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,

Alabama prisoners strike to end slave labor, unjust conditions

For Immediate Release: May 10, 2016
Contact: Pastor Kenneth Glasgow
Email:topssociety@yahoo.com
Phone: (334) 791-2433

or Immediate Release: May 10, 2016
Contact: Pastor Kenneth Glasgow
Email:topssociety@yahoo.com
Phone: (334) 791-2433

Alabama prisoners strike to end slave labor, unjust conditions
Prison officials retaliate with inhumane tactics as prisoners issue demands

Inmates at three Alabama prisons have issued unified demands after initiating a widespread work stoppage on May 1, 2016. They are protesting exploitative labor policies and horrific prison conditions caused, in part, by overcrowding; Alabama's prisons are operating at close to 200 percent over capacity.

Prison staff have attempted to suppress the civil disobedience by significantly reducing prisoners' meal portions, a tactic known as “bird feeding.” Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) has brought work release prisoners from other facilities in an effort to undermine the strike.

Strikes are taking place at St. Clair Correctional Facility, Holman Correctional Facility, and Staton Correctional Facility.

The Free Alabama Movement, an organization comprised of inmates at numerous prisons, recently released demands through their advocate on the outside, Pastor Kenneth Glasgow. Glasgow is the founder of The Ordinary People Society and a leader in the Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People and Families Movement. He announced the demands in a press conference on May 7, 2016.

A summary of the demands are as follows; the full text drafted by prisoners can be found at http://bit.ly/AlabamaPrisonStrike

End prison slavery. ADOC compels prisoners to work without pay, or for rates as low as 17 cents per hour. Prisoners have to pay fees in order to work. Their labor can be for the state, or for private companies that reap huge profits; in Alabama prison labor is a multi-million dollar industry. These exploitative conditions amount to prison slavery.

Repeal the Habitual Offender Statute. More than 8,000 people in Alabama are serving “enhanced mandatory sentences” under this law, which adds decades––and sometimes life without parole––to sentences for people with prior convictions, even if their current offense is relatively minor.
Expand the scope of the Alabama Innocence Inquiry Commission. This commission was originally proposed to investigate innocence claims by all felons, but was changed to apply only to death row claims.

Abolish mandatory Life Without Parole (LWOP) for first time offenders. This would give first time offenders a chance at rehabilitation and alleviate inhumane conditions cause by overcrowding.
Reform the Alabama Parole Board. There is no clear criteria for parole eligibility. The parole board is arbitrary and biased.

Amend Alabama's “drive-by shooting law” to apply only to gang-related activity.This law––originally intended to curb gang activity––has resulted in judicial overreach by enabling murder charges to be elevated to a capital offense based solely on the shooter's location in a car, with or without proof of gang-related activity.

Implement the Education, Rehabilitation, and Reentry Preparedness Bill. This legislation, put forth by the Free Alabama Movement, would provide educational opportunities to all incarcerated people in the state, reduce the prison population to meet the actual capacity of ADOC, and other reforms.

“We've appealed to the courts. We've appealed to the legislature. We've appealed peacefully and nonviolently. So I can only see the events of this past week as a continuation of the prisoners' plea for help. Warehousing overcrowded dormitories are unsanitary and unsafe. Oppression breeds resistance,” said a prisoner who has been held in solitary confinement at Holman Correctional Facility since 2014.

In addition to the prisoners' demands, Pastor Glasgow is calling on ADOC to stop blocking his advocacy efforts. His demands to ADOC are:

Allow access to basic public records. State officials have denied access to documents regarding law enforcement training and policies for use of deadly force, as well as what, if any, grievance procedure is available to prisoners.

Enable a fact-finding mission within prisons. State officials have denied Glasgow and his colleagues permission to enter prisons in order to engage people about conditions.

Comply with court orders. In 2008 Glasgow obtained a court order mandating that he be allowed to conduct ministry and civic engagement activities inside prisons, but he is being denied access.

“Currently, across the board, Alabama law enforcement officials are operating in the dark and under cover of law in a manner that permits them to violate the constitutional rights of citizens, incarcerated or otherwise,” Glasgow said.

