"Hempstead 15", New York, 2009

2009-03-08 Boston Anarchist Black Cross Reportback:
Boston Anarchist Black Cross regularly supports hundreds of prisoners by sending out literature, fulfilling research requests and maintaining pen pal correspondences.
We keep up a $20 per month contribution to Jericho Boston's commissary fund, which goes toward meeting the material needs of political prisoners.
We tabled at the Boston Zine Fair and distributed a great deal of prison abolitionist literature.
We got out the word about Jericho's 10/10 march in New York City to free political prisoners and sent down about 10 people.
Most of our collective turned out for a prison abolition strategy session hosted by Jericho Boston and Rising Tide Boston. We have turned out in support of City Life/Vida Urbana's eviction blockades, which have a 7-2 record in preventing the eviction of families.
In collaboration with other Anarchist Black Cross chapters, we collect entries for, produce and distribute a publication called Prison Action News, which is composed of submissions from prisoners detailing their efforts to fight back against oppressive conditions. The latest issue was released on January 1.
As part of our legal defense work, we send money to comrades in need and bail out comrades when situations arise.
Recently, we have contributed to the defense funds for the Revolutionary Autonomous Communities in Los Angeles; their Nov. 8 benefit show was raided, and its attendants were arrested and badly mistreated by police.
We also contributed to the defense fund for Iraq Veterans Against the War, 10 of whose members and five of whose supporters were arrested Oct. 15 in Hempstead, N.Y., when a police horse smashed the face of Sgt. Nick Morgan. We are pleased to report that charges against the Hempstead 15 have since been dropped, but Nick Morgan's face is still smashed and his medical bills are outrageous.
We had a Halloween benefit show to replenish our legal defense fund, but we are perpetually seeking more monetary resources.
If you want to support the prisoner support and legal defense work of Boston Anarchist Black Cross, you can send concealed cash or blank checks to: Boston ABC P.O. Box 230182 Boston, MA 02123 Olympia