NJ Solidarity with Striking Incarcerated Men and Women: May 16 Meeting to Call the Question

Meeting announcement on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711739679105755

FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE MEETING BY PHONE OR IN PERSON:

Written feedback to this proposal can be provided in the Facebook event https://www.facebook.com/events/1711739679105755
or in writing to Decarc@DecarerateNJ.org

Our goal is to provide as much opportunity to participate in this decision as possible.

Decarcerate the Garden State Meeting
Monday, May 16, 6:30 pm
298 South Orange Ave, Newark, NJ
Conf:712-770-4010- Access 100577

1.       Consider and hopefully approve Sept 9 Solidarity w/ Incarcerated Activities in NJ (in support of multi-state work stoppage by incarcerated - strike against enslavement)

2.       NJ Decarcerator paper distribution workshop, bring addresses where we should mail them of family members of incarcerated and ideas as to how to get 6500 papers out across the state of NJ in an organized and effective way.

3.       Brainstorm ideas about events around the state leading up to Sept 9 (and after) to promote the demands of Decarcerate the Garden State

For information 908-881-5275

I have been proposing in recent weeks that our statewide organization Decarcerate the Garden State take the initiative of proposing statewide support in NJ for the September 9 call for a strike of enslaved incarcerated workers – a strike call that has been endorsed by incarcerated men and women in 4 different states so far.  For more background, see:

http://decarceratenj.blogspot.com/2016/04/proposal-to-decarcerate-garden-state.html

So far the response has been 100% positive with some questions and suggestions about the particulars.  The response has been received in comments and likes under sharings of the information about the proposal ni the Decarcerate the Garden State Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DecarcerateNJ/

According to an article from the news site The Intercept which was republished on page 8 of the 2^nd edition"On April 1, a group of prisoners from Ohio, Alabama, Virginia, and Mississippi called for a “nationally coordinated prisoner work stoppage against prison slavery” to take place on September 9, the 45th anniversary of the Attica prison riot. “We will not only demand the end to prison slavery, we will end it ourselves by ceasing to be slaves,” that announcement reads. “They cannot run these facilities without us.” 

See:  http://theintercept.com/2016/04/04/prisoners-in-multiple-states-call-for-strikes-to-protest-forced-labor    

What we are proposing is that once Decarcerate the Garden State agrees to organize around the September 9 date, we send a letter to the organizations in the rest of the state.  While the support has been 100% positive – at best it is a second of the motion and not overwhelming enough for a full on green light to move forward with sending the letter.  At this point we want to put together an authoritative yes to do SOMETHING – whether that be one event or more than one event in NJ on September 9.

We encourage as many as possible to attend the meeting – either by phone or in person.  

But we also request that those who can not make it provide written feedback.

The following are some questions to fathom:

Why do you support (or oppose) the proposal?

What are some concerns you have about doing it – if any?

What are some suggestions you have to make the event or events successful.

Written feedback to this proposal can be provided in the Facebook event https://www.facebook.com/events/1711739679105755
or in writing to Decarc@DecarerateNJ.org

So far the following is some of the feedback we have received:

Cynthia Flood offers the following:

 Activities don't have to be at prisons.. (secure proper permits). 2. Prisoners are abused without these type messures, therefore, look for legal assistance for those occurrences. 3. Prisoners NEED TO BE COMPENSATED FOR THEIR WORK. Kept for years then let out with nothing. Staying straight is hard enough, but then denied a job (black with jacket); return is eminent. $15 an hour out/here$7.50 an hour in there. 4. Any officer/official retaliation FIRE!

Jim Brash offers the following:

We need to support this call to action and we need to boycott products made in New Jersey by the inmate population for almost nothing....Bob Witanek I have some research to do!

We need to connect with other prison groups and activist in New Jersey across the Hudson and across the Delaware. We also need to start reaching out to the press now and get other organisations to draft press releases in support of this letter. Maybe even get a couple candidates to sign on.

I’ll be willing to reach out to every green candidate for Senate or congress to sign on and see if I could get the Jill Stein campaign as well.

