request outrageous bails to keep us off the streets long enough for our most visible wounds to heal. There are still many of us with scabs and bruises. If half of the charges levelled against us were true, Philadelphia’s Center City would be a smouldering ruins. The simple fact is that the charges against us are ridiculously exaggerated when they are not completely fabricated. And we doubt many of them will ever come to trial. Our bails, ranging from $10,000 to $1,000,000 for the misdemeanors, far exceed anything ever demanded for similar charges. the exclusion of the public from our arraignments between 2 and 6 days after our arrests only made these farcical proceedings seem more sinister. In prison every effort has been made to cut us off from the outside world, from each other, and from the general population. We are confined to 2 person cells 23 hours a day. Our phones do not work and we have been denied visitors. In spite of this, we have been able to learn something of the unconscionable conditions of other prisoners. Many prisoners here have been awaiting trial for two or more years. Medical emergencies routinely go unattended for weeks or even months. The food is frequently unfit for human consumption. Pods are overcrowded, with makeshift cells serving for six men at a time. Prisoners are beaten by guards. In one case, ten guards savagely beat a handcuffed prisoner into unconsciousness. Phones are commonly out of order, making contact with families and lawyers impossible. Promissory prices are inflated. Prison workers often go unpaid for their work and money sent by family and friends often goes uncredited to prisoner accounts. Backed up toilets can go for weeks without being cleaned, with predictably wretched sanitary conditions resulting. Rehabilitative programs are effectively non-existent with even monthly sessions being an uncertainty. We have undoubtedly been shielded from the worst conditions of the prison but we have seen enough. One of us was threatened with rape by a guard. The food we get is often inedible. The treatment we have received and the conditions we have been made aware of are inconsistent with a democratic or civil society. The time is overdue for public outrage at the crimes being committed in the name of criminal justice. It is time that a new civil rights movement that has two million people, mainly black and Latino, locked up tonight. America’s prisons are its new plantations. Many of us have been on hunger strike demanding that the trumped up charges against us be dropped and that we be released. As of noon today, the rest of us are joining the hunger strike. We call on all people of good conscience to call Philadelphia officials to demand our release and to demand an end to the barbaric conditions in Philadelphia’s jails and prisons. Professor Max Agent Italia Tennessee Wisp Harry JD ******** The A-Infos News Service News about and of interest to anarchists ******** COMMANDS: [EMAIL PROTECTED] REPLIES: [EMAIL PROTECTED] HELP: [EMAIL PROTECTED] WWW: http://www.ainfos.ca INFO: http://www.ainfos.ca/org To receive a-infos in one language only mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] the message unsubscribe a-infos subscribe a-infos-X where X = en, ca, de, fr, etc. (i.e. the language code) *** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Feel free to distribute widely but PLEASE acknowledge the source. *** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The end is in the means as the tree is in the seed. - Mahatma Ghandi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Abraham Lincoln, letter to Wm. F. Elkins Nov. 21 1864 Arthur Shaw ed. The Lincoln Encyclopedia 40 {1950} "We may congratulate ourselves that this cruel war is nearing it's end. It has cost a vast amount of treasure and blood.........It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic, but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong it's reign by working on the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.angelfire.com/mi/smilinks/thirdeye.html <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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