Learn more at:
https://freealabamamovement.wordpress.com/
www.theordinarypeoplesociety.org

www.thedotonline.com

RELATED: NJ PROPOSAL FOR SOLIDARITY WITH SEPT 9 MULTI-STATE STRIKE

The Next Governor and NJ’s Pot Law Siege / Letter to Hopefuls

Please consider joining us in pressuring NJ Gubernatorial hopefuls for immediate action to end NJ’s cannabis prohibition and an immediate overturning of prohibition upon their prospective election – you can use the letter we are sending (see bottom of article) to write your own letter.  E-mail addresses are included of those who have been identified as possible Gubernatorial candidates.  You can also help by sharing and tweeting this link to any and all press contacts that you have and by calling them to cover the issue of the cannabis prohibition positions of the various candidates.  Tweet this link also to the Guvernatorial candidate hopefuls whose twitter names are also provided.

There are many out there, including cannabis legalization activists, that believe that the next NJ governor – once Christie deflates once and for all – will likely bring about cannabis legalization.

In a recent article in the wake of the machine gun armed police raid on the business establishment of The NJ Weedman (Ed Forchion) a Trentonian columnist Jeff Edelstein offered this optimism:

“Give it a few years, put someone who agrees with 60 percent of the country in the governor’s chair, and I promise you New Jersey will make it legal."

Due to some inaccuracies in Jeff Edelstein’s article, I wrote a reponse on this Blogsite:

http://decarceratenj.blogspot.com/2016/05/njs-cannabis-laws-nothing-has-changed.html

Specifically addressing his contention that the next governor will legalize, I respond:

“In the few years (until a future governor might legalize) – depending upon whether a few means 2 or 4, somewhere around 50,000 to 100,000 more NJ residents will have been arrested – a harrowing experience where you get physically handled by officers armed with the implements to possibly kill you – you immediately lose your freedom and are thrown in an unhealthy holding cell until you either make bail or face trial.   . . .  While Christie is at the very bottom of his approval rating, he has worked hard at alienating every sector of NJ to get to that low ebb – including much of his own base that used to idolize him as a hero.  So while Christie could not get elected there is no guarantee that the next governor will be a Democrat and there is no guarantee that even if s/he is a Democrat that s/he will make legalization a priority to occur at any point early in their term or during the term at all.  And in the interim, the arrest figures and the lives disrupted, some of those lives ruined, will pile up by the 10s of 1000s.”

In a follow up twitter exchange after writing that article, I suggested to Jeff Edelstein that he attempt to interview the prospective guvernatorial candidates.  He states that he has been trying to but that they have been evasive.  That to me suggests that they are unwilling to allow themselves to have their views on cannabis legalization pinned down publicly.  They likely want to be able to solicit votes from those on both sides of the question.  That would make any dependence on the next governor being the magic bullet for legalization self delusional at best.

The whole discussion of cannabis legalization being as simple as electing a new governor, brings to mind the issue of the attempt to bring about gay marriage legalization in NJ under John Corzine.  Of course he was supposed to be a big liberal with every intention of legalizing gay marriage.  In the early part of his governorship, he had Democrat majorities in the Senate and Assembly – but there were always greater priorities than such a social issue as legalization . . . that time of gay marriage.  The democratic majority slipped away.  Corzine waited until the bottom of the 9^th to push for it with any vigor – to the last days of his term – but it really was just a show.  While the measure still might have succeeded had he pushed it in the Senate first – or had he really pushed hard in getting his own democratic party behind it – it ended up failing with some of the biggest liberals in the legislature voting it down.  That is what happens when you trust that a change in leadership is going to make a change and that is the likely outcome if the strategy of the legalize movement is to wait for the next governor and depend upon the next governor – to legalize cannabis in NJ.

I am not suggesting that proponents of legalization of cannabis completely ignore the Gubernatorial election – to the contrary – be all over all the candidates – and be willing to trumpet the position of any non-mainstream candidates that have a clear position supporting immediate legalization upon changing of the governorship.  From right now – reporters and legalize proponents – need to press every single candidate – including republicans, democrats, Green Party, Socialist Party or any other party or line on the ballot.  Some of the questions that need to put to them:

 They can be asked: What is their position?  How much of a priority do they see legalization being?  Assuming legislative support, how quickly would their administration bring about legalization?  What would their plan be to bring about legalization?  How will they handle the related issue of Decarceration?  What will they do to stop continued arrests immediately upon taking office?

