Police Repression and Government Abuse of Power:
The Case of Assata Shakur

Click on the image below to sign the National Conference of Black Lawyers online petition to Remove Assata Shakur from the Most Wanted Terrorist List!

On Thursday, May 2, 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the State of New Jersey placed Sister Assata Shakur on the terrorist list and doubled the bounty for her capture from one million to two million dollars. This makes Sister Assata the first women to be placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorist List.
This action on the part of the FBI and New Jersey State Police is just another example that aligns itself with the ongoing history of abuse and injustices directed towards those who struggled for Black self-determination and the human and civil rights of all people. Notwithstanding the denouncements of the illegalities and Constitutional violations of the FBI's Counterintelligence Program (COINTELPRO) by the (Senator Frank) Church Committee Hearings, the designation of terrorist demonstrates the continued racist repression and hypocrisy of the FBI and State police agencies towards Blacks.
By any legitimate standard, terrorism is the use of violence or the threat thereof to cower a people/population for political ends. Not surprisingly, it is the FBI and the State of New Jersey that evidently seek, as they have in the past, to cower and intimidate the people away from standing for justice, fairness, and humanity. This action on the part of the FBI is evidently designed to play on the ignorance and fears of the people. There is no rhyme or reason for this designation after 40 years since her arrest, except to inflame public sentiment and opinion in characterizing Sister Assata as a terrorist.
The Jericho Movement to free all Political Prisoners denounces this action on the part of the FBI and State of New Jersey, and joins with all good minded people and organizations who stand for justice and fairness, in demanding that this action be rescinded and that Assata be free!
Jericho Steering Committee
May 4, 2013

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Make June Class-War Prisoners Freedom Month

Markin comment (reposted from 2010)

 

In “surfing” the National Jericho Movement website recently in order to find out more, if possible, about class- war prisoner and 1960s radical, Marilyn Buck [now deceased], whom I had read about in a The Rag Blog post I linked to the Jericho list of class war prisoners. I found Marilyn Buck listed there but also others, some of whose cases, like that of the “voice of the voiceless” Pennsylvania [former] death row prisoner, Mumia Abu-Jamal, are well-known and others who seemingly have languished in obscurity. All of the cases, at least from the information that I could glean from the site, seemed compelling. And all seemed worthy of far more publicity and of a more public fight for their freedom.

That last notion set me to the task at hand. Readers of this space know that I am a long -time supporter of the Partisan Defense Committee, a class struggle, non-sectarian legal and social defense organization which supports class- war prisoners as part of the process of advancing the international working class’ struggle for socialism. In that spirit I am honoring the class war prisoners on the National Jericho Movement list this June as the start of what I hope will be an on-going attempt by all serious leftist militants to do their duty- fighting for freedom for these brothers and sisters. We will fight out our political differences and disagreements as a separate matter. What matters here and now is the old Wobblie (IWW) slogan - An injury to one is an injury to all.

Note: This list, right now, is composed of class-war prisoners held in American detention. If others are likewise incarcerated that are not listed here feel free to leave information on their cases here. Likewise any cases, internationally that may come to your attention. I am sure there are many, many such cases out there. Make this June, and every June, a Class-War Prisoners Freedom Month- Free All Class-War Prisoners Now!