[Ppnews] Important! *Richard Williams Tribute*

[Political Prisoner News]

Date: Sun, 27 Nov 2005 19:46:08 -0800 (PST)
From: Diane Fujino <fujino333 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Richard William Tribute Material--by Dec. 10
To: diane diane <fujino333 at yahoo.com>


Dear Friends of Richard Williams:

You may already know that Richard Williams, 
longtime political prisoner and our dear friend, 
is very sick and close to passing. Richard was 
one of the political prisoners the government put 
in isolation on 9/11, though he clearly had no 
connection with the World Trade Center and 
Pentagon attacks. His health deteriorated during 
his 15-month stay in isolation. He suffered a 
heart attack,was treated for testicular cancer, 
found out he has diabetes, had problems with his 
gall bladder—but what is ultimately killing him 
is now untreatable Hepatitis C. His liver has 
stopped functioning and the interferon treatment 
was unsuccessful. His body no longer processes food.

The Interfaith Prisoners of Consciousness Project 
(IPOC), founded by the late Rev. Michael Yasutake 
and headed by Rev. Nozomi Ikuta, is honoring 
Richard and his life's work by creating a tribute 
book for him. IPOC will publish the tribute on the Internet.

We're asking all who know Richard to write a 
paragraph or two letting him know what he means 
to us. We're also looking for any photos, photos 
of artwork, poetry about or by Richard, past 
correspondence with Richard, and so forth. We'll 
place these in Richard's tribute and post excerpts from them to the website.

Time is of the essence. We apologize for the 
short notice, but we want Richard to see the book 
while he's coherent and able to appreciate the 
significance of his life. We're asking that you 
submit materials to us by email or mail by 
Saturday, December 10 to: fujino333 at yahoo.com or 
P.O. Box 80145, Goleta, CA  93118.

Over the last several months, Richard has been 
dealing with the fact that he is dying with 
remarkable forthrightness and ease. He sees death 
as part of the natural cycle of life. He has 
lived a life dedicated himself to liberation struggle so all people could
exercise self-determination. With dignity and a 
free spirit is how Richard has choosen to live, 
despite physical deterioration in captivity. 
What's important to him is to know that his fight 
for justice and his sacrifices are remembered.

We just spoke with his son Netdahe, who along 
with his daughter Henekis and Netdahe's wife, 
just visited Richard. Richard is strengthened by 
their visits and is in close touch with family 
and friends, but he is weak and in a lot of pain. 
Netdahe and Henekis are planning to visit again soon.

It would also mean so much to Richard to hear 
from you, even though he may not be able to write back:

Richard Williams
#10377-016
Federal Medical Center
P.O. Box 1600
Old North Carolina Hwy 75
Butner, NC 27509-1600

Please forward this to those who know Richard 
and/or who feel a strong sense of solidarity with 
the political prisoner movement.

In solidary and struggle,
Matef and Diane

_______________________________

Donations for Richard's Family

Dear Friends and Comrades
11/20/2005

The Jericho Movement is asking that we all help 
Netdahe and Henikas, Richard William's son and 
daughter, be able to help make our comrade and 
friend Richard William's transition to the 
ancestors as peaceful as possible. Netdahe and 
Henikas are trying to be with their father
and we - the movement - can help them do this by 
taking over as many of the financial problems 
that they will be incurring by being in Butner, 
North Carolina, for this transitional time.

You can send a check or money order to The 
Jericho Movement and on the memo line write 
Richard Williams. This will give you a tax 
deduction and Jericho will get the money to 
Netdahe to help him meet his need and be with his 
dad, Richard. Thank you for caring. The Jericho 
Movement has committed all funds raised on Dec 
3rd to help Richard and his family--please do what you can to help as well..
Richard loves to receive card and messages put one in the mail today..

Paulette for the Jericho Movement, p.o. box 774, Bronx, NY 10458
718-220-6004

---------------------------------------------------------
Richard Williams in his own words

I am a single father and grandfather. I was born 
on November 4, 1947, in Beverly, Massachusetts, 
which is a small coastal city 25 miles north of 
Boston. My mother was a factory worker and 
seamstress and my father was a machine operator. 
I have one sister younger than me by six years. 
Just when the draft was getting heavy for Vietnam 
I turned 18 years old and promptly received my 
notice. Like most working class kids, white or 
Black, there was no easy way out of it. Either 
get drafted, join, or hide. I chose not to go. At 
20 years old I was arrested for having marijuana, 
which in Massachusetts was a felony. Given the 
choice of six months in jail or joining the army, 
I went to jail in 1967 and became ineligible for the draft.

I continued to have brushes with the law when in 
1971 I was arrested for robbery in New Hampshire 
and received a seven-to-15-year sentence. I was 
23 and faced five solid years in jail, at the 
least. I ealized at that time that I was going 
nowhere fast, that I needed to change something 
so I started with myself. I became involved with 
trying to better the prison conditions I was in, 
which were deplorable. It was 1971, the year 
George Jackson was murdered, the year of the 
Attica Rebellion. There was unrest in most 
prisons, because overall the prisons were brutal 
and inhumane. I was elected chairperson of the 
New England Prisoner Association. Inside, I met 
with legislators, and participated in food and 
work strikes and protests for better conditions. 
I read a lot of history and worked in political 
study groups. I was locked up, beaten, and 
shipped out for my activities. I learned through 
study and my efforts that the struggle was much 
larger than my then surroundings. I became a communist.

Upon my release I worked briefly with the Prairie 
Fire Organizing Committee. I went to work for the 
New England Free Press a radical, collective 
print shop for almost 2 years. Along with 
Barbara, Jaan, and Kazi, I was part of The 
Amandla Concert in Harvard Stadium in 1979. 
Featuring Bob Marley, Amandla was a benefit 
concert to provide aid to liberation forces in 
Southern Africa. My role was as part of a 
People's Security Force which provided security 
for the concert. We also did security work for 
the community such as house sitting with people 
who were under attack by racists. We went to 
Greensboro, North Carolina in 1979 to protest the 
killings of SWP (Socialist Workers Party) members by the KKK.

I went underground to join the armed clandestine 
movement in 1981 and was captured in Cleveland on 
November 4th, 1984, my 37th birthday.

I was convicted for five of the United Freedom 
Front (UFF) bombings in 1986 in Brooklyn Federal 
Court. In 1987 I got a hung jury at the 
Somerville, N.J. trial in the death of a state 
trooper during a shoot-out with Tom Manning. Next 
I went through a two-year long trial in 
Springfield, Mass., along with Pat and Ray 
Levasseur, in 1988 and 1989 for seditious 
conspiracy and RICO. The jury refused to
convict us. In December 1991, I was convicted of 
killing state trooper Lomonco in 1981 after my 
second trial on these charges in Somerville, N.J. 
I am to serve 45 years for the UFF actions when I 
finish serving my N.J. sentence of 35 years to 
life. As with all dedicated revolutionaries the 
government has caught they have tried to bury my 
body away in prison, while being unable to crush my spirit.

I welcome correspondence from anyone who would like to write.

Long Live Revolutionary Resistance to Imperialism and Capitalism!

The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
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