This news agency slide show provides some of the potential mainstream party candidates that will likely contend in 2017 – 4 republicans and 6 democrats:

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/01/njs_possible_candidates_for_governor_in_2017.html#0

Decarcerate the Garden State urges all proponents of legalization to start now in contacting these Gubernatorial hopefuls (GH’s).  We are doing so with the following letter – versions of which will be sent to all of them – even the republican candidates.  As these GHs rear their heads and travel the state and speak around the state in the months ahead – legalize and Decarcerate proponents should have organized presence – with questions, signs and if need be – vocal participation in the events.

We need to set expectations for all of the candidates that we want the next governor to address the crisis of mass arrests of cannabis consumers – the epidemic of the violence this racist enforcement brings into the community – to be addressed immediately through executive fiat followed by legislative action upon the seating of the next governor.  In the meantime – we need to call them out for immediate action now – to speak join us in demanding a moratorium on cannabis arrests and prosecutions in NJ, a vacating of all current charges, fines and penalties being meted out.

Be encouraged take the letter and modify it to your own liking – you are free to identify yourself as a member of Decarcerate the Garden State (or of course whatever group you have affinity for).

Republicans:
John Bramnick, current Assembly Republican Leader, asmbramnick@njleg.org
Randy Brown, Mayor Evesham Townshio, Mayor.Brown@evesham-nj.gov @MayorRandyBrown
Kim Guadagno, former prosecutor and Lt. Governor under Gov. Christie, Feedback@sos.nj.gov,  @KimGuadagnoNJ
Tom Kean Jr., NJ State Senate Leader, senkean@njleg.org , @tomkean


Democrats:
Joe Divincenzo, Essex County Executive, joedi@admin.essexcountynj.org, @Joe_D_EssexExec
Steven Fulop, Mayor of Jersey City, info@stevenfulop.com  , @StevenFulop
Raymond Lesniak, NJ Senator, rlesniak@weinerlesniak.com  @SenatorLesniak
Phil Murphy, New Start NJ, info@nsnj.org @newstartnj

Stephen Sweeney, NJ Senate President, SenSweeney@njleg.org @NJSenatePres
John Wisniewski, NJ Assembly, AsmWisniewski@njleg.org @AssemblymanWiz

Formatted for a single e-mail to all:

asmbramnick@njleg.org; Mayor.Brown@evesham-nj.gov; Feedback@sos.nj.gov; senkean@njleg.org; joedi@admin.essexcountynj.org, info@stevenfulop.com; rlesniak@weinerlesniak.com; info@nsnj.org; SenSweeney@njleg.org; AsmWisniewski@njleg.org 

Tweet Dem candidates:

Cannabis prohibition? @Joe_D_EssexExec @StevenFulop  @SenatorLesniak @newstartnj @NJSenatePres @AssemblymanWiz http://bit.ly/1O8URBN

Tweet Rep candidates:

Cannabis prohibition? @MayorRandyBrown  @KimGuadagnoNJ @tomkean @JonBramnick http://bit.ly/1O8URBN 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

PRESS RELEASE
Contact Bob Witanek 908-881-5275 Decarc@DecarcerateNJ.org

The founding member of Decarcerate the Garden State, Bob Witanek, has sent a letter to 10 prospective NJ Gubernatorial candidates urging their immediate action in support of ending NJ cannabis prohibition and enforcement of prohibition laws.  He has called for such action to begin immediately in the current capacities the candidates currently hold.  He has also called for them to spell out exactly how they will “to put an end to the crisis of mass arrests in NJ for cannabis possession” should they assume the position of NJ Governor.  The following is the letter that has been sent.  At this point no response has been received:

