March 27 Jericho rally in D.C. raises freedom banner for U.S. political prisoners
March 1998

The Civic Media Center will show two films about U.S. political prisoners Wed. March 18 at 8 p.m. The films are part of preparations for the March 27 Jericho March in Washington, D.C., to free all U.S. political prisoners and POWs.

The films are "Warrior" about Native American political prisoner Leonard Peltier and an HBO special about Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is on death row in Pennsylvania. There is overwhelming evidence that neither of these men committed the crimes that they have been locked up for. But it's not just these two. Many more political prisoners, such as Geronimo Pratt, were simply framed under the FBI's COINTELPRO programs to neutralize political opposition to the regime. In other political prisoner cases, while the prisoner may have violated a law, the punishments are ten to twenty times what a non-political person serves for the same violations.

Although many of the COINTELPRO programs have been exposed, the prisoners who were the victims of the FBI's illegal targetting have not been given a rehearing even in cases where FBI records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that they were targetted and framed.

Activists imprisoned for their work in the Black liberation movement, American Indian Movement and Puerto Rican independence movement do not see the U.S. government as a having legitimate jurisdiction over their people, and therefore many of these prisoners identify themselves as prisoners of war. Certainly, the level of repression received by these movements amounts to a war on them by the U.S.'s political police.

On the road to Jericho
There will be carpools from Gainesville driving to Washington, D.C. for the Jericho March on March 27. If you want to go, call the Civic Media Center at (352) 373-0010 and leave your phone number. Please leave a message stating if you are willing to take your car with some riders, too.


Dear Iguanists-- I send you revolutionary solidarity and love...
I hope you and all your readers will be in Washington on March 27 for the Jericho '98 mobilization. I know Geronimo (when he speaks in Gainesville on Feb. 23) will urge everyone to work to free the more than 100 political prisoners and POWs held by the U.S. Such a clear violation of human rights! We're all still celebrating Geronimo's release--a tremendous victory! But when you realize it took 27 years to win the release of an innocent man--and that the government is still kicking and screaming and trying to lock him up again, then you know that we need thousands of activists in D.C., blowing like Coltrane and Miles to bring the walls down. Fighting to free political prisoners is a big part of fighting for justice and to end imperialist crimes against the people of the world.

Free all Political Prisoners and POW's! ¡Venceremos!
In solidarity,

Laura Whitehorn

previous article [current issue] next article
Search | Archives | Calendar | Directory | About / Subscriptions |

Valid HTML 4.01 Transitional eXTReMe Tracker