[Ppnews] Political Prisoners: Government, Police, and Incarceration

[Political Prisoner News]

http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/National_News_2/article_6814.shtml

<http://www.finalcall.com/>FinalCall.com News

Political Prisoners: Government, Police, and Incarceration

By Brian E. Muhammad -Contributing Writer-
Updated Mar 10, 2010 - 11:07:36 AM

FinalCall.com) - During the 2010 Saviours' Day 
Convention, the Nation of Islam (N.O.I.) Prison 
Reform Ministry held an important workshop titled 
“Political Prisoners: Government, Police, and Prisons.”

(The panel discussion was moderated by NOI 
Student National Prison Reform Minister Abdullah 
Muhammad and intended to reconnect people to the 
pain suffered by those who resisted the system 
and the plight of political prisoners in the 
United States who advocates say are being 
mistreated, neglected and in many cases completely ignored.

Chicago Attorney Standish Willis, activists Pam 
Africa and Mike Africa of the organization 
MOVE­that was tragically bombed by governmental 
authorities and law enforcement officials in 
Philadelphia 25 years ago, all gave their 
perspectives on the prison industrial complex, 
political prisoners and a need to counter public apathy.

In the standing room only session, the speakers 
guided the audience through the price of engaging 
the struggle for freedom, justice and equality in 
America. The focal point of the discussion was 
the predicament of jailed activists who were 
incarcerated because they challenged an often 
unjust system and stood up for the marginalized.

With an inmate population of two million people, 
the U.S. is reported to have one of the highest 
numbers of incarcerated people in the world. 
Human rights organizations such as Amnesty 
International has researched the issue and 
reported publicly on the topic over the years. 
However, what is not widely known to the American 
public is the portion of the inmate population 
jailed simply because of their political beliefs 
or activities in furtherance of an ideology not 
deemed appropriate by the government.

Atty. Willis gave a detailed analysis of U.S. 
government and police indiscretions and tactics 
responding to the Black Power movement. Atty. 
Willis highlighted the notorious 
<http://www.noi.org/cointelpro>COINTELPRO 
developed by the FBI to stop effective organizing 
among the Black masses toward self-determination. 
COINTELPRO knew no boundaries. Police all across 
America as well as FBI agents conducted what many 
insist were state-sponsored assassinations of 
prominent Black leaders. Others, were imprisoned 
on false charges, which in effect crippled many 
Black organizations active at that time.

“I think this is an opportune time to test the 
Obama administration to see if they are really 
for human rights because there are massive human 
rights violations that occurred during this 
COINTELPRO, and we have dozens of Black men and 
women who are still in prison as a result of this 
attack on our movement,” Attorney Willis said 
adding that he is involved in a move to petition 
the United Nations regarding the atrocities 
suffered by Black people and activists.

History bears witness to the U.S. Government's 
imprisonment of leaders for their political 
views, such as Marcus Garvey, the Hon. Elijah 
Muhammad, Imam Jamil El-Amin, Sundiata Acoli, 
Mumia Abu Jamal, Leonard Peltier and Dr. Mutulu 
Shakur. All of them either are currently or have 
been political prisoners who were victims of 
apparent frame-up by the intelligence apparatus 
of the U.S. government to curtail their 
liberation efforts among the downtrodden.

During the course of the workshop Pam Africa 
pointed out that the U.S. government has gone so 
far as to use television in an attempt to 
redefine the image of political prisoners to that 
of “common criminals.” Citing a recent episode of 
BET's very popular “American Gangster” featuring 
Dr. Mutulu Shakur of the Republic of New Afrika, 
she pointed out that he was a freedom fighter 
accused of aiding the “escape” of activist Assata Shakur to Cuba.

“Mutulu Shakir who tried to liberate our people 
from the slavery of this government; they put 
this man on American Gangster
he ain't no 
gangster,” argued Ms. Africa. “We have to be very 
careful on how they portray us,” said Ms. Africa.

Ms. Africa and panelist Mike Africa are no 
strangers to the extreme violence at the hands of 
the U.S. government. On May 13, 1985, the 
organization MOVE, led by John Africa suffered an 
assault when the U.S. government dropped bombs on 
the groups' headquarters killing men, women and 
children as young as toddlers. In the wake of the 
devastation, several MOVE members died and others 
were arrested. Mike Africa's father was arrested 
and mother­who was pregnant with him at the 
time­subsequently gave birth in prison.

Ms. Africa spoke extensively on the death row 
case of Mumia Abu Jamal. She challenged the 
audience members to stand firm against the attitude of apathy and stagnation.

“We are life with a destiny to be free,” Ms 
Africa said. “The reason we have political 
prisoners is because they believed they could 
stand up against the government, however, when 
the first rank came, the second rank fell and 
didn't follow up
they are not sitting in jail 
because they are guilty, they are in jail because 
of the apathy of us,” reasoned Ms. Africa.

“Mumia is on death row and we're going to fight 
to see to it that he comes home, but the thing 
that we have to understand is that the fight 
continues,” Mike Africa said. Quoting Harriett 
Tubman, he further said ‘I could have freed a lot 
more slaves, if they knew they were slaves'
 
showing the depth of the problem activists are up against.

In his closing remarks, Student Minister Abdullah 
Muhammad emotionally represented the scriptural 
precedent and read a quote from John Africa which 
said, ‘What a family we are when our aim is 
unbending, committed to stop this intruder from 
sucking the blood of our mom (earth) any longer 
with a power that no man can stand up against. 
What a family we are when we are one force 
united, committed to move the world in a hurried 
through loyalty truth and the word revolution.'

“The people need to know that they can be free,” 
said Rev. Doris Green whose husband Michael Smith 
is a political prisoner. “I feel that anyone that 
is in prison is a political prisoner.”

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