Dear NJ Governatorial Hopeful,

As a founding member of Decarcerate the Garden State, a statewide organization with over 1000 members, I am writing you to urge your outspoken commitment immediately in support of immediate action to put an end to the crisis of mass arrests in NJ for cannabis possession.  As the rest of the nation moves further toward legalization and decriminalization, NJ moves in the opposite direction with arbitrary increase of annual arrests, now topping off near 25000 per year.

https://ssl.capwiz.com/aclu/issues/alert/?alertid=71954626&type=ML&ms=fb_160506_aff_NJ_criminal_law_reform

According to the ACLU report of 2011, Black NJ residents are about 3 times as likely to be arrested for cannabis than white residents and NJ expends $127 million per year on enforcement of the outdated prohibition of cannabis.

https://www.aclu.org/report/war-marijuana-black-and-white?redirect=criminal-law-reform/war-marijuana-black-and-white  

Many are counting on the next governor to bring about an end to the Barbary of cannabis prohibition.   Whatever your personal opinions on cannabis use, you need to face up to it that times are finally changing and NJ is totally out of step with its residents and with the rest of the country on this issue.

NJ’s laws are a scourge.  So is the rampant over enforcement – and the threat of violence that every arrest represents.  These arrests are interrupting and often ruining peoples lives – many of whom end up losing employment and serving jail time for the inability to pay off the fines being assessed for violations.

It makes no matter what party you are in.  Many believe that if the next governor is a democrat the laws will change but there has not been concerted democratic party action on the matter thus far in NJ and in many states it is republicans that have been outspoken and leaders in efforts to change the prehistoric cannabis prohibition laws.  The issue is clearly a bipartisan one and advocates of cannabis legalization and Decarceration will welcome strong action from either side of the aisle.

We will judge the candidates not only on pledges of what they will do in the future but in what they are doing now – does the candidate support the call for a moratorium on cannabis prohibition enforcement in NJ and for dismissal of pending cannabis related charges and vacating of penalties for cannabis prohibition violations?  What role has the candidate played in their current office holding capacity in advancing legalization and a shifting of priorities and resources away from enforcement of cannabis prohibition?

What is your position?  How much of a priority do you see cannabis legalization being?  Assuming legislative support, how quickly would yourr administration bring about legalization?  What is your plan be to bring about legalization?  How will you handle the related issue of Decarceration?  What will you do to stop continued arrests immediately upon taking office?

Our organization and others engaged in this historic struggle to end this repression of quality of life choices made by NJ residents that victimize nobody and for many offer medical relief from what ailments are committed to push the issue of legalization to the forefront.  We will be out and about when the candidates make their rounds in the months ahead, asking questions, holding signs and if need be vocalizing our opposition to your continued repression – some of it racially motivated – of NJ residents – to uphold cannabis prohibition. 

We call upon you to immediately disclose your position and explain how you will:

1.       Start immediately to advocate for legalization and at the same time support the call for a moratorium on arrests and prosecution for alleged violations of NJ’s cannabis prohibition laws.

2.       Enact changes to immediately end cannabis prohibition upon assuming the office of governor.

3.       Provide conviction relief and dismissals for those that have been arrested, are serving prison time or jail time, being held in lieu of bail or assessed fines as well as automatic arrest and conviction record expungement for violation or alleged violations of NJ’s cannabis prohibition laws.

We look forward to your immediate response and to working with you around these matters.

Sincerely,
Bob Witanek
Decarc@DecarcerateNJ.org

Ominous: Facebook Collaborates w/ Corrections to Repress Advocacy

In a frightening article about an arbitrary policy of the Texas Department of Corrections from The Intercept news website, it is reported that Texas has a policy that prohibits its incarcerated men, women and youth from maintaining a “social network” presence.  As bad as that is, this policy goes further to attempt to prevent anyone outside its jurisdiction – including those that are free of their control – from maintaining a presence on behalf of, in solidarity with or in support of those that are incarcerated there.

https://theintercept.com/2016/04/29/texas-prisons-assert-right-to-censor-inmates-families-on-social-media 

According to the article:

. . . prisoners “are prohibited from maintaining active social media accounts for the purposes of soliciting, updating, or engaging others, through a third party or otherwise.”