Jim Price offers the following:

 Land of the free has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Whatever we have to do to get the legislature behind this... this will be a good start.

 I understand the need for planning, yet September seems so far away. Likely, prison officials will have a response, and it will come down to the individual whether to comply or defy. If they choose to defy, what consequences await? How can we mitigate those effects?

Being the Communications Director of CMMNJ, I should be able to help out with the press. Let me know how I can help.

Brian Powers offers the following:

I will put this on the agenda for the next 15 Now meeting.  am all for it brother.

Sally Gellert offers the following:
We should certainly do something, ideally where the incarcerated are aware, without putting them at further risk—find allies in and outside the state. Chat with ACLU and/or NLG on legalities? Letter looks good.

Max Parthas offers the following:
There is another way to support.

In 2010 we had a campaign called March Forth For freedom.
All over the country people gathered at prisons, jails, detention centers and youth detention centers to hold rallies and protests.

In my opinion that effort was a model later used for occupy. Independent local protests held simultaneously nationwide.

Maybe we can do that again.

http://thenewwordorder.com/March4th.htm

Allen Cannon tweeted support as follows:

Fair Justice Project Tweeted Support:
https://twitter.com/FJProjectUSA/status/730995749438128131

ADDENDUM:

The following is a draft of the letter – which will likely undergo modifications, that we will be sending around the state once we get approval within Decarcerate the Garden State to move forward:

Draft Letter Supporting Sept. 9 Call to Action

BOB WITANEK·MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2016

To All NJ Area Organizations and Individuals in the Struggle for Justice,

Decarcerate the Garden State invites you to join us in organizing solidarity with NJ’s and US’s incarcerated men, women and youths. Incarcerated men and women from multiple states have issued a call to action for September 9, 2016 which is the 45th. Anniversary of the Attica uprising. They are calling for work stoppages inside facilities.

According to an article from the news site The Intercept "On April 1, a group of prisoners from Ohio, Alabama, Virginia, and Mississippi called for a “nationally coordinated prisoner work stoppage against prison slavery” to take place on September 9, the 45th anniversary of the Attica prison riot. “We will not only demand the end to prison slavery, we will end it ourselves by ceasing to be slaves,” that announcement reads. “They cannot run these facilities without us.”

See: http://theintercept.com/2016/04/04/prisoners-in-multiple-states-call-for-strikes-to-protest-forced-labor

We would like to participate in the coordinated action in NJ by having solidarity action or actions on the outside in support of demands for Decarcerating legislation in NJ (we call for 50% reduction in NJ’s incarcerated population) and improved conditions for incarcerated inside the facilities. We are not suggesting any specific actions inside NJ’s facilities but should there be participation inside NJ facilities we would offer solidarity to the demands of the NJ incarcerated men and women.

We would like to invite all of the justice seeking groups in NJ to:

1. Formerly co-sponsor or endorse in principal the idea of NJ solidarity action or actions on or around September 9

2. Begin the process of deciding what kinds of activity (or activieis) will be organized and where – I believe the sentiment of some of the inside organizations like Free Alabama Movement is for there to be actions directly outside the facilities. The challenge of that is the remote locations of many of the facilties making transportation an issue. It is ultimately up to us in NJ exactly what kind of activities at what locations best suits our goals to effectively advance our demands for Decarceration and for better conditions inside NJ facilities. 

We look forward to your response to this proposal and to successfully with you launch a wave of solidarity with NJ’s incarcerated. If you would like a representative of Decarcerate the Garden State to attend a meeting of your organization to present the proposal just let us know. If you have any questions, ideas, concerns, etc. – do not hesitate to call 908-881-5275. You can also contact write to us at Decarc@DecarcerateNJ,org or discuss it with us in our Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DecarcerateNJ

Stay tuned for information about meetings and phone conferences to move this effort forward.

While September 9 might seem far away now, as organizers know the time flies quickly when motivating major activities so it is best we get started sooner than later.

We look forward to working with you and your organization toward the success of this effort.

For Decarcerate the Garden State,