According to the article, in a letter clarifying the policy, a corrections ombudsman stated that the measure “applied to all social media, and not only would offenders be punished for violating it, but outside third parties would be as well, by having their ability to visit or correspond with their loved ones suspended.”

This kind of policy directly interferes with the very kind of work that our organization Decarcerate the Garden State is engaged in in advocating for the incarcerated – generally and often specifically for specific incarcerated men, women and youth.  While we are focused on NJ we support the incarcerated in other states as well including in Texas.  There is also danger of this kind of policy spreading to other states and that is very concerning.  We believe that a successful Decarceration effort needs to include a unified approach including those on the inside and families, loved ones and advocates on the outside.  Such policies can be severely limiting to our ability to win gains around our Decarceration demands.

It gets worse.  The Facebook group for Decarcerate the Garden State

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

 is the facility where we can share daily developments, discuss strategy, edit documents, share experiences on a daily basis.

As it turns out, Facebook has a mechanism whereby corrections departments can request the removal of Facebook content.  Facebook even has a form that the authorities can use to request such removal.  From reading the article it seems as if it has pertained to Facebook accounts moreso than a group so far.  However there is a danger when relying on Facebook which is basically multi-billion dollar corporation whose interest is in the status quo (and profit generation) that policies the private corporation already has in place can be applied to groups as well.  From the Intercept article:

“Facebook, at least, has been censoring prisoner pages for a number of years — despite its stated goal of giving “people the power to share and to make the world more open and connected.” According to reporting by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, from at least 2011 through early 2015, prison officials and Facebook shared a “special arrangement” whereby a prison could provide Facebook with links for prisoner pages it wanted removed, and Facebook would then suspend those profiles, “often [with] no questions asked, even when it wasn’t clear if any law or Facebook policy was being violated.”

Records obtained by EFF showed that Facebook had censored hundreds, if not thousands of accounts in this fashion. In the wake of the revelations, Facebook revised its procedures, creating a form for prison officials to fill out that includes not only information about the prisoner in question, but also a requirement that the complaint include a link to “applicable law or legal authority regarding inmate social media access,” EFF reported. If no rule or law is in place, the prison must provide “specific” safety-related reasons that the page should be taken down.”

Should our organization have success in the strategy of developing a mechanism of communication between our advocacy and families on the outside and our group become a means for NJ’s incarcerated to communicate to the outside world – it is conceivable that corrections officials could seek to clip our Facebook wings.  While I do not think this is an immediate threat – I believe it behooves us to start preparing for the possibility.  There could be other reasons why Facebook is no longer a viable means for communications as well.  Should the oppressed of this nation ever mount any kind of effective systemic challenge to the many issues (including mass incarceration) that are rooted in the socio-economic system of capitalism you can bet that one of the first things the “powers that be” will do is have their pals in Facebook shut down any mechanisms being used to communicate our planning.

We should now begin planning two alternatives for this possibility:

1.       An internet alternative to Facebook and possibly separate from any corporate owned network that gives us similar functionality as the Facebook group.  We either need to develop our own mechanism or identify an independent of private corporations – trusted – provider that can provide us safe means to survive any repression from Facebook whether it originates from prison authorities or some other repressive source.

2.       We also need to prepare for the possibility that the government or some other entity shuts the internet down (or should it go down due to some other unforeseen circumstances).  We need to start developing a database of our membership including phone, e-mail and mailing address data as well as mechanisms to utilize these other means of communication.

This infrastructure will not happen over night.  However it is absolutely essential that we begin the process of defining our plan and collecting the data needed to be able to survive internet repression or any kind of situation where the internet is no longer available for whatever reason.

Business that distribute The NJ Decarcerator

I will be posting pictures of the kind establishments, that have been willing to carry some copies of The NJ Decarcerator.

I will update this list, and ask anyone who is able to find businesses willing to do the same to let me know, and i will add them to this list.

Newest business to help distribute The NJ Decarcerator :

 Village Place Convenience store wines and liquors, Netcong, NJ

___________

Roses Diner in Netcong, NJ, was happy to let us pass along our message.

                             

Lakeside Billiards in Roxbury, NJ was kind enough to let us distribute The NJ Decarcerator.